Smartphones & Tablets | February 20, 2024
| Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra | |
| Screen | 6.8 inches of 2X LTPO Dynamic AMOLED technology, 19.5:9 aspect ratio, QuadHD+ resolution of 3,120 x 1,440 pixels, 120 Hz adaptive refresh rate (1-120 Hz), 240 Hz touch sampling rate, maximum brightness 2,600 nits, HDR10+ and Corning Gorilla Glass Armor protection | 6.8 inches of 2X LTPO Dynamic AMOLED technology, 19.3:9 aspect ratio, QuadHD+ resolution of 3,088 x 1,440 pixels, 120 Hz adaptive refresh rate (1-120 Hz), 240 Hz touch sampling rate, maximum brightness 1,750 nits, HDR10+ and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection |
| Main camera | – 200 megapixel main sensor with f/1.7 focal aperture with video recording capacity in 8K resolution at 30 frames per second – Secondary sensor with 50 megapixel periscope lens with f/3.4 focal aperture and 5X optical zoom – Tertiary sensor with 10 megapixel telephoto lens with f/2.4 focal aperture and 3X optical zoom – Quaternary sensor with 12 megapixel wide-angle lens with f/2.2 focal aperture | – 200 megapixel main sensor with f/1.7 focal aperture with video recording capacity in 8K resolution at 30 frames per second – Secondary sensor with 10 megapixel periscope lens with f/4.9 focal aperture and 10X optical zoom – Tertiary sensor with 10 megapixel telephoto lens with f/2.4 focal aperture and 3X optical zoom – Quaternary sensor with 12 megapixel wide-angle lens with f/2.2 focal aperture |
| Selfie camera | 12 megapixel main sensor with f/2.2 focal aperture with video recording capacity in 4K resolution at 60 frames per second | 12 megapixel main sensor with f/2.2 focal aperture with video recording capacity in 4K resolution at 60 frames per second |
| Internal memory | 256 GB, 512 GB or 1 TB UFS 4.0 | 256 GB, 512 GB or 1 TB UFS 4.0 |
| Extension | Not available | Not expandable |
| Processor and RAM memory | – Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 4-nanometer eight-core 3.39 GHz max. – 12 GB of LPDDR5 type RAM | – Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 4-nanometer eight-core 3.36 GHz max. – 8 or 12 GB of LPDDR5 type RAM |
| Battery | 5,000 mAh with 45W wired fast charging (charger not included in the box), 15W wireless charging and 4.5W reverse charging | 5,000 mAh with 45W wired fast charging (charger not included in the box), 15W wireless charging and 4.5W reverse charging |
| OS | Android 14 under One UI 6 (upgradable up to Android 21) | Android 14 under One UI 6 (upgradable up to Android 17) |
| Connections | 5G, 4G LTE, dual-band WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7, Bluetooth 5.3, GPS with A-GPS and GLONASS, NFC for contactless payments and USB type C 3.2 Gen input 1 | 5G, 4G LTE, dual-band WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, Bluetooth 5.3, GPS with A-GPS and GLONASS, NFC for contactless payments and USB type C 3.2 Gen 1 input |
| SIM | Dual nano SIM | Dual nano SIM |
| Design | Colors: purple, yellow, black and gray | Colors: black, cream, blue, red, gray, green, lavender and lime |
| Dimensions and weight | 162.3 x 79 x 8.6 millimeters and 232 grams | 163.4 x 78.1 x 8.9 millimeters and 234 grams |
| Featured Features | Under-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, AKG stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos, internal cooling (vapor chamber), IP68 grade water resistance (submergence proof), S-Pen stylus, and AI features | Under-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, AKG stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos, internal cooling (vapor chamber), IP68 water resistance (submergence-proof), and S-Pen stylus |
| Release date | Available | Available |
| Price | From 1,460 euros | From 980 euros |
Samsung’s highest range has a new member, the Galaxy S24 Ultra. It arrived as Samsung’s most advanced mobile for 2024, alongside the Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus, its two younger siblings. As expected, it features some of the top features and technical specifications of the moment, just like the Galaxy S23 Ultra, its predecessor, with which it shares many of these. Given the price drop, the latter remains a rather interesting purchasing option today. Perhaps it’s even more so than the Galaxy S24 Ultra itself… To find out, we’ll analyze their differences in this comparison of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs S23 Ultra. Only then will we know which one is better and why. Let’s see.
The prices indicated in the article may vary over time, so , we limit ourselves to analyzing the differences as of the publication date.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra retains the same aesthetics as the S23 Ultra, which, in turn, is identical to the S22 Ultra. The resemblance of these phones tells us that Samsung has consolidated the design of the series to the point where it doesn’t seem like we’re going to see a very significant and innovative change in this aspect in the next generation.
With the Galaxy S24 Ultra, we have the same floating camera design with four sensors and the screen with a hole for the front camera. However, this is no longer curved on the sides like the Galaxy S23 Ultra; now it’s completely flat. Additionally, in terms of construction, it now features titanium frames. Let’s remember that those of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra are aluminum. However, on the back, it still has a matte glass coating, just like the S23 Ultra.
Regarding dimensions and weights, they share similar figures, with the Galaxy S24 Ultra being slightly more compact and lighter, but also a bit wider than the S23 Ultra.
As for the screens, there are few differences between the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs S23 Ultra that we can mention. Both come with a 6.8-inch LTPO Dynamic AMOLED 2X display. It has a QuadHD+ resolution, but that of the Galaxy S24 Ultra is 3,120 x 1,440 pixels, and that of the S23 Ultra is 3,088 x 1,440 pixels. This means that the latter’s image definition is slightly lower, although the difference is imperceptible to the naked eye. In turn, the screen of both phones has an adaptive refresh rate of 120 Hz, which can vary between 120 Hz and 1 Hz, depending on the current usage and the app or game being run. It also has a touch sampling rate of 240 Hz and supports HDR10+.
The two main differences between the screens of the Galaxy S24 Ultra and S23 Ultra are found in the maximum brightness and the protective glass covering them. Specifically, the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s screen reaches a peak brightness of 2,600 nits, while the S23 Ultra’s reaches up to 1,750 nits. In other words, the S24 Ultra’s screen is about 50% brighter than that of its predecessor. Furthermore, while the S23 Ultra’s is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, the new Galaxy S24 Ultra comes with Gorilla Glass Armor, which is much more resistant and up to 75% less reflective, according to the manufacturer.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and S23 Ultra both feature the two most powerful Qualcomm processors: the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. The former is intended for the Galaxy S24 Ultra, while the latter is found inside the S23 Ultra. As expected, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is more powerful than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, despite both having 4-nanometer node sizes. The difference in power is because the chipset of the S24 Ultra has eight cores that go up to a maximum clock frequency of 3.39 GHz, while those of the S23 Ultra go up to 3.36 GHz.
In benchmarks like AnTuTu, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 of the Galaxy S24 Ultra is almost 40% more powerful than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 of the S23 Ultra. However, beyond this difference, both offer a similar top user experience in any type of task, application, or game, no matter how demanding it may be.
Regarding memory options, both flagships have non-expandable UFS 4.0 internal memory of 256 GB, 512 GB, or 1 TB, as well as 12 GB of LPDDR5 type internal memory. However, only the Galaxy S23 Ultra is also available with 8 GB of RAM, but this version corresponds only to the one with 256 GB of internal storage space.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has a quad-camera system similar to that of the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Both share a 200-megapixel main sensor with f/1.7 aperture and video recording up to 8K at 30 frames per second, a 10-megapixel telephoto lens with f/2.4 aperture and 3X optical zoom, and a 12-megapixel wide-angle lens with f/2.2 aperture. What changes is the periscope lens, which in the Galaxy S24 Ultra is 50 megapixels and has an f/3.4 focal aperture with 5X optical zoom. The Galaxy S23 Ultra, on the other hand, has a lower resolution, at 10 megapixels. However, this one has a greater optical zoom, which is 10X, but its focal aperture is f/4.9. Here we can see how Samsung has set aside a higher zoom in the Galaxy S24 Ultra to give more importance to the quality and definition of the image with this periscope lens.
As for the front camera, both flagships have the same 12-megapixel sensor with f/2.2 aperture and recording in 4K resolution at 60 frames per second.
But the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has one more advantage, thanks to Artificial Intelligence. This mobile is equipped with a bunch of AI functions that help improve the quality of photos while offering advanced editing features.
Another area where we don’t have differences between the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs S24 Ultra is the battery, so autonomy here is not a key point for choosing one over the other. We can only highlight the fact that both have the same 5,000 mAh capacity battery with 45 W fast wired charging, which can be fully charged in about 1 hour. It also supports 15 W wireless charging and 4.5 W reverse charging. Unfortunately, neither includes its charger in the box.
Regarding connectivity options, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is superior to the S23 Ultra for having Wi-Fi 7, unlike the latter, which has Wi-Fi 6e. Otherwise, both come with support for 5G, 4G LTE networks, Bluetooth 5.3, GPS with A-GPS and Glonass, and NFC for contactless mobile payments. They also boast a USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 1 port.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra features internal cooling via a vapor chamber, just like the S23 Ultra. However, its cooling system is more efficient, as its vapor chamber is almost twice as large as that of the S23 Ultra, which means it can manage and control the internal temperature of the mobile more efficiently, thus avoiding overheating more easily. It also includes multiple AI functions, such as real-time call translation, text and web page summarization, photo and video editing, and many others. Otherwise, they share dual AKG speakers with Dolby Atmos, IP68 water resistance, an in-screen ultrasonic fingerprint reader, and facial recognition. They also come with an S-Pen stylus, which, in turn, comes with a bunch of functions.
In terms of software, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and S23 Ultra both have Android 14 under One UI 6. However, the S24 Ultra has a 7-year update support, unlike the S23 Ultra, which has a 4-year one. This means that the S24 Ultra will be upgradable to Android 21, while the S23 Ultra will reach Android 17. Let’s remember that the latter has already received a system update, so it only has three left.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra was introduced with an official starting price of around 1,460 euros. That is, it increased in price compared to the S23 Ultra, which at its launch started from 1,410 euros. Currently, the S23 Ultra can be purchased for around 980 euros on sites like Amazon due to its price drop. In other words, there is a difference of almost 500 euros between the S24 Ultra and S23 Ultra, with the latter being the cheaper of the two.
With this in mind, we can say that the winner of the comparison between the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs S24 Ultra is the S23 Ultra, but only because it has a better quality-price ratio since, if we only talk about characteristics, the S24 Ultra is better, but not by much. Now we explain it better…
We have declared the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra as the winner because it has most of the features of the Galaxy S24 Ultra, as well as a practically identical design and a quite premium build quality similar to that of its successor. Starting with the similarities, this phone has the same screen, except that its screen is less bright, has no curvature on the sides, and has a less resistant protective glass. It also has exceptional performance that in everyday use doesn’t have much to envy to that of the S24 Ultra, despite being more trimmed in this regard. The difference in power between both phones is practically imperceptible, so the S23 Ultra remains an ideal phone to run apps and games with the maximum possible fluidity.
Regarding the cameras, the S23 Ultra is also one step behind, but only when we talk about a specific camera, and that is the 10-megapixel periscope one. Obviously, this one has a lower resolution than the 50-megapixel one on the S24 Ultra, but it has a greater optical zoom. The rest of the cameras are the same on both phones.
Otherwise, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra features a more advanced Wi-Fi version, a more efficient internal cooling system, and more AI functions. The rest of the features found on this phone are also present on the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Of course, if you’re thinking of having a device for many years, perhaps the Galaxy S24 Ultra is the best choice for you, given the years of updates it comes with. If this is not the case, you want to save about 500 euros (or more, depending on the current offer), and you can do without the advantages and innovations of the S24 Ultra, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is the phone you should buy in 2024, without further ado.
