Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: the key differences
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
Weight: 232g
Dimensions: 162.3 x 79 x 8.6mm
Screen size: 6.8-inch
Resolution: 1440 x 3120
Chipset: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
RAM: 12GB
Storage: 256GB/512GB/1TB
Battery: 5,000mAh
Rear camera: 200MP+50MP+12MP+10MP
Front camera: 12MP
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is an upgrade on the Galaxy S23 Ultra in many ways, from its brighter screen to its titanium frame, its faster chipset, and its better camera. But the S24 Ultra's higher price and the absence of 10x zoom means the Galaxy S23 Ultra is still worth considering.
For
Great cameras
Titanium frame
Very powerful
Against
AI is often useless
Big and heavy
Terrible menus
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Weight: 234g
Dimensions: 163.4 x 78.1 x 8.9mm
Screen size: 6.8-inch
Resolution: 1440 x 3088
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
RAM: 8GB/12GB
Storage: 256GB/512GB/1TB
Battery: 5,000mAh
Rear camera: 200MP+12MP+10MP+10MP
Front camera: 12MP
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra still has most of the core features found on the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and at a lower price. It's undeniably a lesser phone overall, but you probably won't miss many of the S24 Ultra's upgrades if you do choose this.
For
10x zoom camera
Lower price than S24 Ultra
Feature packed
Against
Less powerful than the S24 Ultra
Screen can't get as bright
No titanium
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has now landed, alongside the standard Samsung Galaxy S24 and the Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus. But while it's packed full of improvements, it also has a lot of similarities to the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.
These are both big, powerful phones, sporting similar designs and mostly similar cameras. So just how much of an upgrade is the Galaxy S24 Ultra really?
To help answer that, we've looked at how the key specs and features of the Galaxy S24 Ultra compare to the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. And for more on the latest Samsung phones, check out our Samsung Galaxy S24 review, our hands-on Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus review, and our Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: specs comparison
The table below contains all the key Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra specs, so you can see at a glance how these two phones stack up.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: price and availability
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra was unveiled on January 17, 2024, and it shipped on January 31, so you can snag one of the best Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra deals now.
As for the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra price, it starts at $1,299.99 / £1,249 / AU$2,199 for 256GB of storage, rising to $1,419.99 / £1,349 / AU$2,399 for 512GB of storage, and $1,659.99 / £1,549 / AU$2,799 for 1TB of storage. In all cases that's with 12GB of RAM.
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is of course widely available now, and costs $1,199.99 / £1,249 / AU$1,949 for 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM, $1,379.99 / £1,399 / AU$2,249 for 512GB of storage and 12GB of RAM, and $1,619.99 / £1,599 / AU$2,649 for 1TB of storage and 12GB of RAM. Or at least, when it’s not discounted it does, but being a year old it’s often available at a reduced price.
So the Galaxy S24 Ultra has a starting price that's $100 / AU$250 higher, but the same price in the UK.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: design
At first glance the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra looks a lot like the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. That means angular rather than rounded corners, a quad-lens camera on the back, with the same lens arrangement, a glass rear, a metal frame, and a large display with a punch-hole camera and tiny bezels.
The S24 Ultra also has an IP68 rating, meaning it has the same level of water and dust resistance as the S23 Ultra.
Some of the details do differ though, as while the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra has an aluminum frame, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has a more premium titanium frame.
Beyond that, the bezels on the Galaxy S24 Ultra are slightly slimmer, and the weight and dimensions also differ a little, with the Galaxy S24 Ultra being 232g and 162.3 x 79 x 8.6mm, while the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is 234g and 163.4 x 78.1 x 8.9mm.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra colors also differ, with this phone coming in Titanium Violet, Titanium Gray, Titanium Black, Titanium Yellow, Titanium Blue, Titanium Green, and Titanium Orange, while the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra colors include Phantom Black, Green, Cream, Lavender, Graphite, Sky Blue, Lime, and Red.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: display
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has a 6.8-inch QHD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 2,600 nits, all of which also applies to the Galaxy S23 Ultra, except the brightness, which is lower at 1,750 nits.
Beyond that, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra's display is flat, while the Galaxy S23 Ultra's is curved.
Overall though, the S24 Ultra's screen is very similar to the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s. That’s no bad thing though, as in our Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra review, we described its screen as “a stunning display with even greater color accuracy than previously.”
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra's though we described as being a "fantastic display in bright light or a very dim room." So the extra brightness does help at least a bit.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: cameras
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra's cameras are interesting, because while they're an upgrade in some ways, they're arguably a downgrade in others.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has a 200MP main camera, a 12MP ultra-wide snapper, a 10MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom, and a 50MP periscope camera with 5x optical zoom.
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra on the other hand has a 200MP main camera, a 12MP ultra-wide one, a 10MP telephoto one with 3x optical zoom, and another 10MP with 10x optical zoom.
So the only change in numbers there is for the second telephoto camera, which has dropped from 10x zoom to 5x on the Galaxy S24 Ultra, but gone up from 10MP to 50MP.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra also has various AI abilities, such as the ability to move objects around in photos and fill in empty spaces in shots. That said, Samsung has confirmed that at least some of the S24 Ultra's AI capabilities will come to the Galaxy S23 Ultra too.
Still, for the most part, on both the hardware and software side the S24 Ultra's cameras are an upgrade, with our review finding they offered better image quality overall, and while there's less detail from the zoom lens, there's better color and dynamic range.
That said, the Galaxy S23 Ultra already has excellent cameras, so the improvements here aren't game-changing.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: performance
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, which is no surprise, because the Galaxy S23 Ultra has a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset.
So you can expect a generational leap in power with the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, which is substantial, although the Galaxy S23 Ultra is still no slouch.
You also get 12GB of RAM with the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, while the S23 Ultra can come with either 8GB or 12GB of RAM. Storage amounts are exactly the same between the two though, specifically a choice 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB of storage.
Both phones also have largely the same software – namely Android with Samsung’s One UI on top. Though the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra will be supported for longer, with Samsung promising seven years of updates.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: battery life
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has a 5,000mAh battery with 45W wired charging and 15W wireless, which is also what you’ll find in the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.
So the two phones probably won’t be much different when it comes to battery life. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra lasts around a day and a half in our tests, while Samsung claims it can last for up to 25 hours of internet usage, up to 26 hours of video playback, or up to 99 hours of audio playback.
In our review we found that the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra outlasted the Galaxy S23 Ultra by more than two hours, while Samsung claims it can last for up to 28 hours of internet usage, up to 30 hours of video playback, or up to 95 hours of audio playback. So for most use cases the the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra’s battery life is slightly better than the S23 Ultra's.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: verdict
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has a more premium build than the Galaxy S23 Ultra, along with a brighter screen, a more powerful chipset, and a different – ultimately better – telephoto camera, plus various AI tricks.
However, its optical zoom doesn't reach as far as the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra’s, its battery capacity, storage, and RAM are all similar, and many of its cameras and other specs are largely unchanged too.
And while on paper the two phones cost roughly similar amounts, in practice the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra can often be found for a lot less than its launch price now.
There’s little doubt that the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is the better spec’d phone then. But the Galaxy S23 Ultra probably isn't worth upgrading from, and could still be worth considering if you find it on a good deal.
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