In this post, I’m going to compare the Galaxy S24 Ultra specs with the Galaxy S23 Ultra, the predecessor and see what are the major changes we can expect.
Display
So, the first big thing is the display. This time, it will have the same on-paper display: 6.8 inch Quad HD+ (that means 1440p) display with about 500 PPI density. And it’s also again going to be 120Hz, but the change is somewhere else. And I’m talking about the brightness. This time, the peak brightness is going to be 2,600 nits, compared to only 1,750 nits of the current model. That doesn’t mean the 1750nits is bad, but the upgrade is actually a big one, even though the brightness is usually measured in logarithmic scale, not linear scale. So, that’s the thing.
The display will have another big change and that is it’s going to be that it is flat this time, a totally flat display. We have Samsung’s official renders and even Samsung’s official marketing posters that show this change. Finally, we won’t have to struggle with the S Pen and the curved display anymore. The bezels are going to be slightly curved, but that’s not something that we can measure in millimeters. They are so thin, even thinner than the S23 Ultra. And they are all going to be symmetrical at the top, at the bottom, and at the sides. So this is a big jump in the display department. Not saying it’s a major or a significant upgrade for everyone, but certain people will definitely feel it’s a big upgrade. I mean, we have already reached a point where there is very little we can do to improve the displays anymore.
Processor
The next big upgrade is coming definitely in the processor department and that is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy chipset, compared to last year’s model that came with the very famous Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy. Now, this is a big upgrade, even though the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy is still crazy powerful and efficient, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is going to be hopefully even more energy efficient and powerful than that. For example:
CPU
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy, even though it is still based on 4nm process node, it has a much more powerful Cortex-X4 core running at 3.4 GHz, compared to the Cortex-X3 core running at 3.36 GHz on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy inside the S23 Ultra. Now, the X4 core of its own can actually perform like the X3 core at a 40% less power usage. So, you see what I’m trying to say? It’s much more efficient and if you look at the peak power, then it is about 15% more powerful than the Cortex-X3 core
The other core configurations are also slightly different this time. For example, the performance cores on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy for Galaxy were Cortex-A710 and Cortex-A715 cores. There were two groups of both of these cores and all of them were running at 2.8 GHz. On the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy though, it’s going to be slightly different. It’s going to be two plus three. Two will run at 2.96 GHz, they’re all going to be Cortex-A720 cores and the other three will run at 3.15 GHz. So, it’s a totally different kind of configuration even in the performance core department.
The efficiency cores are actually less in comparison to last year’s model. In the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy, it’s only two efficiency Cortex-A520 cores running at 2.27 GHz. Last year’s model had four efficiency cores, three Cortex-A510 cores running at 2 GHz. But that’s not the only thing, there are going to be even more differences in the GPU department.
GPU
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy comes with a new Adreno 750 GPU, which is claimed to be 30% faster than the Adreno 740 GPU on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy. This means that the gaming performance on the S24 Ultra will be significantly better than the S23 Ultra, especially with the high refresh rate display. The Adreno 750 GPU also supports variable rate shading, which can improve the graphics quality and efficiency by reducing the shading rate for some pixels. This is a feature that was previously only available on desktop GPUs, but now it’s coming to mobile devices as well.
NPU
NPU stands for Neural Processing Unit, and it is a processor that is optimized for AI deep learning computations. The Galaxy S24 series will be called Galaxy phones powered by Galaxy AI, and they will have many AI features that I have made several videos on. These AI features will not require internet connection, but they will require a much more powerful NPU.
Cooling system
Now, there is no exact way to measure the NPU’s capabilities, but it’s going to be really powerful because the vapor chamber cooling system is getting 1.9 times bigger in comparison to the S23 Ultra inside the S24 Ultra. This means that the chipset will stay cool and perform better even under heavy load.
Benchmarks of Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Galaxy S23 Ultra
Now, if you look at the benchmarking numbers of both the Galaxy S23 Ultra and the leaked benchmarks of the S24 Ultra, it’s pretty clear that the S24 Ultra is much faster. The S23 Ultra scored 1,893 points in the single-core test and 5,016 points in the multi-core test. Pretty cool, but the S24 Ultra scored 2,234 points in the single-core test and 6,807 points in the multi-core test. That is big, big, big numbers. Now, this doesn’t mean that the S23 Ultra is any slower or that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy on the S23 Ultra is any slouch. No, hell no. It just means that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy on the S24 Ultra is still a big upgrade. That’s what I’m saying.
Build quality
Another thing I want to mention in the build quality department is that the Galaxy S24 Ultra will have a much flatter design than the previous model. This is a personal preference, so you might like it or not, but I think it looks sleek and modern. The side frame is also going to be made out of titanium, unlike last year’s aluminum 2.0.
Titanium vs. Aluminum
Now, titanium is a great material for smartphones because it is way stronger than aluminum, yet it is much lighter than stainless steel. According to some sources, titanium has a higher hardness that makes it more scratch-resistant, and its stiffness makes it durable enough to withstand bending. So, if Samsung really wanted to use titanium to reduce the weight of the phone, they could make the frame much thinner in comparison to the aluminum frame. Samsung could also use a similar amount of titanium inside the phone to make it more rigid and stronger than the aluminum frame. Both are possibilities.
Storage and RAM
In the storage and RAM department, there are no major changes, though. Whether you like it or not, the Galaxy S24 Ultra will have the same options as the S23 Ultra. It will start with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of UFS 4.0 storage, which is very fast and efficient. There will also be 512GB and 1TB storage options, just like the current model.
Battery and charging
Battery-wise, it’s a similar story. The Galaxy S24 Ultra will have a 5,000 mAh battery, which is the same capacity as the S23 Ultra. Samsung claims it will support Super Fast Charging 2.0, which can charge the phone from zero to 65% in 30 minutes, but that’s probably with a 45W charger, which is sold separately. The phone will also support 25W wired charging, 15W wireless charging, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging, identical to the S23 Ultra.
Colors
By the way, this year, we’re going to get some new colors for the Galaxy S24 Ultra. They will be called Titanium Black, Titanium Gray, Titanium Violet, and Titanium Yellow, and they will match the titanium frame of the phone. There will also be some Samsung exclusive colors, like light green, blue and purple. The S23 Ultra came in black, green, cream, lavender, graphite, sky blue, lime, red, and there was a BMW edition as well, so these are the color options difference.
Software
The Galaxy S24 Ultra will be launching with One UI 6.1 software, which is based on Android 14. This means it will get more software updates compared to the S23 Ultra, which launched with One UI 5.1 based on Android 13. According to Samsung, the Galaxy S23 Ultra will receive 5 years of security updates and 4 major Android OS upgrades. Hopefully, Samsung will extend this support even further this year, but it’s not confirmed yet.
Selfie and ultrawide cameras
Now, the cameras are the main attraction of the Galaxy S24 Ultra, but not all of them have changed from the previous model. The selfie camera is still going to be the same 12MP shooter that you can find on the S23 Ultra. The ultrawide camera is also similar, with a 12MP Sony IMX564 sensor with 1.4μm pixel size. However, the main camera and the telephoto cameras are getting big upgrades.
Main camera
The main camera on the Galaxy S24 Ultra is a 200MP ISO HP2SX sensor, which is an optimized variant of the same ISO HP2 sensor that you can find on the S23 Ultra. The sensor size is 1/1.3 inches, and the pixel size is 0.6μm. The difference is that this year, it’s getting a really cool feature called sensor crop. Samsung has already showcased a video about this feature, and with this capability, you’re going to have a 2x zoom without losing any quality, unlike the S23 Ultra’s 200MP camera at 2x. This is because it is cropping into the sensor to give you a lossless quality photo, but at a maximum 50MP resolution. Samsung might even restrict it to 12MP, I don’t know that, but 50MP max res is a possibility.
Telephoto cameras
The Galaxy S24 Ultra will also have two telephoto cameras, one with 3x optical zoom and one with 5x optical zoom. The 3x telephoto camera will have a 10MP Sony IMX754 sensor with 1.12μm pixel size, which is the same as the S23 Ultra. The 5x telephoto camera, however, will have a 50MP GMU sensor with 0.8μm pixel size, which is a big improvement over the 10MP sensor on the S23 Ultra. The 5x telephoto camera will also use in-sensor crop to offer 10x optical zoom for still images, and it will support 8K video recording at 30fps, 4K video recording at 60fps, and 1080p video recording at 60fps. The main and both telephoto cameras will feature OIS, while the ultrawide camera will have EIS.
Samsung has introduced a new feature called ISOCELL Zoom Anyplace for its 200MP image sensor, which will be used in the upcoming Galaxy S24 Ultra. This feature allows users to select a subject and the camera will automatically track and film it, capturing both closer and wide-angle perspectives simultaneously. This is possible thanks to the combination of proprietary AI tracking and Qualcomm’s AI engine on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset. This feature gives users more freedom and creativity while filming with their smartphones, as they don’t have to move around the phone too much or worry about losing focus.
The result is two high-resolution videos from a single camera. One is a zoomed-in view that tracks the subject, and the other one is a wide-angle view of the main camera. Samsung claims that users can enjoy 12.5MP photos at any zoom level with the Galaxy S24 Ultra, unlike the previous models where the zoom capabilities reduced the image quality by a lot, up to as little as 0.78MP. This is a significant upgrade, as the main camera’s photos and videos will be amazing in terms of zoom.
This same technology will also be used in the periscope zoom camera, which has a 5x optical zoom. This camera has a new 50MP GMU sensor, which is a 1/2.25-inch sensor with 0.8μm pixel size. This sensor is still a periscope lens camera, but it has a higher resolution and a larger sensor size than the 10MP 10x zoom camera found in the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Some people might be disappointed by this change, but leaks says that thanks to the ISOCELL Zoom Anyplace technology, the 50MP sensor will be able to capture a 12.5MP non-upscaled 10x photo without losing any quality. In contrast, the current system takes a 10MP photo at 10x and then upscales it to 12.5MP, resulting in lower quality. Moreover, because the 50MP camera has more megapixels and a bigger sensor than the 10MP camera on the Galaxy S23 Ultra, it will also perform better in low-light situations. This is also aided by the pixel binning technology, which combines four pixels into one to increase the light sensitivity. The Galaxy S24 Ultra will still have the 100x zoom feature, just like the Galaxy S23 Ultra, but it will use the 50MP sensor to capture a 12.5MP photo at 10x and then digitally zoom in and will AI to enhance the photos taken with its cameras.
The S24 Ultra can take a 12.5MP photo at any zoom level, without losing any quality. This is much better than the S23 Ultra, which can only take a 10MP photo at 10x zoom and then upscale it to 12.5MP, resulting in lower quality.
The S24 Ultra is a phone that is all about AI. It has many AI features, some of which require cloud processing and some of which use the on-device NPU. One of the AI features is called RAMSTER, which can upscale the photos to a much higher resolution than they are. This means that a 100x zoom photo can be upscaled to a much higher resolution without losing much quality.
These are the main differences and changes between the S24 Ultra and the S23 Ultra in terms of zoom and AI. However, these are all based on theory and paper specs, not practical tests. We will have to wait and see how the S24 Ultra performs in real life.
Live call translate and video object eraser
The Galaxy S24 Ultra will have some impressive AI features that will make it stand out from the previous models. One of them is the live call translate, which will allow users to have real-time conversations with people who speak different languages, without the need of any cloud servers or internet connection. This feature will use the on-device NPU and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset to process the speech and translate it accurately and quickly.
Another AI feature that the Galaxy S24 Ultra will have is the video object eraser, which will let users remove unwanted objects from their videos with a simple tap. This feature will use the generative edit technology, which can create realistic and seamless videos by filling in the gaps left by the erased objects. This feature will also work on photos, and it will be available on both the Galaxy S24 and the Galaxy S24+.
4K video recording at 120fps
The Galaxy S24 Ultra will also have a major upgrade in the video recording department. It will be able to record 4K videos at 120fps, which is twice as much frames as the Galaxy S23 Ultra can, which can only record 4K videos at 60fps. This means that the Galaxy S24 Ultra will be able to capture sharper slo-mo videos, especially in fast-moving scenes. The Galaxy S24 Ultra will also support 8K video recording at 30fps, which is the same as the Galaxy S23 Ultra. But with the 5x camera as well.
Galaxy S24 Ultra Camera Specs
- Main 200MP HP2SX 1/1.3″ sensor with 0.6μm pixel size.
- Ultra-Wide 12MP Sony IMX564 1/2.55″ sensor with 1.4μm pixel size.
- 3x Telephoto 10MP Sony IMX754+ 1/3.52″ sensor with 1.12μm pixel size.
- 5x Telephoto 48MP GMU 1/2.25″ sensor with 0.8μm pixel size
- 12MP selfie camera
Price and pre-order bonuses
The Galaxy S24 Ultra will be priced similarly to the Galaxy S23 Ultra in most markets, except for Europe, where it will be slightly more expensive by about 50 euros. The Galaxy S24 Ultra will come in 12/256GB, 12/512GB, and 12GB/1TB configurations, priced at €1,449, €1,569, and €1,809, respectively. Samsung will once again offer pre-order bonuses for early buyers of Galaxy S24 Ultra. Like previous times, early adopters could receive higher storage variants of the phone at no extra cost. For example, if you pre-order the 12/256GB model, you will get the 12/512GB model instead. Additional pre-order bonuses are said to include discount coupons for the Galaxy Watch or Galaxy Buds FE.
Conclusion
These are the main differences and changes between the Galaxy S24 Ultra and the Galaxy S23 Ultra that we know so far from the leaks and rumors. Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below. Are you upgrading from the Galaxy S23 Ultra or are you going to keep it for another year or so?
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any organization or entity. This article has not been reviewed by a human editor and may contain errors or inaccuracies. The author has used online editing tools to improve the quality of the article, but does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness. Readers are advised to exercise their own judgment and discretion when reading this article.
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