Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Galaxy S23 Ultra: What are the differences?

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  Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

  The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra features a 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, a powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip with up to 1TB of storage, and a quad camera setup. The phone comes with Galaxy AI, bringing new advanced features to the table.

  Pros

  • Gorgeous, bright, and vivid display
  • Flagship performance
  • Improved camera
  • New Galaxy AI Features

  Cons

  • It costs $100 more than its predecessor
  • The charging speed is still not competitive

• 

  Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

  $1126 $1200 Save $74

  The new Galaxy S23 Ultra is the go-to flagship from Samsung in 2023. It’s powered by the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, carries the same price tag as its predecessor, and has improved gaming and camera capabilities to let you capture the perfect moment. 

  Pros

  • Excellent, large display
  • Fast performance
  • Great photos
  • Good battery life

  Cons

  • It’s not cheap
  • The charging speed isn’t competitive

Key Takeaways

• The Galaxy S24 Ultra offers significant improvements over its predecessor, including a powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip and advanced Galaxy AI features.
• The design and display of the S24 Ultra are similar to the S23 Ultra, with minor differences in size and bezels, but the S24 Ultra has a higher brightness level and more scratch-resistant glass.
• Both the S23 Ultra and S24 Ultra have the same battery capacity and charging technologies, but the S24 Ultra could benefit from faster charging standards. Upgrading depends on personal preference and budget.

The new Galaxy S24 Ultra is one of the best Samsung smartphones in 2024, and if you’re still using your beloved Galaxy S23 Ultra, you might be interested in seeing the differences and seeing if it’s worth upgrading. The Galaxy S24 Ultra comes with the powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy chipset, 12GB of memory, and up to 1TB of RAM. It has a quad camera setup on the back, powerful and useful new Galaxy AI features, and many improvements that could make it worth your hard-earned money.

In this guide, we compared the latest and last year’s best smartphones side-by-side, telling you about the differences in specifications, design and display, camera sensors, as well as the battery and charging technologies.

• 	Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra	Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
  SoC	Snapdragon 8 Gen 3	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
  Display	6.8-inch, QHD+, Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz variable refresh rate	6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz
  RAM	12GB	Up to 12GB
  Storage	256GB, 512GB, 1TB	Up to 1TB
  Battery	5,000 mAh	5,000 mAh
  Operating System	OneUI 6.1 based on Android 14	One UI 5.1 based on Android 13
  Front camera	12MP, f/2.2, FOV 80-degree	12MP f/2.2
  Connectivity	5G, LTE, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC	5G, LTE
  Dimensions	6.40 x 3.11 x 0.34 in (162.5 x 78.9 x 8.6 mm)	163.4 x 78.1 x 8.9 mm
  Charge speed	45W wired, 15W wireless, 4.5W reverse wireless, 0% to 65% in 30 mins (45W wired)	45W wired (0-65% in 30 mins)
  IP Rating	IP68	IP68
  Stylus	Yes (S Pen)	S Pen
  Main Camera	200MP, f/1.7, FOV 85-degree, OIS	200MP primary f/1.7
  Wide-Angle Camera	12MP, f/2.2 FOV 120-degree	12MP f/2.2 ultrawide
  Telephoto	10MP, f/2.4, OIS, 3x optical zoom & 50MP, f/3.4, OIS, 5x optical zoom	10MP periscope 10x optical zoom, 10MP f/2.4 telephoto

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Galaxy S23 Ultra: Price & Availability

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra starts at $1,299.99 in the US. All models have 12GB of RAM, and the base unit comes with 256GB of storage. You can also upgrade to the 512GB or 1TB models, retailing for $1,419.99 and $1,659.99, respectively. Like most times, users can save up to $1,000 for trading in their smartphones at various retailers and carriers, as well as at Samsung directly. The Galaxy S24 Ultra comes in four colors, Titanium Black, Titanium Gray, Titanium Violet, and Titanium Yellow, and four exclusive colors available from Samsung.com: Titanium Blue, Titanium Green, and Titanium Orange.

The new Galaxy S24 Ultra is already up for pre-orders in the US and other markets, and the device will become available on January 31. Those who pre-order between January 17 and January 30 will be eligible for a free storage upgrade, and those who pre-order from Samsung.com will receive Samsung Credit worth up to $150.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra started at $1,199 price tag. The base model features 8GB of memory and 256GB of storage, while 12/512GB retails for $1,380 and 12GB/1TB for $1,620. Now that the Galaxy S23 Ultra is one year old, you can buy it for much less, and it’s often on sale at various retailers and carriers across the country. The Galaxy S23 Ultra comes in four colors, Phantom Black, Cream, Green, and Lavender, and four exclusive colors available from Samsung.com: Lime, Graphite, Sky Blue, and Red.

In terms of price, suppose you’re after the latest and the greatest, and you don’t mind paying a premium, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is the obvious choice. However, for those on a smaller budget and those who don’t mind going with a slightly older model, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is still an excellent smartphone that’ll likely receive most of the same features as the newer S24 Ultra.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Galaxy S23 Ultra: Design & Display

The design of last year’s Galaxy S23 Ultra and this year’s Galaxy S24 Ultra is nearly identical, and there are only a few noticeable differences. For starters, the Galaxy S24 Ultra has the dimensions of 162.5 x 78.9 x 8.6 mm, while the S23 Ultra measures 163.4 x 78.1 x 8.9 mm. This means that the S24 Ultra is slightly shorter, wider, and thinner than its predecessor. When it comes to weight, the S24 Ultra weighs 233 grams, 1 gram less than the S23 Ultra at 234 grams.

Despite the new Galaxy sporting a titanium frame, Samsung didn’t reduce the weight by much, and the difference between the two phones will be minimal at best. What’s not going to be different is the way the phone feels in your hand. The S24 Ultra did away with the slightly curved sides, and it now sports flat sides, making it a perfect rectangle. Both phones are IP68 certified, meaning they’ll protect you from water and dust.

Despite the minimal size differences, both phones sport a 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with QHD+ resolution. The main difference is that due to the smaller design, the bezels are smaller on the S24 Ultra, and the panel now also gets up to 2,600 nits of brightness, making the the HDR and outside viewing experience more enjoyable and pleasant.

That’s not all, the S24 Ultra also benefits from Corning’s latest tempered glass, the Gorilla Glass Armor that’s said to be more scratch resistant than the S23 Ultra’s Gorilla Glass Victus 2.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Galaxy S23 Ultra: Camera

The camera is an area where the Galaxy S24 Ultra doesn’t appear to look much different from the S23 Ultra, at least on paper. However, Samsung promises that it has made significant improvements, and the company is bringing the power of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and various AI and software improvements to enhance the experience.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra features a 200MP primary, a 12MP ultrawide, a 10MP telephoto with 3x optical sensor, and another 50MP periscope telephoto with 5x optical zoom. The S23 Ultra features the same 200MP primary, a 12MP ultrawide, a 10MP telephoto with 3x optical sensor, and a 10MP periscope telephoto with 10x optical zoom.

It looks like Samsung finally realized that not many people used the 10x optical sensor, and while the quality was impressive, there’s a chance Samsung could rely on AI and various algorithms to crop in, resulting in a 10x zooming capability with little to no loss of detail. That said, we’ll have to get our hands on the device to be able to test it, so make sure you stay tuned to Pocketnow.com, and our YouTube channel.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Galaxy S23 Ultra: Battery

Both the Galaxy flagships come with the same 5,000 mAh battery capacity, supporting the same charging technologies. Those are, support for 45W wired charging that should result in 0-65% charge in 30 minutes, 15W wireless charging, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging.

While we would’ve loved to see a faster charging standard on the new Galaxy S24 Ultra, it remains to be seen how long a full charge will take. We can only hope that Samsung takes notes from competitors like OnePlus, OPPO, and HONOR, and equips its latest and most expensive flagships with faster charging standards.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Galaxy S23 Ultra: Which should you buy?

So, which devices should you buy? If you’re using an older Samsung Galaxy Note or Galaxy S series device, now is a good time to consider upgrading. The S24 Ultra sees a lot of deals and trade-in offers, allowing you to save up to $1,000 at select retailers, carriers, and at Samsung.com. You could also get a lot of perks with the phone, as some carriers are bundling in tablets, earbuds, and credits to help you pick up some accessories.

• 

  Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

  The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra features a 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, a powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip with up to 1TB of storage, and a quad camera setup. The phone comes with Galaxy AI, bringing new advanced features to the table.

• 

  Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

  $1126 $1200 Save $74

  The new Galaxy S23 Ultra is the go-to flagship from Samsung in 2023. It’s powered by the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, carries the same price tag as its predecessor, and has improved gaming and camera capabilities to let you capture the perfect moment. 

Suppose you’re using the Galaxy S23 Ultra, then the new Galaxy S24 Ultra might be tempting. After all, it comes with the latest and most powerful chip, new Galaxy AI features to help improve workflows, and significant camera upgrades to take better photos in any lighting conditions. If you can get a good trade-in value for your existing device, or you don’t mind spending a bit of extra on the latest, it might not be a terrible idea to upgrade, especially if you want to rock the latest and the greatest.

However, for those who are perfectly happy with their current Galaxy S23 Ultra and other recent high-end smartphones, there might not be too many reasons to upgrade, and it might not be a great decision money-wise. Your existing device will receive many more updates, if you have the Galaxy Z Fold 5, Z Flip 5, and the previous generation, chances are, you’ll receive many of the new OneUI 6.1 and Galaxy AI features on your device in the coming months. Sure enough, you won’t receive seven years of OS and security upgrades like the new Galaxy S24 series, but many manufacturers now offer three to four years of support.