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

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. Galaxy S23 Ultra
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable / Samsung

The world is full of rivalries, each side convinced that theirs is the best. In this semi-regular series, we pit two competitors against each other to see how they stack up.

It’s time for a good ol’ Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. S23 Ultra showdown.

Although Samsung unveiled the new flagship phone at Unpacked, it’s difficult to discern the gen-over-gen enhancements — and whether an upgrade is worth it. Yes, Galaxy AI has made a splash with the new S24 line, but are there any other notable differences between the S24 Ultra and S23 Ultra?

Based on the specs we have so far, let’s find out.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. S23 Ultra

Unveiled on Feb. 1 in 2023, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra had a starting price of $1,199 and came with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.

However, as of this writing, you can snag the Galaxy S23 Ultra for just $874 via Samsung’s official website.

The entry-level Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, on the other hand, has an MSRP of $1,299 — a $100 increase. It has more memory with 12GB of RAM, but you’re still getting 256GB of storage to start.

Galaxy S24 Ultra (current price): $1,299

Galaxy S23 Ultra (current price): $874

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. S23 Ultra: Design

Don’t expect the gen-over-gen design changes to be “in your face” this year. The S24 Ultra, as tested during my hands-on experience, still has that tall rectangular aesthetic with rounded edges that fit ergonomically in your palm.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
Credit: Samsung

The Galaxy S24 Ultra is slightly lighter and thinner this year with a weight of 8.22 ounces and a slimness of 0.34 inches. (The Galaxy S23 Ultra weighs 8.25 ounces and is 0.35 inches thin.)

The colorways are different this year, too, and in my opinion, more attractive. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra comes in Phantom Black, Cream, Green and Lavender. However, sold exclusively via Samsung.com are Lime, Graphite, Sky Blue and Red models.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra line
Credit: Samsung

The Galaxy S24 Ultra, on the other hand, comes in Titanium Gray, Titanium Black, Titanium Violet, and Titanium Yellow. Titanium Green, Titanium Blue, and Titanium Orange are only available via Samsung.com.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra line
Credit: Samsung

As you can tell by the names of the hues, similar to the iPhone 15 Pro models, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has some titanium in its material — something the Galaxy S23 Ultra does not have.

Galaxy S24 Ultra weight and height: 8.22 ounces, 0.34 inches

Galaxy S23 Ultra weight and height: 8.25 ounces, 0.35 inches

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. S23 Ultra: Display

Based on the specs we have so far, the S24 Ultra and S23 Ultra have the same edge-to-edge display:

Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

6.8-inch screen

QHD+ (3,088 x 1,440-pixel resolution)

Variable refresh rate

Samsung calls this panel “Dynamic AMOLED 2X,” which, according to GSMArena, is just marketing speak for an OLED display that supports HDR10+ and a refresh-rate maximum of 120Hz.

Both still feature that beloved hole-punch design on the display, offering tons of screen real estate for an expansive visual experience.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. S23 Ultra: Performance

Samsung upgraded the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s processor to a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, a step up from the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.

Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

Seeing as AI, particularly Google’s Gemini AI model, is the hot new thing with Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, it’s no surprise that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 boasts heightened AI processing for zippier performance with large language models (LLM), Stable Diffusion, generative AI apps, and more.

Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

Plus, Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is designed to deliver better gaming graphics without impacting battery life. Overall, this chip is meant to enhance AI, photography, gaming, audio, and more, but we’ll have to test it ourselves to see if there are significant performance gains.

Galaxy S24 Ultra chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3

Galaxy S23 Ultra chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. S23 Ultra: Galaxy AI

One aspect about the Galaxy S24 Ultra that the S23 Ultra cannot beat Galaxy AI, which delivers useful AI-powered features to users, including the following:

Live Translate: Real-time on-screen language translation for phone calls and texts

Interpreter: Similar to Live Translate, but taking place in-person instead of phone calls

Note Assist: AI-generated summaries and formatting of your notes

Chat Assist: Helps you find the right tone for messages, whether you’re communicating with a co-worker or trying to connect with your social media audience

Circle to Search: Draw a circle around anything on your display and Google will run a search for it

And there’s far more where that came from. Check out the next section to see how Galaxy AI affects the cameras.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. S23 Ultra: Cameras

As I hinted in the last section, one thing you’ll be missing out on with the S23 Ultra is Galaxy AI. The Galaxy S24 Ultra will be teeming with new AI features that will elevate the camera experience to new heights.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

Some AI-assisted camera features you’ll get on the Galaxy S24 Ultra include:

Edit Suggestion – The AI makes edit recommendations for minor tweaks for each photo

Generative Edit – Fill in parts of an image background with AI

Instant Slow-mo – Shows action-packed moments with a smooth, seamless, slowed-down effect

However, if you were to eliminate Galaxy AI from the mix, the Samsung S24 Ultra and S23 Ultra share the same specs for the following cameras:

200MP wide

12MP ultrawide

12MP selfie camera

10MP telephoto 3x optical zoom

However, the biggest change concerns the second telephoto. On the Galaxy S23 Ultra, the second telephoto is 10MP and has an optical zoom range of 10x. However, according to the spec sheet, the Galaxy S24 Ultra has a resolution that’s five times better at 50MP, but the optical zoom range narrows to 5x.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Credit: Samsung

There’s a chance that the 50MP resolution will make up for the narrowed optical zoom range, but I’ll have to take close-up shots and portraits with the Galaxy S24 Ultra to know for sure.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra cameras: 200MP wide, 12MP ultrawide, 50MP telephoto (5x optical zoom), 10MP telephoto (3x optical zoom), 12MP selfie

Samsung Galaxy S3 Ultra Cameras: 200MP wide, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP telephoto (10x optical zoom), 10MP telephoto (3x optical zoom), 12MP selfie

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. Galaxy S23 Ultra: Battery

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has the same battery capacity as its predecessor: 5,000 mAh.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

Like the Galaxy S23 Ultra, Samsung claims that the Galaxy S24 can power up to 65% in 30 minutes with a 45W charger like this one.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra will continue to have the Wireless PowerShare feature. For the unintiated, Wireless PowerShare lets you charge other Qi-supported devices on the back chassis.

It’s too early to say how the new S24 Ultra fares in battery life compared to the S23 Ultra, but we’ll update this face-off once we have the runtimes.

Final thoughts

So should you upgrade to the Galaxy S24 Ultra? Truth be told, the differences between the two aren’t that significant.

On paper, with the Galaxy S24 Ultra, you should get better zoom capabilities, a lighter, thinner phone, a faster device, and a gaggle of AI features. But the question is, is all of that worth an upgrade? We’ll let you decide.

Kimberly Gedeon is a tech explorer who enjoys doing deep dives into the most popular gadgets, from the latest iPhones to the most immersive VR headsets. She’s drawn to strange, avant-garde, bizarre tech, whether it’s a 3D laptop, a gaming rig that can transform into a briefcase, or smart glasses that can capture video. Her journalism career kicked off about a decade ago at MadameNoire where she covered tech and business before landing as a tech editor at Laptop Mag in 2020.

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