Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Galaxy S23 Ultra: Samsung is getting it right
Introduction
The Galaxy S24 Ultra is one of the best phone debuts of 2024. It’s the successor of the Galaxy S24 Ultra and meets all the boxes: impressive performance, excellent camera, great battery life and lots of features. Upgrade? Are there really such big differences? So that's what we're going to be breaking down in this s23 extreme vs s24 ultra.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is here now, find out more in our S25 Ultra vs S24 Ultra comparison.
Design & Sizes
Samsung has kept the same fundamental design language with the S24 Ultra, but swapped aluminium for titanium. The S23 Ultra is a little curved but the display is now completely flat. They both feel wonderful but the s24 ultra is a little grippier. S Pen and IP68 rating stay. The changes are subtle but appreciated in this s23 ultra vs s24 ultra extreme face off.
Exhibition.
Both have a 6.8-inch LTPO OLED that can range from 1Hz to 120Hz. The big difference is that the S24 Ultra has a peak brightness of 2,600 nits (vs ~1,750 nits on the S23 Ultra) thus it’s a lot easier to read in sunlight. Gorilla Glass Armour also reduces reflections. So when it comes to s24 ultra vs s23 ultra display comparison, the newer model wins easily.
Performance and software
The S24 Ultra comes with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy (global). The S23 Ultra has Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. Benchmarks prove the S24 Ultra is king, but in the real world, speed feels nearly the same. Biggest difference is software support. S24 Ultra will get 7 years of OS updates, S23 Ultra just 4. That’s a major consideration in any s23 ultra vs s24 ultra argument.
Camera
Samsung went berserk with the S24 Ultra, exchanging the 10X periscope for a 50MP 5X telephoto that still delivers optical-grade 10X magnification. 200 MP Main camera but more natural processing. In our tests the S24 Ultra wins – it has better colours, less over-sharpening and somewhat better low-light dynamics. s23 ultra vs s24 ultra camera comparison indicates current phone is somewhat more sophisticated.
Battery & Power
Both pack a 5,000mAh battery and support 45W wired and 15W wireless charging. Battery life is comparable, the S23 Ultra actually winning our browsing test but the S24 Ultra taking the honours in video playback. So no significant wins in this one.
Abstract:
S24 Ultra vs S23 Ultra: S24 Ultra wins on every comparison — better display, longer software support, smarter camera, titanium build. But the S23 Ultra is still a good phone. If you already have it, that's fine. No rush. But if you are a new user, the S24 Ultra is the greatest phone out there.