Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. the competition: A new titanium contender
Samsung formally unveiled its Galaxy S24 line of smartphones at its latest Samsung Unpacked event on Wednesday, including its newest flagship, the Galaxy S24 Ultra. For a fuller idea of what to expect, you can check out my colleague Sam Rutherford's hands-on impressions. In short, though, the main updates are a new titanium frame with flatter edges, a promised seven years of software updates, an expected processor bump, a slightly tweaked camera setup and a host of new generative AI features. Starting at $1,300, the device is also $100 more expensive than its predecessor, though there are some early pre-order deals to lessen that blow a little.
If you're thinking about taking the plunge, we've broken down how the Galaxy S24 Ultra compares to two other top-end handsets, the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max and the Google Pixel 8 Pro, on the spec sheet. As always, specs can't tell the full story, but if you want a reference for what $1,300 (or more) gets you in early 2024, here's how the new phone stacks up.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max | Google Pixel 8 Pro | |
Pricing (MSRP) | $1,300 (256GB), $1,420 (512GB), $1,660 (1TB) | $1,199 (256GB), $1,399 (512GB), $1,599 (1TB) | $999 (128GB), $1,059 (256GB), $1,179 (512GB), $1,399 (1TB) |
Dimensions | 6.4 x 3.11 x 0.34 inches | 6.29 x 3.02 x 0.32 inches | 6.4 x 3.01 x 0.35 inches |
Weight | 8.22 ounces | 7.8 ounces | 7.5 ounces |
Screen size | 6.8 inches | 6.7 inches | 6.7 inches |
Screen resolution | 1,440 x 3,120 | 1,290 x 2,796 460 ppi | 1,344 x 2,992 489 ppi |
Screen type | LTPO AMOLED Up to 120Hz (1-120Hz) Up to 2,600 nits brightness Gorilla Armor | LTPO OLED Up to 120Hz (1-120Hz) Up to 2,000 nits brightness Ceramic Shield | LTPO OLED Up to 120Hz (1-120Hz) Up to 2,400 nits brightness Gorilla Glass Victus 2 |
SoC | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy Octa-core CPU | Apple A17 Pro Hexa-core CPU (up to 3.78GHz) 6-core Apple GPU | Google Tensor G3 Nona-core CPU (up to 2.91GHz) Arm Mali-G715 MP7 GPU |
RAM | 12GB | 8GB | 12GB |
Battery | 5,000mAh Up to 30 hours video playback | "Up to 29 hours video playback" | 4,950mAh "Beyond 24 hours" |
Charging | USB Type-C 3.2 Up to 45W wired Wireless charging up to 15W (with proprietary charger, up to 10W with other Qi chargers) Reverse wireless charging | USB Type-C (USB 3.2 Gen 2) "Up to 50 percent charge in around 30 minutes" MagSafe/Qi2 wireless charging up to 15W Qi wireless charging up to 7.5W Reverse wired charging | USB Type-C 3.2 Up to 30W wired Up to 23W wireless with Google Pixel Stand (2nd gen) Qi wireless charging up to 12W Reverse wireless charging |
Storage | 256GB, 512GB or 1TB | 256GB, 512GB or 1TB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB or 1TB |
Rear camera | Main: 200 MP, f/1.7 Ultrawide: 12 MP, f/2.2, 120 degree FOV Telephoto: 50 MP, f/3.4, 5x optical zoom Telephoto: 10 MP, f/2.4, 3x optical zoom | Main: 48 MP, f/1.78 Ultrawide: 12 MP, f/2.2, 120 degree FOV Telephoto: 12 MP, f/2.8, 5x optical zoom | Main: 50 MP, f/1.68 Ultrawide: 48 MP, f/1.95, 125.5 degree FOV Telephoto: 48 MP, f/2.8, 5x optical zoom |
Front camera | 12 MP, f/2.2 | 12 MP, f/1.9 | 10.5 MP, f/2.2 |
Video capture | Rear: 8K at 24/30 fps, 4K at 30/60 fps, 1080p at 30/60/240/960 fps Front: 4K at 30/60 fps, 1080p at 30 fps | Rear: 4K at 24/25/30/60 fps, 1080p at 25/30/60/120/240 fps Front: 4K at 24/25/30/60 fps, 1080p at 25/30/60/120 fps | Rear: 4K at 24/30/60 fps, 1080p at 24/30/60/120/240 fps Front: 4K at 24/30/60 fps, 1080p at 30/60 fps |
Water and dust resistance | IP68 | IP68 | IP68 |
Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 6E | Wi-Fi 7 |
Bluetooth | v5.3 | v5.3 | v5.3 |
OS | Android 14, One UI 6.1 "Seven generations of OS upgrades and seven years of security updates" | iOS 17 | Android 14 "Seven years of OS, security and Feature Drop updates" |
Colors and finish | Titanium frame Titanium Gray, Titanium Black, Titanium Violet, Titanium Yellow, Titanium Green, Titanium Blue, Titanium Orange | Titanium frame Natural Titanium, Blue Titanium, White Titanium, Black Titanium | Polished aluminum frame Obsidian, Porcelain, Bay |