Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. the competition: A new titanium contender
Here's how Samsung's latest flagship compares to the best iPhone and Pixel phone on the spec sheet.
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 |
