Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs S23 Ultra: What are the biggest changes?

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When new phones are released each year, it can be hard to know whether the latest model is going to be the best choice for you. Some brands may offer big upgrades between the most recent device and the previous year’s version, while other releases might offer only incremental changes.

Samsung’s Galaxy S series is always one of the most hotly anticipated phone drops of the year, but you might not always get the big upgrades with each new release of the Galaxy S series. In this article, we’ll take a look at the differences between the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, to see whether Samsung’s latest Ultra release is worth the upgrade.

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Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs S23 Ultra specs

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs S23 Ultra design and colours

Samsung kept the design for both phones very similar and while they may look almost identical, there are some subtle differences. The S24 Ultra features a titanium frame compared to the aluminium frame of the S23 Ultra. The S24 Ultra also features slightly flatter edges than its S23 counterpart.

As for the colour selection, the S24 Ultra comes in Titanium Grey, Titanium Black, Titanium Violet and Titanium Yellow compared to the S23 Ultra which comes in Cream, Green, Lavender and Phantom Black.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs S23 Ultra price and storage

When it comes to price, the Galaxy S24 Ultra has had a jump up in price, starting at $2,199 AUD for the 256GB model, then up to $2,399 AUD for the 512GB model and $2,799AUD for the 1TB model.

In comparison, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra starts at $1,949 AUD for the 256GB model, then jumps up to $2,249 AUD for the 512GB model and $2,649 AUD for the 1TB model. It’s worth noting that the S23 Ultra might be available at a cheaper price than the RRP launch prices as Samsung tends to eventually drop prices on older devices or introduce discounts after the release of the newest S series.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs S23 Ultra display and size

The display hasn’t experienced a major change, with both phones sporting a QHD+ AMOLED display with up to 120Hz refresh rate. However the S24 Ultra has 2,600 nits peak brightness compared to the 1,750 nits peak brightness of the S23 Ultra.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra (162mm x 79.0mm x 8.6mm) is slightly shorter and thinner than the S23 Ultra (163.4mm x 78.1mm x 8.9mm), but both phones have a 6.8-inch display size.

Related: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra review: A truly pro performance with an ultra price

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs S23 Ultra battery and charging

As for battery, Samsung hasn’t made any major changes, with both phones carrying a 5,000mAh battery. However the S24 Ultra offers up to 30 hours of video playback, while the S23 Ultra has up to 26 hours of video playback. The S24 Ultra comes with up to 45W fast wired charging and up to 15W wireless charging, and both the S23 and S24 Ultra feature PowerShare.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs S23 Ultra cameras

Samsung only introduced small upgrades to the S24 Ultra cameras. You’ll get a quad rear camera setup with a 200 megapixel (MP) wide-angle camera, 12MP ultra-wide camera, along with 50MP and 10MP telephoto cameras, plus a 12MP front-facing camera. The S23 Ultra has almost all the same camera specs but has two 10MP telephoto cameras instead.

There are many of the same photo and video features, but the S24 Ultra carries some tech upgrades to deliver a stronger performance. The S24 Ultra includes 60% bigger pixels than the S23 Ultra for better night photography. Samsung made an interesting change to the S24 Ultra, with a drop down to 5x optical zoom compared to the 10x optical zoom of the S23 Ultra. However, Samsung has optimised the camera (and you get a bigger megapixel telephoto camera than the S23 Ultra) to ensure you won’t miss that bigger optical zoom.

The S24 Ultra also uses AI enhancements to help get better shots, along with AI-powered editing tools, giving the device a little bit more juice to its cameras and editing features than its predecessor.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs S23 Ultra processor and features

As you would expect, Samsung upgraded the processor for the S24 Ultra. You’ll get a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy processor, compared to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy processor included in the S23 Ultra.

Both phones also include the S Pen and are 5G compatible. The S24 Ultra however has some added features thanks to its AI inclusions. This includes the Circle to Search feature, which allows you to circle something in an image and get instant Google Search results on the circled object. There is also live translation and a Note Assist feature, which summarises longer writing — much of this powered by AI.

It’s important to note that while Galaxy AI features are available on the S24 Ultra out of the box, Samsung has confirmed that these features will eventually come to the S23 Ultra via an update. However, the S24 Ultra seems much more AI-optimised, thanks to its stronger processor and integrated hardware and software.

Galaxy S23 Ultra vs S24 Ultra — the verdict

Samsung went all-in with its AI features to set the S24 Ultra and other S24 phones to set them apart from previous S series. Without many huge upgrades to the technology, Samsung needed some extra features to entice people to upgrade.

However, considering the big price jump, the S24 Ultra might be a bit off-putting for anyone looking for an Ultra phone without spending over $2,000.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is a great phone and offers a great all-round performance, and you might eventually be able to pick it up cheaper than the launch price. However, if you like the sound of the enhanced photography and editing features driven by AI, then the S24 Ultra could be the right option.

Ultimately it comes down to whether you want the latest features that Samsung has to offer — and you don’t mind paying extra for it — or you want to save a bit on a slightly older, but still excellent quality, phone. Either way, Samsung’s Ultra phones are usually some of the best handsets on the market, so you’ll still have an excellent device either way.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs S24 Ultra phone plans

Stock of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra may be limited on phone plans from the major telcos, so you might need to buy your S23 Ultra outright from a retailer, if stock is still available.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra is available on phone plans from Telstra, Optus and Vodafone. You can also buy it outright from a range of retailers and pair it with a SIM-only plan.

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