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
“Quad HD+”
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
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 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
Front: 4K at 30/60 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
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsung-galaxy-s24-ultra-vs-the-competition-a-new-titanium-contender-193434222.html?src=rss