Samsung took the wraps off its latest premium phone, the Galaxy S24 Ultra, at its Unpacked event on Wednesday. The $1,300 handset represents the pinnacle of what the South Korean company has to offer in a smartphone in 2024 from its top-of-the-line processor, ultra-bright display, and sharp cameras.
While new AI features understandably generated a lot of buzz, the new software upgrade policy is probably one of the most compelling changes. Samsung promises seven years of Android updates and security patches across the Galaxy S24 lineup. This enables Galaxy S24 phone owners to hang on to their devices going into 2032 and is a significant step up from the four years of software updates pledged for the Galaxy S23 Ultra, Galaxy S22 Ultra, and Galaxy S21 Ultra. However, Samsung has bumped up the price of the Galaxy S24 Ultra by $100 after the last few years of steady pricing.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra has a brighter screen than its predecessor.
Read More: Galaxy S24 Ultra Hands On: AI Takes Center Stage
Another notable improvement to the S24 Ultra is (you guessed it) AI, or Galaxy AI — as Samsung likes to call it. The Galaxy S24 Ultra will ship with helpful, AI-based features (a lot of which are being powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 8 chip). Those include a real-time live translate feature in 13 languages; Search to Circle, which lets you literally circle any image to launch a Google search for that item; and generative AI features that let you make reality-bending edits to your photos akin to Google Pixel 8’s Magic Editor.
These AI tools are slated to make their way to last year’s Galaxy S23 Ultra via an software update, but don’t expect it to arrive to Ultra models released before then.
Read More: Google’s Pixel 8 Blurs The Line Between Reality and Fantasy
The camera system is another major selling point of the Galaxy Ultra lineup. The S24 boasts four rear cameras, taking the form of a 200-megapixel wide-angle camera, 12-megapixel ultrawide camera, 10-megapixel telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom lens, and a 50-megapixel camera with a 5x optical zoom lens. On paper at least, it appears that there has been a downgrade to a 5x telephoto lens from a 10x telephoto camera on its predecessors. But the newer sensor and its higher resolution might have some nifty zoom tricks up its sleeve that don’t reveal themselves in specs. We’ll update this article once we have conducted a camera comparison between the Galaxy S24 Ultra and the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
For the rest of the differences between Samsung’s Galaxy Ultra lineup over the years, take a look at our specs chart for a side-by-side comparison. If you want more insights into what it’s like to use the Galaxy S24 Ultra, read our hand-on coverage of the fanciest phone in Samsung’s new lineup.
Galaxy S24 vs. S23 Ultra vs. S22 Ultra vs. S21 Ultra
| Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | |
| Display size, tech, resolution, refresh rate, brightness | 6.8-inch AMOLED; QHD+ resolution; 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate | 6.8-inch AMOLED; 3,088×1,440 pixels; 120Hz adaptive refresh rate | 6.8″ AMOLED (1440×3088 pixels) | 6.8-inch Edge WQHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 3,200×1,440 pixels |
| Pixel density | TBC | 500 ppi | 501 ppi | 515 ppi |
| Dimensions (inches) | 6.40 x 3.11 x 0.34 in | 6.43 x 3.07 x 0.35 in | 3.07 x 6.42 x 0.35 in | 2.97×6.5×0.35 in |
| Dimensions (millimeters) | 163 x 79 x 8.6 mm | 163.3 x 78 x 8.9 mm | 77.9 x 163.3 x 8.9 mm | 75.6 x 165.1 x 8.9 mm |
| Weight (grams, ounces) | 233 g (8.22 oz) | 234 g (8.25 oz) | 229 g (8.07 oz) | 229g (8.07 oz) |
| Mobile software | Android 14 | Android 13 | Android 12 | Android 11 |
| Camera | 200-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide) 10-megapixel (3x telephoto) 50-megapixel (5x telephoto) | 200-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide) 10-megapixel (3x telephoto) 10-megapixel (10x telephoto) | 108-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultra-wide) 10-megapixel (telephoto) 10-megapixel (telephoto) | 108-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultra-wide), 10-megapixel (3x telephoto), 10-megapixel (10x telephoto) |
| Front-facing camera | 12-megapixel | 12-megapixel | 40-megapixel | 10-megapixel |
| Video capture | TBD | 8K | 4K | 8K |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy | Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 |
| RAM/storage | 12GB RAM + 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | 8GB RAM + 256GB; 12GB RAM + 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | 8GB + 128GB ; 12GB + 256GB; 12GB+512GB; 12GB+ 1TB | 12GB & 16GB, 128GB/256GB, 512GB |
| Expandable storage | None | None | None | None |
| Battery/charging speeds | 5,000 mAh | 5,000 mAh | 5,000 mAh | 5,000 mAh |
| Fingerprint sensor | Under display | Under display | Under display | Under display |
| Connector | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C |
| Headphone jack | None | None | None | None |
| Special features | Titanium frame, 2,600-nit screen; 7 years of OS and security updates; 5G (mmWave); IP68 water resistance; wireless PowerShare to charge other devices; integrated S Pen; UWB for finding other devices; 45W wired charging (charger not included); Galaxy AI; Wi-Fi 7, 5x optical zoom | 4 years of OS updates, 5G (Sub6, mmWave); IP68 water resistance; wireless PowerShare to charge other devices; integrated S Pen; 100x Space Zoom; 10x optical zoom; UWB for finding other devices; 45W wired charging | 4 years of OS updates, 5G (mmw/Sub6), bundled S Pen, 100x Space Zoom (digital), 10x optical zoom, 47 W charging support | 4 years of OS updates, IP68 rating, 5G-enabled, 100x Space Zoom, 10W wireless charging, 10x optical zoom |
| US starting price off-contract | $1,300 (256GB) | $1,200 (256GB) | $1,200 (256GB) | $1,200 (128GB), |
| UK price | £1,249 (256GB) | £1,249 (256GB) | £1,249 (256GB) | £1,329 |
| Australia price | AU$2,199 (256GB) | AU$1,949 (256GB) | AU $1,849 (256GB) | AU$1,849 |
Watch this: Samsung Reveals Its New S24 Series Phones and Their AI Chops
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