Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Specs vs. S23 Ultra vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: Premium Phones Compared

Samsung unveiled the model new Galaxy S24 Ultra at its Unpacked occasion. If you are a Galaxy proprietor considering of upgrading, chances are you’ll surprise how this new flagship telephone compares to final 12 months’s Galaxy S23 Ultra (particularly since yow will discover the S23 Ultra for much less now that the S24 Ultra is offered). Or, if you happen to’re attempting to determine between Samsung and Apple, chances are you’ll be curious how the top-of-the-line S24 Ultra compares to the premium iPhone 15 Pro Max. Let’s break down the specs so you may get a greater thought of which telephone is best for you.
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Last 12 months’s S23 Ultra had a beginning value of $1,200 after its launch within the US and now begins at $875, whereas the brand new S24 Ultra begins at $1,300. The iPhone 15 Pro Max, however, begins at $1,200. So the bottom S24 Ultra is $100 greater than the bottom 15 Pro Max, and $100 greater than its predecessor was upon its launch. (See the chart under for UK and Australian pricing.)Read extra: Best Phone to Buy for 2024The S24 Ultra has Qualcomm’s newest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, which is designed to help on-device AI processing. More particularly, the S24 Ultra has a collection of generative synthetic intelligence options, which the corporate calls “Galaxy AI.” You can, for instance, live-translate calls, flip movies shot at regular velocity into slow-motion movies or take away undesirable shadows out of your photographs. CNET’s specialists will consider all of those AI options in our testing. We additionally noticed AI photograph modifying instruments in Google’s Pixel 8 sequence. There’s a Best Take characteristic, for instance, that means that you can swap your favourite facial features from a sequence of images into one other photograph from the identical sequence the place you maybe do not like your expression as a lot.Read extra: Google Pixel 8’s ‘Best Take’ Levels Up AI-Enhanced PhotographsThe S23 Ultra makes use of final 12 months’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor. It does not have Galaxy AI but, however is predicted to get it will definitely. The iPhone 15 Pro Max has Apple’s newest A17 Pro chip however does not at present have any generative AI photograph modifying instruments just like the Galaxy S24 Ultra or the Google Pixel 8 line. I’m to see if the iPhone will ever get options like these, particularly as a result of AI is such a buzzword proper now. The S23 Ultra runs on Android 13 which can get 4 years of software program and safety updates. The S24 Ultra runs on Android 14 which can help 7 years of those updates. The 15 Pro Max runs on iOS 17, and whereas Apple does not disclose how lengthy it should help its telephones with software program updates, iOS 17 at present works on fashions relationship again to the 2018 iPhone XS and XR. The base S23 Ultra comes with 256GB of storage and both 8 or 12GB of RAM. You also can improve to 512GB or 1TB storage choices, each with 12GB of RAM. The S24 Ultra comes with the identical storage choices, however all of them have 12GB of RAM. So Samsung has eradicated the 8GB RAM choice on its base S24 Ultra mannequin. While Apple does not disclose the RAM on its iPhones, the 15 Pro Max comes with the identical storage choices because the S23 and S24 Ultra: 256GB, 512GB and 1TB.  This is the again of the iPhone 15 Pro Max. James Martin/CNETAll three of those telephones have a USB-C port, which is an enormous deal as a result of all iPhones earlier than the iPhone 15 sequence both had Lightning ports or 30-pin connectors. The S23 and S24 Ultra help 45-watt quick charging, whereas the 15 Pro Max helps 27W quick charging. All three telephones supply wi-fi charging, however the Ultras additionally help reverse wi-fi charging so you’ll be able to juice up different gadgets from the again of those telephones. All three telephones include charging cables, however none of them embody a charger brick within the field.The S23 and S24 Ultra have a 5,000-mAh battery. In her S23 Ultra evaluate, CNET’s Lisa Eadicicco discovered that after 12 hours of use (utilizing the telephone to take photographs and movies, examine her e mail and socials and stream music), her battery was at 66%. The new mannequin is meant to have a stronger battery due to its new chip, so we sit up for placing the S24 Ultra’s battery to the take a look at. Apple does not disclose battery capability, however says the 15 Pro Max has an “all-day battery life” with “up to 29 hours of video playback.” In his 15 Pro Max evaluate, CNET’s Patrick Holland discovered that after 15 hours of use, the telephone often had 20% to 25% battery left. The S23 and S24 Ultra each include the S Pen stylus which you can retailer contained in the telephone. I’d like to see one thing like this for the iPhone, nevertheless it does not exist in the meanwhile. Maybe at some point. (Tim Cook, I hope you are studying this.) Both the S23 and S24 Ultra have built-in storage to accommodate an S Pen stylus. John Kim/CNETThe S23 and S24 Ultra each have a 6.8-inch AMOLED show and a 1 to 120Hz variable refresh charge that modifications based mostly on the way you’re utilizing your telephone. So if you happen to’re doing one thing with a lot of display screen motion, like taking part in a online game, the refresh charge will enhance. But if you happen to change to an exercise that does not take quite a lot of motion, like studying an article, the refresh charge will go down. The 15 Pro Max has a 6.7-inch OLED show and likewise has a variable refresh charge of 1 to 120Hz. The S23 and S24 Ultra telephones haven’t got a notch. They simply have a hole-punch digicam on the prime of the display screen. The 15 Pro Max does have a notch within the type of the Dynamic Island, a shape-shifting cutout that means that you can view updates from apps like Maps with no need to have them open. Watch this: Samsung Reveals Its New S24 Series Phones and Their AI Chops
06:47 As for a way these telephones will really feel in-hand, the S23 Ultra is 8.9 millimeters thick, the S24 Ultra is 8.6 millimeters thick and the 15 Pro Max is 8.25-millimeters thick. The S23 Ultra has an aluminum body and weighs 234 grams. The S24 Ultra and 15 Pro Max have titanium frames and weigh 233 grams and 221 grams, respectively. So the 23 Ultra is barely thicker and heavier than the S24 Ultra and 15 Pro Max, and it has an aluminum body (moderately than titanium).The S23 and S24 Ultra cameras are comparable. Both telephones have a four-camera system with equivalent selfie, ultrawide, vast and 3x telephoto cameras. Each telephone additionally has one other telephoto digicam for excessive distance photographs. The one on the S23 Ultra is 10 megapixels with a 10x optical zoom, whereas the one on the S24 Ultra is 50 megapixels with a 5x optical zoom. So the S23 and S24 Ultra cameras are mainly the identical apart from that new 50-megapixel, 5x telephoto digicam, which is meant to take sharper zoom photographs.The iPhone 15 Pro Max, however, has a 3 digicam system. There’s a 48-megapixel most important digicam, a 12-megapixel ultrawide digicam and a 12-megapixel telephoto digicam with a 5x optical zoom. And to your selfies, there is a 12-megapixel entrance digicam. So each the S24 Ultra and the 15 Pro Max have a 5x optical zoom, however the sensor on the S24 Ultra has a better decision. Stay tuned for our digicam checks to see how the S24 Ultra digicam performs in actual life, particularly towards the 15 Pro Max. For extra on how the Galaxy S23 and S24 Ultra and the iPhone 15 Pro Max evaluate, take a look at our specs chart under.Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra specs vs. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max Samsung Galaxy S24 UltraSamsung Galaxy S23 UltraApple iPhone 15 Pro Max Display measurement, tech, decision, refresh charge, brightness 6.8-inch AMOLED; QHD+ decision; 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate6.8-inch AMOLED; 3,088×1,440 pixels; 120Hz adaptive refresh rate6.7-inch OLED; 2,796×1,290 pixels; 120Hz adaptive refresh chargePixel density TBD500 ppi460 ppiDimensions (inches) 6.40 x 3.11 x 0.34 in6.43 x 3.07 x 0.35 in6.29 x 3.02 x 0.32 inDimensions (millimeters) 163 x 79 x 8.6 mm163.3 x 78 x 8.9 mm159.9 x 76.7 x 8.25 mmWeight (grams, ounces) 233 g (8.22 oz) 234 g (8.25 oz)221 g (7.81 oz)Mobile software program Android 14Android 13iOS 17Digicam 200-megapixel (vast), 12-megapixel (ultrawide) 10-megapixel (3x telephoto) 50-megapixel (5x telephoto)200-megapixel (vast), 12-megapixel (ultrawide) 10-megapixel (3x telephoto) 10-megapixel (10x telephoto)48-megapixel (vast), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 12-megapixel (5x telephoto)Front-facing digicam 12-megapixel12-megapixel 12-megapixelVideo seize TBD8K4KProcessor Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for GalaxyApple A17 ProStorage and RAM 12GB RAM + 256GB, 512GB, 1TB8GB RAM + 256GB; 12GB RAM + 256GB, 512GB, 1TB 256GB, 512GB, 1TB (RAM undisclosed)Expandable storage NoneNoneNoneBattery 5,000 mAh5,000 mAhUndisclosed; Apple claims as much as 29 hours of video playback (25 hours streamed)Fingerprint sensor Under showUnder displayNone (Face ID)Connector USB-CUSB-CUSB-CHeadphone jack NoneNoneNoneSpecial options Titanium body, 2,600-nit display screen; 7 years of OS and safety updates; 5G (mmWave); IP68 water resistance; wi-fi PowerShare to cost different gadgets; built-in S Pen; UWB for locating different gadgets; 45W wired charging (charger not included); Galaxy AI; Wi-Fi 75G (Sub6, mmWave); IP68 water resistance; wi-fi PowerShare to cost different gadgets; built-in S Pen; 100x Space Zoom; 10x optical zoom; UWB for locating different gadgets; 45W wired charging5G (Sub6, mmWave); Action Button, Always-On show, IP68 water resistance, MagSafe, Dynamic Island, 5x optical zoom (120mm equal), satellite tv for pc connectivity, eSIM, thread networking technologyUS value begins at $1,300 (256GB)$1,200 (256GB)$1,199 (256GB)UK value begins at £1,249 (256GB)£1,249 (256GB)£1,199 (256GB)Australia value begins at AU$2,199 (256GB)AU$1,949 (256GB)AU$2,199 (256GB) Editors’ notice: CNET is utilizing an AI engine to assist create some tales. For extra, see this publish.