Is the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra real yet? No, but who cares? Let’s do some comparison shopping anyway.
Samsung’s theoretically imminent new flagship smartphone is just a couple weeks away (we think), but as usual, the internet has provided a boatload of leaks and rumors about it. We don’t exactly know its specs or price, but reliable leakers have at least given us a basic idea of what to expect.
With that in mind, let’s talk about a few potential S24 Ultra features that give Samsung’s phone a leg up over the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Samsung confirms Jan. 17 date for its S24 reveal event
1. The camera (on paper, anyway)
People who spend their hard-earned money on brand new flagship smartphones often do so because they want the best camera they can get. Apple has more or less dominated that space for a long time (though Google would certainly like a word), but Samsung has a couple of tricks up its sleeve for the S24 ultra, according to a tip from reliable leaker Ice Universe.
Credit: Kyle Cobain / Mashable
In terms of pure numbers, Samsung’s new phone is tipped to have a 200MP main rear lens, which is a lot more megapixels than Apple’s comparatively paltry 48MP main lens. However, that’s not a big deal for a couple of reasons. First, megapixels on their own don’t mean that much, and second, the Galaxy S23 Ultra also had a 200MP main lens.
So while basic photos may or may not look better on S24 Ultra than iPhone 15 Pro Max, one thing we can be more sure about is that Samsung reportedly has the upper hand in terms of video. The S24 Ultra can allegedly shoot videos at 4K resolution and 120 frames per second. Compared to the iPhone 15 Pro Max (and really, most smartphones), that’s huge. The iPhone 15 Pro Max, ahem, maxes out at 4K/60FPS.
2. The display
Camera comparisons will have to wait until the S24 Ultra is actually in our hands, but if the rumors are to be believed, Samsung’s upcoming phone will easily clear Apple’s highest-end device in the display department.
Credit: Samsung
Not only will it likely be slightly bigger (S23 Ultra had a 6.8-inch display relative to the Pro Max’s 6.7-inch screen), but SamLover reported back in March that the Ultra will feature a 144Hz display. Samsung has been beating Apple in the refresh-rate game for years, but the last couple of years brought parity between the two with Apple adopting 120Hz for the Pro models of its iPhones.
Well, 144 is a bigger number than 120. Take that, Apple.
3. Artificial intelligence
Lastly, Samsung’s biggest potential ace in the hole is also the one we know the least about: artificial intelligence.
We know AI will be part of the S24 lineup. That’s not being disputed. Unfortunately, we don’t know exactly what that means. Sure, a few potential features have leaked, including live language translation and generative photo editing. That would put the S24 roughly on par with the Pixel 8, and both would be far and away above Apple in terms of AI features. Apple has yet to really commit to generative AI in any meaningful way on its handsets.
Of course, it’s also debatable as to whether this would even make the S24 Ultra better than the Pro Max. Not everyone is a fan of generative AI. After all, some think the Pixel 8’s Magic Editor feature is a mostly useless parlor trick, for example. But it’s something Samsung has that Apple doesn’t.
