Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Galaxy S22 Ultra: two steps removed،
Intro
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Galaxy S22 Ultra expectations
- Lightweight titanium vs aluminum alloy frame
- 50MP vs 10MP zoom camera
- 5x telephoto vs 3x telephoto zoom
- 2,600 nits vs 1,750 nits display brightness
- Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor
- Galaxy AI features like live translation or Generative Edit
Jump to:
Samsung announced a special offer starting with the announcement of the Galaxy S24 series, which would practically make upgrading to a higher storage option free. In other words, you are able to buy a 256GB model for the same price as a 128GB one, a 512GB at the price of 256GB, or even a 1TB at the price of 512GB, so keep your eyes peeled!
Design and Size
Lightweight titanium, baby!
Whether because Apple did titanium with the iPhone 15 Pro Max, or because it is simply a natural evolution on the way to lower the weight of today’s giant flagships with screens bordering on the 7-inch mark, Samsung decided to adopt the expensive material for the S24 Ultra. It won’t bring changes to the overall dimensions of the phone, though:
As can be seen from our Galaxy S24 Ultra images, the sides are a tad more straightened than on its predecessors, while retaining a slight back and front curve to help with the grip. Otherwise, the rear-facing cameras are nestled in their separate isles, just like on the S22 Ultra, while the screen bezel thickness is greatly reduced.
Display Differences
Still, we’ve noticed that, as a general rule, the higher the peak brightness, the better the typical outdoor visibility, so we won’t scoff at the 2600-nit S24 Ultra screen, especially considering that both the Galaxy S22 Ultra, and its predecessor, max out at 1750 nits.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra specs sheet
Performance and Software
Marked safe from Exynos
At its System LSI Tech Day expo, Samsung listed the Exynos 2400 specs as offering an “improved CPU performance by 1.7 times and AI performance by 14.7 times compared to its predecessor, the Exynos 2200.” As for the GPU, “graphic technologies such as ray tracing, which tracks light, and reflection and shadow rendering, which express light reflection effects and shadow boundaries similar to the real world, were also added,” says Samsung.
Thankfully, while the Galaxy S24 and S24+ sport both Samsung’s own Exynos 2400, or Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, depending on the region, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is strictly a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 offer with a 2nd-gen 4nm chipset.
Key Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 specs
- 4nm TSMC production method
- 10% higher system efficiency
- 30% faster and 20% more frugal Kryo CPU
- 1 x Cortex-X4 @ 3.3GHz
- 3 x A720 @ 3.2GHz
- 2 x A720 @ 3.0GHz
- 2 x A520 @ 2.3GHz
- 25% faster and 25% more frugal Adreno GPU
- AI: 98% improved AI performance and 40% better performance per watt
- Spectra ISP: Supports 8K HDR and features multi-camera real-time semantic segmentation, HDR photo technology from Dolby, and dual always-sensing cameras
- Snapdragon Elite Gaming features and new hardware accelerated ray tracing with global illumination
- Snapdragon X75 5G Modem-RF System with 10 Gbps peak download speeds
- Qualcomm FastConnect 7800 Mobile Connectivity System, supporting Wi-Fi 7 with 5.8 Gbps
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 benchmark scores
- Geekbench single core: 2329 points
- Geekbench multi-core: 7526 point
- AnTuTu: 2.14 million points
- PCMark: 21628 points
- GFXBench Aztec Ruins OpenGL (High Tier) Offscreen (1440p): 83 FPS
- GFXBench Aztec Ruins Vulkan (High Tier) Offscreen (1440p): 96 FPS
- 3Dmark WildLife Extreme: 32 FPS
- Jetstream 2 browser test: 241
As for connectivity, Samsung still equips the entire Galaxy S24 line sold in the US with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, including the new Qualcomm X75 5G modem that bets heavy on AI improvements.
One UI 6.1 and Android 14
Samsung’s mightiest AI push
- Meeting notes and translation: 10-voice identification
- Circle Search: circling something on the screen will launch automatic AI search
- Title writing: the S24 Ultra will be able to do a whole essay on a topic, ChatGPT style
These are some of the new Galaxy AI-powered features on the Galaxy S24 Ultra with the One UI 6.1 interface by Samsung. Needless to say, they are also made possible by Google’s Android 14 update and AI-focused Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset that target AI calculations. Qualcomm tailored the processor specifically for Samsung, just as it did with the S23’s Mobile Platform for Galaxy chipset based on Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.
Camera
The great zoom upgrade
The other big change that comes with the Galaxy S24 Ultra, besides the titanium design material, is in the camera kit. Not only does it sport a new and improved 200MP main camera sensor that is two generations removed from what’s on the S22 Ultra, but there are also great zoom upgrades. Or downgrades, depending on whether you go for sheer numbers.
Since the folded optics zoom camera comes with upgraded sensor, Samsung may have a veritable camera winner on its hands with the Galaxy S24 Ultra lands. In any case, it certainly beats the S22 Ultra in terms of zoom camera picture quality at low-light conditions, both in terms of detail or dynamic range, as well as clarity. Thanks to Galaxy AI, Samsung has finally shifted its tendency to have its phone’s cameras capture overly saturated photos, so colors should look more natural.
Battery Life and Charging
Same old, same gold 45W standard!
The battery life gain from having a more frugal processor may be more than offset by the brighter 2600-nit display, so the 5,000 mAh battery pack of the S24 Ultra delivers about the same endurance as its predecessor which, however, beats the battery life of the S22 Ultra.
As for charging, Samsung isn’t making any drastic changes to its system that maxes out at a 45W brick you have to buy separately. Expect an hour and change of Galaxy S24 Ultra charging speed, just like the Galaxy S22 Ultra, or, in other words, no real progress in that respect. Samsung’s specs sheet, however, does list 65% charge in 30 minutes so at least there’s that.
Specs Comparison
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | Galaxy S22 Ultra | |
---|---|---|
Size, weight | ||
Screen | 6.8″ OLED 120Hz dynamic 2,500 nits |
6.8″ OLED 120Hz dynamic 1,750 nits |
Processor | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 | Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 |
RAM, Storage | 8/256GB 16/512GB 16/1TB LPDDR5X |
8/128GB 8/256GB 8/512GB 8/1TB LPDDR5 |
Cameras | 200MP main 12MP ultra 10MP telephoto 50MP periscope 12MP front |
108MP main 12MP ultra 10MP 3x telephoto 10MP 10X periscope 40MP front |
Battery | 5000 mAh | 5000 mAh |
Charging | 45W wired 15W wireless |
45W wired 15W wireless |
Summary
As our Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Galaxy S22 Ultra comparison shows, Samsung’s 2024 flagship would be more than worth the upgrade. The most important phone components – display, camera set, and chipset – are two generations ahead of the S22 Ultra, while the Galaxy AI makes for an even further jump.