Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Galaxy S22 Ultra differences to expect - PhoneArena
Intro
Samsung may be making enough
Galaxy S24 Ultra
upgrades to warrant an upgrade from its predecessor even, but in the general case users are now mostly upgrading from 2-3 years old devices. For Samsung fans, in most cases, this would be when they have paid off their Galaxy S22 Ultra which they got back in 2021, and its remaining value is at the sweet spot for the generous Samsung trade-in offers when it launches the
Galaxy S24 Ultra
.
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
- 2,500 nits vs 1,750 nits display brightness
- Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor
Jump to:
- Design and Size
- Display Differences
- Performance
- Camera
- Battery and Charging
- Specs
- Summary
Read more:
-
Samsung Galaxy S24 vs Galaxy S23: What are the expected differences?
Design and Size
Lightweight titanium, baby!
Despite all of its other virtues, the
Galaxy S23 Ultra
is undoubtedly one heavy, blocky handset. Not to the extent of the
iPhone 14 Pro Max
fatso, but still the rumored transition to lightweight titanium for the
Galaxy S24 Ultra
frame would certainly bring an appreciated reduction in its weight.
As can be seen from the leaked
Galaxy S24 Ultra
renders, 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 bezels are about as thin.
Display Differences
Not to be outdone by Google or Oppo, Samsung is reportedly preparing to unveil a
Galaxy S24 Ultra
flagship with the whopping 2,500 nits of peak display brightness. That's not the first time we are hearing about the upgraded
S24 Ultra
display brightness, so where there is smoke, there might be fire.
Google brags with the brand new Super Actua display on the
Pixel 8 Pro
that can reach a similar peak, while the excellent
Oppo Find X6 Pro
has been on the market with a 2,500 nits panel since the spring. The
Xiaomi 13 Ultra
's max is advertised as a 2600-nits display, but, as usual, those are lab scenarios with only a percentage of the pixels showing white at full power, while the typical brightness is way lower.
Still, we've noticed that, as a general rule, the higher the peak brightness, the better the typical outdoor visibility, so we wouldn't scoff at a 2500-nit S24 Ultra screen, especially considering that both the Galaxy S22 Ultra, and its predecessor, max out at 1750 nits.
Performance and Software
Marked safe from Exynos
With the newly minted
Galaxy S23 FE
, Samsung primed the public that it may fragment its phone lines once again in terms of processing power, as it will carry Exynos or Snapdragon processors, depending on the region. After skipping its own Exynos line for the
Galaxy S23
this year, it has apparently created a new processor that is so exciting and powerful that Samsung reportedly decided to use it in the upcoming
Galaxy S24 series
.
While the
Galaxy S24
and S24+ will allegedly sport both Samsung's own Exynos 2400, or
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
, depending on the region, the
Galaxy S24 Ultra
should be a strictly
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
offer with a 2nd-gen 4nm chipset.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 specs to expect
| Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 specs | |
|---|---|
| Core configuration |
1x Cortex-X4 @ 3.3 GHz
3x Cortex-A720 @ 3.15 GHz 2x Cortex-A720 @ 2.96 GHz 2x Cortex-A520 @ 2.27 GHz |
| GPU | Adreno 750 (50% faster) |
| 5G modem | Snapdragon X75 (10Gbps) |
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 benchmarks
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
will reportedly be made in Samsung's foundries, which is somewhat surprising given that Qualcomm went entirely with TSMC for Gen 2 in the S23 series.
There have been leaked conversations between Qualcomm and its Korean partners, however, which indicated that
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
may offer a mix of nodes, so it could be made both with the 3nm and a next-gen 4nm process. Given Apple's troubles with the 3nm
Apple A17
compatibility on the iPhone Pro line, and the low 3nm yield of the TSMC foundry, that may turn out to be a good idea.
As for connectivity, Samsung will still equip 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
Long story short, the
Galaxy S24 Ultra
will most likely wipe the floor with the Galaxy S22 Ultra that sports a two generations removed Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset. As for software, it is likely to come with One UI 6.1 and
Android 14
which would reportedly represent Samsung's "
largest AI upgrade in history
," according to Ice Universe. It remains to be seen what of those AI features will make it to the S22 Ultra, but the respective co-processor will in any case be weaker than what's on the S24 Ultra.
One UI 6.1 and the Galaxy S24 series bring many new AI features, AI more powerful than Bixby, and Samsung’s largest AI update in history.
— ICE UNIVERSE (@UniverseIce) October 9, 2023
Maybe Samsung will call the Galaxy S24 an AI phone.
Camera
The great zoom upgrade
The other big change that should come with the
Galaxy S24 Ultra
, besides the titanium design material, is in the camera kit. Not only may it sport a new and improved 200MP main camera sensor that is two generations removed from what's on the S22 Ultra, but there will also be zoom upgrades. Or downgrades, depending on whose rumors one chooses to believe.
Recently, reliable tipsters shared information that is at odds with what has been said so far. Before that, rumors claimed that Samsung will place a larger, 50MP sensor on the
periscope camera of the S24 Ultra
, but reduce the zoom reach to 5x. Now, however, insiders say that the 5x zoom rumor is actually for the telephoto camera, meaning that there will be a significant upgrade from the current 3x zoom there on the S22 Ultra.
The periscope zoom lens with folded optics will allegedly remain capable of 10x zoom, giving the S24 Ultra unprecedented optical zoom range, while the sensor on the other side of the periscope may get an upgrade, too.
Apple managed to put 5x telephoto zoom with its
Tetraprism
kit on the
iPhone 15 Pro Max
that bounces light off several prisms stacked along the phone's height, so Samsung may be plotting something similar, while at the same time keeping the breathtaking 10x periscope zoom lens as well. If those two zoom cameras also come with upgraded sensors, as rumored, Samsung may have a veritable camera winner on its hands once the
Galaxy S24 Ultra
lands. In any case, it will certainly beat the S22 Ultra in terms of zoom camera picture quality at low-light conditions, both in terms of detail, dynamic range, and clarity.
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 2500-nit display, so we'd expect that the 5,000 mAh battery pack of the S24 Ultra will deliver abouts the same endurance as its predecessor which in turn beats the battery life of the S22 Ultra.
As for charging, Samsung isn't expected to make 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.
Specs Comparison
A quick rundown of the
Galaxy S24 Ultra vs S22 Ultra
specs sheet shows a great advantage in the processing and camera department, as well as the memory and display specs.
| 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 5X telephoto 50MP 10x 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 preliminary comparison shows, Samsung's 2024 flagship would be more than worth the upgrade. The most important phone components - display, camera set, and chipset - will be two generations removed from the S22 Ultra.
Not only that, but Samsung may surprise with a dazzling titanium design for the S24 Ultra which would both lower its weight compared to the S22 Ultra, and make it more rigid.
When we add the long-awaited zoom camera quality upgrade, as well as the 40% increase in screen brightness, the
Galaxy S24 Ultra
would definitely be worth the jump from the S22 Ultra, especially with Samsung's generous trade-in deals when the
Galaxy S24
preorders start.
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