It’s looking very likely that the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra will launch in January. And, like its predecessor, it will likely be a challenger for the very top spot on our best phones list. But if Samsung is to reign supreme, it'll need to outshine the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Apple’s latest flagship phone may not have changed a great deal over previous generations at first glance, but it brings in improved cameras – notably a 5x telephoto camera – a very powerful A17 Pro chip, and a new Action button.
Going by the rumors so far, the Galaxy S24 Ultra isn’t expected to be a huge evolution over the Galaxy S23 Ultra – but based on what we've seen from previous Samsung Galaxy launches, we still expect the S24 Ultra to have a few tricks up its sleeve to surprise us.
Here are five things the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra could do to beat the iPhone 15 Pro Max…
Boosted cameras
Samsung and Apple have long duked it out when it comes to camera performance. While the Galaxy S23 Ultra may be the zoom king, there’s an argument that the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max beat it for standard photos, offering better color control, contrast, and consistency.
Over the past few generations, Samsung has delivered flagship Galaxy phones that have produced shots which keep colors looking natural without compromising on dynamic images. But I'd argue that Samsung still has room to improve when it comes to delivering consistent quality, shot after shot.
One area where iPhones have Android rivals beaten is video. iPhones keep delivering class-leading videos, to the extent that the likes of YouTubers will use them to produce impressive-looking content. So Samsung has an opportunity to improve video quality, especially if it leans more on its suite of rear cameras – perhaps applying clever sensor-fusion techniques to use the cameras to produce natural-looking videos with great details and contrast.
A slicker display
I’d argue that the Galaxy S23 Ultra has one of the very best smartphone displays. But Pro-model iPhones have now had 120Hz displays for three generations, with the Super Retina XDR displays offering wonderful colors, contrast, and brightness – and it doesn’t hurt that the Ceramic Shield coating they use is particularly scratch-resistant.
My expectation is that the Galaxy S24 Ultra will deliver a great display. But with some rumors touting a 144Hz refresh rate – something you can only find on the best gaming phones – the Galaxy S24 Ultra could set a new standard for super-smooth displays in flagship smartphones. I’m also hoping for a screen that beats both the iPhone 15 Pro Max and Google Pixel 8 Pro in terms of peak brightness.
Supercharged gaming
With the A17 Pro chip, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is likely to remain the performance leader, mostly thanks to Apple’s tight control over hardware and software. But the Galaxy S24 Ultra and its expected Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip could win by offering better performance in gaming.
Sure, the A17 Pro can support ray tracing at a hardware level, and thereby run console-quality games like Assassin’s Creed Mirage and Resident Evil Village. But Samsung already has its fingers in the gaming world, offering gaming-centric laptops and displays.
So my hope is the Galaxy S24 Ultra could bring something special to the table, not only tapping into the new Snapdragon’s power, but perhaps offering a gaming mode that really ramps up performance while harnessing the display’s tipped 144Hz refresh rate.
Or the Galaxy S24 Ultra could tap into Samsung DeX, offering a form of console that can go from a handheld mode to a home mode when connected to an external display. The popularity of Valve's Steam Deck shows there’s some appeal here.
Arguably the Galaxy S23 Ultra already has the iPhone 15 Pro Max beaten in terms of gaming thanks to app-level support for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (Microsoft’s game streaming service can work on iPhones but requires using the browser). So my hope is that Samsung builds on this, maybe working with Microsoft to provide on-device support for Xbox games.
Bolstered battery life
A bit of an obvious one here, but the Galaxy S24 Ultra could beat the iPhone 15 Pro Max by offering notably better battery life.
The efficiency of iPhones has long meant they deliver quoted battery life or better, whereas Galaxy flagships can fall short.
With some fleeting rumors that the Galaxy S24 Ultra could use a battery that’s inspired by electric vehicle stacked-battery designs, perhaps it could deliver a new standard for Android phone battery life.
Ace AI smarts
Samsung has trademarked the term 'AI Phone', and the rumors have the Galaxy S24 Ultra tipped to lean on generative AI that's able to produce content rather than just smartly handle things like translations on the fly.
Done well, this could see the Galaxy S24 Ultra have similar AI-powered tools as the Pixel 8 Pro, notably the Magic Editor, which lets users smartly recompose a photo without any Photoshop skills. And as the iPhone 15 Pro Max doesn’t really offer much in the way of generative AI tools, the Galaxy S24 could have it beat in terms of smarts.
My hope is that Samsung will find a way to deliver generative AI and super-smart features completely on the phone without relying on an internet connection. As it stands, even the Pixel 8 Pro with its AI-centric Tensor G3 chip needs support from Google’s cloud to deliver its best AI processing.
If Samsung can nail this, it could not only create a true standard for the AI Phone, but set a new level of smarts for smartphones to aim for.
