In a matter of days, we're expecting to meet the long-awaited Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra – successor to one of 2023's best phones – at the company's next Galaxy Unpacked event, scheduled for January 17.
One of the big plays with the whole of this year's Samsung Galaxy S24 range is thought to be AI. But by pushing into that space in a more deliberate way these upcoming phones – including the S24 Ultra – may be encroaching on Google's turf, which is currently occupied by its champion AI-toting smartphone, the Google Pixel 8 Pro.
While we don't yet have official details of the exact makeup of the S24 Ultra and what features it'll boast, there have been enough persistent rumors and leaks to help us build a pretty complete picture of what the phone is likely to offer and, as such, how it compares to Google's current flagship.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Google Pixel 8 Pro: specs comparison
On the left, we've compiled a rumored spec sheet for the Galaxy S24 Ultra, while to the right you'll find the official confirmed specs of the Pixel 8 Pro, which launched a few months back.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Google Pixel 8 Pro: rumored price and availability
As in our current Pixel 8 Pro vs Galaxy S23 Ultra comparison, Samsung's Ultras don't come cheap and while the Pixel 8 Pro is the priciest of Google's smartphones to date, based on Samsung's current pricing model and S24 leaks, it looks as though the South Korean company's new phone will maintain its predecessor's significantly higher initial asking price.
That means the S24 Ultra will likely come in at around $1,199.99 / £1,249 / AU$1,949 for the 256GB model, $1,379.99 / £1,399 / AU$2,249 for 512GB version and $1,619.99 / £1,599 / AU$2,649 for the 1TB storage build. The phone is expected to debut on January 17, with Samsung Galaxy S24 pre-orders kicking off on the same day and the phone likely going on sale just over a week later, on January 26.
Google's latest flagship, meanwhile, went on sale back on October 12, 2023. It was initially priced at $999 / £999 / AU$1,699 for 128GB of storage, $1,059 / £1,059 / AU$1,799 for 256GB and $1,179 / £1,179 / AU$1,999 for 512GB. US consumers also got the option of a 1TB build for $1,399, with no equivalent variant in other markets like the UK or Australia.
So not only is the Pixel available now and cheaper to begin with, we've already seen discounts on the 8 Pro, as featured in our dedicated Google Pixel 8 and 8 Pro deals roundup, meaning the gap will likely be wider by the time the S24 Ultra actually debuts.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Google Pixel 8 Pro: design
It seems safe to assume that the Galaxy S24 Ultra will resemble its predecessor (and its predecessor's predecessor, for that matter), with a familiar squared silhouette, a four-lens floating camera design on the back, a metal frame, a glass front and back, and a display with wafer-thin(ner) bezels and a punch-hole front camera.
Some things – like rumored IP68-certified water resistance – are consistent between generations of Ultra and keep step with the 8 Pro, while tipped traits like the switch to a titanium frame – iPhone 15 Pro-style – give this next Ultra cool points and a better strength to weight ratio than the aluminum frame of the Pixel.
This material change – again, similarly to the latest Pro iPhones – also suggests a thinner design and a lower weight than before, despite similar dimensions otherwise, with reports pointing to the S24 Ultra clocking in at around 233 grams and measuring 162.3 x 79 x 8.7mm. This would render Samsung's phone 0.1mm thinner than the current Pro Pixel but still 20 grams heavier, due in part to its larger overall size and display, which would mark a noticeable difference in real-world use.
Samsung, as ever, looks set to offer more color options with this year's Ultra, so while the 8 Pro can be had in Obsidian (black), Porcelain (off-white) and Bay (a sort of sky blue), Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra colors are thought to include Titanium Violet, Titanium Gray, Titanium Black, Titanium Yellow, Light Blue, Light Green, and Orange; with some of those likely being Samsung.com exclusives, as with previous entries in the series.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Google Pixel 8 Pro: display
While Samsung has also been known to deliver great displays, the Pixel series' lineage isn't usually as notable in this department. That said, Google took things up a notch with its newly-branded 'Actua' panels across both Pixel 8 models.
In the case of the 6.7-inch 'Super Actua' OLED screen on the Pixel 8 Pro, you get a crisp 1344 x 2992 resolution, a dynamic 1Hz to 120Hz refresh rate and an impressive peak brightness of 2,400 nits; the current S23 Ultra peaks at 1,750 nits.
Despite being expected to sport a larger 6.8-inch panel, the S24 Ultra will likely pack in the same QHD+ resolution as its predecessor, meaning it'll be sharper than the Pixel despite its size (489ppi versus 500ppi). It too will probably boast a dynamic 1Hz to 120Hz refresh rate. However, reports suggest a new, more efficient M13 OLED panel will feature, while peak brightness catches up to the Pixel with a reported 2,600-nit peak.
There's also the S Pen to consider too, which adds stylus input to Samsung's Ultra, along with a number of integrated and third-party apps that support it for writing, note taking, illustration and more. With the Pixel, you have your digits and digits alone.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Google Pixel 8 Pro: cameras
Although the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra's cameras are expected to follow in the S23 Ultra's quad-rear camera arrangement, there's talk of ditching the 10x zoom 10MP sensor in favor of a 50MP 5x periscopic telephoto, along with the existing assortment of a 200MP main, 12MP ultra-wide and 10MP 3x telephoto cameras.
Seemingly an odd move if true, as it would cut the optical zoom range of the S24 Ultra short, compared to the S23 Ultra; though the sensor looks set to have a big upgrade. However, it'd still match the Pixel 8 Pro, which features a triple rear camera setup of its own, with a 50MP primary camera, a 48MP ultra-wide and a 48MP 5x telephoto.
Even with the shorter optical range, one of the S24 Ultra's rumored new AI-enhanced abilities will be the promise of 10x 'optical quality' zoom, which sounds a lot like the Pixel's Super Res Zoom, which uses the company's intelligent image processing to improve the quality of what are essentially digitally-zoomed shots being combined with high-resolution non-zoomed shots.
Such expected AI enhancement is relatively new (at least from a branding standpoint) for the cameras on Samsung's phones but is already commonplace on the Pixel, with the 8 Pro packing in an improved Magic Eraser, as well as the powerful new generative Magic Editor.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra is likely designed to rise and meet the Pixel in this department, with the ability to reframe subjects in the shot (similarly to the 8 Pro), generatively fill in what's outside of the original image's field of view and tune both photo and video quality, with AI support all being bandied about.
Both the S23 Ultra and Google Pixel 8 Pro find themselves on our rundown of the best camera phones currently. And while the S24 Ultra could be a slight departure from the recipe Samsung has stuck to for the past couple of years, there's little doubt that it won't make its way on there too, while also challenging the 8 Pro photographic feature set in areas that other rivals simply don't.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Google Pixel 8 Pro: performance and software
We've already started seeing phones hit the market with Qualcomm's latest and greatest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 silicon and it's as promisingly powerful as you'd expect (check out our Nubia Red Magic 9 Pro review for an idea). So it should be little surprise that the new Ultra is expected to come running this chipset too, just as the S23 Ultra was among the first to adopt the 8 Gen 3's predecessor – the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 – around the same time last year.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 already outpaces the Pixel 8 Pro's Tensor G3 chip in terms of raw power and gaming, even if you're highly unlikely to run into performance issues in day-to-day use with Google's phone. As such, the upgrade no doubt destined for the Galaxy will make it the superior buy for those who want as much horsepower as possible and are serious about gaming too.
With Samsung having previously ditched a 128GB storage variant on its Ultra range and made the move to the latest UFS 4.0 storage standard, you'll have a choice of 256GB to 1TB in most markets. Meanwhile, the Pixel is only available in the US with 1TB and steps down to 128GB (accounting, in part, for its lower starting price), 256GB and 512GB (of UFS 3.1) storage everywhere else.
Like the S23 Ultra, the base S24 Ultra is rumored to sport 8GB of RAM on the lower storage configuration and 12GB on the higher models, while the Pixel sports 12GB RAM regardless of storage.
As for software, the S24 Ultra will likely arrive on Samsung's own One UI 6.1 (One UI 6.0 is already available) atop the latest Android 14, while the Pixel sports Google's near-stock Android 14 user experience, which is undoubtedly less cluttered but less feature-rich too.
For the longest time, Samsung was the trend-setting in the Android camp when it came to long-term support across OS and security updates, with four years of the former and five years of the latter promised to the majority of its latest Galaxy smartphones. Until the Pixel 8 series arrived, Google trailed behind with the offer of three and five years, respectively. But with the Pixel 8 Pro, you get a lengthy seven years of support, meaning Samsung will hopefully rise to the challenge with the S24 Ultra, even if we've not heard anything concrete on this front, yet.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Google Pixel 8 Pro: battery life
It's said that the Galaxy S24 Ultra will arrive with a sizeable 5,000mAh battery, like the previous model, while the Pixel 8 Pro's cell clocks in at a whisker larger, at 5,050mAh.
Using the S23 Ultra's screen-on time of an impressive eight hours and considering that the S24 Ultra is expected to have similar enough internals to warrant comparative power demands – save for a more powerful but more efficient chipset – things are only likely to remain the same or get better where the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra’s battery life is concerned. By comparison, despite the larger cell and a chipset built on a similar 4nm architecture, the 8 Pro and its Tensor G3 only delivered 5.75 hours in our review, meaning the S24 Ultra will likely lead by quite some margin.
As for recharging Samsung might have the lead there too, with an expected 45W wired and 15W wireless charging, to the Pixel's 30W wired and up to 23W wireless charging (provided you're using Google's own 2nd-gen Pixel Stand, otherwise wireless recharge takes place at a peak 12W).
In practice, the S23 Ultra and Pixel 8 Pro both surpassed 50% charge after 30 minutes, so despite the wattages cited, the difference there might not be quite significant.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Google Pixel 8 Pro: early verdict
All in all, much like its predecessor, power seems to still be the name of the game and the main thing the Galaxy S24 Ultra will lord over the Pixel 8 Pro. However, Samsung isn't stopping there it seems, encroaching on Google's existing offer of mobile AI smarts across productivity and photography.
While the curves of the Pixel 8 Pro will suit many, the hard-edged aesthetic of Samsung's last three Ultras will likely sway others, while some might be enticed by its more exotic titanium build over the Pixel's more conventional aluminum frame.
Both phones have or seem likely to deliver a great viewing experience, and if the S24 Ultra lives up the leaks, then its superior battery life and charging, as well as its ever-unique S Pen make for a more compelling smartphone experience than what Google offers.
That said, those who dislike clutter or having to pay absolute top dollar, may agree that the Pixel 8 Pro is far better value for money, especially if Samsung doesn't catch-up to Google's enhanced software promise.
It's early days for any conclusion drawing, but if the rumors come to fruition, we'd be very surprised if the Galaxy S24 Ultra doesn't top our best Android phones list, with it likely appealing to people who want a high-ed hardware and software experience with few if any compromises. In contrast, the Pixel 8 Pro is a great phone but it's appeal tends to be more for fans of unfettered Android and AI smarts.
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