Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review

GSMArena Team, 13 February 2024.

One UI 6.1 with Galaxy AI

Samsung's S24 family is launching with Samsung's latest One UI 6.1 on top of Google's latest Android 14. Despite the fairly small ".1" numbering update, One UI 6.1 brings some new stuff to the table - most notably Galaxy AI features, which we hope will eventually trickle down to other Galaxy models as well.

As part of its green initiative, Samsung is quite ambitious with the S24 generation, offering the remarkable seven years of OS and One UI updates and security patches. That's up from four years of OS updates and five years of security patches on the previous S23 flagship generation.

The Galaxy S24 devices can eventually expect to end their support cycle running Android 21, whatever that ends up being called. Hopefully, many S24 family devices will stay out of landfills for much longer, perhaps with a mid-cycle battery replacement. Here's hoping.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review

Every S24 model essentially has the same software functionality in its roster, including the new AI. The only major software difference stems from including the S Pen in the Ultra. As has been the case for several generations of S Pen-equipped Galaxies, the stylus here is an active one, and it has a battery inside as well as a gyro, an accelerometer and Bluetooth connectivity for communicating with the phone without immediate proximity. This enables Air actions - a set of gestures that can execute actions in various apps, including the Gallery and browsers (Samsung's own, and also Chrome), but perhaps most usefully - the Camera.

Other than that, the S Pen has all of the functionality users have come to expect. You can scribble, draw, and use handwriting recognition in about 100 languages, or at least that's how many options there are in the menu.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review

There isn't anything new about the S Pen this generation, which was also the case with the S23 generation. Not that the S Pen has been lacking it in the past - it's just that things should all be familiar.

You can read more about the new One UI 6.1 features in our dedicated One UI 6.1 review.

Performance and benchmarks

The Galaxy S24 and S24+ dual chipset arrangement does not affect the S24 Ultra. No matter where you get your unit, it will have the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset by Qualcomm. The chip is made on a 4nm TSMC N4P manufacturing node.

Samsung has a customized version of the chipset yet again, with a slightly higher-clocked prime core. The CPU config, as reported by the device, includes one prime Cortex X4 core, clocked at 3.4 GHz, three Cortex-A720 ones, working at up to 3.15 GHz, another two Cortex-A720 ones working at 2.96 GHz and finally two Cortex-A520 cores working at up to 2.27 GHz according to official specs and 2.26 GHz as per the phone's reporting. There's not much of a difference, but it's worth noting.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review

There is an Adreno 750 in the GPU department, clocked at up to 1,000MHz. It is rated for about the same performance as the Xclipse 940 GPU inside the Exynos 2400 and the Immortalis-G720 MC12 inside the MediaTek Dimensity 9300.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is paired with quad-channel 4,800 MHz LPDDR5X RAM, 12GB of it across all of the storage tiers. Storage options include 256GB, 512GB and 1TB, all with UFS 4.0 flash chips.

Let's kick things off with some CPU benchmarks and GeekBench. Devices with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 span the entire range of the chart, including the top where we would expect them, as well as near the bottom of it. It's an interesting development, but one that comes down to how these devices have their performance profiles tuned.

Both the ROG Phone 8 Pro and OnePlus 12 tend to go for power-saving in their default performance profile. Anyway, the Galaxy S24 Ultra spreads its wings nicely and pretty much squeezes the most it can from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. Let's not forget that this is the special "for Galaxy" variant of the chipset with a slightly higher prime core clock. This is shown by the higher scores in single and multi-core tests compared to the Realme GT5 Pro, rocking the regular Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 variant.

GeekBench 6

  • Multi-core
  • Single-core
vivo X100 vivo X100
7389
Dimensity 9300 512GB, 16GB RAM
vivo X100 Pro vivo X100 Pro
7343
Dimensity 9300 512GB, 16GB RAM
iPhone 15 Pro Max iPhone 15 Pro Max
7237
Apple A17 Pro 256GB, 8GB RAM
iPhone 15 Pro iPhone 15 Pro
7172
Apple A17 Pro 256GB, 8GB RAM
Galaxy S24 Ultra Galaxy S24 Ultra
7076
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SM8650-AC 512GB, 12GB RAM
Galaxy S24+ Galaxy S24+
6926
Exynos 2400 512GB, 12GB RAM
Realme GT5 Pro Realme GT5 Pro
6783
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 1TB, 16GB RAM
Galaxy S24 Galaxy S24
6747
Exynos 2400 256GB, 8GB RAM
ROG Phone 8 Pro ROG Phone 8 Pro
6632
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 1TB, 24GB RAM
iPhone 15 Plus iPhone 15 Plus
6618
Apple A16 Bionic 128GB, 6GB RAM
iPhone 15 iPhone 15
6526
Apple A16 Bionic 128GB, 6GB RAM
Asus Zenfone 10 Asus Zenfone 10
5698
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 512GB, 16GB RAM
Xiaomi 13 Ultra Xiaomi 13 Ultra
5556
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 512GB 16GB RAM
Galaxy S23 Galaxy S23
5327
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SM8550-AC 256GB, 8GB RAM
Galaxy S23+ Galaxy S23+
5261
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SM8550-AC 512GB, 8GB RAM
Oppo Find X6 Pro Oppo Find X6 Pro
5082
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 512GB, 16GB RAM
Galaxy S23 Ultra Galaxy S23 Ultra
5077
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SM8550-AC 512GB, 12GB RAM
Realme GT5 Realme GT5
5045
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 1TB, 24GB RAM
Sony Xperia 1 V Sony Xperia 1 V
4916
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 256GB, 12GB RAM
OnePlus 12 OnePlus 12
4784
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 512GB, 16GB RAM
Xiaomi 13T Pro Xiaomi 13T Pro
4518
Dimensity 9200+ 512GB, 12GB RAM
Pixel 8 Pro Pixel 8 Pro
4492
Google Tensor G3 128GB, 12GB RAM
OnePlus 12R OnePlus 12R
4451
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 256GB, 16GB RAM
Pixel 8 Pixel 8
4404
Google Tensor G3 128GB, 8GB RAM
Galaxy S23 FE Galaxy S23 FE
3964
Exynos 2200 128GB, 8GB RAM
Galaxy S23 FE (Snapdragon) Galaxy S23 FE (Snapdragon)
3947
Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 128GB, 8GB RAM
vivo X90 vivo X90
3906
Dimensity 9200 256GB, 12GB RAM
iPhone 15 Pro Max iPhone 15 Pro Max
2926
Apple A17 Pro 256GB, 8GB RAM
iPhone 15 Pro iPhone 15 Pro
2922
Apple A17 Pro 256GB, 8GB RAM
iPhone 15 Plus iPhone 15 Plus
2627
Apple A16 Bionic 128GB, 6GB RAM
iPhone 15 iPhone 15
2606
Apple A16 Bionic 128GB, 6GB RAM
Galaxy S24 Ultra Galaxy S24 Ultra
2279
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SM8650-AC 512GB, 12GB RAM
Realme GT5 Pro Realme GT5 Pro
2229
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 1TB, 16GB RAM
vivo X100 vivo X100
2210
Dimensity 9300 512GB, 16GB RAM
Galaxy S24+ Galaxy S24+
2201
Exynos 2400 512GB, 12GB RAM
vivo X100 Pro vivo X100 Pro
2192
Dimensity 9300 512GB, 16GB RAM
Galaxy S24 Galaxy S24
2177
Exynos 2400 256GB, 8GB RAM
Asus Zenfone 10 Asus Zenfone 10
2028
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 512GB, 16GB RAM
Galaxy S23 Galaxy S23
2028
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SM8550-AC 256GB, 8GB RAM
Xiaomi 13 Ultra Xiaomi 13 Ultra
2000
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 512GB 16GB RAM
Galaxy S23+ Galaxy S23+
1997
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SM8550-AC 512GB, 8GB RAM
Sony Xperia 1 V Sony Xperia 1 V
1956
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 256GB, 12GB RAM
Xiaomi 13T Pro Xiaomi 13T Pro
1939
Dimensity 9200+ 512GB, 12GB RAM
Galaxy S23 Ultra Galaxy S23 Ultra
1913
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SM8550-AC 512GB, 12GB RAM
Pixel 8 Pro Pixel 8 Pro
1766
Google Tensor G3 128GB, 12GB RAM
vivo X90 vivo X90
1705
Dimensity 9200 256GB, 12GB RAM
Galaxy S23 FE (Snapdragon) Galaxy S23 FE (Snapdragon)
1672
Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 128GB, 8GB RAM
Pixel 8 Pixel 8
1668
Google Tensor G3 128GB, 8GB RAM
Galaxy S23 FE Galaxy S23 FE
1611
Exynos 2200 128GB, 8GB RAM
OnePlus 12R OnePlus 12R
1581
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 256GB, 16GB RAM
Oppo Find X6 Pro Oppo Find X6 Pro
1532
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 512GB, 16GB RAM
Realme GT5 Realme GT5
1525
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 1TB, 24GB RAM
ROG Phone 8 Pro ROG Phone 8 Pro
1383
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 1TB, 24GB RAM
OnePlus 12 OnePlus 12
940
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 512GB, 16GB RAM

Some slight variances in score aside, we can see that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy inside the Galaxy S24 Ultra basically performs the same or slightly better than Samsung's Exynos 2400 in CPU tasks. The MediaTek Dimensity 9300 has a bit of a lead in all-core workload scenarios but not so in single-core scenarios. Apple and its A16 and A17 Pro chips remain at the top of the single-core food chain.

AnTuTu is a compound benchmark that has GPU tests and also takes into account things like memory speed. The Galaxy S24 Ultra is positioned pretty much where we would expect, amid the rest of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 crowd. It's hard to say whether the extra 100Mhz prime core clock speed is helping the particular SM8650-AC variant of the chipset all that much in this specific set of tests.

Once again, we see that Samsung's new Exynos 2400 inside the Galaxy S24 and S24+ is not far behind in score, and definitely not by a margin that would be noticeable in real-world use.

AnTuTu

  • v9
  • v10
vivo X100 Pro vivo X100 Pro
1475105
Dimensity 9300 512GB, 16GB RAM 1260 x 2800 px
vivo X100 vivo X100
1472921
Dimensity 9300 512GB, 16GB RAM 1260 x 2800 px
Galaxy S24 Ultra Galaxy S24 Ultra
1453497
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SM8650-AC 512GB, 12GB RAM 1440 x 3120 px
ROG Phone 8 Pro ROG Phone 8 Pro
1422240
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 1TB, 24GB RAM 1080 x 2400 px
Asus Zenfone 10 Asus Zenfone 10
1314458
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 512GB, 16GB RAM 1080 x 2400 px
Oppo Find X6 Pro Oppo Find X6 Pro
1294797
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 512GB, 16GB RAM 1440 x 3168 px
Galaxy S24+ Galaxy S24+
1290977
Exynos 2400 512GB, 12GB RAM 1440 x 3120 px
Xiaomi 13 Ultra Xiaomi 13 Ultra
1268538
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 512GB 16GB RAM 1440 x 3200 px
Galaxy S23 Ultra Galaxy S23 Ultra
1241531
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SM8550-AC 512GB, 12GB RAM 1440 x 3088 px
Galaxy S23+ Galaxy S23+
1234077
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SM8550-AC 512GB, 8GB RAM 1080 x 2340 px
Galaxy S23 Galaxy S23
1231075
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SM8550-AC 256GB, 8GB RAM 1080 x 2340 px
Galaxy S24 Galaxy S24
1218977
Exynos 2400 256GB, 8GB RAM 1080 x 2340 px
Xiaomi 13T Pro Xiaomi 13T Pro
1214085
Dimensity 9200+ 512GB, 12GB RAM 1220 x 2712 px
vivo X90 vivo X90
1163712
Dimensity 9200 256GB, 12GB RAM 1260 x 2800 px
Realme GT5 Realme GT5
1140632
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 1TB, 24GB RAM 1240 x 2772 px
Sony Xperia 1 V Sony Xperia 1 V
1127931
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 256GB, 12GB RAM 1644 x 3840 px
Galaxy S23 FE Galaxy S23 FE
945809
Exynos 2200 128GB, 8GB RAM 1080 x 2340 px
Galaxy S23 FE (Snapdragon) Galaxy S23 FE (Snapdragon)
940921
Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 128GB, 8GB RAM 1080 x 2340 px
Pixel 8 Pixel 8
926801
Google Tensor G3 128GB, 8GB RAM 1080 x 2400 px
Pixel 8 Pro Pixel 8 Pro
924853
Google Tensor G3 128GB, 12GB RAM 1344 x 2992 px
vivo X100 vivo X100
2112286
Dimensity 9300 512GB, 16GB RAM 1260 x 2800 px
vivo X100 Pro vivo X100 Pro
2104997
Dimensity 9300 512GB, 16GB RAM 1260 x 2800 px
Realme GT5 Pro Realme GT5 Pro
1981149
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 1TB, 16GB RAM 1264 x 2780 px
Galaxy S24 Ultra Galaxy S24 Ultra
1823822
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SM8650-AC 512GB, 12GB RAM 1440 x 3120 px
ROG Phone 8 Pro ROG Phone 8 Pro
1806875
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 1TB, 24GB RAM 1080 x 2400 px
OnePlus 12 OnePlus 12
1775565
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 512GB, 16GB RAM 1440 x 3168 px
Galaxy S24+ Galaxy S24+
1774819
Exynos 2400 512GB, 12GB RAM 1440 x 3120 px
Galaxy S24 Galaxy S24
1696727
Exynos 2400 256GB, 8GB RAM 1080 x 2340 px
Realme GT5 Realme GT5
1583810
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 1TB, 24GB RAM 1240 x 2772 px
Asus Zenfone 10 Asus Zenfone 10
1583804
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 512GB, 16GB RAM 1080 x 2400 px
iPhone 15 Pro iPhone 15 Pro
1566329
Apple A17 Pro 256GB, 8GB RAM 1179 x 2556 px
iPhone 15 Pro Max iPhone 15 Pro Max
1487203
Apple A17 Pro 256GB, 8GB RAM 1290 x 2796 px
Galaxy S23 Ultra Galaxy S23 Ultra
1472142
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SM8550-AC 512GB, 12GB RAM 1440 x 3088 px
Xiaomi 13T Pro Xiaomi 13T Pro
1470464
Dimensity 9200+ 512GB, 12GB RAM 1220 x 2712 px
Galaxy S23 Galaxy S23
1464257
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SM8550-AC 256GB, 8GB RAM 1080 x 2340 px
iPhone 15 Plus iPhone 15 Plus
1385649
Apple A16 Bionic 128GB, 6GB RAM 1290 x 2796 px
iPhone 15 iPhone 15
1354651
Apple A16 Bionic 128GB, 6GB RAM 1179 x 2556 px
OnePlus 12R OnePlus 12R
1329993
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 256GB, 16GB RAM 1264 x 2780 px
Pixel 8 Pixel 8
1158631
Google Tensor G3 128GB, 8GB RAM 1080 x 2400 px
Pixel 8 Pro Pixel 8 Pro
1151243
Google Tensor G3 128GB, 12GB RAM 1344 x 2992 px
Galaxy S23 FE Galaxy S23 FE
1134250
Exynos 2200 128GB, 8GB RAM 1080 x 2340 px
Galaxy S23 FE (Snapdragon) Galaxy S23 FE (Snapdragon)
1129280
Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 128GB, 8GB RAM 1080 x 2340 px

Finally, we have GPU testing and 3DMark. In case you were wondering, we did test the S24 Ultra both at its default FHD+ and its maximum QHD+ resolution. But, as expected, since 3DMark tests employ off-screen rendering, there was no difference in results. The Galaxy S24 Ultra and its Adreno 750 basically led the pack in most tests, though blows were traded with the Immortalis-G720 MC12 inside the MediaTek Dimensity 9300.

Regarding traditional raster rendering, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy does seem to hold a small but noticeable lead over the Exynos 2400 and its Xclipse 940 GPU. Once we step up to the more difficult Solar Bay test, however, with its ray tracing graphics, the Exynos 2400 quickly makes up lost ground. Make of that what you will.

3DMark (offscreen)

  • Wild Life (1440p)
  • Wild Life Extreme (2160p)
  • Solar Bay (1440p)
Galaxy S24 Ultra Galaxy S24 Ultra
17931
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SM8650-AC Adreno 750 1440 x 3120 px
OnePlus 12 OnePlus 12
17633
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Adreno 750 1440 x 3168 px
Realme GT5 Pro Realme GT5 Pro
17358
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Adreno 750 1264 x 2780 px
vivo X100 vivo X100
17082
Dimensity 9300 Immortalis-G720 MC12 1260 x 2800 px
vivo X100 Pro vivo X100 Pro
16675
Dimensity 9300 Immortalis-G720 MC12 1260 x 2800 px
Galaxy S24 Galaxy S24
14351
Exynos 2400 Xclipse 940 1080 x 2340 px
Galaxy S24+ Galaxy S24+
14082
Exynos 2400 Xclipse 940 1440 x 3120 px
Asus Zenfone 10 Asus Zenfone 10
13507
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Adreno 740 1080 x 2400 px
Oppo Find X6 Pro Oppo Find X6 Pro
13360
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Adreno 740 1440 x 3168 px
OnePlus 12R OnePlus 12R
13220
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Adreno 740 1264 x 2780 px
Xiaomi 13 Ultra Xiaomi 13 Ultra
13106
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Adreno 740 1440 x 3200 px
Galaxy S23 Galaxy S23
12780
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SM8550-AC Adreno 740 1080 x 2340 px
Galaxy S23+ Galaxy S23+
12654
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SM8550-AC Adreno 740 1080 x 2340 px
Galaxy S23 Ultra Galaxy S23 Ultra
12241
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SM8550-AC Adreno 740 1440 x 3088 px
vivo X90 vivo X90
11976
Dimensity 9200 Immortalis-G715 MC11 1260 x 2800 px
Xiaomi 13T Pro Xiaomi 13T Pro
10967
Dimensity 9200+ Immortalis-G715 MC11 1220 x 2712 px
iPhone 15 Pro Max iPhone 15 Pro Max
10015
Apple A17 Pro Apple GPU (6-core graphics) 1290 x 2796 px
iPhone 15 Pro iPhone 15 Pro
10012
Apple A17 Pro Apple GPU (6-core graphics) 1179 x 2556 px
iPhone 15 Plus iPhone 15 Plus
9933
Apple A16 Bionic Apple GPU (5-core graphics) 1290 x 2796 px
iPhone 15 iPhone 15
9927
Apple A16 Bionic Apple GPU (5-core graphics) 1179 x 2556 px
Galaxy S23 FE (Snapdragon) Galaxy S23 FE (Snapdragon)
9919
Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Adreno 730 1080 x 2340 px
Pixel 8 Pixel 8
8638
Google Tensor G3 Immortalis-G715s MC10 1080 x 2400 px
Galaxy S23 FE Galaxy S23 FE
8494
Exynos 2200 Xclipse 920 1080 x 2340 px
Pixel 8 Pro Pixel 8 Pro
8476
Google Tensor G3 Immortalis-G715s MC10 1344 x 2992 px
Sony Xperia 1 V Sony Xperia 1 V
6316
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Adreno 740 1644 x 3840 px
vivo X100 vivo X100
4996
Dimensity 9300 Immortalis-G720 MC12 1260 x 2800 px
Galaxy S24 Ultra Galaxy S24 Ultra
4983
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SM8650-AC Adreno 750 1440 x 3120 px
OnePlus 12 OnePlus 12
4972
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Adreno 750 1440 x 3168 px
Realme GT5 Pro Realme GT5 Pro
4970
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Adreno 750 1264 x 2780 px
vivo X100 Pro vivo X100 Pro
4932
Dimensity 9300 Immortalis-G720 MC12 1260 x 2800 px
ROG Phone 8 Pro ROG Phone 8 Pro
4584
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Adreno 750 1080 x 2400 px
Galaxy S24+ Galaxy S24+
4365
Exynos 2400 Xclipse 940 1440 x 3120 px
Galaxy S24 Galaxy S24
4183
Exynos 2400 Xclipse 940 1080 x 2340 px
Galaxy S23 Galaxy S23
3852
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SM8550-AC Adreno 740 1080 x 2340 px
Galaxy S23+ Galaxy S23+
3830
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SM8550-AC Adreno 740 1080 x 2340 px
Galaxy S23 Ultra Galaxy S23 Ultra
3790
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SM8550-AC Adreno 740 1440 x 3088 px
Xiaomi 13 Ultra Xiaomi 13 Ultra
3750
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Adreno 740 1440 x 3200 px
iPhone 15 Pro Max iPhone 15 Pro Max
3746
Apple A17 Pro Apple GPU (6-core graphics) 1290 x 2796 px
iPhone 15 Pro iPhone 15 Pro
3712
Apple A17 Pro Apple GPU (6-core graphics) 1179 x 2556 px
Oppo Find X6 Pro Oppo Find X6 Pro
3696
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Adreno 740 1440 x 3168 px
Asus Zenfone 10 Asus Zenfone 10
3682
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Adreno 740 1080 x 2400 px
OnePlus 12R OnePlus 12R
3640
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Adreno 740 1264 x 2780 px
Realme GT5 Realme GT5
3594
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Adreno 740 1240 x 2772 px
Xiaomi 13T Pro Xiaomi 13T Pro
3567
Dimensity 9200+ Immortalis-G715 MC11 1220 x 2712 px
vivo X90 vivo X90
3453
Dimensity 9200 Immortalis-G715 MC11 1260 x 2800 px
iPhone 15 iPhone 15
3084
Apple A16 Bionic Apple GPU (5-core graphics) 1179 x 2556 px
iPhone 15 Plus iPhone 15 Plus
3025
Apple A16 Bionic Apple GPU (5-core graphics) 1290 x 2796 px
Galaxy S23 FE (Snapdragon) Galaxy S23 FE (Snapdragon)
2557
Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Adreno 730 1080 x 2340 px
Pixel 8 Pixel 8
2450
Google Tensor G3 Immortalis-G715s MC10 1080 x 2400 px
Pixel 8 Pro Pixel 8 Pro
2436
Google Tensor G3 Immortalis-G715s MC10 1344 x 2992 px
Galaxy S23 FE Galaxy S23 FE
2356
Exynos 2200 Xclipse 920 1080 x 2340 px
Sony Xperia 1 V Sony Xperia 1 V
2047
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Adreno 740 1644 x 3840 px
Galaxy S24 Ultra Galaxy S24 Ultra
8780
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SM8650-AC Adreno 750 1440 x 3120 px
Galaxy S24+ Galaxy S24+
8743
Exynos 2400 Xclipse 940 1440 x 3120 px
Realme GT5 Pro Realme GT5 Pro
8637
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Adreno 750 1264 x 2780 px
OnePlus 12 OnePlus 12
8637
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Adreno 750 1440 x 3168 px
Galaxy S24 Galaxy S24
8631
Exynos 2400 Xclipse 940 1080 x 2340 px
vivo X100 vivo X100
8376
Dimensity 9300 Immortalis-G720 MC12 1260 x 2800 px
ROG Phone 8 Pro ROG Phone 8 Pro
8374
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Adreno 750 1080 x 2400 px
vivo X100 Pro vivo X100 Pro
7994
Dimensity 9300 Immortalis-G720 MC12 1260 x 2800 px
iPhone 15 Pro iPhone 15 Pro
6525
Apple A17 Pro Apple GPU (6-core graphics) 1179 x 2556 px
iPhone 15 Pro Max iPhone 15 Pro Max
6523
Apple A17 Pro Apple GPU (6-core graphics) 1290 x 2796 px
OnePlus 12R OnePlus 12R
5375
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Adreno 740 1264 x 2780 px
Xiaomi 13T Pro Xiaomi 13T Pro
5005
Dimensity 9200+ Immortalis-G715 MC11 1220 x 2712 px
Galaxy S23 FE Galaxy S23 FE
4612
Exynos 2200 Xclipse 920 1080 x 2340 px
iPhone 15 Plus iPhone 15 Plus
4249
Apple A16 Bionic Apple GPU (5-core graphics) 1290 x 2796 px
iPhone 15 iPhone 15
4216
Apple A16 Bionic Apple GPU (5-core graphics) 1179 x 2556 px

Samsung upgraded its vapor chamber cooling solutions across the S24 lineup. Most notably, the S24 Ultra has a chamber 1.9x the size of the one inside the S23 Ultra. That, however, seems to be done to account for the increased heat production by the new chipsets rather than better sustained performance.

The S24 Ultra exhibited massive thermal throttling in our testing and lost a huge chunk of its maximum performance over time, a whopping 53% in 3DMark. This is notably worse than both the S24+ and the S24, as well as the S23 Ultra. While you could call this an okay showing, it's still more on the disappointing end of things.

CPU-based throttling isn't quite as bad (35% performance loss), but is still far from ideal. The only potential positive observation to make is that the surface of the phone never got too hot or uncomfortable to hold, even after an hour-long torture test.

Thermal throttling - Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review Thermal throttling - Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review Thermal throttling - Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review
Thermal throttling

Reader comments

  • GroovyStarlight
  • 12 Nov 2024
  • YeL

I own a titanium yellow S24 Ultra, from all the colors I liked the Violet and the yellow one because it resembles a gold color. I chose yellow by the way it's a beautiful color.

  • Darathu
  • 04 Nov 2024
  • nDx

You said 9.9x is better. It's not, it's just upscaled. And looks weird. Also samsung's native camera app is a disaster, if you use a Gcam port, the difference between that 10x shooter and that 5x shooter will grow quite a lot.

  • jpn4
  • 02 Nov 2024
  • yJt

Approximately 900 euro, 800 dollars US pricing.