Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs Galaxy S23 Ultra: Expected differences

The Galaxy S23 Ultra was Samsung’s crowd-pleaser in 2023. It was the first Ultra to go all-in on a 200 MP main camera, the one that standardized Snapdragon worldwide, all while keeping the Note DNA alive with the S Pen. Three years later, it’s off Samsung’s shelves but easy to find refurbished or second-hand for far less than the four-figure price of a brand-new Ultra.

As we approach early 2026, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is shaping up to offer several upgrades that would make it an even more impressive flagship. For starters, the display is said to be much brighter and more efficient. What's more, we might even see a unique display feature for increased privacy.

Besides the display upgrades, the S26 Ultra is also said to get Qualcomm’s next Snapdragon chip, faster charging, and new hardware for the main camera.

This comparison looks at how this three-generation jump would improve your user experience if you decided to upgrade to the new model once it comes out.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

6.8-inch

Quad camera

5000 mAh

8GB

$400 at Amazon

The Galaxy S23 Ultra leaned heavily into the boxy Ultra design, with flatter sides and curved glass that barely spilled into the display. It truly felt like the Note’s successor, complete with the S Pen, IP68 protection, and durable Gorilla Glass Victus 2.

Another important difference is the material used for the S26 Ultra's frame. While the Galaxy S23 Ultra used Armor Aluminum with Gorilla Glass Victus 2, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is expected to drop titanium for Armor Aluminum 2.0. This appears to be a decision to reduce cost, weight, and improve the thermals, but it does mean the S26 Ultra won’t carry the same premium material distinction as later Ultra models.

Based on current rumors, the S26 Ultra should be about 0.4 mm thinner than the S25 Ultra and nearly a full millimeter thinner than the S23 Ultra. Leaked cases also point to rounder corners, giving it a softer, less angular silhouette.

The biggest visual change may come from the camera module. Samsung could replace the individual rings with a unified camera island to fit thicker optics.

Leaks also suggest Samsung is refining the camera design with metal camera rings and a pill-shaped camera bar, replacing the older “vinyl record” style rings. The result should be a cleaner, more unified look that better matches the S26 Ultra’s slimmer body.

The S Pen digitizer is also redesigned, allowing Qi2 magnetic wireless charging without sacrificing stylus support.

The S23 Ultra featured a 6.8-inch QHD+ OLED panel that reached 1,750 nits and was known for excellent low-brightness control. The S26 Ultra is expected to adopt Samsung’s new M14/CoE OLED stack, which integrates the color filter into the protective layer to improve light transmission and efficiency while reducing internal reflections.

Samsung is reportedly testing a feature called Flex Magic Pixel—an AI-assisted system that narrows viewing angles to prevent shoulder-peeking without dimming the image. While this sounds like a premium feature, recent leaks suggest Samsung plans to bring the Privacy Display to all Galaxy S26 models, meaning it won’t be exclusive to the Ultra.

The S23 Ultra made history by standardizing Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (for Galaxy) worldwide, delivering big CPU/GPU improvements and better battery life without changing the battery size. Now we are three generations later, and the S26 Ultra is expected to land on Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (for Galaxy), which will be built on the refined 3 nm process with meaningfully faster GPU and NPU performance and higher clock speeds. Samsung has also improved its cooling system over the years, so sustained performance should be noticeably better.

Earlier rumors suggested that Exynos 2600 might power the Ultra in some regions, but new FCC documents now strongly indicate a Snapdragon-only Galaxy S26 Ultra. The filings reference Qualcomm-specific radio features and list only Qualcomm modems, which makes it very likely that Exynos will be reserved for the regular S26 and S26 Plus instead.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (for Galaxy) is rumored to hit clock speeds of up to 4.74 GHz. The processor comes with an Adreno 840 GPU, which delivers 30% enhanced graphics capabilities compared to the previous year's chip. If the Snapdragon model ships with the Qualcomm X85 modem, it should deliver faster 5G speeds (up to 12.5 Gbps downlink) and improved power efficiency.

Certification documents in China also confirm support for emergency satellite messaging on at least the Chinese variant of the Galaxy S26 Ultra. It remains unclear whether this feature will be available globally, but it marks a notable step forward compared to the S23 Ultra.

The RAM is also said to be upgraded to 1-gamma LPDDR5X, Samsung’s latest generation of memory, which offers up to 10.7 Gbps speeds while being 20% more power-efficient than the 1-beta version. Connectivity also gets a boost with Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, bringing faster wireless performance and improved stability for accessories.

As for software, the S26 Ultra should debut with Android 16 and One UI 8.5, alongside Samsung’s seven-year update promise. The S23 Ultra, on the other hand, will soon come to its final year of software support. Samsung promised 4 years of OS updates and 5 years of security patches for that generation, which means the last Android version the S23 Ultra will get is Android 17.

Samsung is also reportedly changing how it rolls out new AI features. Early reports suggest that some Galaxy AI additions will launch first on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, with older flagships like the S23 Ultra receiving them months later, rather than simultaneously.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra kicked off Samsung’s 200 MP era, pairing that main camera with a classic quad setup: 12 MP ultra-wide, 10 MP 3x, and 10 MP 10x periscope, plus a 12 MP selfie camera. That front camera uses a wider 85-degree lens, which explains the larger punch hole.

For the S26 Ultra, rumors point to either a larger, roughly 1/1.1-inch 200 MP sensor or the same HP2 sensor paired with a wider f/1.4 lens. Either change would improve the camera's ability to capture more light, have better dynamic range, and produce more natural background blur.

Recent reports have also cleared up confusion around the 3x camera. Samsung is expected to keep a 10 MP 3x telephoto, not a new 12 MP one, though the sensor may be slightly smaller to fit the thinner chassis.

Telephoto strategy has evolved since the S23 Ultra. Samsung has reportedly replaced the extreme 10x camera with a more practical 5x telephoto using a larger sensor, which should deliver noticeably better image quality across common zoom ranges.

Samsung is also widening the aperture on the 5x telephoto camera, which should help with low-light zoom shots.

One of the most interesting rumors is the return of variable aperture, last seen on the Galaxy S9. The lens could mechanically switch between f/1.4 and f/2.4, helping balance depth of field and low-light performance without relying entirely on software.

On the video side, Samsung is said to be working on a new APV video format with high- and low-quality modes, improved HDR processing, and better audio capture to close the gap with Apple’s cinematic video performance.

One UI 8.5 code also reveals new video controls, including adjustable autofocus transition speed and video softness tuning. These tools could give users finer control over cinematic video capture and may be limited to the Ultra at launch.

The Galaxy Ultra line has topped our Camera Score for two years running. With sharper HDR, improved audio pickup, and stronger cinematic stabilization, Samsung appears determined to extend that lead even further.

The S23 Ultra proved what an efficient chip can do with a 5,000 mAh pack: it outlasted its predecessor in our tests despite the same capacity. Charging speeds, however, remained the same at 45W.

Despite earlier rumors of a small capacity bump, recent certification listings suggest Samsung is sticking with a 5,000 mAh battery for the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Any real-world battery life improvements are therefore expected to come from efficiency gains rather than a larger cell.

Faster charging now looks far more certain than a battery size increase. Samsung-listed 60W PD 3.1 chargers strongly point to a meaningful wired charging upgrade for the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

Wireless charging may jump to 25W thanks to full Qi2.2 magnetic support, enabled by Samsung’s new S Pen digitizer shielding.

Here's a quick overview of the expected Galaxy S26 Ultra vs Galaxy S24 Ultra specs:

If I were moving from a Galaxy S23 Ultra to the S26 Ultra, I would definitely feel the upgrade. Even if the S26 Ultra ends up being an incremental step over the S25 Ultra, jumping three generations at once adds up to a meaningful change.

The upgrades I would notice immediately are the new 5x telephoto camera, faster charging with possible magnetic support, the anti-reflective display, and the newer, more powerful chip.

If my S23 Ultra was still doing the job, I would know it is set to receive Android 17 in 2026 and another year of security updates. Still, it is starting to age. Samsung’s trade-in deals and launch storage upgrades usually make moving to a newer Ultra much easier to justify.