Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs Galaxy S23 Ultra: Expected differences
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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.
Note: Most leaks still point to a January 2026 reveal, with sales starting by late January or early February, though some reports even hint that Samsung may open pre-orders in December 2025 to capture the holiday crowd. Nothing is official yet, but an earlier-than-usual launch seems increasingly likely. Some conflicting reports also suggest Samsung may delay the S26 series to March 2026 due to production challenges and the company’s transition to its new 2 nm Exynos 2600 chip.
This comparison looks how this three-generation jump would improve your user experience if you decided to upgrade to the new model once it comes out.
Galaxy S26 Ultra vs Galaxy S23 Ultra expected differences:
| Galaxy S26 Ultra* | Galaxy S23 Ultra |
|---|---|
| Larger 200MP sensor or wider f/1.4 lens for the main camera | 200MP main on a ~1/1.3" sensor (still very good) |
| 50MP ultrawide camera | 12MP ultrawide camera |
| 50MP 5x periscope telephoto camera with a larger sensor | 10MP 5x periscope telephoto camera with a smaller sensor |
| 6.9" OLED display that adds anti-reflection and “Privacy Display” toggle | 6.8" OLED display with 1–120 Hz; great low-brightness control |
| ~3,000-nits maximum display brightness | ~1,750-nit peak brightness |
| Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (for Galaxy) with bigger GPU/NPU gains | Noticeably less powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (for Galaxy) |
| Potential 60W wired charging | 45W wired |
| Potential Qi2 magnetic wireless charging | 15W wireless; “Qi2-ready” without magnets |
| One UI 8/Android 16 with 7-year support | Launched with Android 13/One UI 5.1; 4-year support commitment |
| Slimmer body at 7.9 mm; possible return of a camera island | Iconic boxy Ultra with subtle side flats; separate lens rings, Victus 2 glass |
Table of Contents:
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Design and Size
Noticeably thinner lighter
| Galaxy S26 Ultra* | Galaxy S23 Ultra |
|---|---|
| Thickness 7.9 mm | Thickness 8.9 mm |
| Dimensions Around 162.8 x 77.6 mm | Dimensions 163.4 x 78.1 mm |
| Weight Around 217 grams, or slightly lighter | Weight 234 grams |
The Galaxy S23 Ultra doubled down on the boxy Ultra look we know today, with slightly flatter sides and a curved-edge glass that only slightly spilled into the panel. It felt every bit as the Note's successor, complete with S Pen, IP68 certification, and the durable Gorilla Glass Victus 2.
Rumors suggest the S26 Ultra will be around 0.4 mm thinner than the S25 Ultra and nearly a full millimeter thinner than the S23 Ultra. Leaked cases also show noticeably rounder corners, softening the Ultra’s silhouette compared to the boxier S23 Ultra.
The company has also re-engineered the S Pen digitizer to coexist with Qi2 magnets, which previously interfered with stylus tracking. This means the S26 Ultra should finally deliver full Qi2 wireless charging support without sacrificing pen functionality.
Display Differences
| Galaxy S26 Ultra* | Galaxy S23 Ultra |
|---|---|
| Size 6.9" | Size 6.8" |
| Brightness 3000 nits (peak) | Brightness 1750 nits (peak) |
*Rumored/expected
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. Early One UI 8.5 builds include a “Privacy Display” toggle, strongly hinting this feature is real.
The new CoE OLED design places the color filter inside the panel protective layer, which makes it possible to remove the standalone polarizer film. The design achieves both thin screen dimensions and operational performance while providing better light transmission for improved color precision and reduced power consumption.
Performance and Software
From Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 to Elite Gen 5
| Galaxy S26 Ultra* | Galaxy S23 Ultra |
|---|---|
| Chip Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (for Galaxy) | Chip Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (for Galaxy) |
| Process 3nm | Process 4nm |
| RAM, Storage 12/256GB 12/512GB 12/1TB 16/1TB Faster LPDDR5X RAM UFS 4.0 storage | RAM, Storage 8/256GB 12/256GB 12/512GN 12/1TB LPDDR5X RAM UFS 4.0 storage |
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.
Some regions may instead receive Samsung’s new Exynos 2600 chip. It’s reportedly built on a 2 nm process and delivers excellent short-burst performance with strong AI acceleration, though early reports suggest sustained efficiency may still lag behind Qualcomm’s latest 3 nm Snapdragon chip.
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.
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.
Memory modules move to 1-gamma LPDDR5X, Samsung’s latest generation offering 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.
The Exynos 2600 chip could replace Snapdragon in specific regions but most indications point to Snapdragon as the Ultra model's processor.
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, is 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.
Camera
You get a much more usable 5x telephoto, and possible an improved main camera
| Galaxy S26 Ultra* | Galaxy S23 Ultra |
|---|---|
| Main 200 MP, f/1.7 (or f/1.4) 24 mm ~1/1.1" sensor size | Main 50 MP, f/1.7 24 mm 1/1.3" sensor size |
| Ultrawide 50 MP, f/1.9 13 mm 1/2.5" sensor size | Ultrawide 12 MP, f/2.2 13 mm 1/2.55" sensor size |
| 5x Telephoto 50 MP, f/3.4 5X zoom (111mm) 1/2.52" sensor size | 5x Telephoto 10 MP, f/4.9 10X zoom (230mm) 1/3.52" sensor size |
| 3x Telephoto 10 MP, f/2.4 3x zoom (67mm) 1/3.52" sensor size | 3x Telephoto 10 MP, f/2.4 3x zoom (70mm) 1/3.52" sensor size |
The S23 Ultra ushered in Samsung’s 200 MP era and stuck with a classic quad: 12 MP ultra-wide, 10 MP 3x, and 10 MP 10x periscope, plus 12 MP selfie. The selfie camera reportedly has a wider 85-degree lens, which requires a larger 4 mm punch hole.
For S26 Ultra, the rumors say that we will either get a larger ~1/1.1" 200 MP sensor or keep the HP2 one, but with a wider f/1.4 lens. Either of these changes would improve the camera's ability to capture more light, have dynamic range, and even more natural bokeh (the blurry backgrounds and foregrounds).
Conflicting rumors about a new 12 MP 3x camera were recently debunked — Samsung is keeping a 10 MP 3x telephoto, though the sensor may be slightly smaller to fit the thinner chassis.
The Ultra's telephoto capabilities have also evolved since the S23 Ultra came out. Samsung replaced the 10X telephoto camera with a more practical 5X telephoto, which also comes with a larger sensor, giving much better image quality.
Conflicting rumors about a new 12 MP 3x camera were recently debunked — Samsung is keeping a 10 MP 3x telephoto, though the sensor may be slightly smaller to fit the thinner chassis.
The Ultra's telephoto capabilities have also evolved since the S23 Ultra came out. Samsung replaced the 10X telephoto camera with a more practical 5X telephoto, which also comes with a larger sensor, giving much better image quality.
One particularly intriguing rumor points to the return of variable aperture, which is a feature we haven't seen since the Galaxy S9. The lens could mechanically adjust between f/1.4 and f/2.4, improving depth and low-light balance without relying solely on software.
Samsung is also expected to introduce a new APV video format with both high- and low-quality modes, sharper HDR algorithms, and better audio quality to close the gap with Apple’s cinematic video performance.
The Galaxy Ultra line has topped our Camera Score for two years straight, and Samsung reportedly wants to cement that lead with sharper HDR, better audio pickup, and improved cinematic stabilization in video.
Battery Life and Charging
Same capacity, possibly faster charging at last
| Galaxy S26 Ultra* | Galaxy S23 Ultra |
|---|---|
| Battery size 5,000 mAh | Battery size 5,000 mAh |
Charging speeds 60W wired 15W wireless charging Possible Qi2 magnetic support USB-C 3.2 | Charging speeds 45W wired 15W wireless charging Does not support Qi2 USB-C 3.2 |
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.
The S26 Ultra isn’t expected to change the battery capacity, but we do expect to see better battery life thanks to the new Snapdragon chipset and updated display.
More exciting are the rumors of a 60W wired charging coming with the S26 Ultra, which would make charging it much quicker in comparison (we expect it to charge to 100% in under an hour).
More exciting are the rumors of a 60W wired charging coming with the S26 Ultra, which would make charging it much quicker in comparison (we expect it to charge to 100% in under an hour).
Wireless charging may jump to 25W thanks to full Qi2.2 magnetic support, enabled by Samsung’s new S Pen digitizer shielding.
Specs Comparison
Here's a quick overview of the expected Galaxy S26 Ultra vs Galaxy S24 Ultra specs:
| Galaxy S26 Ultra* | Galaxy S23 Ultra |
|---|---|
| Size, weight 162.8 x 77.6 x 7.9 mm, 217 g | Size, weight 163.4 x 78.1 x 8.9 mm, 234 g |
| Screen 6.9" OLED 120Hz | Screen 6.8" OLED 120Hz |
| Processor Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (for Galaxy) 3nm | Processor Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (for Galaxy) 4nm |
| Versions: 12/256GB 12/512GB 12/1TB 16/1TB LPDDR5X | Versions: 12/256GB 12/512GB 12/1TB --- LPDDR5X |
| Cameras: 200MP main 50MP ultrawide 50MP 5X zoom 10MP 3X zoom 12MP front | Cameras: 200MP main 12MP ultrawide 10MP 10X zoom 10MP 3X zoom 12MP front |
| Battery: 5,000 mAh | Battery: 5,000 mAh |
| Charging: USB-C 60W wired 25W Qi2.2 wireless | Charging: USB-C 45W wired 15W wireless |
*Rumored/expected
Summary
You will definitely feel like you have upgraded if you move from the Galaxy S23 Ultra to the S26 Ultra. Three generations later, you are not only getting the new features of the S26 Ultra, but you are also benefiting from the improvements introduced with the previous two models.
The biggest upgrades you will notice right away are the new 5x telephoto camera, the faster charging speeds and possibly magnetic charging, the anti-reflective display and the upgraded chip.
If your S23 Ultra still serves you well, you can be sure it will get Android 17 in 2026 and continue to receive security updates for another year. Still, while it remains a great phone, it has started to show its age. The good news is that Samsung often offers generous trade-in deals for older models and launch promotions usually include free storage upgrades, which makes moving to a newer Ultra much easier on your wallet.
The biggest upgrades you will notice right away are the new 5x telephoto camera, the faster charging speeds and possibly magnetic charging, the anti-reflective display and the upgraded chip.
If your S23 Ultra still serves you well, you can be sure it will get Android 17 in 2026 and continue to receive security updates for another year. Still, while it remains a great phone, it has started to show its age. The good news is that Samsung often offers generous trade-in deals for older models and launch promotions usually include free storage upgrades, which makes moving to a newer Ultra much easier on your wallet.
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