Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs Galaxy S24 Ultra: Expected differences
The Galaxy S26 Ultra might have just enough to make you upgrade from its two-year-old predecessor.
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The Galaxy S24 Ultra was one of the more significant pivot points for Samsung’s flagships: it was the first with a titanium frame, a fully flat display, and a revised zoom setup that traded the 10x snapper for a sharper 5x telephoto camera. Two years later, it’s no longer on Samsung’s official roster, but it can still be bought refurbished or second hand for a much more affordable price than the $1,300 for a brand new Galaxy Ultra.
Now we are nearing the start of 2026, when Samsung is expected to release the Galaxy S26 Ultra — a generation that's said to bring several long-awaited changes to the company's ultimate flagship. Rumors point to a brighter and more efficient OLED panel with an interesting quirk, Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, improved charging experience, and a main camera upgrade that would improve image quality (especially in low light).
This comparison explores what that two-generation leap could look like in practice. Will the S26 Ultra’s improvements truly add up to a big enough difference to elicit an upgrade for S24 Ultra owners?
Galaxy S26 Ultra vs Galaxy S24 Ultra expected differences:
| Galaxy S26 Ultra* | Galaxy S24 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) |
| 6.9" OLED with new M14/CoE stack; stronger anti-reflection | 6.8" Dynamic AMOLED 2X; anti-reflective layer |
| ~3,000-nits maximu brightness | ~2,600-nits |
| Display anti-reflection improvements | Anti-reflective Gorilla Armor |
| Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (for Galaxy) with bigger GPU/NPU gains | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (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 expanded Galaxy AI and 7-year support | One UI 6.1 (launch), now on One UI 7/Android 15; 7-year support |
| Slightly slimmer body and possible return of a camera island | Titanium frame, flat display, separate “floating” lens rings |
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Design and Size
Thinner and much lighter
| Galaxy S26 Ultra* | Galaxy S24 Ultra |
|---|---|
| Thickness ~8.1 mm | Thickness 8.6 mm |
| Dimensions Around 162.8 x 77.6 mm | Dimensions 162.3 x 79 mm |
| Weight Around 218 grams, or slightly lighter | Weight 232 grams |
The Galaxy S24 Ultra modernized the Ultra look with a titanium frame and a flatter front glass, dialing down the Edge curve without sacrificing that boxy, Note-style silhouette. This year, Samsung made further adjustments by thinning down and reducing the weight with the S25 Ultra.
The S26 Ultra isn’t expected to introduce any drastic changes. Rumors point to a body that’s slightly thinner than the current generation (about 0.4 mm), but the overall design of the body will probably stay the same. There were rumours saying that the S Pen won't make an appearance this time around, but that was quickly debunked.
One area that may change is the camera module on the back. The S24 Ultra’s separate “floating” lens rings look clean but that design might not be sufficient to house the upcoming rumorued changes coming with the S26 Ultra. To accommodate thicker optics, the S26 Ultra may return to a unified camera island.
Materials and durability should remain flagship-grade (titanium-style frame, IP68), and Samsung’s more subtle color palette is likely to continue.
The S26 Ultra isn’t expected to introduce any drastic changes. Rumors point to a body that’s slightly thinner than the current generation (about 0.4 mm), but the overall design of the body will probably stay the same. There were rumours saying that the S Pen won't make an appearance this time around, but that was quickly debunked.
One area that may change is the camera module on the back. The S24 Ultra’s separate “floating” lens rings look clean but that design might not be sufficient to house the upcoming rumorued changes coming with the S26 Ultra. To accommodate thicker optics, the S26 Ultra may return to a unified camera island.
Materials and durability should remain flagship-grade (titanium-style frame, IP68), and Samsung’s more subtle color palette is likely to continue.
Display Differences
| Galaxy S26 Ultra* | Galaxy S24 Ultra |
|---|---|
| Size 6.9" | Size 6.8" |
| Brightness 3000 nits (peak) | Brightness 2600 nits (peak) |
*Rumored/expected
Samsung’s OLEDs have been excellent for years, and the S24 Ultra’s 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X was already pretty good thanks to high brightness. The S26 Ultra is tipped to keepcome with a 6.9-inch screen (like the current model) but move to a new M14 material/CoE stack, which reduces internal reflections and power draw while pushing peak brightness to around 3,000 nits. We also expect the excellent anti-reflection Gorilla Armor that was introduced with the S25 Ultra to be improved, increasing outdoor readability even more.
There’s also talk of a “Privacy Display” toggle tied to Samsung’s Flex Magic Pixel tech that would subtly narrows viewing angles for shoulder-surfing protection without dimming the screen. Otherwise, you can expect the familiar QHD+ resolution, 1–120 Hz LTPO refresh rate, and the ultrasonic fingerprint reader to carry over.
There’s also talk of a “Privacy Display” toggle tied to Samsung’s Flex Magic Pixel tech that would subtly narrows viewing angles for shoulder-surfing protection without dimming the screen. Otherwise, you can expect the familiar QHD+ resolution, 1–120 Hz LTPO refresh rate, and the ultrasonic fingerprint reader to carry over.
Performance and Software
A massive difference in performance
| Galaxy S26 Ultra* | Galaxy S24 Ultra |
|---|---|
| Chip Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (for Galaxy) | Chip Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (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 12/256GB 12/512GB 12/1TB --- LPDDR5X RAM UFS 4.0 storage |
The S24 Ultra's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 had great performance for its time, but it was vastly outpaced with the Snapdragon 8 Elite this year. With that in mind, we only expect the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 on the S26 Ultra to create an even larger gap.
The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is built on a refined 3 nm process with GPU (~30%) and NPU (~40%) performance improvements over the current latest Qualcomm chipset.
Some reports also claim that Samsung will be adding a new 5G modem, the Qualcomm X85. If so, we expect it to bring faster data transfers, better battery efficiency, and enhancements enabled by AI. The reports list peak download speeds of 12.5 Gbps and upload speeds of 3.7 Gbps.
Memory and storage should feel familiar: 12 GB LPDDR5X is expected again (with faster, more efficient modules), and the 256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB tiers should return. Keep in mind that Samsung often offers a “free storage upgrade” at launch.
On software, the S26 Ultra should debut One UI 8 on Android 16 and come with Samsung’s seven-year OS/security commitment, which is the same promise that keeps the S24 Ultra relevant deep into the 2030s.
The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is built on a refined 3 nm process with GPU (~30%) and NPU (~40%) performance improvements over the current latest Qualcomm chipset.
Memory and storage should feel familiar: 12 GB LPDDR5X is expected again (with faster, more efficient modules), and the 256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB tiers should return. Keep in mind that Samsung often offers a “free storage upgrade” at launch.
On software, the S26 Ultra should debut One UI 8 on Android 16 and come with Samsung’s seven-year OS/security commitment, which is the same promise that keeps the S24 Ultra relevant deep into the 2030s.
Camera
A familiar formula with a potentially game-changing main sensor
| Galaxy S26 Ultra* | Galaxy S24 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 50 MP, f/3.4 5X zoom (111mm) 1/2.52" 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 (67mm) 1/3.52" sensor size |
Samsung made a smart move with the S24 Ultra by going for a high-res 5x zoom and relying on processing for longer ranges, while dialing back aggressive sharpening across the board. For the S26 Ultra, rumors state that we might finally see an upgrade to the camera hardware.
We’re expecting either a larger ~1/1.1-inch 200 MP Sony sensor or Samsung’s HP2 retained with a wider f/1.4 lens. Either route should improve low-light performance of the main camera and its high dinamic range. Plus, we would get the added benefit of a more natural background blur without turning the Portrait mode on.
The rest of the camera setup should stay the same: a 50 MP ultra-wide, a 5x telephoto, and a 3x telephoto camera. Samsung will likely keep the more natural color tuning it introduced with the S25 Ultra, favoring realistic tones instead of the overly vibrant look of older models.
The selfie camera is expected to remain 12 MP, with the long-rumored under-display version unlikely to appear this year.
Video might be where Samsung puts most of its focus this time. With Apple still ahead in cinematic video and stabilization, Samsung is expected to close the gap with smarter HDR, better mic audio, and possibly a few new shooting modes.
Battery Life and Charging
Same capacity, possibly faster charging at last
| Galaxy S26 Ultra* | Galaxy S24 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 |
Samsung has been conservative with battery capacity since forever, and that probably won’t change: the S26 Ultra is expected to keep a 5,000 mAh cell, just like the S24 Ultra. Even so, we could see better efficiency from the new Snapdragon and the OLED stack display, the combination of which could translate into a small but welcome real-world bump to the battery life.
Where we may finally see a more serious change is with the charging speeds. Multiple reports point to up to 60 W wired on S26 Ultra (an overdue step up from the S24 Ultra’s 45W). If it happens, expect a noticeably faster 0–50% time. Wireless charging should remain 15W, with the open question being Qi2 magnets: full magnetic alignment depends on how Samsung isolates the S Pen’s digitizer from interference. The S24 Ultra doesn’t support Qi2 at all.
Specs Comparison
Here's a quick overview of the expected Galaxy S26 Ultra vs Galaxy S24 Ultra specs:
| Galaxy S26 Ultra* | Galaxy S24 Ultra |
|---|---|
| Size, weight 162.8 x 77.6 x 8.1 mm, 218 g | Size, weight 162.3 x 79 x 8.6 mm, 232 g |
| Screen 6.9" OLED 120Hz | Screen 6.9" OLED 120Hz |
| Processor Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (for Galaxy) 3nm | Processor Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (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 50MP 5X zoom 10MP 3X zoom 12MP front |
| Battery: 5,000 mAh | Battery: 5,000 mAh |
| Charging: USB-C 60W wired 15W wireless | Charging: USB-C 45W wired 15W wireless |
*Rumored/expected
Summary
If you’re eyeing an upgrade from the S24 Ultra, the S26 Ultra is looking like a good time to do so. Besides the thinner body and more durable, anti-reflective display introduced on this year's model, you will also be getting a much more capable chip, an improved main camera, and (finally) true flagship charging.
Still, the S24 Ultra remains a terrific phone, even today. It has that titanium build, bright and smooth display, reliable battery life, and versatile camera system. Plus, it has Samsung’s seven-year support, which means you cab keep enoying it for 4 more years before it stops getting new features and security updates.
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