Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra vs Galaxy S24 Ultra: Main differences to expect
Samsung is gearing up to release the Galaxy S27 Ultra early next year, and this time around, the company is preparing a ton of changes. A new design language, a refreshed camera system, and finally a larger battery are making the rounds.
Could this mean that users of older Galaxy phones should pay close attention and upgrade at the first possible opportunity?
Well, of course, but it largely depends on what device you're using. If it's a Galaxy S23 Ultra or older, sure, but what about the Galaxy S24 Ultra, which isn't that old itself but isn't quite brand-new either?
I think it will be safe to upgrade to the newer device if your battery, performance, or camera quality are no longer up to par. And if you're still enjoying your Galaxy S24 Ultra, you're also absolutely okay to postpone upgrading for another year or two.
Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra expected differences:
| Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra |
|---|---|
| A massive visual redesign with an iPhone-like camera plateau | Boxy design with sharp corners and separate camera rings |
| Armor Aluminum 2 frame | Titanium frame |
| Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 for Galaxy on deck, Exynos 2700 also likely (2 nm) | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy on board (4 nm) |
| 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X with Privact Display feature, anti-reflective coating | Once again a 6.9-in6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, anti-reflective coating |
| Possibly a larger battery (5,700 mAh) | A standard 5,000 mAh battery |
| 60 W wired, 25 W wireless charging | 45 W wired charging, 15 W wireless charging |
| A built-in magnetic ring for magnetic charging in the back | Requires a special case for magnetic wireless charging and accessories |
| 200 MP main (ISOCELL HP6 sensor) | 200 MP main (ISOCELL HP2 sensor) |
| 50 MP ultrawide | 12 MP ultrawide |
| Just a single 50 MP periscope camera with 5X optical zoom | 50 MP 5X periscope and 3X 10 MP telephoto cameras |
| 16 MP selfie camera | 12 MP selfie camera |
| S Pen with no Bluetooth connectivity | Bluetooth-enabled S Pen |
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Design and Size
Adieu to the old design language
The Galaxy S27 Ultra boasts a significantly different design language in comparison with the Galaxy S24 Ultra. It will have a massive camera plateau in the back, leaving ample space beneath for a magnetic ring that will allow for snapping on MagSafe accessories.
At the same time, we also get a slightly rounder design that differentiates from Samsung's earlier design language.
That's precisely what the Galaxy S24 Ultra had on board. It boasted a boxy shape with stark, right-angle corners and distinct camera rings in the back.
The Galaxy S27 Ultra will use Armor Aluminum 2, while the Galaxy S24 Ultra had a titanium frame.
Size-wise, the Galaxy S27 Ultra will be slightly taller but narrower and thinner than the Galaxy S24 Ultra. The new phone will measure 163.8 x 78.3 x 8 mm, while the Galaxy S24 Ultra had dimensions of 162.3 x 79 x 8.6 mm.
Display Differences
The Galaxy S27 Ultra will arrive with a 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with 120 Hz refresh rate and the Privacy Display feature.
This one emulates a privacy screen protector and skews your on-screen content from prying eyes when viewed from the side. It's a useful feature, but the overall screen quality deteriorates due to the extra pixel-layer needed to emulate the privacy screen.
It will also have a second-gen anti-reflective coating on top of that to minimize glare.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy S24 Ultra comes along with a 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen, but it has no Privacy Display on board, just a first-gen antireflective coating.
Performance and Software
A giant performance leap
The Galaxy S27 Ultra will most likely arrive with the 2nm Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, the most powerful chipset in Qualcomm's lineup for the bigger part of 2027. Mind you, it won't be the version available to any other Android manufacturer, but a custom, tuned-up "for Galaxy" variant that will push the clock rate of the prime chip cores even higher.
There are also some rumors that the equally powerful Exynos 2700 could be used in some key markets, too. Up until now, Samsung has only put Snapdragon chips in its Galaxy S Ultra flagships.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy S24 Ultra arrives with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, a 4nm chip that was a proper powerhouse back in early 2024, but is now just a decent upper mid-ranger in comparison.
No two ways around it: the Galaxy S27 Ultra will be the faster chip with better efficiency. Here's to hoping Samsung will be able to nail the thermal management as well.
In terms of RAM, both devices will have the same amount of 12 GB of fast LPDDR5 RAM. The available storage versions aren't that different either: each will be available with 256 GB, 512 GB, and 1 TB of storage.
While the Galaxy S24 Ultra is now enjoying One UI 9 based on Android 17, I am convinced Samsung will release the Galaxy S27 Ultra with One UI 9.5.
The S27 Ultra will enjoy seven years of software updates, similar to the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Camera
One fewer camera in the back
The Galaxy S27 Ultra is coming with three cameras, a massive change from previous Galaxy Ultra phones.
Samsung is getting rid of the largely useless and underperforming 3X telephoto camera. Instead of relying on a dedicated snapper, the phone will most certainly crop from the main sensor to cover the focal range between 1X and 5X (23 to 111 mm). This will certainly yield better results than the 3X telephoto present on the Galaxy S26 Ultra and earlier phones.
The Galaxy 24 Ultra has a similar, albeit humbler camera setup. The main camera is a 200 MP one, but relies on the older ISOCELL HP2 sensor, while the Galaxy S27 Ultra will carry the HP6. The older phone also had a 12 MP ultrawide (vs a 50 MP one on the Galaxy S27 Ultra).
The Galaxy S27 Ultra will be scoring a 16 MP selfie camera, a slight upgrade from the 12 MP one on the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Battery Life and Charging
Is this an upgrade I'm seeing?
It's been a while since Samsung has offered a battery different from the 5,000 mAh on the Galaxy S Ultra lineup. In fact, no Galaxy S Ultra phone has ever come with a different one, but the Galaxy S27 Ultra will change that.
Apparently, a 5,700 mAh silicon-carbon battery could make it inside the upcoming flagship phone. With a much more efficient chip, we are likely getting significantly better battery life as well.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra had a 5,000 mAh battery, and it was fine at the time, but most units' battery health should have suffered by now.
Specs Comparison
Here's a quick rundown of the specs between the Galaxy S27 Ultra and the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
|
|
| Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra |
| Dimensions | |
|---|---|
| 163.8 x 78.3 x 8 mm | 162.3 x 79 x 8.6 mm (~9.5 mm with camera bump) |
| Weight | |
| 233.0 g | |
| Size | |
|---|---|
| 6.9-inch | 6.8-inch |
| Type | |
| Dynamic AMOLED, 120Hz | Dynamic AMOLED, 120Hz |
| System chip | |
|---|---|
| Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 SM8975 (2 nm) | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SM8650-AB (4 nm) |
| Memory | |
| 12GB (LPDDR6)/256GB (UFS 5.0) 12GB/512GB 16GB/1024GB |
12GB (LPDDR5X)/256GB (UFS 4.0) 12GB/512GB 12GB/1024GB |
| OS | |
| Android (17), up to 7 OS updates | Android (14), up to 7 OS updates |
| Type | |
|---|---|
| 5700 mAh | 5000 mAh |
| Charge speed | |
| Wired: 60.0W | Wired: 45.0W Wireless: 15.0W |
| Main camera | |
|---|---|
| 200 MP (OIS, PDAF) Sensor name: Samsung ISOCELL HP6 |
200 MP (OIS, Laser and PDAF) Sensor name: Samsung ISOCELL HP2 Aperture size: F1.7 Focal length: 24 mm Sensor size: 1/1.3" Pixel size: 0.6 μm |
| Second camera | |
| 50 MP (Ultra-wide, PDAF) Sensor name: Samsung ISOCELL JN3 |
12 MP (Ultra-wide, PDAF) Sensor name: Sony IMX564 Aperture size: F2.2 Focal Length: 13 mm Sensor size: 1/2.55" Pixel size: 1.4 μm |
| Third camera | |
| 50 MP (Telephoto, OIS, PDAF) Sensor name: Samsung ISOCELL JN3 Optical zoom: 5.0x |
10 MP (Telephoto, OIS, PDAF) Sensor name: Sony IMX754 Optical zoom: 3.0x Aperture size: F2.4 Focal Length: 67 mm Sensor size: 1/3.52" Pixel size: 1.12 μm |
| Fourth camera | |
| 50 MP (Telephoto, Periscope, OIS, PDAF) Sensor name: Sony IMX854 Optical zoom: 5.0x Aperture size: F3.4 Focal Length: 111 mm Sensor size: 1/2.52" Pixel size: 0.7 μm |
|
| Front | |
| 12 MP (PDAF, HDR) | 12 MP (PDAF, HDR) |
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Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra specs comparison
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Summary
The Galaxy S27 Ultra is Samsung waking up from a long slumber. A new design, refreshed cameras, and a larger battery are all mostly catching-up with the competition. Here's to hoping it's not too late for the Galaxy, and Samsung doesn't price it too highly.
Meanwhile, Galaxy S24 Ultra users definitely could squeeze a few extra years out of their devices. For all intents and purposes, these are still mighty fine phones that don't necessarily offer a worse experience in any aspect.
That's mostly due to Samsung's stagnancy and aversion to major intergenerational upgrades, though.
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