Unofficial renders show off the Galaxy S24 Ultra next to the iPhone 15 Ultra

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra hands on listing
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

Both Samsung and Apple are expected to refresh their flagship phone lines in the next six months, and we've now got a better idea of how the largest and most expensive phones in each series are going to look next to each other.

Serial tipster @UniverseIce (via Notebookcheck) has taken to social media to post unofficial renders of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and the iPhone 15 Ultra (which might actually be called the iPhone 15 Pro Max).

The picture helps to highlight previous rumors about these phones: that the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra will have a flatter display this time around, while the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Ultra are predicted to go for screen edges that are slightly more curved.

This switch to a flat display is also going to increase the width of the S24 Ultra compared to the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra that came before it, according to the same source – it's tipped to be increasing from 78.1 mm to 79 mm.

Flat vs curved

Design tweaks like these usually involve compromises, and that's the case here. Curved edges, which have been the norm for premium phones in recent years, are more aesthetically appealing but can make handsets trickier to grip.

In the case of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, it appears @UniverseIce isn't a fan – suggesting that the move to a wider phone with flatter edges is a throwback to the days of the older Samsung Galaxy Note models.

A lot of this is down to personal preference though, and how you like your phones to feel. We've written before about how the introduction of a flatter display on the Galaxy S24 Ultra is going to mean more visible bezels, which might be a problem for some.

With the Galaxy S24 phones not expected until January and February, it'll be a while before we can compare the Galaxy S24 Ultra against the iPhone 15 Ultra for real – though Apple's new handsets are expected to make their debuts sometime next month.

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David Nield
Freelance Contributor

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.