Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus vs Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: two titans compared

Samsung's Galaxy S24 line is now out in the wild, and if you're a fan of big-screened phones, you'll likely be deciding between the company's newest supersized devices, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.

You'll find our full verdict on both handsets in our Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus review and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review, but in this guide, we compare the specs, features and performance of the Galaxy S24 Plus and Galaxy S24 Ultra directly. Long story short? The gap between Samsung’s latest Plus-sized models is smaller than ever, so read on to find out why.

For more head-to-head Samsung content, check out our Samsung Galaxy S24 vs Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus comparison, as well as our Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra comparison.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus vs Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: specs comparison

Here’s an at-a-glance look at the key specs of both the Galaxy S24 Plus and Galaxy S24 Ultra:

Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus vs Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: price and availability

The Galaxy S24 Plus and Galaxy S24 Ultra were announced at Samsung’s most recent Galaxy Unpacked event on January 17, 2024. Both phones are available to order now.

The Galaxy S24 Plus costs $999.99 / £999 / AU$1,699 for the base configuration (12GB RAM / 256GB storage), and that figure rises to $1,119.99 / £1,099 / AU$1,899 for the model with 12GB RAM / 512GB storage. The Galaxy S24 Ultra costs $1,299.99 / £1,249 / AU$2,199 for the base configuration (12GB RAM / 256GB storage), with the the all-guns-blazing 1TB option costing $1,659.99 / £1,549 / AU$2,799.

So, straight away, the Galaxy S24 Plus has a clear advantage over its flagship sibling: it costs $200 / £250 / AU$500 less. Head over to our best Galaxy S24 deals page for a roundup of today's best deals on both phones.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus vs Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: design and display

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On the design front, the Galaxy S24 Plus and Galaxy S24 Ultra are very different beasts. For starters, the former measures 158.5 x 75.9 x 7.7mm and weighs 196g, while the latter measures 162.3 x 79.0 x 8.6mm and weighs 232g.

Following the lead of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro, the Galaxy S24 Plus has slightly narrower bezels, slightly flatter edges, and a more durable Armor Aluminum frame than its predecessor, the Galaxy S23 Plus, though Samsung's new phone still doesn't look a million miles away from last year's Plus-sized Galaxy (you'd be hard-pressed to distinguish the two at-a-glance).

The Galaxy S24 Ultra is a tiny bit shorter, slimmer and lighter than the Galaxy S23 Ultra, largely thanks to its iPhone 15 Pro Max-style titanium sides, but's it's still markedly heavier than the Galaxy S24 Plus. 

That said, these titanium sides do make Samsung's latest top-level flagship look much more premium than the Galaxy S24 Plus, so if you want a phone that stands out from the crowd, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is the device to go for. You'll get an S Pen with the Galaxy S24 Ultra, too, where you don't with the Galaxy S24 Plus.

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When it comes to the phones' displays, both the Galaxy S24 Plus and Galaxy S24 Ultra use a QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel (3120 x 1440 pixels), though the latter's is a touch larger, at 6.8 inches (rather than 6.7 inches).

Both displays offer a whopping peak brightness of 2,600 nits, and both are adorned with new Samsung’s Vision Booster feature, which improves outdoor visibility. The Galaxy S24 Plus and Galaxy S24 Ultra share the same variable 1Hz-120Hz refresh rate, too.

In other words, the Galaxy S24 Plus and Galaxy S24 Ultra have nigh-on identical displays, save for the slightly larger size of the latter, so you needn't discount the Galaxy S24 Plus on the basis of screen brightness, sharpness or color balance.

Lastly, on the subject of Samsung Galaxy S24 colors, the Galaxy S24 Plus ships in Onyx Black, Marble Gray, Cobalt Violet, Amber Yellow, Sandstone Orange, Sapphire Blue and Jade Green. The latter three colors are exclusive to the Samsung store. The Galaxy S24 Ultra is available Titanium Black, Titanium Gray, Titanium Violet, Titanium Yellow, Titanium Orange, Titanium Blue and Titanium Green. Again, the latter three colors are exclusive to the Samsung store.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus vs Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: cameras

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It's no secret that the Galaxy S24 Ultra is the best camera phone around, so if photographic power is what you value most in a phone, Samsung's latest flagship is the model to go for.

Specifically, the Galaxy S24 Ultra boasts a 200MP wide lens (f/1.7), a 12MP ultra-wide lens (f/2.2), a 50MP periscope lens (f/3.4) with 5x optical zoom, and another 10MP telephoto lens (f/2.4) with 3x optical zoom. There's a 12MP (f/2.2) selfie camera, too.

Suffice to say, that's a formidable arsenal of shooters, and the Galaxy S24 Ultra earns its stripes as our best camera phone for its unmatched versatility. In our Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review, we said that the device "performs consistently better than every other phone, whether you’re using an iPhone, a Pixel, or even a newer OnePlus phone with fancy Hasselblad processing."

That's not to say the Galaxy S24 Plus' cameras are bad – they're just markedly less impressive than those on the Galaxy S24 Ultra. The Galaxy S24 Plus sticks with its predecessor's 50MP wide lens (f/1.8), 12MP ultra-wide lens (f/2.2), 10MP telephoto lens (f/2.4, 3x optical zoom), and 12MP selfie camera (f/2.2), and although it still delivers consistently bright, detailed and natural-looking images, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is simply in a different league.

There is, however, parity between the devices' suite of AI-powered photography tools. Both the Galaxy S24 Plus get Generative Edit, which can fill in parts of an image background with generative AI; Edit Suggestion, which uses Galaxy AI to suggest suitable photo tweaks; Super HDR, which reveals lifelike previews before the shutter is ever pressed; and Instant Slow-mo, which can generate additional frames to add more detail to videos.

So, if strong photo editing tools are a must, you needn't discount the Galaxy S24 Plus on the basis of its lesser camera hardware.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus vs Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: performance and software

Depending on your region, the Galaxy S24 Plus ships with either a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset or Samsung Exynos 2400 chipset, while the Galaxy S24 Ultra ships with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset across the board.

In other words, if you're in the US (where the Galaxy S24 Plus gets a Snapdragon chipset), the two phones are equally powerful, but if you're in, say, the UK (where the Galaxy S24 Plus gets an Exynos chipset, and the Galaxy S24 Ultra gets a Snapdragon chipset), you might be wondering which chipset is the faster of the two.

Well, unlike in previous years (where Exynos chipsets have lagged behind their Snapdragon counterparts), the Exynos-equipped Galaxy S24 Plus is, by and large, just as powerful as the Snapdragon-equipped Galaxy S24 Ultra. In our testing, the former chipset achieved slightly lower benchmark scores than the latter, but we think this numerical superiority has little to no impact on real-world Galaxy S24 Plus performance (read: you'll get fantastic performance from both chipsets).

Both phones get 12GB RAM, too, meaning they're equally adept at handling resource-intensive applications. You'll have no problem running multiple apps or recording high-quality videos on the Galaxy S24 Plus and Galaxy S24 Ultra, and gaming is equally impressive on both phones, owing to their support for ray tracing. 

So far, so similar – and the story doesn't change on the software front. Both the Galaxy S24 Plus and Galaxy S24 Ultra run Android 14 with the latest version of Samsung’s One UI on top, meaning they also share the same Galaxy AI features, which range from real-time text and call translation to generative photo editing.

Samsung has committed to seven years of OS updates and seven years of security updates for both phones, too.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus vs Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: battery life

On the subject of battery life, the Galaxy S24 Plus has a 4,900mAh battery, while the Galaxy S24 Ultra has a slightly larger 5,000mAh battery, owing to its marginally larger display. The former, however, is the battery life king of the Galaxy S24 line.

In our testing, the Exynos-equipped Galaxy S24 Plus lasted well over a day and a half with moderate use, even with the always-on display enabled, while the Snapdragon-equipped Galaxy S24 Plus registered 16 hours of battery life in two separate rundown tests. The Galaxy S24 Ultra, by contrast, registered 30 mins less than the Galaxy S24 Plus in our Standard mode rundown test.

So, there's really not much in it; regardless of which model you choose, you won't be left wanting for battery life. Both the Galaxy S24 Plus and Galaxy S24 Ultra share the same maximum charging capacities, too (up to 45W wired charging and 15W wireless charging).

Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus vs Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: verdict

So, if you’re in the market for a supersized smartphone in 2024, should you go for the Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus or Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra? 

Well, for starters, both the Galaxy S24 Plus and Galaxy S24 Ultra are extremely expensive phones, but if you’re not ready to soar past the four-figure barrier, then the Galaxy S24 Plus is definitely the more digestible option of the two. And, to be honest, unless you’re set on owning a titanium-clad camera powerhouse, we don’t think you lose out on all that much by going for this year’s Plus model (you will, however, save yourself at least $200 / £200 / AU$200).

Why do we say that? Well, versus the Galaxy S24 Ultra, the Galaxy S24 Plus has an equally-powerful chipset, the same amount of RAM, the same charging capabilities, the same peak brightness, the same variable refresh rate, and maybe even better battery life. It’s also got an impressively sleek design, though the titanium frame of the Galaxy S24 Ultra is undeniably more premium-looking (and don't forget the S Pen!).

Of course, the Galaxy S24 Ultra boasts objectively better cameras than the Galaxy S24 Plus – you’ll get a 200MP wide lens instead of a 50MP wide lens, a 50MP telephoto lens instead of a 10MP telephoto lens, and so on – but the latter isn't a photography slouch, by any means (you get the same 12MP ultra-wide lens and 12MP front-facing lens, regardless of which model you go for).

Ultimately, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is a better phone than the Galaxy S24 Plus, and if you want the best, you'll have to pay for it. But for the first time in a long time, Samsung's latest Plus model doesn't feel like a huge compromise. Our advice? Think carefully about what you want from your smartphone before clicking 'buy' on either one of these excellent phones.

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