The Galaxy S23 series turned out to be a big hit for Samsung, with the Ultra model being the most popular among fans. With that in mind, it might seem strange to talk about Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra so soon after the current model’s launch. But the Galaxy S24 Ultra rumors have started to appear online with nearly a year to go until the phone’s release. We’ll cover all the Galaxy S24 Ultra design, specs, and release date rumors below.
Galaxy S24 Ultra release date and price
Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S23 series in early February this year. Preorders started right after the launch event, and the three Galaxy S23 phones hit stores on February 17th in most places.
That is the usual window for Samsung’s first flagship series of the year. The Galaxy S24 phone models will likely be unveiled in early 2024. We’d expect a similar release date for the handsets, as Samsung will want to have the Galaxy S24 Ultra in stores before the big MWC 2024 event, where plenty of Ultra rivals will be launched.
Samsung’s Galaxy S23 pricing structure is one of the great things about the current series. The 2023 Ultra starts at $1,199, a great price for the flagship. Most fans hope the Galaxy S24 Ultra will have a similar price. But don’t be surprised to see some price hikes.
Rumors say that Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro phones will be more expensive than usual, thanks to a slew of exclusive features. If Apple raises prices this year. Samsung will have a good excuse to do the same with the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Even without a move from Apple, a price hike for sophisticated flagships from Samsung isn’t out of the question.
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Flip 5 flagships launching in August could inform us of Samsung’s pricing strategy for new high-end models.
Even if the Galaxy S24 phones cost more, we’ll remind you that Samsung runs great preorder deals. The alternative would be waiting a couple of months to buy the handset. Samsung’s Androids do not hold their value as well as the iPhone.
What about the Galaxy S23 vs. the Galaxy S24? Will there be any other design changes?
The Galaxy S23 Ultra uses almost the same design as the Galaxy S22 Ultra. One change concerns the curvature of the screen and the edges. The S23 Ultra’s screen isn’t flat but is not as curved as the S22 Ultra. Flat screens are more durable, but there’s no telling whether Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra will have a perfectly flat screen.
What we don’t expect to change are the top and bottom edges, which have to be flat. That’s because of the built-in stylus, which forces Samsung to use a flat bottom edge. Therefore, the top edge gets the same design.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra should feature the largest display in the S24 series, measuring at least 6.8 inches. The screen should support a dynamic refresh rate of up to 120Hz, although some rumors already claim a screen upgrade to 144Hz is due.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra should feature a massive camera system on the back. Like the Galaxy S23 Ultra, we expect the lenses on the back to feature independent protrusions. But we’re only speculating at this point. And recent reports indicate that Samsung might remove a zoom camera in favor of a more advanced periscope lens.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra could remain the only S24 model with a periscope camera. More importantly, the Galaxy S24 Ultra should be the only flagship to rock a 200-megapixel sensor.
Galaxy S24 Ultra specs
All Galaxy S24 phones will have the set of base specs, although the Ultra will certainly get the best possible hardware for a 2024 phone.
We’re probably looking at a “Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy” processor powering the entire line. Rumors in early April said Samsung is considering an Exynos 2400 processor for the Galaxy S24 line. But hopefully, that will not happen. One of the big reasons why the Galaxy S23 is so successful is that it hasn’t suffered from performance issues like the Exynos-powered Galaxy S22.
A few weeks later, leaker Revegnus claimed that the Exynos 2400 chip is in the works. Korean versions of the Galaxy S24 will supposedly get the Samsung chip.
All three S24 phones should rock LPDDR5X RAM like their predecessors. But the non-Ultra handsets could see a memory boost to 12GB. A recent rumor also claimed that the Galaxy S24 Ultra might feature 16GB of RAM. The same Revegnus doubled down on memory increases for the 2024 handsets. The person said that solid sources indicate a move to 12GB and 16GB of RAM, depending on the model.
As for storage, the Galaxy S24 Ultra should go up to 1TB of storage and start at 256GB. Preorder deals will likely let you double the storage for free. It’s too early to tell whether we should expect any storage speed bumps beyond the current UFS 4.0 tech.
Battery-wise, the Galaxy S24 Ultra will feature at least a 5,000 mAh battery pack as its predecessor. But we’re speculating again. Whatever the case, the Ultra will have the largest possible battery, as it’s the biggest S24 variant. The charging speed should at least match the Galaxy S23 Ultra. That’s 45W wired charging, but hopefully, Samsung will improve it.
Galaxy S24 Ultra camera upgrades
As usual with flagships, the main camera will be one of the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s most important features.
As we’ve explained, the Galaxy S24 Ultra should feature up to four rear-facing lenses.
The main shooter will reportedly retain the 200-megapixel resolution Samsung introduced this year. But rumors say that Samsung might introduce a new 200-megapixel sensor with additional capabilities.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra should feature three additional cameras, including an ultra-wide lens and two telephoto cameras. But a mid-April report from the same Revegnus indicates that Samsung might ditch one of the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s zoom cameras in favor of a new periscope lens with variable 3-10x zoom capabilities.
One thing that Samsung should do with the Galaxy S24 Ultra is explaining exactly how night photography works. And maybe stop pretending the moon photos its phones take are real.
