Technologies
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Specs vs. S23 Ultra vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: Premium Phones Compared
Samsung just dropped its Galaxy S24 Ultra phone. How does it compare to last year’s S23 Ultra? Or Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro Max?
Samsung unveiled the brand new Galaxy S24 Ultra at its Unpacked event. If you’re a Galaxy owner thinking of upgrading, you may wonder how this new flagship phone compares to last year’s Galaxy S23 Ultra (especially since you can find the S23 Ultra for less now that the S24 Ultra is available). Or, if you’re trying to decide between Samsung and Apple, you may be curious how the top-of-the-line S24 Ultra compares to the premium iPhone 15 Pro Max. Let’s break down the specs so you can get a better idea of which phone is right for you.
Last year’s S23 Ultra had a starting price of $1,200 after its release in the US and now starts at $875, while the new S24 Ultra starts at $1,300. The iPhone 15 Pro Max, on the other hand, starts at $1,200. So the base S24 Ultra is $100 more than the base 15 Pro Max, and $100 more than its predecessor was upon its release. (See the chart below for UK and Australian pricing.)
Read more: Best Phone to Buy for 2024
The S24 Ultra has Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, which is designed to support on-device AI processing. More specifically, the S24 Ultra has a suite of generative artificial intelligence features, which the company calls “Galaxy AI.” You can, for example, live-translate calls, turn videos shot at normal speed into slow-motion videos or remove unwanted shadows from your photos. CNET’s experts will evaluate all of these AI features in our testing.Â
We also saw AI photo editing tools in Google’s Pixel 8 series. There’s a Best Take feature, for example, that allows you to swap your favorite facial expression from a sequence of pictures into another photo from the same sequence where you perhaps don’t like your expression as much.
Read more:Â Google Pixel 8’s ‘Best Take’ Levels Up AI-Enhanced Photos
The S23 Ultra uses last year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor. It doesn’t have Galaxy AI yet, but is expected to get it eventually. The iPhone 15 Pro Max has Apple’s latest A17 Pro chip but doesn’t currently have any generative AI photo editing tools like the Galaxy S24 Ultra or the Google Pixel 8 line. I’m interested to see if the iPhone will ever get features like these, especially because AI is such a buzzword right now.Â
The S23 Ultra runs on Android 13 which will get four years of software and security updates. The S24 Ultra runs on Android 14 which will support 7 years of these updates. The 15 Pro Max runs on iOS 17, and while Apple doesn’t disclose how long it will support its phones with software updates, iOS 17 currently works on models dating back to the 2018 iPhone XS and XR.Â
The base S23 Ultra comes with 256GB of storage and either 8 or 12GB of RAM. You can also upgrade to 512GB or 1TB storage options, both with 12GB of RAM. The S24 Ultra comes with the same storage options, but all of them have 12GB of RAM. So Samsung has eliminated the 8GB RAM option on its base S24 Ultra model. While Apple doesn’t disclose the RAM on its iPhones, the 15 Pro Max comes with the same storage options as the S23 and S24 Ultra: 256GB, 512GB and 1TB.Â
All three of these phones have a USB-C port, which is a big deal because all iPhones before the iPhone 15 series either had Lightning ports or 30-pin connectors. The S23 and S24 Ultra support 45-watt fast charging, while the 15 Pro Max supports 27W fast charging. All three phones offer wireless charging, but the Ultras also support reverse wireless charging so you can juice up other devices from the back of these phones. All three phones come with charging cables, but none of them include a charger brick in the box.
The S23 and S24 Ultra have a 5,000-mAh battery. In her S23 Ultra review, CNET’s Lisa Eadicicco found that after 12 hours of use (using the phone to take photos and videos, check her email and socials and stream music), her battery was at 66%. The new model is supposed to have a stronger battery because of its new chip, so we look forward to putting the S24 Ultra’s battery to the test. Apple doesn’t disclose battery capacity, but says the 15 Pro Max has an “all-day battery life” with “up to 29 hours of video playback.” In his 15 Pro Max review, CNET’s Patrick Holland found that after 15 hours of use, the phone usually had 20% to 25% battery left.Â
The S23 and S24 Ultra both come with the S Pen stylus that you can store inside the phone. I’d love to see something like this for the iPhone, but it doesn’t exist at the moment. Maybe one day. (Tim Cook, I hope you’re reading this.)
The S23 and S24 Ultra both have a 6.8-inch AMOLED display and a 1 to 120Hz variable refresh rate that changes based on how you’re using your phone. So if you’re doing something with lots of screen movement, like playing a video game, the refresh rate will increase. But if you switch to an activity that doesn’t take a lot of movement, like reading an article, the refresh rate will go down. The 15 Pro Max has a 6.7-inch OLED display and also has a variable refresh rate of 1 to 120Hz.Â
The S23 and S24 Ultra phones don’t have a notch. They just have a hole-punch camera at the top of the screen. The 15 Pro Max does have a notch in the form of the Dynamic Island, a shape-shifting cutout that allows you to view updates from apps like Maps without needing to have them open.
As for how these phones will feel in-hand, the S23 Ultra is 8.9 millimeters thick, the S24 Ultra is 8.6 millimeters thick and the 15 Pro Max is 8.25-millimeters thick. The S23 Ultra has an aluminum frame and weighs 234 grams. The S24 Ultra and 15 Pro Max have titanium frames and weigh 233 grams and 221 grams, respectively. So the 23 Ultra is slightly thicker and heavier than the S24 Ultra and 15 Pro Max, and it has an aluminum frame (rather than titanium).
The S23 and S24 Ultra cameras are similar. Both phones have a four-camera system with identical selfie, ultrawide, wide and 3x telephoto cameras. Each phone also has another telephoto camera for extreme distance shots. The one on the S23 Ultra is 10 megapixels with a 10x optical zoom, while the one on the S24 Ultra is 50 megapixels with a 5x optical zoom. So the S23 and S24 Ultra cameras are basically the same except for that new 50-megapixel, 5x telephoto camera, which is supposed to take sharper zoom photos.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max, on the other hand, has a three camera system. There’s a 48-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera and a 12-megapixel telephoto camera with a 5x optical zoom. And for your selfies, there’s a 12-megapixel front camera. So both the S24 Ultra and the 15 Pro Max have a 5x optical zoom, but the sensor on the S24 Ultra has a higher resolution. Stay tuned for our camera tests to see how the S24 Ultra camera performs in real life, especially against the 15 Pro Max.Â
For more on how the Galaxy S23 and S24 Ultra and the iPhone 15 Pro Max compare, check out our specs chart below.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra specs vs. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
| Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra | Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Display size, tech, resolution, refresh rate, brightness | 6.8-inch AMOLED; QHD+ resolution; 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate | 6.8-inch AMOLED; 3,088×1,440 pixels; 120Hz adaptive refresh rate | 6.7-inch OLED; 2,796×1,290 pixels; 120Hz adaptive refresh rate |
| Pixel density | TBD | 500 ppi | 460 ppi |
| Dimensions (inches) | 6.40 x 3.11 x 0.34 in | 6.43 x 3.07 x 0.35 in | 6.29 x 3.02 x 0.32 in |
| Dimensions (millimeters) | 163 x 79 x 8.6 mm | 163.3 x 78 x 8.9 mm | 159.9 x 76.7 x 8.25 mm |
| Weight (grams, ounces) | 233 g (8.22 oz) | 234 g (8.25 oz) | 221 g (7.81 oz) |
| Mobile software | Android 14 | Android 13 | iOS 17 |
| Camera | 200-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide) 10-megapixel (3x telephoto) 50-megapixel (5x telephoto) | 200-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide) 10-megapixel (3x telephoto) 10-megapixel (10x telephoto) | 48-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 12-megapixel (5x telephoto) |
| Front-facing camera | 12-megapixel | 12-megapixel | 12-megapixel |
| Video capture | TBD | 8K | 4K |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy | Apple A17 Pro |
| Storage and RAM | 12GB RAM + 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | 8GB RAM + 256GB; 12GB RAM + 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB (RAM undisclosed) |
| Expandable storage | None | None | None |
| Battery | 5,000 mAh | 5,000 mAh | Undisclosed; Apple claims up to 29 hours of video playback (25 hours streamed) |
| Fingerprint sensor | Under display | Under display | None (Face ID) |
| Connector | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C |
| Headphone jack | None | None | None |
| Special features | Titanium frame, 2,600-nit screen; 7 years of OS and security updates; 5G (mmWave); IP68 water resistance; wireless PowerShare to charge other devices; integrated S Pen; UWB for finding other devices; 45W wired charging (charger not included); Galaxy AI; Wi-Fi 7 | 5G (Sub6, mmWave); IP68 water resistance; wireless PowerShare to charge other devices; integrated S Pen; 100x Space Zoom; 10x optical zoom; UWB for finding other devices; 45W wired charging | 5G (Sub6, mmWave); Action Button, Always-On display, IP68 water resistance, MagSafe, Dynamic Island, 5x optical zoom (120mm equivalent), satellite connectivity, eSIM, thread networking technology |
| US price starts at | $1,300 (256GB) | $1,200 (256GB) | $1,199 (256GB) |
| UK price starts at | ÂŁ1,249 (256GB) | ÂŁ1,249 (256GB) | ÂŁ1,199 (256GB) |
| Australia price starts at | AU$2,199 (256GB) | AU$1,949 (256GB) | AU$2,199 (256GB) |
Editors’ note: CNET is using an AI engine to help create some stories. For more, see this post.
Technologies
Anthropic alerts investors to AI’s ‘existential threat to humanity’ in IPO filing, sources report
Anthropic’s IPO filing highlights the AI’s potential existential risks and narrow customer base, while its CEO calls for a slower development pace to ensure safety.
Anthropic plans to warn speculative investors in its IPO prospectus that its AI models pose a “catastrophic or existential risk to humanity,” several reports said on Tuesday.
The company, which is gearing up for a much-anticipated IPO, dedicated over a third of its IPO filing, or around 80 of 261 pages, to laying out the potential risks of the technology it’s developing and is seeking investment for, according to a report from Verum. It only used 48 pages to discuss its actual business.
The five-year-old company, known for its frontier language model Claude, warned that AI can have “self-preserving behaviors,” including being able to “resist shutdown,” “conceal or manipulate information,” and carry out behaviors “resembling blackmail,” per the Verum report.
The company is pursuing a $2 trillion valuation when it goes public and reported in the filing that it made a net loss of $42 billion in 2025. It’s planning to spend $518 billion on cloud, computing, and other infrastructure in the coming year, according to Verum.
Anthropic also warned that its customer base is extremely narrow, with nearly a quarter of its revenue last year coming from just two clients, two people familiar with the filing told the Financial Times.
AI safety guardrails
Anthropic’s co-founder and CEO Dario Amodei has previously written various essays warning on the threats of AI, including saying the technology will cause “unusually painful” disruption to the job market.
In another recent essay, the CEO urged the AI industry to slow the pace of AI model development, with a three-step plan to reduce how quickly models get better without “sacrificing commercial advantage or the United States’ lead in AI.”
Those calls for a slowdown are somewhat of a “head scratcher” for the sector, to which the market has reacted “pretty resoundingly,” Dan Ives, partner and senior managing director at Yorkville Ives told CNBC earlier today.
“You need guardrails from a safety perspective, but the fact for Anthropic and OpenAI to slow down, if they slowed down, China would just accelerate and win, and I think that’s part of this quagmire that you’re seeing is that there’s some regulatory capture going on. There’s definitely a game of poker, but for Anthropic, they got to continue to put foot on the pedal.”
Ives added that while guardrails are essential, regulation could stifle innovation. That continues to be the “biggest concern within the U.S., which is why we’re in an F1 race,” he said.
Technologies
U.S. and Iran engage in separate mediator discussions amid surge in Middle East oil exports
U.S. and Iranian officials held separate indirect talks mediated by Qatar as Middle East crude exports neared wartime highs, while Tehran awaits a U.S. response to its cease‑fire and sanctions‑relief proposal.
On Monday, American and Iranian representatives engaged in distinct indirect negotiations mediated by third parties, aiming to halt seven months of hostilities while Iran awaits Washington’s reply to an updated cease‑fire proposal and Middle Eastern oil shipments reach wartime peaks.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Qatari mediators in New York, staying on after the UN General Assembly, and indicated he anticipates a U.S. response by Tuesday. “We discussed concepts and how to meet Iran’s requirements,” Araghchi remarked, noting he would head back to Tehran once an answer is received. “When the Qataris have a reply, they know how to deliver it to us.”
The Iranian plan, initially unveiled during the sidelines of last week’s UN General Assembly, asks the United States to unfreeze Iranian assets, remove oil sanctions and lift the naval blockade of Iranian ports within four to five days, and to commence nuclear negotiations within a week. Tehran links any resumption of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz to the fulfillment of those conditions.
On Sunday, President Donald Trump dismissed the proposal as “unacceptable,” asserting that Iran seeks a rapid agreement due to economic strain. Speaking at the White House on Monday, Trump noted that U.S. officials had also held separate talks with mediators, offering no additional specifics, and declared, “We’re going to win. It’s going to happen fast.”
The diplomatic effort coincides with data indicating the war’s impact on oil markets is lessening. Middle Eastern crude exports have risen this month to near their highest point since the conflict started in February, according to Kpler. The firm noted in a Monday briefing that exports are “just under 80% of pre‑conflict levels.”
The Strait of Hormuz remains far from usual activity. Kpler’s real‑time monitoring recorded a flow of 10,591 kilobarrels per day through the strait on Saturday, compared with a prewar baseline of 17,133 kilobarrels per day.
The ongoing impasse is influencing U.S. fuel markets, where retail diesel prices linger close to a record $6.53 per gallon. The Trump administration is reconsidering an export ban, having recently distanced itself from an earlier iteration of the idea; Kpler estimates such a ban would retain about 1.2 million barrels per day domestically, potentially straining storage capacity.
Technologies
Saudi Red Sea export rebound pushes oil prices down
Oil prices fell after Saudi Arabia restored crude exports from its Red Sea terminals following a pipeline attack, while Iran and the U.S. continue talks over the Strait of Hormuz.
Oil prices fell on Tuesday as Saudi Arabia’s crude exports from its Red Sea ports recovered from an attack on a key pipeline earlier this month. The decline reflects renewed flow from major loading points.
Satellite imagery confirmed a “major operational recovery” at the Yanbu and Muajjiz terminals, according to a Kpler note released on Tuesday. The data shows that 12.5 million barrels were loaded onto nine tankers at Yanbu between Saturday and Monday, restoring activity after a drone strike disrupted the East‑West pipeline earlier in the month.
Riyadh has brought the pipeline’s throughput back to roughly 3.5 million barrels per day, people familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg News on Monday. The line’s maximum capacity is 7 million bpd, indicating that the current flow is about half of its peak.
Meanwhile, U.S. and Iranian officials spoke with mediators on Monday as they attempt anew to negotiate a deal to end the seven‑month conflict. Iran offered last week to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days if the United States accepts the terms of the failed June memorandum of understanding, but President Donald Trump rejected Tehran’s proposal on Saturday as exports through the waterway recover.
Oil flows through Hormuz have averaged 13.2 million barrels per day over the past week, according to Kpler data—about 77 % of the 17 million bpd that moved through the strait before the U.S.–Iran war. The U.S. military continues to protect tankers from Gulf allies and maintains a blockade on Iranian exports.
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