Soon after the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s release in January, I put it through a quick zoom test to see whether or not its 50MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom was a downgrade against the S23 Ultra’s 10MP telephoto shooter with 10x optical zoom. This was one of the biggest controversies when the S24 Ultra was released, mainly because on paper it seemed like a downgrade.
In my Galaxy S24 Ultra review, I ultimately came to the conclusion that the S24 Ultra’s long range camera wasn’t as good as the S23 Ultra’s. But things have changed in the months since then, like how Samsung took the Galaxy AI features first introduced with the Galaxy S24 series and brought it to older devices with its One UI 6.1 update.
I got to try out all those new Galaxy AI features on my S23 Ultra, so much so that I said it essentially felt like a totally new phone — so I wondered if all the updates released after February (including One UI 6.1) would do anything to improve its camera performance even more. Phone makers are constantly releasing updates that tweak and optimize the camera performance in their phones, so perhaps the results could turn out differently.
Just as a refresher in case you have forgotten, the Galaxy S24 Ultra features a quadruple camera setup that consists of a 200MP main camera, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom, and 50MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S23 Ultra packs a 200MP main camera, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom, and a 10MP 10x telephoto with 10x optical zoom.
In this Galaxy S24 Ultra versus Galaxy S23 Ultra camera shootout, I’ll categorize the images I captured and inspect their differences on a computer to see which is the winner.
Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. Galaxy S23 Ultra: main camera
There are minimal differences between their main cameras, and frankly, I think they both do a fantastic job. It’s nearly a deadlock apart from the slightly oversaturated green colors of the trees and surrounding seagrass of the Galaxy S23 Ultra in the comparison shots above, while the S24 Ultra paints a more realistic look of what the scene is actually like. Details are nearly identical, especially when I zoom into the construction vehicles on the left side — with no clear winner between both. This one’s tough, but I’ll give it to the S24 Ultra.
Winner: Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. Galaxy S23 Ultra: color reproduction
Again, it’s going to come down to personal preference because you might prefer the slightly saturated colors that the Galaxy S23 Ultra produces. You can see it most in the red hues in the coffee packaging littered throughout the shots above I took inside of a CVS, whereas they’re truer to life with the S24 Ultra. I will admit, though, the color gamut range is really excellent with both — so they have no problem producing different hues in the same shot. For me, I think the natural colors of the S24 Ultra wins it, but it’s by a very narrow margin.
Winner: Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. Galaxy S23 Ultra: ultra wide camera
Their ultrawide cameras behave slightly differently in how they handle dynamic range. In the foreground with the paved walkway closest to me, it’s obvious that it’s brighter with the Galaxy S24 Ultra. That’s surprising to me considering how a newer phone is expected to have better dynamic range performance. Beyond that, the details and 120-degree field of views of both snapshots look identical.
Winner: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. Galaxy S23 Ultra: dynamic range
Speaking of dynamic range, I’m most shocked by the apparent difference between the two. I had to look back at the snapshots I took between the two soon after the S24 Ultra’s release. That’s because back then, the S24 Ultra consistently delivered the stronger dynamic range performance.
However, it’s now the S23 Ultra doing the better job. I made sure to keep the focus and exposure centered in the shots above of the tree in my backyard, but the Galaxy S23 Ultra boosts the shadows to draw out more detail than the S24 Ultra. While I will admit that the S24 Ultra looks more true-to-life, my eyes take notice how the shadows get a boost with the S23 Ultra — which is most in the tree’s branches and bark.
Winner: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. Galaxy S23 Ultra: macro
Before I do a number on the weeds around my yard, I took the macro shots of the dandelion above. Luckily, both phones automatically kick on their respective macro modes — which is indicated by an icon while capturing the photo.
When I close into a tighter view, I like the amount of definition captured of the dandelion, so much so that I can clearly make out the individual fibers sprouting from it. The only difference I’m able to visualize is how they blur out the background, with the S24 Ultra doing a slightly better job at it. In other macro photos, however, the S23 Ultra draws out better detail — like the closeup of the leaf in the gallery below.
Winner: tie
Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. Galaxy S23 Ultra: zoom
Zoom photos are without a doubt the most interesting comparisons between them. Starting off at 5x zoom, there are differences in how the sign above turned out. On one hand, the S23 Ultra seems to pull off the better dynamic range performance — evident in how the plants almost glow in the shot. However, the Galaxy S24 Ultra pulls in more detail when I zoom into parts of the photos, like the yellow badge in the bottom right corner of the sign. But this shouldn’t come as a surprise, since the S23 Ultra is doing a bit of digital zooming with its 10MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom to reach 5x zoom. In contrast, the S24 Ultra is leveraging its 50MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom.
Moving onto 10x zoom, this is where it gets interesting because in past photo shootouts, the Galaxy S24 Ultra was the better between the two. Taking the same shot of the sign at 10x zoom, I’m puzzled because this time it’s the Galaxy S24 Ultra producing the better results. Not only is there a warmer color temperature with the S24 Ultra, but it seems to pull in more definition as well. When I look into the blue area in between the seagulls, I can see the grain pattern better with the S24 Ultra.
Whatever updates that came in between when I first pitted the cameras against each other to now, it’s clearly giving the Galaxy S24 Ultra the edge in the zoom department.
Winner: Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. Galaxy S23 Ultra: selfie
Along my afternoon ride on the Henry Hudson trail, I took the selfies above with the sun in front of me. This one’s a tie largely because they do an excellent job of capturing on my shirt, as well as keeping the exposure relatively uniform — so the shadowed areas in the background blend nicely with the rest of the shot. When I zoom into my face, I see how both selfie cameras get the stubble around my chin.
Winner: tie
Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. Galaxy S23 Ultra: portrait
I’m still very surprised by the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s camera performance. Whether it can be attributed to software updates, it’s hard to deny it’s closed the gap against the S24 Ultra — and the portrait photos above prove it. The strong dynamic range of the S23 Ultra brightens the photo, particularly with the red shirt I’m wearing and in the shadowed areas of my face. Since both have the ability to dial in the amount of background blur, which I kept to level 4, they both do an excellent job of isolating me from the background.
Winner: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. Galaxy S23 Ultra: panoramic
When it comes to shooting panoramic photos, you have the option of using either their main or ultrawide cameras. I prefer the main cameras more because they don’t have that distorted look that makes the proportions seem off.
All told, the S23 Ultra and S24 Ultra take similar panoramic photos. Details match one another in every area of the photos above, including the grain pattern of the wooden rails on the left and in the home way far in the distance. It’s really tough to discern any major differences that would convince me of a clear winner.
Winner: tie
Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. Galaxy S23 Ultra: low light
In the battle for low light performance, it’s the Galaxy S24 Ultra pulling ahead. I’m not surprised here because phone makers are constantly touting the improved low light performance of its newer phones — and the S24 Ultra is no exception.
The photos I shot of this tree in my backyard confirms the S24 Ultra’s superiority by not only being brighter, but also delivering better clarity with the details in the branches. What’s really impressive is that it was pitch black when I snapped them up, but the results make it seem like there was ample lighting around. I also prefer the Galaxy S24 Ultra for astrophotography, as it does a better job of stabilizing the shot to prevent the stars in the night sky from smearing.
Winner: Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. Galaxy S23 Ultra: verdict
Samsung’s top-of-the line flagship models are always in contention for being the best camera phones around. Even though I’ve properly tested the cameras in the Galaxy S24 Ultra and S23 Ultra earlier this year, I’m shocked by the results this time.
For starters, the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s dynamic range performance has improved substantially since I last tested it out against the S24 Ultra. It’s much more apparent now in how the main camera consistently delivers the brighter photos — including its ultrawide shooter. Oddly enough, the S23 Ultra’s telephoto camera somehow came up short this time. I’m puzzled most by this because I shot several photos previously that proved it delivered better long range results.
Perhaps software updates somehow toned down the telephoto performance of the S23 Ultra, or maybe Samsung really did add new optimizations to the S24 Ultra’s telephoto camera to make it look better. Whichever it is, I’m just shocked that the S24 Ultra did better in this area.
At the end of the day, however, the differences between the two shooters are minor overall — with the S24 Ultra barely winning out. I’ve mentioned how the S23 Ultra has a penchant for oversaturated colors, but its main and ultrawide cameras perform just as good as the S24 Ultra. The only area I can confidently say has the biggest difference is low light. Unless you absolutely need the better low light performance, the S23 Ultra is still worth getting now if you’re looking to save a bit of money.
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