Home Phone comparison Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra - Which is better?

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

81 out 100
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
VS
95 out 100
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

Compared 2 smartphones : Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Manufactured in February, 2023, with display 6.8 with chipsetSnapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy, vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, Manufactured in March, 2026with chipsetQualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. Below are specs, tests, pros and cons for each device

  1. Differences
  2. Review
  3. Specs
  4. Benchmarks
  5. Battery Life
  6. Cameras
  7. Comments (0)

Key Differences

Device key advantages
Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
    Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
    • Larger display: 6.9in
    • Lighter design: 214g vs 233g
    • Newer Bluetooth version: 6.0 vs 5.3

    Versions

    Available versions and configurations
    Memory Options - 8/256 GB
    - 12/256 GB
    - 12/512 GB
    - 12/1024 GB    		 - 12/256 GB
    - 12/512 GB
    - 16/1024 GB

    Review

    Key Specs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
    Display
    Color accuracy, sharpness & brightness
    Camera
    Main & front camera tests
    Performance
    App & system performance
    Games
    3D gaming performance
    Battery
    Battery life, charging speed & type
    Connectivity
    Connectivity features
    NanoReview Score
    Overall score by NanoReview
    Adjust each parameter’s importance to find the best match for you.
    Customize your score
    Function
    Importance (Weight)
    Display:
    Camera:
    Performance:
    Gaming:
    Battery:
    Connectivity:
    Higher weight means greater impact on NanoReview score.

    Tests & specs

    Specs & test comparison
    Smartphones:
    Galaxy S23 Ultra
    vs
    Galaxy S26 Ultra

    Display

    Display quality comparison
    Type Dynamic AMOLED Dynamic AMOLED
    Size 6.8 in 6.9 in
    Resolution 1440x3088 pixels 1440x3120 pixels
    Aspect ratio 19.3:9 19.5:9
    Pixel density 500 ppi 500 ppi
    Refresh rate 120 Hz 120 Hz
    Adaptive refresh rate Yes (1-120 Hz) Yes (1-120 Hz)
    Max brightness 850 nits 1500 nits
    HDR support Yes HDR10+ Yes, HDR10+
    Touch Sampling Rate 240 Hz 240 Hz
    Screen-to-body ratio 89.5 % 91.4 %
    Features - DCI-P3
    - Always-On Display    		 - DCI-P3
    - Always-On Display
    - DC dimming
    Display test
    Peak brightness (auto)
    Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
    1269 nits
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
    2811 nits
    sRGB gamut96.9 %n/a
    PWM (Flicker)240 Hzn/a
    Response time2 msn/a
    Contrast∞ Infiniten/a
    Sources: NotebookCheck [Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra]

    Design & Build

    Design and ergonomics comparison
    Height 163.4 mm (6.43 in) 163.6 mm (6.44 in)
    Width 78.1 mm (3.07 in) 78.1 mm (3.07 in)
    Thickness 8.9 mm (0.35 in) 7.9 mm (0.31 in)
    Weight 233 g (8.22 oz) 214 g (7.55 oz)
    Water resistance IP68 IP68
    Cooling system Vapor chamber Vapor chamber
    Back panel Glass Glass
    Frame Metal Metal
    Colors - White
    - Black
    - Gray
    - Blue
    - Green
    - Red
    - Purple    		 - White
    - Black
    - Silver
    - Blue
    - Pink
    - Purple
    Fingerprint sensor Yes In-Display Yes, In-Display
    Screen-to-body ratio
    Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
    89.5 %
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
    91.4 %

    Performance

    Testing Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra In benchmarks
    Processor
    Chipset Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
    Max Frequency 3360 MHz 4740 MHz
    CPU Cores 8 (1 + 2 + 2 + 3) 8 (2 + 6)
    Architecture - 3/2 (Cortex-A510)
    - 2/2.8 (Cortex-A710)
    - 2/2.8 (Cortex-A715)
    - 1/3.2 (Cortex-X3)    		 - 6/3.63 (Oryon Gen 3 Performance)
    - 2/4.61 (Oryon Gen 3 Prime)
    Process TSMC TSMC
    Transistor Size 4 nm 3 nm
    Neural Processor Hexagon Hexagon
    Graphics Adreno 740 Adreno 840
    GPU Cores 1536 1536
    GPU Frequency 719 MHz 1200 MHz
    FLOPS 2089 GFLOPS 3686.4 GFLOPS
    GeekBench v6
    Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
    Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
    1976
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
    3753
    Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
    Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
    5221
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
    11259
    Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)19763753
    Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)522111259
    Geekbench Compute (GPU)n/a28787
    Sources: Geekbench v6 [Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra]
    AnTuTu 10
    AnTuTu 10
    Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
    1541246
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
    3720219
    CPU3710841094797
    GPU6007321447696
    Memory299004425113
    UX270462752613
    NanoReview Score15412463720219
    3DMark Wild Life
    3DMark Wild Life
    Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
    12160
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
    n/a
    Max Surface Temp.34.8 °Cn/a
    Stability64 %n/a
    Graphics Test72 fpsn/a
    Graphics Score12160n/a
    Sources: 3DMark [Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra]
    PCMark 3.0
    PCMark 3.0
    Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
    16130
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
    n/a
    Writing score19799n/a
    Web score16101n/a
    Video editing7815n/a
    Data manipulation13142n/a
    NanoReview Score16130n/a

    Memory

    RAM
    RAM Size - 8 GB
    - 12 GB    		 12 GB
    Memory Type LPDDR5X LPDDR5X
    Memory Frequency 4200 MHz n/a
    Channels 4 4
    Storage
    Storage Capacity- 256 GB
    - 512 GB
    - 1024 GB    		256 GB
    Storage TypeUFS 4.0UFS 4.1
    Memory CardNoNo

    Software

    OS Android 13 (Upgradeable to Android 14) Android 16
    OS Size 39.9 GB n/a
    UI Skin One UI 6.1 One UI 8.5

    Battery

    Volume 5000 mAh 5000 mAh
    Max Charging Power 45 W 60 W
    Battery Type Li-ion Li-ion
    Removable No No
    Wireless Charging Yes (15 W) Yes (25 W)
    Reverse Charging Yes (Wireless) Yes, (Wireless)
    Fast Charging Yes (68% in 30 min) Yes (84% in 30 min)
    Full Charge Time 0:59 h 0:43 h
    Battery Life Test
    Battery Life
    Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
    26:01
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
    28:50
    Web Browsing09:57 h10:12 h
    Video Playback15:38 h21:39 h
    Games06:22 h06:42 h
    Standby Mode130 h130 h

    Main camera

    Matrix 200 MP 200 MP
    Photo resolution 16320x12240 pixels 16320x12240 pixels
    Zoom Optical, 10x 141
    Flash LED LED
    Stabilization Optical Optical
    8K Recording Yes (Up to 30 fps) Yes (Up to 30 fps)
    4K Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 120 fps)
    1080p Recording Yes (Up to 120 fps) Yes (Up to 240 fps)
    Slow Motion 960 fps (1080p) 240 fps (1080p)
    Wide-angle lens 120 ° 120 °
    Lenses count Standard: 200 MP
    Telephoto: 10 MP
    Telephoto: 10 MP
    Ultra-wide: 12 MP    		 Standard: 200 MP
    Telephoto: 50 MP
    Telephoto: 10 MP
    Ultra-wide: 50 MP
    Features - Bokeh effect
    - Pro mode
    - RAW support    		 - Bokeh effect
    - Pro mode
    - RAW support
    Main lens
    Matrix200 MP200 MP
    Aperturef/1.7f/1.4
    Focal length23 mm23 mm
    SensorSamsung ISOCELL HP2Samsung ISOCELL S5KHP2
    Sensor size1/1.31/1.3 (0.77)
    Pixel size0.64 μm0.6 μm
    AutofocusLaser autofocusLaser autofocus
    StabilizationOpticalOptical
    Telephoto
    Matrix10 MP50 MP
    Aperturef/4.9f/2.9
    Focal length230 mm111 mm
    SensorSony IMX754Sony IMX854
    Sensor size1/3.521/2.52 (0.4)
    Pixel size1.12 μm0.7 μm
    StabilizationOpticalOptical
    Ultra-wide lens
    Matrix12 MP50 MP
    Aperturef/2.2f/1.9
    Focal length13 mm13 mm
    SensorSony IMX564Samsung ISOCELL S5KJN3
    Sensor size1/2.551/2.5 (0.4)
    Pixel size1.4 μm0.7 μm
    StabilizationDigitalDigital
    Main camera DxOMark results
    Photo quality
    Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
    139
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
    160
    Video quality
    Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
    137
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
    153
    Overall camera score
    Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
    140
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
    157
    Bokeh70165
    Preview73n/a
    Zoom141n/a
    Sources: DxOMark [Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra], [Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra]

    Front camera

    Matrix 12 MP 12 MP
    Photo resolution 4000x3000 pixels 4000x3000 pixels
    Aperture f/2.2 f/2.2
    Focal length 26 mm 23 mm
    Sensor Samsung S5K3LU Samsung ISOCELL S5K3LU
    Sensor size 1/3.24 1/3.2 (0.31)
    Pixel size 1.12 μm 1.12 μm
    Autofocus Phase autofocus Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
    Stabilization Digital Digital
    Video resolution 2160p (4K) at 60 fps 2160p (4K) at 60 fps
    TOF 3D sensor No No
    Selfie camera DxOMark results
    Photo quality
    Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
    139
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
    n/a
    Video quality
    Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
    145
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
    n/a

    Connectivity

    Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 6E (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) Wi-Fi 7 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be)
    Wi-Fi features - Dual Band
    - Wi-Fi MiMO
    - Wi-Fi Direct
    - Wi-Fi Hotspot
    - Wi-Fi Display    		 - Dual Band
    - Wi-Fi MiMO
    - Wi-Fi Direct
    - Wi-Fi Hotspot
    - Wi-Fi Display
    Bluetooth version 5.3 6.0
    Bluetooth features LE LE
    USB type USB Type-C USB Type-C
    USB version 3.2 3.2
    USB features - Charging
    - USB Storage Mode
    - OTG    		 - Charging
    - USB Storage Mode
    - OTG
    DisplayPort Yes DP 1.2 Yes
    GPS - GPS
    - GLONASS
    - Beidou
    - Galileo
    - QZSS    		 - GPS
    - GLONASS
    - Beidou
    - Galileo
    - QZSS
    NFC* Yes Yes
    Infrared Port No No
    Connectivity
    SIM Count*11
    SIM TypeNanoNano
    SIM ModeDual SIM StandbyDual SIM Standby
    eSIM Support *YesYes
    Hybrid SlotNoNo
    2G Bandsn/aGSM850, GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900
    3G Bandsn/aUMTS B1(2100), B2(1900), B4(AWS), B5(850), B8(900)
    LTE Bands*n/aLTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B12/B13/B14/B18/B19/B20/B25/B26/B28/B29/B30/B38/B39/B40/B41/B48/B66/B71)
    LTE category20n/a
    5G SupportYesYes

    Sound

    Speakers Stereo n/a
    3.5 mm Jack No No
    FM Radio No No
    Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
    Speaker Test
    Max Volume
    Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
    91.8 dB
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
    n/a

    Other

    Class Flagship Flagship
    Announced February, 2023 yr February, 2026 yr
    Release Date February, 2023 yr March, 2026 yr
    Launch Price ($) 1199 n/a
    MSRP ($) n/a 1299
    Sensors - Hall Sensor
    - Barometer
    - Proximity Sensor
    - Gyroscope
    - Accelerometer
    - Ambient Light Sensor
    - Compass
    - Fingerprint sensor    		 - Hall Sensor
    - Barometer
    - Proximity Sensor
    - Gyroscope
    - Accelerometer
    - Ambient Light Sensor
    - Compass
    - Fingerprint sensor
    Charger Included No No
    * Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

    Results

    After analyzing the data, we consider Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra the clear winner in this comparison.

    Survey

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    Total Votes: 1

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