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Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra vs Galaxy S24 Ultra: Should you upgrade?
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra vs Galaxy S24 Ultra: At a glance
- The S24 Ultra offers much better performance via a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor.
- The new phone does have a slightly smaller 6.8-inch screen, but gains an adaptive 1-to-120Hz refresh rate.
- Camera tech includes upgrades like a 200MP main sensor, wider apertures for better low-light shooting, and laser autofocus.
- While the S20 Ultra does have a microSD slot missing in later Samsung phones, the S24 Ultra does have higher base storage and a 1TB top tier.
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra vs Galaxy S24 Ultra: Specs
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | |
---|---|---|
Display | Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 3,200 x 1,440 20:9 ratio 120Hz refresh rate at 1080p 60Hz refresh rate at 1440p HDR10+ certified | Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra 6.8-inch Dynamix AMOLED 2X Display 3,120 x 1,440 Adaptive 1-120Hz refresh rate HDR10+ certified |
Processor | Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 or Samsung Exynos 990 | Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 |
RAM | Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 12 or 16GB | Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra 12GB |
Storage | Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 128 or 512GB | Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB |
MicroSD | Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra Yes, up to 1TB | Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra No |
Battery | Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5,000mAh 45 wired charging 15W wireless charging | Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra 5,000mAh 45W wired charging 15W wireless Wireless PowerShare |
Cameras | Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra Rear: - Wide-angle: 108MP, 1/1.33", ƒ/1.8, .8µm - Telephoto: 48MP, ƒ/3.5, .8µm - Ultra-wide: 12MP, ƒ/2.2, 1.4µm - VGA time-of-flight sensor Hybrid optical/digital zoom at 10x Super Resolution at 100x Front - 40MP sensor, ƒ/2.2, .7µm, AF | Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Rear: - Wide-angle: 200MP, ƒ/1.7, Super Quad Pixel AF, OIS - Main telephoto: 50MP, ƒ/3.4, 5x optical zoom, Quad Pixel AF, OIS - Second telephoto: 10MP, ƒ/2.4, 3x zoom, Dual Pixel AF, OIS - Ultra-wide: 12MP, ƒ/2.2, Dual Pixel AF, 120-degree FOV Laser autofocus 100x Space Zoom Front: - 12MP, ƒ/2.2, Dual Pixel AF |
Connectivity | Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 4G LTE 5G (sub-6GHz, DSS, TDD/FDD, SA and NSA, mmWave) | Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra 4G LTE 5G (incl. sub-6GHz TDD/FDD) |
Operating system | Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra One UI 2.0 Android 10 | Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra One UI 6.1 Android 14 |
Water resistance | Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra IP68 | Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra IP68 |
Security | Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra Ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, face unlock | Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, face unlock |
Colors | Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra Cosmic Grey and Cosmic Black | Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Titanium Black, Titanium Yellow, Titanium Violet, and Titanium Gray |
Dimensions and weight | Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 76x166.9x8mm 220g | Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra 79x162.3x8.6mm 232g |
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra vs Galaxy S24 Ultra: Price and availability
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra: Launched at $1,399, available used starting at approx. $275
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Starts at $1,299.99
The S20 Ultra has long been discontinued, but you can find used models floating around at a substantial discount. The more important thing to note here is that whereas that device launched at $1,399, the S24 Ultra starts modestly cheaper at $1,299.99. It’s rare for new flagships to be cheaper than their predecessors. Samsung is presumably feeling the heat from Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro Max ($1199 at Amazon), among other competitors.
There’s no reason for most people to invest in the 1TB model — certainly when we tend to use cloud streaming for music and video. You might be the exception if you shoot a lot of 4K clips, like caching movies and TV shows for travel, and/or plan to install multiple games with demanding 3D graphics.
The S24 launched worldwide on January 31, 2024, and is widely available at major retailers and carriers.
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra vs Galaxy S24 Ultra: Should you upgrade?
The S24 Ultra should be a welcome upgrade if you’re in the market for one. The S24 Ultra’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor is noticeably faster than the Snapdragon 865 found in US versions of the S20 Ultra and certainly quicker than the Exynos 990 chip in international models.
You’re also getting improved camera tech, primarily in the form of a 200MP main camera, wider apertures for better low-light shooting, and laser autofocus. Samsung has shrunk the front camera from 40MP down to 12, but that’s an easy tradeoff for improvements elsewhere. Most people don’t need that level of detail for selfies.
You may have noticed that the S24 Ultra uses a slightly smaller 6.8-inch display. The resolution gap should be invisible, however, and in return, you get a 120Hz refresh rate across the board, with the ability to scale down to 1Hz to save power or support always-on display functions.
We wish the S24 still had the S20 Ultra’s microSD slot, but that’s a much larger argument against Samsung and overall industry trends. You can’t upsell shoppers on internal storage if it’s easy to add another 256GB or more via a card, after all.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra offers a bunch of AI features that won't come to the S20 Ultra.
There are new Galaxy AI features in the S24 Ultra, including Live Translate and Interpreter modes for near-immediate translations, Circle to Search for quicker reverse searches for items on screen, and beefier camera processing smarts. Notably, most of these tools will come to slightly older Galaxy models down to the S22 series, but not the S20 line.
In the end, the real decision is whether you should be looking at rival products or even upgrading at all. The S20 Ultra is old enough that you should consider it, but if it’s still keeping up with apps and shooting quality photos and video, upgrading to anything is purely a luxury. And $1,300 remains a lot to spend on any phone, particularly when you can get most of the same benefits from something like Google’s Pixel 8 Pro ($999 at Amazon). Mind that you’ll need to spend over $1,000 on a Pixel to match the S24 Ultra’s 256GB of entry storage.
Excellent update commitment
Brilliant flat display
Blazing-fast performance
Flexible cameras
However, we should mention that the S24 Ultra will get seven years of Android updates, all the way up to Android 21. On the other hand, software support for the Galaxy S20 Ultra has ended with the Android 13 update, so that may be a good enough reason for some to upgrade.
Will you be upgrading from an S20 Ultra to an S24 Ultra?
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra vs Galaxy S24 Ultra: FAQ
The S20 Ultra does have a microSD card lot, but the S24 Ultra does not.
Yes, but only to a degree. Both of them have an IP68 rating, which means they can be submerged to a depth of 1.5 meters (about 5 feet) for 30 minutes. They should be alright if they get caught in the rain or dropped in a bathtub, in other words, but you shouldn’t intentionally swim with them or take them in the shower unless you can find a fully sealed case. Avoid salt water and chlorine.
Both phones have flat screens.
No, neither phone ships with a screen protector.
Yes, both phones support 5G, although you should check if the phones support 5G in your country and with your specific carrier.