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Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Better figure, where one is clearly better

SamsungGalaxy S23 UltraSamsungGalaxy S26 Ultra
Overview
ReleasedFebruary 2023March 2026
Display
Screen size6.8″6.9″
Resolution3088 × 14403120 × 1440
Sharpness501 pixels per inch498 pixels per inch
PanelLTPO OLEDLTPO OLED
Refresh rate120 Hz120 Hz
Peak brightness1,750 nits2,600 nits
Display typeQHD+ Edge Dynamic AMOLED 2X (3,088 × 1,440); Super Smooth 120 Hz (1–120 Hz); 240 Hz touch sampling in Game ModeDynamic AMOLED 2X, QHD+, 16M colours; 120 Hz adaptive refresh rate (1–120 Hz)
Pixel density500 ppi (Samsung)–
Brightness detail1,750 nits peak–
Screen protectionCorning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 front and backCorning Gorilla Armor 2
Display featuresVision booster; Enhanced comfortBuilt-in Privacy Display; anti-reflective display; Vision booster; ProScaler and mDNIe image processing
Performance
ChipSnapdragon 8 Gen 2 for GalaxySnapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy
Memory8 GB – 12 GB12 GB – 16 GB
Storage256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB
CPUOcta-core, 3.36 GHz + 2.8 GHz + 2 GHz; 8 GB of RAM with 256 GB, 12 GB with 512 GB or 1 TBOcta-core (4.74 GHz, 3.6 GHz)
Cooling–Redesigned Vapor Chamber, Samsung's largest yet, with thermal interface material along the sides of the processor
Storage type256 GB (216.6 GB available), 512 GB (453.7 GB available) or 1 TB; no microSD slot–
Cameras
Main camera200 MP200 MP
Ultra wide camera12 MP50 MP
Telephoto camera10 MP50 MP
Optical zoom10×5×
Front camera12 MP12 MP
Main camera200 MP wide, F1.7, 85°; pixel binning to 50 MP or 12 MP200 MP wide, F1.4
Ultra wide camera12 MP, F2.2, 120°50 MP, F1.9
Telephoto camera10 MP, F4.9, 11°, 10x optical zoom50 MP, F2.9, 5x optical zoom
Second telephoto camera10 MP, F2.4, 36°, 3x optical zoom10 MP, F2.4, 3x optical zoom
Front camera12 MP, F2.2, 80°12 MP, F2.2, autofocus
Zoom3x and 10x optical zoom3x and 5x optical zoom; 2x and 10x optical-quality zoom (Adaptive Pixel sensor); digital zoom up to 100x
Video recording8K at 30 fpsUp to 8K (7680 × 4320) at 30 fps; APV codec; slow motion at 240 fps (FHD) and 120 fps (FHD and UHD)
Camera featuresNightography; Expert RAW (free download); 360 Audio Recording with Galaxy Buds2 ProNightography; Super Steady with Horizontal Lock
Battery and charging
Battery5,000 mAh5,000 mAh
Video playback (maker's claim)Up to 26 hoursUp to 31 hours
Wired chargingUp to 45 WUp to 60 W
Wireless chargingYes (wattage not published)Yes (wattage not published)
Battery life detail5,000 mAh typical, 4,855 mAh rated; video playback (streaming) up to 26 hours; internet use up to 25 hours (LTE or Wi-Fi); talk time up to 49 hours (4G)Rated (minimum) capacity 4,855 mAh; at least 1,200 charge cycles; EU energy class A
Wired charging45 W with a 45 W adapter (sold separately) and 5 A USB-C cableSuper Fast Charging 3.0, up to 75% in around 30 minutes with a 60 W adapter (sold separately); QC2.0 and AFC PD compatible
Wireless chargingFast Wireless Charging 2.0Super Fast Wireless Charging (WPC); Samsung doesn't state the wattage
Charges other devicesWireless PowerShareWireless PowerShare
Design
TypeStandardStandard
Weight234 g214 g
Thickness8.9 mm7.9 mm
Height × width163.4 × 78.1 mm163.6 × 78.1 mm
Water and dust resistanceIP68IP68
StylusYesYes
MaterialsGorilla Glass Victus 2 front and back with an aluminium frame; recycled plastic, glass and aluminium in some componentsArmor Aluminum frame; Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 back
ColoursPhantom Black, Cream, Green, Lavender; Graphite, Red, Lime, Sky Blue on Samsung.comCobalt Violet, White, Black, Sky Blue; Pink Gold and Silver Shadow (Samsung.com only)
Water resistance detailIP68, up to 1.5 m of fresh water for up to 30 minutes; not advised for beach or pool useIP68, dust-tight and tested for submersion in up to 1.5 m of fresh water for up to 30 minutes
BiometricsIn-screen fingerprint sensor, face recognitionFingerprint sensor
Sensors–Accelerometer, barometer, fingerprint sensor, gyro sensor, geomagnetic sensor, Hall sensor, light sensor, proximity sensor
Speakers–Stereo speakers
Software
Operating systemAndroidAndroid
Software at launchAndroid 13, One UI 5.1One UI 8.5 (Android 16)
Software updatesFour generations of Android OS upgrades and five years of security updatesSecurity updates until 28 February 2033 (UK)
AI features–Galaxy AI, including Now Nudge, Now Brief, Photo Assist and Creative Studio; a choice of agents including Bixby, Gemini and Perplexity
Connectivity
Satellite messaging–Yes
Mobile network5G, LTE5G Sub6 (FDD, TDD, SDL); 4G LTE (FDD, TDD); 3G WCDMA; 2G GSM
SIMNano-SIM plus a second nano-SIM or eSIMTwo nano-SIMs, nano-SIM and eSIM, or dual eSIM
Wi-FiWi-Fi 6E, Wi-Fi DirectWi-Fi 7 (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be), 2.4, 5 and 6 GHz, EHT320, MIMO, 4096-QAM
BluetoothBluetooth 5.3Bluetooth 6.0
Ultra WidebandYesYes
NFCYesYes
Satellite features–Works with O2 Satellite in the UK (texts, supported apps, maps and location sharing where O2 has no signal; not emergency calls); satellite texting and emergency SOS with Verizon in the US
USBUSB Type-C, USB 3.2 Gen 1USB Type-C, USB 3.2 Gen 1
Positioning–GPS, Glonass, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS

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