Samsung S23 Ultra vs S24 Ultra Camera: 10x or 5x Zoom?

The main difference between the Galaxy S23 Ultra and the Galaxy S24 Ultra comes down to one lens. The Galaxy S23 Ultra has a 10MP periscope camera with 10x optical zoom, whereas the Galaxy S24 Ultra has a 50MP periscope camera with 5x optical zoom.

The other cameras, main and ultrawide, have the same specs on both devices, and the same goes for the 3x telephoto camera. Aside from that, it’s mostly a matter of software support, which becomes increasingly important the further we get away from 2024.

Camera specs side by side

What actually changed

Samsung says the new 5x camera’s 50MP sensor is twice the size of past telephoto sensors, and 10x zoom photos are now AI super resolved from crops of the 5x camera (12MP crops to be specific). The rest of the camera hardware is unchanged (same 3x telephoto and ultrawide as before). According to Samsung’s newsroom, this change was made after research showed that people want more flexibility in the 3x to 10x range.

Samsung is calling its suite of new AI-powered photo and video capture and editing features the ProVisual Engine (new for the S24 series). According to GSMArena, photos from the S24 Ultra’s main camera include more natural detail rendition than those taken with the S23 Ultra, and colours aren’t quite as saturated. Night photos from the 3x sensor also look cleaner as a result of less aggressive noise reduction and sharpening.

What stayed the same

Samsung’s 200MP ISOCELL HP2 camera sensor with f/1.7 aperture is also present in both the phones. By default, they take pictures at 12MP. However, you can opt for 50MP if you’re planning on cropping the picture, preferably in good lighting conditions. On the other hand, 200MP pictures result in huge file sizes without noticeably more details, according to GSMArena. Hence, follow their recommendations on the matter. Starting values such as resolution are listed for each phone in our S23 Ultra and S24 Ultra settings pages.

The 12MP ultrawide and selfie cameras remain unchanged, with the former sporting autofocus (the only Galaxy ultrawide with autofocus at the time, as noted by GSMArena), allowing for decent macro shots. Hence, you won’t see any significant difference in wide-angle and selfie pictures taken with either of the two phones.

Winner by situation

DXOMARK came to a similar verdict back in January 2024, singling out the S24 Ultra as having marginally better cameras than its predecessor, the Galaxy S23 Ultra. It did note, however, that there’s a perceptible shutter lag when taking shots.

Android Authority could still feel that shutter lag as of June 2026, so keep that in mind and focus ahead of time if you plan on photographing anything in motion on either of these devices.

Galaxy AI, Log and Expert RAW

An earlier version of this page said Galaxy AI was limited on the S23 Ultra, but One UI 6.1 brought Generative Edit in Gallery to the S23 series in March 2024 (along with Instant Slow-mo), so you can move and erase objects on both phones. One UI 8.5 introduced a reworked version of the feature that went by the name of Photo Assist on the S24 Ultra. According to Samsung’s support page, both phones require an internet connection and a Samsung Account sign-in to use these AI-powered editing tools. Note: Photos edited using Generative Edit/Photo Assist are saved at a maximum of 12MP. If you took a 50MP or 200MP photo, you’ll want to hang onto the original image. See the Object Eraser and Photo Assist guide for details on how to use each tool.

The S24 Ultra can also capture Log videos (new in One UI 7), which the S23 Ultra can’t do. According to Samsung’s developer website, Log video recording is supported on the S24 series but not the S23 series. That said, the S23 Ultra does support Expert RAW. According to SamMobile, the S24 Ultra can shoot RAW photos at up to 50MP (there’s also a 24MP option). The Samsung Log guide covers grading the footage.

Which to buy, and whether to upgrade

• If you find yourself zooming in a lot between 3x and 8x, the S24 Ultra’s 5x sensor is far superior to a cropped-in image from the S23 Ultra’s 3x camera.
• If you’re a dedicated video shooter, Log and 120fps in 4K video are exclusive to the S24 Ultra.
• The S23 Ultra’s periscope zoom camera still has a slight advantage when shooting in bright lighting conditions at 10x zoom.
• If you’re shopping in the used market and planning on using your phone past 2028, Samsung will likely have ended security updates for the S23 Ultra by then.

For the full rundown on each, see the S23 Ultra camera guide and the S24 Ultra buyer's guide. The Galaxy Ultra ranking places both against the S21 to S26 Ultra, and the S25 Ultra vs S24 Ultra comparison includes the next level. To jump straight to the newest model, see S26 Ultra vs S23 Ultra and S26 Ultra vs S24 Ultra.