{"id":313244,"date":"2026-02-27T15:57:15","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T15:57:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/313244\/"},"modified":"2026-02-27T15:57:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T15:57:15","slug":"heres-why-i-wouldnt-upgrade-from-the-s24-ultra-to-the-s26-ultra","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/313244\/","title":{"rendered":"Here’s why I wouldn’t upgrade from the S24 Ultra to the S26 Ultra"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Galaxy S26 series<\/a> is official, and as we\u2019ve come to expect, there isn\u2019t much new compared to the Galaxy S25 series<\/a> from last year. But what about older models, like the Galaxy S24 Ultra<\/a>? Small changes build up over the years, and it\u2019s natural that S24 users may be contemplating an upgrade after two years. In my opinion, though, there\u2019s still a lot of life left in the S24 Ultra, and I wouldn\u2019t upgrade.<\/p>\n

Are you upgrading to the Galaxy S26 Ultra?<\/p>\n

99 votes<\/p>\n

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra<\/a>\"SamsungSamsung Galaxy S26 Ultra<\/a><\/p>\n

Privacy display \u2022 Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy \u2022 Power AI features \u2022 <\/p>\n

Powerful flagship with top-tier cameras, AI, and privacy features.<\/p>\n

The Galaxy S26 Ultra is Samsung’s slimmest and lightest Ultra yet, pairing a 6.9-inch 10-bit display with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy and a redesigned cooling system. It doubles down on imaging with a brighter 200MP main camera, upgraded zoom, advanced 8K video features, and Ultra-exclusive privacy and Galaxy AI tools.<\/p>\n

One of the best displays<\/p>\n

\"Samsung<\/p>\n

Robert Triggs \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n

The Galaxy S24 Ultra is the only phone to feature Corning\u2019s Gorilla Armor 1, which, in addition to being tougher than regular Gorilla Glass, has a splendid anti-reflective coating. That coating, combined with 2,600 nit peak brightness, makes the S24 Ultra\u2019s screen one of the easiest to see outdoors, even two years on. The S25 and S26 Ultra use a newer Gorilla Armor 2, but the differences in anti-glare coating are hardly noticeable, and the maximum brightness is the same 2,600 nits on the newer phones.<\/p>\n

There are only two areas where the Galaxy S26 Ultra\u2019s screen pulls ahead: color depth and privacy. The Galaxy S24 Ultra has an 8-bit screen that can display 16 million colors, while the S26 Ultra\u2019s screen can display 1.07 billion. The S26 Ultra also has a feature called Privacy Display<\/a>, which allows the phone to mimic a privacy screen protector by limiting viewing angles. Those are nice upgrades, but they\u2019re hardly worth trading in your Galaxy S24 Ultra for.<\/p>\n

The cameras are almost the same<\/p>\n

\"Samsung<\/p>\n

Robert Triggs \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n

The Galaxy S24 Ultra has a 200MP primary camera, 10MP 4X telephoto, 50MP 5X telephoto, and a 12MP ultrawide camera. Those are still impressive by today\u2019s standards and should compete with what the Galaxy S26 Ultra is packing.<\/p>\n

Until I see evidence of the S26 fixing shutter lag, there’s no reason to change your phone.<\/p>\n

The S26 Ultra does have some upgrades. It has the newer 50MP ultrawide-angle camera Samsung introduced last year, and the 1X and 5X sensors are larger at f\/1.4 and f\/2.9, respectively. That will no doubt make taking photos in low light better, but until I\u2019ve been able to use the S26 Ultra\u2019s cameras more extensively, I wouldn\u2019t base an upgrade on these numbers alone. Samsung phones have struggled with shutter lag<\/a> for years now, and until I see evidence of the S26 fixing that, there\u2019s no reason to change your phone.<\/p>\n

The battery is the same<\/p>\n

\"Samsung<\/p>\n

Damien Wilde \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n

The Galaxy S20 Ultra had a 5,000mAh battery. Every Ultra since, including the new S26 Ultra, has a 5,000mAh battery. That\u2019s not to say battery life hasn\u2019t improved over the years. Improvements in display and processor efficiency make a difference, but when you\u2019re comparing the S26 Ultra to a phone that\u2019s only two years old, the improvement will be negligible. The S24 Ultra has always had good battery life, and aside from declining battery health after two years of use, I don\u2019t expect the new phone to be much better.<\/p>\n

We do have to give credit to the S26 Ultra for finally changing its charging speeds, though. Samsung\u2019s Ultra phones have been stuck with 15W wireless and 45W wired charging for years now, but the S26 Ultra finally upgrades to 25W wireless and 60W wired.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t want to miss the best from Android Authority?<\/p>\n

\"google\"google<\/a><\/p>\n

The S Pen is better<\/p>\n

\"Samsung<\/p>\n

Robert Triggs \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n

The Galaxy S26 Ultra obviously has an S Pen, but it pales in comparison to the one found on the S24 Ultra. Samsung removed Bluetooth from the S Pen last year, which means there are a ton of useful features you can only get on the S24 Ultra and other older models.<\/p>\n

Bluetooth in the S Pen lets you launch apps, navigate your phone, and take photos remotely without having to touch your screen. It might not be something you use all the time, but it\u2019s great when you do need it, and it stings that Samsung took away such a core part of the S Pen experience without providing any benefits for doing so.<\/p>\n

Losing its identity\n<\/p>\n

\"Samsung\"Samsung<\/p>\n

The Galaxy S24 Ultra looked like a Note. The boxy design and sharp corners meant you always knew you were looking at an Ultra \u2014 the DNA of Samsung\u2019s old Note series lived on in the design. It gave the phone a no-nonsense, utilitarian vibe that I always loved, and I\u2019m sad to see it abandoned. The Galaxy S26 Ultra has the same corner radius as the base S26 and S26 Plus, giving up on the identity it once had. Samsung started moving in this direction last year when it rounded off the edges on the S25 Ultra, but at least that phone was still boxier than its siblings.<\/p>\n

The Galaxy S24 Ultra just feels nicer to hold, aside from the weight versus the much lighter S26 Ultra. The flat sides and sharp edges made it feel different from everything else, and I miss that.<\/p>\n

\"Galaxy<\/p>\n

Zac Kew-Denniss \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n

Phones last longer than ever before, and the S24 Ultra is a prime example of that. Its specs are still competitive today, and it\u2019s only two years into its seven-year software window. If your Galaxy S24 Ultra is still working and doing everything you need, there\u2019s no reason to upgrade. If your battery life has declined after two years, save yourself the money and look into a battery replacement over a whole new phone. The Galaxy S24 Ultra is one of my favorite Samsung phones, and it has plenty of life left in it.<\/p>\n

Thank you for being part of our community. Read our\u00a0Comment Policy<\/a> before posting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Galaxy S26 series is official, and as we\u2019ve come to expect, there isn\u2019t much new compared to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":313245,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[85,46,321,1523,7968,2891,125],"class_list":{"0":"post-313244","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mobile","8":"tag-il","9":"tag-israel","10":"tag-mobile","11":"tag-samsung","12":"tag-samsung-galaxy-s24","13":"tag-samsung-galaxy-s26","14":"tag-technology"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/313244","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=313244"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/313244\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/313245"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=313244"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=313244"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=313244"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}