A Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs OnePlus 12 face-off numbers will be the first big smartphone battle of 2024. We get our first real look at OnePlus 12 on December 5, when OnePlus launches its latest flagship phone in China. A global release is expected to happen in early 2024 - perhaps around the same time Samsung rolls out its latest Galaxy S phones.
The OnePlus 12 will get a top-performing chipset, upgraded cameras and a brighter screen to turn heads. And although we don't know the price yet, the OnePlus phone also figures to be much cheaper than Galaxy S24 Ultragiving smartphone buyers a cheaper flagship option among best android phones.
As for the S24 Ultra, it leads to the new phone lineup from Samsung that we'll likely see as soon as January 17th. Once it arrives, the Galaxy S24 Ultra will bring its own camera improvements, as well as plenty of AI-powered features. This is how the battle between the Galaxy S24 Ultra and the OnePlus 12 is shaping up.
Galaxy S24 Ultra vs OnePlus 12: Rumored specs
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (rumored) | OnePlus 12 (rumored) |
| Show | 6.8 inches | 6.8 inches |
| Update frequency | 144Hz adaptive | 120Hz adaptive |
| Rear cameras | 200MP main, 12MP ultra-wide, 50M telephoto (5x), 10MP telephoto (3x) | 50 MP main, 50 MP ultra-wide, 64 MP 3x telephoto |
| Front camera | 12MP | 32 MP selfie |
| The chipset | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 |
| Ram | 8GB/12GB | 8GB/16GB/24GB |
| Storage | 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB | 128GB/256GB/1TB |
| Battery | 5000 mAh | 5400 mAh |
| Loading | 45W wired, 15W wireless | 100W wired, 50W wireless |
Galaxy S24 vs OnePlus 12: Price
We don't know how much either phone will cost at this point, but it's pretty clear that the OnePlus 12 will be the more affordable of the two devices. You only have to look at the price difference between their predecessors to conclude that little is likely to change this time around.
The OnePlus 11 starts at $699, making it $100 less than the entry-level Samsung Galaxy S23. (You can have Galaxy S23 FE for less, but that phone runs on an older chipset and makes other compromises for its discounted price.) Meanwhile, because Samsung's premium phone, Galaxy S23 Ultra starts at $1,199. In other words, we're looking at a $500 difference between the two phones.
It's hard to say whether that gap will remain the same this year — the OnePlus 12 adds some premium features that could lead to a price hike, for example. But even if a new phone brings a new starting price, we imagine the OnePlus 12 will cost hundreds of dollars less than the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Galaxy S24 Ultra vs OnePlus 12: Design and display
If you've seen the current OnePlus 11 and Galaxy S23 Ultra models, you have a pretty good idea of what the new versions of these phones will look like. OnePlus has already revealed the OnePlus 12 design, and it looks a lot like its predecessor except for the return of the Alert Slider that has been missing from recent models. Samsung's design is still unofficial, but leaked renders show basically the same look as last year with a less curved display.
Whether or not a design works generally comes down to personal taste. Some people will prefer the prominent circular camera setup on the back of the OnePlus 12, while others will gravitate towards the more understated look of the Galaxy S24 Ultra, where the camera lenses are stacked vertically and built into the back of the phone.
We expect the Galaxy S24 Ultra to follow its predecessor's lead and offer IP68 water resistance, meaning the phone can survive a dunk in water. We are still waiting to see what kind of water resistance the OnePlus 12 offers. For the OnePlus 11, it was IP64, which protects the phone from splashes but little else.
As for the screen, it seems that the OnePlus 12 will get a slight increase in size to 6.8 inches. That would make the panel the same size as the Galaxy S24 Ultra. OnePlus also promises a very bright screen - 4,500 nits. It would definitely outshine the Galaxy S24 Ultra, where rumors suggest it will max out at 2,500 nits of brightness.
Galaxy S24 Ultra vs OnePlus 12: Cameras
Cameras appear to be a major battleground for all OnePlus 12 vs. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, especially considering the Galaxy S23 Ultra is our current pick for best camera phone overall. Samsung will reportedly look to improve on this benchmark with upgrades to the main camera sensor as well as the telephoto lens.
Specifically, one rumor suggests that Samsung will use a 1-inch sensor for the S24 Ultra's main camera, a move that would help capture more light for brighter images overall. As for the telephoto lens, it sounds like one of the 10MP telephoto lenses on the Galaxy S23 Ultra will be replaced by a 50MP lens with 5x optical zoom. While it's not as long as 10x zoom is supported by the current phone, the higher resolution can lead to sharper images.
We already know the OnePlus 12's camera specs, as they have been confirmed by OnePlus. The new phone will have a 50MP main camera along with a 50MP ultrawide shooter and 64MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom. OnePlus' collaboration with lens specialist Hasselblad will continue with the OnePlus 12 so we could see other improvements in color calibration and image brightness.
Galaxy S24 Ultra vs OnePlus 12: Performance
Don't expect too many differences in terms of speed and processing muscle between the OnePlus 12 and the Samsung Galaxy S24. OnePlus has confirmed that its new flagship will include Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 system-on-chip was introduced by Qualcomm in October, and all signs point to the Galaxy S24 Ultra following suit. (Other Galaxy S24 models may have an Exynos 2400 chipset instead depending on which part of the world they're released in, but Samsung is expected to use Qualcomm silicon exclusively on the Ultra.)
Both the OnePlus 11 and the Galaxy S23 Ultra had the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset – although Samsung's version was optimized for better performance – and the benchmark results were largely the same. That seems to give OnePlus the edge should history repeat itself with the OnePlus 12. Not only do you get the same performance for less money, you can also enjoy a phone with up to 24GB of RAM. (Meanwhile, a rumored to jump to 16GB of RAM for the Galaxy S24 Ultra has been ruined by a prominent leaker.)
Samsung can find other ways to make its performance stand out. The company has already announced plans to make artificial intelligence a focal point on their phones, and the S24 lineup figures to be the first recipient of that move. Some of the potential features Samsung has developed for its Galaxy AI initiative include on-device translations, generative text assistance that can help you write emails and summarize web pages, and image generation tools.
OnePlus 12 rumors haven't had much to say about AI-powered features for that phone. So Samsung might be on the right side of a big feature gap between the Galaxy s24 Ultra and the OnePlus 12.
Galaxy S24 Ultra vs OnePlus 12: Battery life and charging
Both the OnePlus 11 and Galaxy S23 Ultra are outstanding in terms of battery life, with the two phones landing on our best phone battery life list. You'll need to last 12 hours or more on our battery test to do that, and that's a feat the OnePlus 11 (13 hours and 10 minutes) and Galaxy S23 Ultra (12 hours and 22 minutes) tackle with ease.
We expect similar results from the OnePlus 12 and Galaxy S24 Ultra based solely on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3's improved power management. There's also talk of battery improvements for both phones - a larger capacity battery in the case of the OnePlus 12 and a new stacked battery for the Galaxy S24 Ultra that's denser to pack more power into the same amount of space.
One thing to keep an eye on is upload speeds. The OnePlus 11's 80W wired charging almost doubles the 45W charging speed of the Galaxy S23 Ultra. (It's even faster outside the US where different voltage standards allow the OnePlus 11 to offer 100W charging.) Rumors suggest the OnePlus 12 will offer the same wired charging speeds, while an earlier rumor suggesting the S24 Ultra would get 65W charging speeds has been shot down.
OnePlus has confirmed that the OnePlus 12 will offer wireless charging as well, a feature that is missing from the OnePlus 11. Rumors suggest that OnePlus will also offer fast wireless charging speeds. For context, the Galaxy S23 Ultra can charge wirelessly at 15W.
Galaxy S24 Ultra vs OnePlus 12: Outlook
Even with everything we know about the OnePlus 12 and the detailed rumors about the Galaxy S24 Ultra, it's too early to say which phone will come out on top in a head-to-head comparison. The definitive OnePlus 12 vs. The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra verdict can only come once both phones have been released, tested and reviewed, which should be in early 2024.
Still, some patterns have emerged based on what we know so far. The OnePlus 12 looks like it's trying to deliver some premium features in a cheaper device while Samsung will once again push the boundaries with its cameras and AI capabilities. Whether shoppers will prefer OnePlus' cheaper device or opt for the more feature-rich S24 Ultra will depend on how each phone maker delivers on what it promises.