Apple iPhone 17 / Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

Apple iPhone 17: A3520 · 256 GB, 512 GB; Black, White, Mist Blue, Sage, Lavender. The A3520 on Apple Support’s UK page uses nano-SIM and eSIM; the SIM layout can vary by country.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: SM-S928B (international, Nano-SIM + eSIM); 12 GB RAM with 256 GB, 512 GB or 1 TB. The US model is SM-S928U. Titanium Gray, Black, Violet and Yellow; extra online colours. The Galaxy S25 Ultra and S23 Ultra are separate models.

SpecificationApple iPhone 17Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
Release year20252024
Display6.3-inch Super Retina XDR OLED; 2622 × 1206, 460 ppi; ProMotion up to 120 Hz; Always-On

ProMotion adjusts the refresh rate to the content: 120 Hz smoothness when scrolling, lower rates on still images to save battery. The Always-On display shows the time and notifications dimmed while locked. Because of the rounded corners, the visible area is slightly smaller than the rectangle measurement.

Apple		6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X; 3120 × 1440 (QHD+); 1–120 Hz adaptive; Vision Booster

The refresh rate drops as low as 1 Hz depending on content; Vision Booster adjusts tone and contrast in bright light to keep the screen readable.

Samsung
Brightness and contrast1,000 nits typical, 1,600 nits HDR, 3,000 nits outdoor peak; 1 nit minimum; 2,000,000:1 contrast

3,000 nits is a short peak in strong sunlight, not sustained full-screen brightness. The 1-nit minimum aims to avoid eye strain in a dark room. The screen has anti-reflective and oleophobic coatings.

Apple		—
Build and glassAluminium design; Ceramic Shield 2 front, colour-infused glass back

According to Apple, the colour-infused back glass is used on Black, Mist Blue, Sage and Lavender.

Apple		—
Water and dust resistanceIP68 (IEC 60529; up to 6 metres for 30 minutes)

Apple notes that this resistance is not permanent, may decline with normal wear, and that liquid damage is not covered by the warranty.

Apple		—
ChipA19; 6-core CPU (2 performance, 4 efficiency), 5-core GPU with Neural Accelerators, 16-core Neural Engine

The GPU supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing; the Neural Accelerators speed up AI work inside the GPU.

Apple		—
Storage256 GB or 512 GB

There is no memory card slot.

Apple		—
Rear cameras48 MP Fusion Main (26 mm, ƒ/1.6, sensor-shift OIS) and 48 MP Fusion Ultra Wide (13 mm, ƒ/2.2, 120°); 12 MP 2× (52 mm) from the main sensor

The 2× image comes from the centre of the 48 MP main sensor rather than a separate telephoto lens; the optical-quality zoom range is 4× in total, with digital zoom up to 10×. The ultra wide camera also takes 48 MP macro photos.

Apple		200 MP wide (ƒ/1.7, OIS); 12 MP ultra wide (ƒ/2.2, 120°); 50 MP 5× telephoto (ƒ/3.4, OIS); 10 MP 3× telephoto (ƒ/2.4, OIS)

Two separate telephoto lenses give optical quality at 3× and 5×; values in between are produced by cropping and processing.

Samsung
Video4K Dolby Vision at 24/25/30/60 fps; Cinematic mode 4K at 30 fps; Action mode 2.8K at 60 fps; 1080p slo-mo at 120/240 fps; Dual Capture up to 4K at 30 fps

Dual Capture records with the front and rear cameras at the same time. Action mode strongly stabilises footage shot while walking or running.

Apple		—
Front camera18 MP Center Stage, ƒ/1.9, autofocus with Focus Pixels; video up to 4K Dolby Vision at 60 fps

Center Stage automatically adjusts the framing to the people in photos and video calls; the TrueDepth system for Face ID works with this camera.

Apple		12 MP, ƒ/2.2, 80° Samsung
Battery and chargingUp to 30 hours of video playback; 50% in 20 minutes with a 40 W or higher USB-C adapter; wireless up to 25 W with MagSafe and Qi2

25 W wireless charging needs a 30 W or higher adapter; no adapter is included. Battery life varies with Apple’s test conditions, network and settings.

Apple		5000 mAh (typical); about 65% in 30 minutes with a 45 W adapter; Fast Wireless Charging 2.0; Wireless PowerShare

The 45 W adapter is sold separately. Wireless PowerShare lets the back of the phone wirelessly charge a device such as a watch or earbuds.

Samsung
USB-CCharging, DisplayPort and USB 2 (up to 480 Mb/s)

Wired data transfer is limited to USB 2 speed, so moving large video files takes time. USB-C can output to an external display at up to 4K HDR.

Apple		—
WirelessApple N1: Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) 2×2, Bluetooth 6, Thread; second-generation Ultra Wideband; NFC with reader mode

Thread provides low-power mesh connectivity with smart-home devices. Ultra Wideband helps locate devices such as AirTag by direction and distance; availability varies by country.

Apple		—
Cellular and SIM5G (sub-6 GHz, 4×4 MIMO), Gigabit LTE; nano-SIM and eSIM, dual eSIM support

Emergency SOS and Roadside Assistance via satellite are offered depending on country; Crash Detection is included.

Apple		—
LocationDual-frequency GPS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou, NavIC); digital compass Apple—
ButtonsAction button and Camera Control

The Action button can be set to functions such as silent mode, torch, translate or a shortcut. Camera Control is a touch-sensitive button that adjusts exposure, depth and zoom by sliding.

Apple		—
Dimensions and weight149.6 × 71.5 × 7.95 mm; 177 g Apple—
In the boxiPhone 17 and 1 m USB-C Charge Cable

No power adapter or EarPods are included.

Apple		—
Model code—SM-S928B (Nano-SIM + eSIM; dual eSIM option) Samsung
Front glass—Corning Gorilla Armor

According to Corning and Samsung it cuts reflection by up to 75% versus typical glass, with improved scratch resistance.

Samsung
Processor—Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy; eight cores, 3.39 / 3.1 / 2.9 / 2.2 GHz Samsung
Memory and storage—12 GB RAM; 256 GB, 512 GB or 1 TB (varies by region) Samsung
Connectivity—5G; Wi-Fi 7 (2.4 + 5 + 6 GHz); Bluetooth 5.3; USB Type-C (USB 3.2 Gen 1)

Wi-Fi 7 speeds need a Wi-Fi 7 router and vary by market. USB 3.2 Gen 1 means 5 Gb/s wired transfer.

Samsung
S Pen—Built-in S Pen Samsung
Operating system—Shipped with Android 14 and One UI 6.1; seven generations of OS upgrades and seven years of security updates

Samsung notes that update timing and availability may vary by model and market.

Samsung
Security—Samsung Knox, Knox Vault, Auto Blocker; setting that limits AI processing to the device

With the Advanced Intelligence setting enabled, only the Galaxy AI features that run on the device are used.

Samsung
Durability—IP68 (up to 1.5 m in fresh water for 30 minutes); titanium frame

Samsung advises against beach and pool use.

Samsung
Size and weight—162.3 × 79 × 8.6 mm; 232 g (sub-6) / 233 g (mmWave) Samsung