Samsung’s best phone out-muscles the iPhone in some key speed tests
Samsung’s dominance over Apple in terms of phone performance, particularly in benchmark tests, seems to be approaching. In our hands-on assessment of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, the benchmark results suggest that Apple’s top-tier iPhones may face tough competition from Samsung’s latest flagship models.
Historically, Galaxy S benchmarks have followed a consistent pattern, with Samsung’s devices outperforming other Android phones but lagging significantly behind iPhones equipped with Apple’s A series chips. However, the Galaxy S24 Ultra, powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, disrupts this trend.
In specific performance tests, the Galaxy S24 Ultra surpasses the iPhone 15 Pro, Apple’s high-performance phone. Although the iPhone, driven by the A17 Pro, still outshines in certain aspects, the competition between these leading phones is remarkably close.
This development bodes well for the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24 Plus, especially in the North American market where these phones also utilize the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. Similar performance results can be anticipated for these models, mirroring the achievements of the Ultra. (It’s worth noting that in other regions, the Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus feature an Exynos 2400 system-on-chip, and their performance remains unknown at this point.)
For Apple, these findings may act as a wake-up call. Although the iPhone 15 Pro models still demonstrate impressive speed in real-world tasks, outpacing the Galaxy S24 Ultra in our tests, Apple can no longer assert its undisputed position as the builder of the fastest mobile devices.
GALAXY S24 ULTRA BENCHMARKS: SPECS COMPARISON
The impressive performance of the Galaxy S24 Ultra is largely attributed to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor. Contributing to its robust performance is the generous 12GB RAM that Samsung has incorporated into the device. In contrast, the iPhone 15 Pro utilizes 8GB of RAM, though this information is obtained from teardowns as Apple does not officially disclose the memory specifications of its devices.
Let’s now explore the internal components of other leading smartphones that the Galaxy S24 Ultra competes with, including its predecessor, the Galaxy S23 Ultra, within Samsung’s lineup.
| Phone | Chipset | RAM |
| Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy | 12GB |
| Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra | Snapdrgon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy | 12GB |
| iPhone 15 Pro | A17 Pro | 8GB |
| iPhone 15 Plus | A16 Bionic | 6GB |
| Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 | 24GB |
| Google Pixel 8 Pro | Tensor G3 | 12GB |
GALAXY S24 ULTRA BENCHMARKS: GEEKBENCH SCORES
The verdict on Geekbench performance is divided between Samsung and Apple devices. Although Apple has historically excelled in overall performance on this test, it’s noteworthy that Samsung is pleased to witness its phone leading in a specific category.
| Phone | Geekbench 6 single-core | Geekbench 6 multicore |
| Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | 2,300 | 7,249 |
| Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra | 2,091 | 5,511 |
| iPhone 15 Pro | 2,890 | 7,194 |
| iPhone 15 Plus | 2,551 | 6,280 |
| Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro | 1,339 | 6,543 |
| Google Pixel 8 Pro | 1,163 | 2,745 |
In the single-core test of Geekbench 6, the iPhone 15 achieved a score of 2,890, surpassing the Galaxy S24 Ultra, which scored 2,300. Although the Ultra’s single-core performance improved by approximately 10% compared to its predecessor, the Galaxy S23 Ultra with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 system-on-chip, it still fell behind the iPhone 15.
However, the real standout performance for the Galaxy S24 Ultra was evident in the Geekbench 6 multicore test, where it scored 7,249, slightly edging out the iPhone 15 Pro’s result of 7,194. While this difference may not be easily noticeable in day-to-day use, it marks a significant achievement for Samsung to be closely competitive with Apple, especially considering their historical performance gaps.
Apple’s more affordable flagship models utilize the A16 Bionic chip, and although the iPhone 15 Plus outperformed the Galaxy S24 Ultra in the single-core test, it lagged behind in the multicore test.
Comparatively, the ROG Phone 8 Pro, another Android device featuring the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, posted lower Geekbench results with 1,339 in the single-core and 6,543 in the multicore tests. The Galaxy S24 Ultra’s superior performance may be attributed to a potentially overclocked version of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, similar to the approach taken with last year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.
GALAXY S24 ULTRA BENCHMARKS: GRAPHICS TESTING
The Wild Life Unlimited test in 3DMark provides valuable insights into the graphics processing unit (GPU) performance of a chipset. It accomplishes this by executing a visually demanding test and determining the frames per second generated by each smartphone. A higher FPS result corresponds to a better overall score.
| Phone | Wild Life Unlimited Score | Wild Life Unlimited Frames Per Second |
| Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | 20,627 | 123.5 |
| Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra | 14,611 | 87.5 |
| iPhone 15 Pro | 15,747 | 94.3 |
| iPhone 15 Plus | 12,453 | 74.6 |
| Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro | 18,388 | 110.1 |
| Google Pixel 8 Pro | 8,797 | 52.7 |
The competition is left in the dust by the Galaxy S24 Ultra, and this outcome was somewhat expected. Similar to its predecessor, the Galaxy S23 Ultra, which utilized the GPU advancements of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 to achieve impressive Wild Life results compared to various phones, including some iPhones, the upgraded Galaxy S24 Ultra follows suit.
With a Wild Life Unlimited score of 123.5 frames per second, the S24 Ultra exhibits a notable 31% improvement over the iPhone 15 Pro’s result of 94.3 fps. Additionally, it outperforms the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro, a gaming-oriented handset, which achieved a frame rate of 110.1 fps.
GALAXY S24 ULTRA BENCHMARKS: VIDEO TRANSCODING
We conduct a practical examination by subjecting phones to benchmarks, specifically utilizing Adobe Premiere Rush. During this process, we encode a 4K video clip into 1080p and measure the time taken for the task. Typically, the iPhone excels in this test, and despite the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s advancements in other performance aspects, the iPhone continues to outperform in this particular scenario.
| Phone | Adobe Premiere Rush Transcode Time (Mins:Secs) |
| Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | 0:42 |
| Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra | 0:39 |
| iPhone 15 Pro | 0:25.5 |
| iPhone 15 Plus | 0:24.5 |
| Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro | N/A |
| Google Pixel 8 Pro | 0:51 |
The video transcoding process on the S24 Ultra took around 42 seconds on average, which is slightly slower by 3 seconds compared to the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s time last year. Unfortunately, we couldn’t perform the test on the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro because Premiere Rush crashed a few seconds into the operation.
It’s worth noting that the iPhone remains the leader in this aspect, whether you opt for the Pro model powered by the A17 Pro (25.5 seconds) or one of the models with the A16 Bionic chip (24.5 seconds on the iPhone 15 Plus).
GALAXY S24 ULTRA BENCHMARKS: OUTLOOK
Despite the underwhelming outcome in video transcoding, the Galaxy S24 Ultra showcased the best performance ever witnessed in an Android phone. In fact, it outperformed even the fastest iPhone in certain aspects. When considering this positive benchmark news alongside the impressive battery life of the Galaxy S24 Ultra—only surpassed by two gaming phones from Asus on our best phone battery life list—it becomes evident that upgrading to a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is a crucial improvement, regardless of opinions on Samsung’s hardware advancements in the S24 lineup.
Looking ahead, the spotlight now shifts to Apple, waiting to see how it responds in the upcoming fall release with the chips powering the iPhone 16 models. Rumors suggest that Apple will incorporate a new A18 chipset in each phone, with more potent versions earmarked for the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max.