The race to create the fastest smartphone is on, and it looks like Samsung's Galaxy S24 could beat the new iPhone — again.
According to a new report from SamMobile (via Weibo), the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip could have a 50% faster GPU than the one inside the already powerful Galaxy S23.
Based on our Galaxy S23 Ultra benchmarks, Samsung already has a lead in graphics performance over the A16 Bionic-powered iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. It's not huge, but it's a big deal because Apple has been No. 1 for ages. See the results below in the 3DMark benchmark, where the S23 Ultra delivers 79.3 frames per second versus 74 fps for the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Of course, Apple isn't standing still, and the new iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are both tipped to pack a powerful new A17 Bionic chip based on the 3nm manufacturing process. We've seen some leaked iPhone 15 benchmarks that blow away the current Galaxy S23 Ultra, but they're Geekbench results that measure CPU performance. We haven't seen any leaked GPU numbers yet.
Galaxy S24 vs iPhone 15: Get ready for an epic battle
The Galaxy S23 Ultra impressed us so much in our testing that we named it the best phone. And it narrowly won our Galaxy S23 Ultra vs iPhone 14 Pro Max face-off, partially because Samsung delivers a much more powerful zoom and better photos in certain conditions.
But the iPhone 15 Pro series in particular should be very impressive based on the rumors we've seen, and not just because of the rumored A17 chip. We're hearing that the Pro and Pro Max will offer a new titanium design that's stronger that aluminum or steel but lighter. And it will be a more durable design that moves to solid-state buttons.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max in particular could be a fierce Galaxy S24 Ultra rival because Apple is finally tipped to offer a periscope zoom camera. Though this optical zoom upgrade may not come to the regular Pro.
Then again, Samsung should have plenty new to offer with its S24 lineup. For example, we've heard that the Galaxy S24 will get a RAM boost, which will only further boost performance. And the Galaxy S24 Ultra may feature an even smoother 144Hz display, beating Apple's 120Hz ProMotion panel.
Galaxy S24: One chip to rule them all
The one thing to keep in mind as we head into this iPhone 15 vs Galaxy S24 battle is that Samsung gave all of its S23 phones the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chip. Meanwhile, Apple handed the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus an older A15 Bionic ship and the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max got the speedier A16 silicon.
And it sounds like Apple is going to use the same two-pronged strategy for the iPhone 15 this year, which leaves an opening for Samsung's entry-level $799 phone to beat Apple's $999 flagship on graphics. That's potentially a pretty powerful statement right there.
