Samsung Galaxy S23+ vs. S23 Ultra: Large or larger?
The Galaxy S23+ is a minor upgrade over the S22+ it replaces, adopting the camera design from its Ultra-sized sibling and increasing the size of the battery. If you want one of the best Android phones on the market and don’t care about an S Pen, this is the Samsung flagship for you.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra is the king of large smartphones and makes excellent use of its size, packing in a massive battery, incredible cameras, and an S Pen. The phone remains largely the same as last year’s; however, there’s a brand-new primary camera and a less curved display.
TheGalaxy S23 seriesstill represents some of thebest Android phonesavailable today. While they aren’t a major leap forward compared to the S22 from last year (unless you live in an Exynos region), they are a definite upgrade over the aging Galaxy S10 or S20.
The largerS23+andS23 Ultraare undoubtedly the most popular of the three models released, thanks to their big screens and batteries. The two phones share much of the same DNA, but the Ultra has some clear upgrades warranting the extra $200. Are those upgrades worth it for you? Let’s see how the two phones stack up against each other and find out.
Price, availability, and specs
Samsung’s flagship phonesare always available worldwide, both unlocked and from major carriers, and it’s the same story with the S23+ and S23 Ultra.
The S23+ starts at 256GB with 8GB of RAM for $1,000 and 512GB for $1,150.
The S23 Ultra comes in three variants, starting with the 256GB base model with 8GB of RAM for $1,200. If you want extra RAM in your Ultra phone, you need to get one of the higher storage options. The 512GB and 1TB models have 12GB of RAM and cost $1,380 and $1,620, respectively. Samsung periodically offers the 512GB model as a free storage upgrade for the same $1,200 as the 256GB, so check all the variants carefully when purchasing.
Hardware specs differ in some key categories between these phones, so we’ve listed them below:
Design and build quality
The S23 series is far more coherent than the S22, with the smaller S23 and S23+ adopting the separated camera lenses that were introduced with the S22 Ultra last year. While we’re glad to see some consistency in the product line, we were hoping the Ultra would regain the camera bump, rather than the other way around.
The S23+ has a totally flat display, rounded corners, and symmetrical bezels. The Ultra has a barely perceptible curve to the screen that feels great when swiping, a slightly larger bottom bezel, and a squared frame that can sometimes dig into your palms. Both have Armor Aluminum frames and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 front and back.
Software and performance
Each phone ships with One UI 5.1 based upon Android 13, but this version of One UI is only a 0.x update. As an incremental update, the software updates here are much smaller than with a full version update. Regardless, there are alot of new features. For example, the battery widget displays the battery level of your phone and any connected Bluetooth accessory; the media notification has been replaced with the standard Android 13 design; there’s quick Expert RAW access from the camera app and more.
One UI 5.1.1 launched with the Fold/Flip 5 and Tab S9 series and would usually remain exclusive to tablets and foldables, but it seems that 5.1.1 will make its way to the S23 series this year with some minor new features. TheOne UI 6 betais also underway and should arrive as a stable update by the end of the year.
The only real software difference is the suite of S Pen functionality. Remove the S Pen while the phone is off, and it’s possible to leave yourself a note on your AOD. With the phone awake, you can use the cursor to preview emails, links, and notifications, summon Air Command to open a specific app or launch a special function, and, of course, draw.
Both phones perform excellently. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is shaping up to be one of the best chips in Android history. Also, both phones fly through the UI and can handle even the most demanding tasks while staying cooler than the S22 series. The fact that this chip is available worldwide — no Exynos version this year — makes this a major boon for those outside of the US. The S23+ comes with 8GB of RAM for all models, while the Ultra has 8GB on the base 256GB model and 12GB on the higher storage versions.
Battery and charging
The S23+ has a 4,700mAh battery, 200mAh larger than the S22+ that came before it. The Ultra keeps the same 5,000mAh cell that we’ve had since the S20 Ultra. The S22+ shows a significant boost in battery life thanks to the 8 Gen 2 and larger battery, while the Ultra sees a smaller improvement as it relies solely on the more efficient chip.
That’s the case in the US, at least. Everywhere else, the S23 Ultra sees a huge improvement in battery life thanks to the removal of the Exynos chipset from this year’s phone. The Exynos 2200 would constantly overheat, even in chilly old England, which would take a huge toll on the battery.
Charging speeds are the same as last year on paper, with 45W wired and 15W wireless on both phones. In reality, charging speeds are quicker, thanks again to the 8 Gen 2. The cooler chip enables the phone to charge at its maximum 45W for longer. My Exynos S22 Ultra would take two hours to charge from 0%, whereas my S23 Ultra takes about 50 minutes.
The displays are unchanged from last year. The S23+ has a 6.6-inch, flat 1080p display that can vary its refresh rate from 48-120Hz and reach a peak brightness of 1,750 nits. The S23 Ultra has a 6.8-inch curved 1440p display that can vary its refresh rate from 1-120Hz and reach a peak brightness of 1,750 nits.
The S23+ has symmetrical bezels, while the S23 Ultra has a slightly larger bottom “chin.” Finally, while the S23 Ultra still has a curved display, it isn’t as drastic a curve as the S22 Ultra, so it should be more comfortable to hold.
The S23+ and S23 Ultra both have a new 12MP selfie camera, up from 10MP on the S22+ and down from 40MP on the S22 Ultra. The rear cameras on the S23+ are the same as last year, with a 50MP primary, 10MP 3X telephoto, and 12MP ultrawide. Even if the camera hardware is the same, Samsung has likely made changes to the Image Signal Processor (ISP) and the software processing, so we’ll need to reserve judgment on whether the photos are better or not when we have one.
So far, every Ultra phone Samsung has made has used a 108MP primary sensor. This year, the S23 Ultra uses a new 200MP primary sensor that Samsung says will allow for sharper images and better low-light performance. In practice, the new sensor is better than the last, but the differences aren’t groundbreaking. The other rear sensors remain the same, with dual 10MP telephoto lenses at 3X and 10X, and a 12MP ultra-wide that doubles as a macro lens.
Which should you buy?
It may cost an extra $200, but the S23 Ultra is the king of Samsung’s smartphone range. The best cameras, screen, and battery are all found on this phone, and the addition of the S Pen only makes it more useful. This phone’s extra power and utility make it worth the $200 difference.
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If the Galaxy S23 Ultra is too large or expensive, you’ll still be happy with the S23+. The soft curves make the frame more comfortable, and aside from the lack of an S Pen and 10X telephoto, everything else is comparable.
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