Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. Galaxy S22 Ultra: is it time to upgrade?

Samsung has unveiled its latest top-of-the-line smartphone: the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. This beast has a powerful new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chip, an optimized version of the latest Qualcomm, clocked up to 3.3 Ghz. You also get an incredible 200-megapixel main camera, a super-sharp 6.8-inch AMOLED display with 500 pixels per inch (ppi), a huge battery, and more.

But what if you already have a Galaxy S22 Ultra? It’s still one of the best phones in 2023, even a year after its release. Is it worth upgrading to the S23 Ultra? Let’s see.

Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. Galaxy S22 Ultra: Specs

	Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra	Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
Size	3.07 x 6.43 x 0.35 inches	3.07 x 6.43 x 0.35 inches
Weight	8.25 ounces	8.04 ounces
Display	6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED Adjustable refresh rate of 120 Hz 500 ppi External peak brightness of 1750 nits	6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED Adjustable refresh rate of 120 Hz 500 ppi External peak brightness of 1750 nits
RAM/storage	8GB/256GB 12GB 512GB/1TB	8GB/128GB 12GB 256GB/512GB/1TB
Processor	Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy	Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (USA) Exynos 2200 (Europe)
Biometrics	Ultrasonic FP and face recognition	Ultrasonic FP and face recognition
Rear camera	Main (OIS) of 200 megapixels with laser automatic focus 12 MP ultra-wide 10MP (OIS) telephoto and periscope telephoto	Main (OIS) of 108 MP with laser autofocus 12 MP ultra-wide 10MP (OIS) telephoto and periscope telephoto
Selfie camera	12 MP	40 MP
Video	8K at 30 fps, 4K at 60 fps FHD at 120 fps and 960 fps (super slow)	8K at 24 fps, 4K at 30/60 fps 1080p at 30/60/240 fps 720×960 fps
Zoom	3X/10X optical 100X space zoom	3X/10X optical 100X space zoom
Battery	5,000 mAh	5,000 mAh
Charge	Super fast charging 2.0 (wired) up to 45 W Fast wireless charging 2.0 up to 15 W Wireless PowerShare	Super fast charging 2.0 (wired) up to 45 W Fast wireless charging 2.0 up to 15 W Wireless PowerShare

Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. Galaxy S22 Ultra: Design

Galaxy S23 Ultra Andrew Martonik/Digital Trends

Galaxy S22 Ultra Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

In terms of design, there is almost no difference between the S23 Ultra and the S22 Ultra. Since the previous iteration did not have a camera island like the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus, the floating camera design on the new S23 series is not considered new for an Ultra device. Other design elements also remain the same, from sharp curves and square corners, and even the position of the S Pen remains unchanged. The screen is less curved on the S23 Ultra compared to the S22 Ultra, but that’s about it.

The only other difference between the design of the S22 Ultra and the S23 Ultra is the colors. Previously, the S22 Ultra came in Phantom Black, Phantom White, Burgundy and Green colors. The S23 Ultra comes in Phantom Black, Cream, Green and Lavender. Phantom Black is mostly the same on both phones, but the rest of the line is different.

While Phantom White is a bright, pristine white, Cream is more of a dirty white, as if it has a slightly higher temperature. Lavender is a very muted color, so it is much more subtle than the burgundy color of the previous generation. Green shades look similar, with minor differences depending on the lighting.

Basically, the design of the S22 Ultra and S23 Ultra is the same; it really comes down to what colors you want.

Winner: Undecided

Galaxy S23 Ultra vs Galaxy S22 Ultra: Display

Andrew Martonik/Digital Trends

Both the S22 Ultra and S23 Ultra feature a 6.8-inch Super Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a 1-120Hz refresh rate, 1,750 nits of peak external brightness, and a resolution of 1440 x 3088 pixels (which equates to 500 ppi). What do these statistics mean in practice? Basically, both phones have absolutely beautiful and clear screens. They’re bright and visible even in bright sunlight, and AMOLED technology means both have vibrant colors and deep, inky blacks.

However, there is an advantage in durability. The S23 Ultra uses the new Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, which is an upgrade to the S22 Ultra’s Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+. With Gorilla Glass Victus 2, the S23 Ultra will have the same scratch resistance as the S22 Ultra, but with increased drop resistance. If you’re prone to dropping your device, the S23 Ultra is the way to go — though it still pays to pair it with one of the best Galaxy S23 Ultra cases.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

Galaxy S23 Ultra vs Galaxy S22 Ultra: performance and battery

Andrew Martonik/Digital Trends

The Galaxy S22 Ultra used the Exynos 2200 chip in Europe, while people in the US got the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. While these are certainly great chips that deliver fast and reliable performance, the Galaxy S23 Ultra comes with Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for the Galaxy chipset.

The nickname “for Galaxy” is not just a marketing gimmick. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy is a chip that has optimized performance specifically for the Galaxy S23 line, including the Ultra. The operating clock is up to 3.3 GHz, which is faster than the regular Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 that will be used in other phones. The S22 Ultra was already powerful, and the S23 Ultra with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy is even better. There was little we could do to push it to its limits. It handles the most demanding games with ease and showed smooth performance during our review period.

Andy Boxall/DigitalTrends

The S22 Ultra comes in four storage configurations: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB or 1TB. The 128GB option had 8GB of RAM, while the higher capacity variants had 12GB of RAM. With the S23 Ultra, there are three storage options: 256GB, 512GB and 1TB. You still get 8GB of RAM with the base 256GB storage model, but it goes up to 12GB of RAM for the 512GB or 1TB versions. The 256GB version should be a good option for most, and larger storage upgrades would only be useful for those who want to shoot a lot of 200MP pictures, 8K videos, or who want to store a bunch of media on their devices.

While the regular S23 and S23 Plus have 200mAh more battery capacity than their predecessors of 3900mAh and 4700mAh respectively, there is no change in battery size for the S23 Ultra. The previous S22 Ultra had a 5,000mAh battery, and the S23 Ultra retains the same massive battery. However, the S23 Ultra uses better power efficiency and can quite easily last two full days on a single charge.

It also still has up to 45W wired USB-C 3.0 fast charging, 15W output speeds for wireless charging and 4.5W reverse wireless charging (Wireless PowerShare). While not the fastest charging specs, this is still pretty fast and fully charges the phone in about an hour.

The new processor really gives this new phone an edge. The Galaxy S23 Ultra wins this battle.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. Galaxy S22 Ultra: Cameras

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

If you use your smartphone for all your photography and video needs, you’ll definitely want to consider the Galaxy S23 Ultra for some upgrades. The S23 Ultra scores better than the S22 Ultra with an impressive 200MP main camera sensor compared to the S22 Ultra’s 108MP camera. Other elements remain the same, such as 10 MP resolution for the regular telephoto and periscope telephoto cameras (3x and 10x optical zoom, respectively), and the same 12 MP ultra-wide camera.

As you might expect, the increased megapixel count gives the S23 Ultra an edge, but the zoom is what really sets it apart from its predecessor. While the megapixel count is the same, the S23 Ultra’s zoom has really improved, with the 30x zoom starting to catch up with the 3x and 10x zooms. This is especially impressive when you consider the amount of software tweaking that has to go into 30x zoom. This really sets the new phone apart.

One strange change is in the selfie camera. Samsung decided to downsize the front camera from 40MP on the S22 Ultra to 12MP on the S23 Ultra. While 12 MP is still pretty good for a selfie camera, it’s a bit odd that Samsung chose to reduce the number of megapixels so drastically compared to the previous generation.

The new phone belongs to this category. Samsung has really committed to improving an already excellent camera system and it has succeeded.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

Galaxy S23 Ultra vs Galaxy S22 Ultra: Software and Updates

Galaxy S23 (from left), Galaxy S23 Plus and Galaxy S23 Ultra Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Samsung has been pretty good at offering long-term support for its flagship devices. Like the S22 Ultra, the S23 Ultra should receive four years of Android OS updates, as well as five years of security updates. Samsung isn’t the fastest at pushing out new versions of Android, but it’s not bad, and since both devices are from Samsung anyway, you can expect them to get new updates around the same time.

The S22 Ultra shipped with Android 12 on it, but the S23 Ultra ships with Android 13 out of the box, and you’ll have Samsung One UI 5.1. In terms of longevity, the S23 Ultra will of course outlive the S22 Ultra as it is a newer model. But if you currently have an S22 Ultra, you still get plenty of support on the software side of things.

Winner: Draw

Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. Galaxy S22 Ultra: Price and Availability

Andrew Martonik / Digital trends

Since the Galaxy S22 Ultra originally came out last year, it might be harder to get hold of a brand new one now that the Galaxy S23 Ultra has launched. If you’re looking to save some money, you can probably find the S22 Ultra from authorized resellers who still have stock or from people selling used units.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra is available directly from Samsung’s website, as well as from major carriers such as AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile. You can find it at retailers like Best Buy, Target, Amazon, etc.

Samsung has kept the prices the same as the previous generation, so the Galaxy S23 Ultra starts at $1,200. Of course, carriers and retailers may offer deals that allow you to get the phone for less than retail, so keep an eye out.

Overall winner: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

Joe Maring / Digital trends

There are many similarities between the Galaxy S22 Ultra and the Galaxy S23 Ultra, but even so, there are enough improvements with the S23 Ultra to make it our winner here.

Of course, the S22 Ultra is still a very capable device, and if you already have one, the question of whether or not you should upgrade really comes down to whether you want a 200MP camera instead of a 108MP one. The most avid photographers may find the upgrade worthwhile, but for everyone else, you’ll probably be fine with your S22 Ultra for another year.

And if you it is not already have a Galaxy S22 Ultra, then the Galaxy S23 Ultra is easy. It’s incredibly powerful with the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor for the Galaxy, you get a 200MP main camera, at least 256GB of storage with 8GB of RAM, a large battery and a beautiful, clear display. Plus, there’s S Pen support for those times when you need to scribble notes or just draw. It’s not a monumental shift from the S22 Ultra, but that’s because it wasn’t meant to be.

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Categories: GAMING
Source: newstars.edu.vn

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