The Galaxy S23 Ultra is only one week away from its official unveiling. All the leaked info to this point has painted a optimistic image. Samsung upgraded virtually each facet of its upcoming flagship for 2023, and the Galaxy S23 Ultra is an fascinating proposition for Samsung flagship clients, particularly these residing in markets the place trade-in values are stellar.
We’ve already listed loads of explanation why the Galaxy S23 Ultra could be a worthwhile upgrade for Galaxy S20 Ultra clients. But what about Galaxy S21 Ultra customers? Should they contemplate the Galaxy S23 Ultra as their subsequent flagship telephone? Let’s reply this by all of the enhancements the 2023 flagship brings over the 2021 mannequin, and the belongings you may lose by switching to the newer telephone.
Better, brighter show with 1-120Hz refresh charge
Both the Galaxy S21 Ultra and the Galaxy S23 Ultra have 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X shows with comparable resolutions. However, the 2023 mannequin will increase peak brightness from 1,500 nits to 1,750 nits, and reviews point out that Samsung has fine-tuned colour accuracy to a superior stage, particularly for low-light utilization situations.
In addition, the Galaxy S23 Ultra helps a refresh charge of wherever between 1Hz and 120Hz, whereas the Galaxy S21 Ultra’s panel can solely go as little as 48Hz. This implies that the Galaxy S23 Ultra panel is friendlier to battery life, which can compensate for the upper brightness.
All in all, the Galaxy S23 Ultra show is brighter and technologically superior.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra absolutely embraces the S Pen
Although the Galaxy S21 Ultra was the primary S-series flagship to undertake S Pen help, the telephone doesn’t have a built-in holster for this iconic enter gadget. You may say that the 2021 mannequin is the final pure Galaxy S Ultra flagship, and you would view that as a plus.
Nevertheless, if in case you have any curiosity within the S Pen, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is a worthy upgrade over the Galaxy S21 Ultra on the S Pen holster alone. The 2023 mannequin absolutely embeds the S Pen and gives higher stylus expertise with decrease latency. You not have to purchase an S Pen case on your gadget, and the accent will all the time be inside attain.
Better construct high quality and a more recent design
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But even for those who favor the cumbersome digital camera housing of the Galaxy S21 Ultra, there’s one thing to be stated in regards to the design consistency of the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
The 2023 flagship has a squarer footprint and a way more minimalist digital camera setup with out a conventional “hump.” It seems extra up-to-date than the 2021 mannequin, and the thicker metallic body makes the telephone look sturdier.
Aside from its up to date aesthetics, the Galaxy S23 Ultra additionally employs higher constructing supplies, reminiscent of a stronger aluminum body with improved scratch and drop resistance, together with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 as an alternative of Glass Victus show safety. The former ought to present higher safety towards drops on laborious surfaces reminiscent of concrete pavements. In essence, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is extra appropriate to use with out a protecting case than the Galaxy S21 Ultra.
Snapdragon SoC in every single place and extra (probably sooner) base storage
For the primary time, Samsung will not break up the flagship market between Exynos and Qualcomm chipsets. The Galaxy S23 Ultra ships with a 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 worldwide, which implies that help ought to be higher, and also you’ll get to expertise Qualcomm’s finest SoC but, even for those who purchase the Galaxy S23 Ultra in a so-called “Exynos market.”
And useless to say, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is a extra highly effective resolution than the Snapdragon 888 or the Exynos 2100 SoCs. Furthermore, the Galaxy S23 Ultra reportedly makes use of an exclusive version of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which boasts greater frequencies for higher efficiency.
In addition, the Galaxy S23 Ultra gives extra storage as commonplace. The base mannequin has 256GB of storage, whereas the Galaxy S21 Ultra has 128GB or greater. On the flip aspect, you get 8GB of RAM with the Galaxy S23 Ultra relatively than 12GB of RAM for the bottom mannequin, however you’ll be able to confortably compensate utilizing RAM Plus for the reason that telephone gives extra storage.
Finally, if rumors are true, the Galaxy S23 Ultra ships with sooner UFS 4.0 storage as an alternative of UFS 3.1, which ought to make file transfers sooner and assist efficiency for RAM Plus digital reminiscence.
Better cameras with a 200MP main sensor
The Galaxy S23 Ultra is Samsung’s first smartphone to boast a 200MP main digital camera. The new ISOCELL HP2 gives many enhancements, particularly when it comes to low-light efficiency and autofocus.
The telephoto cameras are additionally higher, although they supply the identical zoom capabilities. AI processing was improved, and zoomed-in shots should look much better on the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
One attainable downgrade might be the 12MP selfie sensor, down from the S21 Ultra’s 40MP unit. However, the 12MP sensor seems to be brand-new, which may imply that it takes benefit of newer applied sciences to create higher selfies with extra correct colours.
If you’re in search of a digital camera upgrade from the Galaxy S21 Ultra, the S23 Ultra actually qualifies as one.
Faster battery charging (wired)
One of probably the most uncommon decisions Samsung made for the Galaxy S21 Ultra was to downgrade charging speeds to 25W. Thankfully, the Galaxy S23 Ultra has higher specs. Even although each telephones have 5,000mAh batteries, the Galaxy S23 Ultra gives 45W super-fast charging.
However, Samsung additionally made an uncommon selection for the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Although the 2023 mannequin boasts sooner wired charging than the 2021 flagship, it appears to have 10W wi-fi charging as an alternative of the Galaxy S21 Ultra’s 15W wi-fi capabilities.
So, you win some, lose some. But for those who’re in search of sooner wired charging, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is the way in which to go.
Newer software program and help till Android 17
Although the Galaxy S21 Ultra obtained upgraded to Android 13 and One UI 5.0 lately, Samsung will ship the Galaxy S23 Ultra with the newer One UI 5.1 firmware.
The Galaxy S21 Ultra might ultimately get One UI 5.1, however the 2023 mannequin can have a head-start. More importantly, although each telephones qualify for Samsung’s improved four-year Android OS upgrade policy, help for the 2021 mannequin will cease at Android 15. On the opposite hand, the Galaxy S23 Ultra will obtain Android 17 nearer to the top of this decade.
Reasons not to upgrade from the Galaxy S21 Ultra
The Galaxy S23 Ultra undoubtedly gives many upgrades over the Galaxy S21 Ultra, however what’s the draw back? Are there any causes you need to contemplate not upgrading to the 2023 mannequin apart from the cash you’d have to spend?
Well, as talked about earlier than, you may lose 5W of wi-fi charging velocity, down to 10W, for those who change to the Galaxy S23 Ultra. If you care about wi-fi charging, this can be a problem.
You additionally lose 4GB of RAM for the bottom mannequin, albeit you get extra (and probably sooner) storage. Nevertheless, for those who worth extra apps working within the background and don’t need to use RAM Plus, you may get a lesser expertise on the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
On the software program aspect, it’s true that the Galaxy S23 Ultra will get help for longer, however the Galaxy S21 Ultra is not any slouch. It nonetheless has two main OS upgrades deliberate for the longer term, so it’s not such as you’ll miss out on the subsequent few One UI variations for those who resolve to maintain utilizing the Galaxy S21 Ultra for a pair extra years.
And lastly, a comparatively smaller consumer base may need to know that the Galaxy S23 Ultra doesn’t have an FM radio. This characteristic was already market-dependent and accessible just for the Snapdragon-powered Galaxy S21 Ultra (no FM for Exynos). But now, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is probably going to ditch FM radio help in every single place.
If you contemplate the Galaxy S23 Ultra a worthy upgrade, maintain a watch out for Unpacked 2023. The event will take place on February 1, and the brand new flagship ought to be accessible for pre-order for roughly two weeks earlier than transport to early patrons. Until February 1, you’ll be able to reserve the phone online and earn $50 in Samsung Credit.
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