Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. Galaxy S22 Ultra: Should You Upgrade?

The new Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is a real wonder, powered by the powerful new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip for Galaxy, which is an optimized version of Qualcomm’s latest processor clocked at up to 3.3GHz. You also get an amazing 200MP main camera, an ultra-clear 6.8-inch 500ppi AMOLED display, a huge battery, and more.

So, is the Galaxy S22 Ultra outdated? Not at all! It’s still one of the best phones of 2023, even a year after it was released. We put them face to face in the following comparison.

Specifications

Design

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In terms of design, there is almost no difference between the S23 Ultra and S22 Ultra. Since the previous version did not have a camera island like the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus, the floating camera design in the new S23 series is not considered new to the Ultra device. Other design elements have stayed the same too, from sharp curves and square corners, and even the placement of the S Pen has remained unchanged.

The only real difference between the design of the S22 Ultra and S23 Ultra is the colors. The S22 Ultra was previously available in Phantom Black, Phantom White, Burgundy, and Green. The S23 Ultra is available in Phantom Black, Cream, Green and Lavender. The Phantom Black is pretty much the same on both phones, but the rest of the line is different.

While Phantom White is a bright, pristine white, Cream is more off-white, like it’s slightly warmer in temperature. Lavender is a very muted color, so it’s much more subtle than the previous generation’s burgundy. The green tones appear similar, with slight differences depending on the lighting.

Essentially, the design of the S22 Ultra and S23 Ultra is the same, it’s just the colors that matter.

Winner: draw

Screen

Both the S22 Ultra and S23 Ultra feature a 6.8-inch 2X Dynamic AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, a maximum ambient brightness of 1750 nits, and a resolution of 1440 x 3088 pixels (500 ppi equivalent).

However, the S23 Ultra uses a new Corning Gorilla Glass Victory 2, which is an update to the Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ S22 Ultra. With Gorilla Glass, the Victus 2 S23 Ultra will have the same scratch resistance as the S22 Ultra but more drop resistance. If you tend to drop and drop your device, the S23 Ultra will suit you better, though we still recommend a protective case.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

Performance and Battery

The Galaxy S22 Ultra used the Exynos 2200 chip in Europe, while the US used the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. While both chips are certainly great chips for fast and reliable performance, the Galaxy S23 Ultra comes with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor for galaxy. chipset.

“For Galaxy” is not just another marketing ploy. With the Galaxy Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, the performance of this chip is optimized specifically for the Galaxy S23 line, including the Ultra. The clock speed reaches 3.3GHz, which makes it 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.

The S22 Ultra came in four memory configurations: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB. The 128 GB variant had 8 GB of RAM, while the higher capacity variants had 12 GB of RAM. The S23 Ultra offers three storage options: 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. You still get 8GB of RAM with the base 256GB storage model, but that increases to 12GB of RAM for the 512GB or 1TB versions.

While the regular S23 and S23 Plus have 200mAh more battery capacity than their predecessors (3900mAh and 4700mAh respectively), the battery size of the S23 Ultra has not changed. The previous S22 Ultra had a 5000 mAh battery, and the S23 Ultra holds it. It also has up to 45W USB-C 3.0 wired fast charging, 15W output for wireless charging, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging (Wireless PowerShare).

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

cameras

If you’re taking photos and shooting videos all day, you definitely need the Galaxy S23 Ultra. The S23 Ultra outperforms the S22 Ultra with its impressive 200MP main camera sensor compared to the S22 Ultra’s 108MP camera. However, other elements remain the same, such as the 10MP resolution for regular telephoto and periscope cameras (3x and 10x optical zoom respectively), as well as the 12MP ultra-wide-angle camera. Video recording is a little better now as you can record 8K at 30fps compared to 24fps before, and it has super slow motion video recording capabilities.

However, there have been strange changes to the selfie camera. Samsung has decided to upgrade from the 40MP front camera on the S22 Ultra to the 12MP one on the S23 Ultra. While 12MP is still pretty good for a selfie camera, it’s odd that Samsung cut the megapixel count so drastically from the previous generation.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

software and updates

Samsung is 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.

The S22 Ultra ships with Android 12 while the S23 Ultra ships with Android 13 out of the box as well as Samsung One UI 5.1. In terms of durability, the S23 Ultra will outperform the S22 Ultra because it is a newer model. That said, if you currently own the S22 Ultra, you’ll still get a lot of support from the software side.

Winner: draw

Price and availability

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

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

Samsung has kept the price on par with the previous generation, so the Galaxy S23 Ultra starts at $1,199. Of course, there may be deals offered by carriers and a few stores that allow you to get the phone for a lower price, so be sure to keep an eye out for them.

Overall winner: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

There are a lot of similarities between the Galaxy S22 Ultra and the Galaxy S23 Ultra, but there are enough improvements in the S23 Ultra to make it our winner nonetheless. Of course, the S22 Ultra is still a very powerful device, and if you already have one, the question of whether you should upgrade comes down to whether you really need a 200MP camera instead of a 108MP one. Some photographers might find the upgrade useful, but for everyone else, it would probably be more convenient to leave your S22 Ultra for another year.

If you don’t have a Galaxy S22 Ultra, then buying a Galaxy S23 Ultra is a no-brainer. It’s incredibly powerful with the Galaxy’s new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, you get a 200MP main camera, at least 256GB of storage with 8GB of RAM, a huge battery, and a beautiful, crisp screen. Plus, there’s S Pen support for when you need to take notes or just draw. It’s not a monumental change from the S22 Ultra, but there was no need for a revolution here either.