Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Vs Galaxy S22 Ultra: Should You Upgrade?
The Ultra moniker in Samsung’s flagships represents the best the Korean giant has to offer each year. After much teasing, Samsung has finally launched its 2023 flagships, the S23 series, which includes the Galaxy S23, S23 Plus, and of course, the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Before launch, many leaks pointed towards the S23 Ultra being not a massive upgrade, at least on the design front, but is that case? What better way to find out than comparing last year’s Samsung flagship, the Galaxy S22 Ultra, with the Galaxy S23 Ultra? Here’s our Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs S22 Ultra comparison.
If you’re curious, yes, Samsung has skipped Exynos this year. Every Galaxy S22 model, regardless of the countries it’ll launch in, will be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Vs S22 Ultra: Should You Upgrade?
If you looked this up, chances are you already own a Galaxy S22 Ultra or maybe want to buy the same after a price drop due to S23 Ultra. Whatever the case may be, here are all the differences between the S23 Ultra and S22 Ultra.
| Specification | Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.8 inches Dynamic AMOLED 2X, QHD+ (1440 x 3088 pixels), 120Hz, HDR10+ display with 1750 nits of peak brightness, and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+. | 6.8 inches Dynamic AMOLED 2X, QHD+ (1440 x 3088 pixels), 120Hz, HDR10+ display with 2150 nits of peak brightness, and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 |
| SoC | 4nm Exynos 2200 (Europe), Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 4nm. | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 4nm SoC |
| Cameras | Quad cameras — 108MP wide, 10MP Periscope Telephoto, 10MP Telephoto, and 12MP Ultrawide. 40MP selfie camera. | Quad cameras — 200MP wide, 10MP Periscope Telephoto, 10MP Telephoto, and 12MP Ultrawide. 12MP selfie camera. |
| Storage and RAM | 128/256/512GB/1TB UFS 3.1 with 8/12/12/12GB LPDDR5 RAM. | 128/256/512GB/1TB UFS 4.0 with 8/12/12/12GB LPDDR5 RAM. |
| Dimensions | 163.3 x 77.9 x 8.9 mm and 228 grams weight | 163.3 x 78.1 x 8.9 mm and 234 grams weight |
| Battery | 5000mAh with 45W charging speed, 15W wireless charging, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging. | 5000mAh with 45W charging speed, 15W wireless charging, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging. |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, Type-C 3.2 Gen 2 port | Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, Type-C 3.2 Gen 2 port |
| Other features | Ultrasonic under-display fingerprint scanner, Stereo speakers, IP68 dust/water resistance, Dual-sim + eSIM, S-Pen | Ultrasonic under-display fingerprint scanner, Stereo speakers, IP68 dust/water resistance, Dual-sim + eSIM, S-Pen |
| Price | Rs 1,06,999 or $1,199 | Rs 1,24,999 or $1,199 |
If you’re looking for the short answer, we think it’s worth upgrading to the S23 Ultra, provided Samsung offers you great trade-in offers as it did during the Z Fold4 and Flip4’s launch.
If you need the longer version, there are a few reasons why it’s worth upgrading to the S23 Ultra, most pertaining to the processor.
The Qualcomm and TSMC Magic
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 was made using Samsung’s 4nm fabrication process, and the SoC was soon riddled with issues such as bad efficiency leading to faster battery drain and overheating. Qualcomm then released the 8+ Gen 1, this time based on TSMC’s 4nm process, and we saw improvements in both thermals and performance.
The 8+ Gen 1 uses a 1+3+4 architecture — 1 x 3.19GHz Cortex X2 prime core, 3 x 2.75GHz Cortex 710 performance cores, and 4 x 1.8GHz Cortex A510 efficiency cores. The 8+ Gen 2, on the other hand, uses a 1+2+2+3 — 1 x 3.2GHz Cortex X3 prime core, 2 x 2.8GHz Cortex A715 performance cores, 2 x 2.8GHz Cortex A710 semi-performance (!?) cores, and 3 x Cortex A510 efficiency cores.
The addition of two semi-performant cores means the operating system should source the work that requires a decent amount of power to the A715 and A710 cores, mostly while the A715 cores run at a lower clock speed and A710 on maximum clock speed. This ensures that the second-most powerful cores aren’t always at work, but the semi-powerful cores are, which might not seem like a big deal, but you’d be surprised how big of a difference it can make.
8 Gen 2 is More Efficient
Besides, the new Cortex A715 cores are deemed both powerful and power-efficient, and the combination with A710 cores could offer more power when needed, but also more efficiency. This translates to the 5000mAh battery in the S23 Ultra lasting longer. Although, we wish Samsung bumped the charging speed from 45W since the industry has adopted almost thrice as much charging speeds, but that’s not the case, sadly.
Other than the overall architecture, the 8 Gen 2 features other improvements such as a 40% efficient GPU and 30% increased GPU performance with Adreno 740, better connectivity (Snapdragon X70 5G modem), and support for AV1 decoding.
Camera Improvements
Enough about the processor, the cameras are also improved on the S23 Ultra — thanks to the ISOCELL HP2 200MP sensor — which is first in its class. The new sensor supposedly competes with the latest iPhones and Pixels, but only in-depth testing will tell the truth. However, on paper, given that Qualcomm has improved its spectra ISP on 8 Gen 2, the photos should come out better processed.
Should You Upgrade To S23 Ultra From S22 Ultra?
People who game or use heavy applications are the ones going to get the most out of the S23 Ultra. Not to mention, better battery life and upgraded optics should help improve the overall experience coming from a Galaxy S22 Ultra. However, if you’re satisfied with the S22 Ultra and can wait for another year, we suggest skipping the S23 Ultra and eyeing the S24 Ultra next year. Here’s why:
- The speed difference between the 8 Gen 1 and 8 Gen 2 is considerable, but an average user may not feel it in day-to-day usage.
- The S23 Ultra is significantly expensive, at least in the subcontinent.
- The S23 Ultra features the same periscope 10MP camera as the S22 Ultra.
- The S22 Ultra’s battery isn’t bad per se, the S23 Ultra should give you at least 30 minutes to an hour of extra juice (Hopefully).
What are your thoughts about the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra? Are you planning to upgrade your S22 Ultra to the same? Let us know in the comments section below.
