Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs S22 Ultra, the characteristics studied

Now that the Galaxy S23 is official, you’re probably asking yourself this legitimate question: should you fall in love with Samsung’s new smartphone or not? Today we take a look at the S23 Ultra case. Does it bring enough change to overshadow the S22 Ultra? The first response element in this comparison.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra logically replaces the S22 Ultra. What are the main developments and does this justify the smartphone change? So many questions that we try to answer here by comparing the two products point by point to help you make the right choice.

Notes : this comparison was made based on our handling of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and before the full test of the smartphone.

Galaxy S22 Ultra vs S23 Ultra: a technical sheet comparison

The spec sheets for both products provide a first look at some of the changes Samsung has made to its Galaxy S23. The first is found on the side of the chip that powers the phone: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, not the Samsung Exynos 2200. The second concerns the 200-megapixel camera module that replaces the 108-megapixel module of the S22 Ultra. The Korean manufacturer has made a few other adjustments which we detail a little below.

We won’t be returning to the OneUI 5.1 interface that the S23 Ultra will take advantage of after release, to the extent that it will also be coming to the S22 Ultra via an update.

designing

Let’s start with the obvious: The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra looks like two drops of water from its predecessor. Changes are visible in the thicker contours of the photo module, as well as in the slightly less curved screen. This last point improves grip a bit, but is far from a “game changer”. The manufacturer has also slightly revised the notch of its S-Pen stylus, which is still placed directly on the phone.

Thus, the dimensions of the two products are almost identical. The S23 Ultra is only 5g heavier than the S22 Ultra, at 233g. We still use large smartphones that are used mainly with two hands and do not fit in all pockets. While still very attractive, the design has hardly changed.

In terms of build quality, the Galaxy S23 Ultra can boast of having the Gorilla Glass Victus 2 glass protection, compared to the slightly less resistant Gorilla Glass Victus+ on the S22 Ultra. Both phones benefit from IP68 certification which makes them water and dust resistant.

Winner: ex aequo

screen

In 2023, the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s 6.8-inch QHD+ AMOLED panel still has no reason to be shy about the competition. The maximum brightness of 1750 cd/m2 offers the phone excellent legibility in all light conditions. Therefore, Samsung decided to equip the Galaxy S23 Ultra with the same screen.

We still find LTPO 2.0 technology which allows the screen to “navigate” between 1 and 120 Hz to support the speed or save battery depending on the content being displayed. If you’re playing a game, for example, the screen switches to 120 Hz for optimal fluidity. If you’re just watching an image, the panel can drop down to as little as 1 Hz without affecting your user experience.

Samsung has mastered the subject and therefore did not consider it necessary to significantly upgrade its screen on the new Galaxy S23 Ultra. The Korean brand may have made some improvements on the sidelines, but you won’t see any notable differences with the S22 Ultra.

Winner: ex aequo

Show

This year, Samsung will make a huge leap in performance thanks to its new chip: Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. By ditching its in-house SoC (Exynos 2200) for the European version, Samsung is giving itself the means to take on all future high-end smartphones in 2023. We’ve tested the new high-end chip, And we weren’t disappointed!

CPU performance is logically superior to the excellent Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, but the most obvious improvement is undoubtedly found in the graphics department. Qualcomm announced a gain of about 25%, which is far from negligible, especially if you like to play. The Galaxy S23 Ultra also incorporates a vapor chamber to better dissipate heat and thus provide optimal performance.

The Korean manufacturer has also worked closely with Qualcomm to optimize the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 on its Galaxy S23. This is primarily reflected in the better performance of the NPU (Neural Processing Unit) which uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to learn from your usage to improve performance, autonomy or even photos. The Exynos 2200 of the S22 Ultra clearly lags behind.

Winner: Galaxy S23Ultra

Autonomy and charging speed

To ensure the autonomy of its Galaxy S23 Ultra, Samsung still relies on a 5,000 mAh capacity battery. Hence, there are no changes at this point compared to the S22 Ultra. But other parameters come into play and especially the energy efficiency of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip. At this point, Qualcomm announced that its SoC is 40% more efficient than its predecessor.

A significant advantage that allows the S23 Ultra to better manage its consumption than the S22 Ultra, without increasing battery capacity. Finally, Samsung may have been working on software optimizations that, combined, could save precious endurance time on new ones superior.

On the other hand, don’t expect “ultra-fast” charging on the Galaxy S23 Ultra which remains stuck at 45W wired and 15W wireless. As with the S22 Ultra, Samsung won’t be providing any sort of charger in the box.

Winner: Galaxy S23Ultra

Picture

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is still equipped with four camera modules. 12 MP ultra wide angle, 10 MP telephoto lens for x3 optical zoom, another telephoto lens for x10 optical zoom, and 200 MP main (wide angle) module. It didn’t escape you, the S22 Ultra adopts the same configuration, but with a 108 megapixel main module.

Concretely, the increased number of megapixels will make it possible to push back the boundaries of technology “pixel doubling” which will merge up to sixteen adjacent pixels into one larger pixel. A method that captures more light and improves image quality, especially in night scenes. You can then choose to take shots in 12.5, 50, or 200 megapixels to support sharpness in already bright scenes, or more clarity in dark scenes.

Another notable point is the presence of more efficient “dual pixel” autofocus in all camera modules to improve focus and image sharpness. Confident about the improved image quality that the new autofocus can produce, Samsung has no qualms about upgrading its front camera module from 40 to 12 megapixels. Lastly, the S23 Ultra is now capable of shooting up to [email protected]oppose [email protected] for its predecessor.

Winner: Galaxy S23Ultra

The S23 Ultra won the fight, but not by knockout

As you have seen in this comparison, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra presents an incremental improvement over what the Galaxy S22 Ultra already offers. Depending on your expectations, these changes will be more or less important.

The most obvious improvement can undoubtedly be found in the raw performance that this phone can offer. The camera module upgrade is also a point to be tested in depth.

For the rest, the S23 Ultra is more evolution than revolution. We obviously reserved our final opinion for our full test of the product which you will find soon on 01net.