Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus vs. Galaxy S23 Ultra: Which premium Android phone should you buy?

Two large-screen smartphones, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus and Galaxy S23 Ultra, serve as a dividing line in Samsung’s most recent Galaxy S23 series.

On the one hand, the Galaxy S23 Plus is exactly what you’d expect in a high-end premium phone. It competes with other premium smartphones with comparable hardware and features, like the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max or Google Pixel 7 Pro.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra has no rivals in the US market and is in a league of its own. No, the Pixel 7 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max are not on the same level because they have smaller screens, fewer cameras, and no built-in stylus. Additionally, both are less expensive.

So, should you get a “normal” premium phone or something more advanced and pricey? For its comprehensive performance and features at a more conventional price point, we favour the Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus. But it’s great to have the choice to go bigger with “more” if you want to with the Galaxy S23 Ultra, even though it’s not necessarily better.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus vs. Galaxy S23 Ultra: Design and Screens 

Despite being members of the same family, the Galaxy S23 Plus and Galaxy S23 Ultra have very different looks.

In contrast to the Galaxy S23 Plus’ more rounded design, the Galaxy S23 Ultra features sharper corners that give it a more rectangular appearance. In addition, the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s screen borders on the left and right are slightly curved as opposed to the flat display of the Galaxy S23 Plus.

Both have rear cameras, however instead of being a part of a bigger camera module, each lens sticks out slightly. It has a refined, minimalist style that is simple to adore.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra’s 6.8 inch display with sharper corners is visibly bigger than the Galaxy S23 Plus’ 6.6 inch display with more rounded corners. Despite there only being a 0.2 inch difference in screen size between the two devices.

The display resolution may also be changed from the standard 1080p to the crisper 1440p on the Galaxy S23 Ultra. However it cannot be changed on the Galaxy S23 Plus. Having said that, we never found the need to change the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s display’s resolution to 1440p. The reason is the 1080p resolution is set by default and is more than sufficient for everything.

These days, the weight of large premium phones is an important consideration. It may affect your decision to purchase a phone.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is significantly heavier than the 6.91-ounce Galaxy S23 Plus. It strikes a more comfortable balance between size and weight.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus vs. Galaxy S23 Ultra: Performance and battery life 

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Optimised for Galaxy chip from Qualcomm powers the Galaxy S23 Plus and Galaxy S23 Plus. It is a variant of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 standard that has been specially tailored for Samsung’s Galaxy S23 phones. It provides a modest performance advantage over other Android phones.

Additionally, it means that both models are equally capable of running any app or game in your library. Each model will perform just as well as the other over an extended period of time.

Battery life varies between the Galaxy S23 Plus and Galaxy S23 Ultra. Unexpectedly, the Galaxy S23 Plus finished our battery stress test with 67% of its capacity left, while the Galaxy S23 Ultra only had 61%. As is typical for larger smartphones, the larger Galaxy S23 Ultra outperformed the smaller Galaxy S23 Plus in our battery stress test.

Although neither model comes with a 45W charger, both models support 45W charging rates. To make the most of each phone’s charging rates, you’ll need to purchase a charger that supports up to 45W charging speeds if you don’t already have one. That said, charging at 45W is not required; rather, it is more of a convenience feature that extends battery life.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus vs. Galaxy S23 Ultra: Cameras 

The camera system of the Galaxy S23 Ultra is one of its key differentiators. It contains a 200-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide, a 10-megapixel 3x zoom lens, and a 10-megapixel 10-megapixel zoom lens.

Contrast that with the 50 MP main, 12 MP ultrawide, and 10 MP 3x optical zoom cameras on the Galaxy S23 Plus. The Galaxy S23 Ultra’s 10x zoom lens offers a significant edge over the Galaxy S23 Plus for taking sharp, crisp pictures of scenes that are very far away.

However, we didn’t find that the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s 200MP main camera provided much of a benefit over the Galaxy S23 Plus’ 50MP camera, whether for pictures taken in well-lit conditions or in dimly lit ones.

Galaxy S23 May 2023 Security Update

The Galaxy S23 series now got a fresh software update from Samsung. The Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23+, and Galaxy S23 Ultra now have the May 2023 security upgrade thanks to the new update. It is a minor upgrade that is now being sent out throughout Europe. The upgrade, though, might be made available soon in other nations.

Firmware version S91xBXXS1AWD1 is the most recent update for the Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23+, and Galaxy S23 Ultra. The upgrade is now accessible in Europe, but we anticipate that it will shortly spread to other areas. It includes the May 2023 security patch, which, as Samsung earlier today noted, resolves more than 70 security problems.