PR / Business Insider
The Galaxy S23 Plus from Samsung is a big phone with specs and features you would expect from a premium Android phone.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra is in a class of its own with its four cameras, the S Pen stylus and the particularly large display.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra* has a proud price of 1399.00 euros, so we recommend most people the 1199.00 euros Galaxy S23 Plus* – but you can currently buy both models for less than 1000.00 euros.
On the one hand, the Galaxy S23 Plus is what you’d expect from a premium, high-end smartphone, and it competes with other high-end phones like the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max or the Google Pixel 7 Pro with similar specs and functions compete. On the other hand, there is the Galaxy S23 Ultra, which is in a league of its own and currently has no competition in the western market. Because even the iPhone 14 Pro Max or the Pixel 7 Pro have smaller displays, one less camera and no integrated stylus. Also, they are both cheaper.
So should you go for a “regular” premium phone or one that goes one step further and costs more? We gravitate towards the Galaxy S23 Plus because it offers comprehensive performance and features at a well-known price. But of course it’s good that the Galaxy S23 Ultra gives you the option to get even more if you need it – although more doesn’t necessarily mean better here.
Buy Samsung Galaxy S23
Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus vs. Galaxy S23 Ultra: The features at a glance
| Feature | Galaxy S23 Plus | Galaxy S23 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.6 inch OLED, 1080 pixels, 120 Hertz | 6.8 inch OLED, up to 1440 pixels, 120 Hertz |
| processor | 2nd generation Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 optimized for the Galaxy | 2nd generation Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 optimized for the Galaxy |
| Storage | 256 Gigabyte, 512 Gigabyte | 256 Gigabyte, 512 Gigabyte, 1 Terabyte |
| battery and charging | 4,700mAh, 45W | 5,000mAh, 45W |
| Camera | 50 megapixel main camera, 12 megapixel ultra wide angle, 10 megapixel 3x zoom | 200 megapixel main camera, 12 megapixel ultra wide angle, 10 megapixel 3x zoom, 10 megapixel 10x zoom |
| Selfie-Camera | 12 Megapixel | 12 Megapixel |
| Preis | from 1199.00 euros RRP | from 1399.00 euros RRP |
Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus vs. Galaxy S23 Ultra: Design und Displays
The Galaxy S23 Ultra has sharper corners that make for a more square look as opposed to the round look of the Galaxy S23 Plus. The Galaxy S23 Ultra also has slightly curved screen edges on the left and right compared to the flat display of the Galaxy S23 Plus.
Both models have multiple cameras on the rear, with each individual lens protruding slightly rather than being part of a larger camera module. The size difference between the Galaxy S23 Plus and Galaxy S23 Ultra is only 0.2 inches, but that makes a big difference. The Galaxy S23 Ultra’s 6.8-inch display, with its sharper corners, is significantly larger than the Galaxy S23 Plus’ 6.6-inch display, which has a rounded screen.
Antonio Villas-Boas/Insider
The Galaxy S23 Ultra also offers the option to adjust the screen resolution from the standard 1080 pixels to a sharper 1440 pixels, while the Galaxy S23 Plus is fixed at 1080 pixels. However, we never felt the need to tweak the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s display, as the default 1080-pixel resolution is simply sharp enough for everything we did during testing and in normal use. This also saves battery.
Significant differences in weight
Weight is an important factor these days as the big premium phones are getting heavier, so it could have an impact on whether you buy a phone or not. The Galaxy S23 Ultra is indeed a fairly heavy phone at just under 234 grams. It’s a lot heavier than the Galaxy S23 Plus at 196 grams, so there’s a better balance between size and weight.
The processor performance is identical
Both the Galaxy S23 Plus and Galaxy S23 Plus are powered by Qualcomm’s second-gen Snapdragon 8, which has been optimized for the Galaxy to give it a slight boost in performance compared to other Android phones. It also means that both models are equally powerful to run any app or game. So the performance is the same.
Battery life surprise
Antonio Villas-Boas/Insider
However, the Galaxy S23 Plus and the Galaxy S23 Ultra differ in terms of battery life. The Galaxy S23 Plus ended our battery stress test with 67 percent remaining runtime, the Galaxy S23 Ultra with 61 percent, which was unexpected. We expected the larger Galaxy S23 Ultra to do better than the smaller Galaxy S23 Plus in our battery test, as most larger smartphones do.
Both models support 45-watt charging speeds, but neither comes with a 45-watt charger. If you don’t already have a charger that supports charging speeds of up to 45 watts, you’ll need to buy one to get the most out of the charging speeds of the two phones. However, charging at 45 watts isn’t necessary – it’s more of a convenience factor, giving you a quick boost in battery life when you need it.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus vs. Galaxy S23 Ultra: Kameras
One of the main differentiators of the Galaxy S23 Ultra is its camera system. It has a 200 megapixel (MP) main camera, a 12 MP ultrawide camera, a 10 MP 3x zoom lens and a 10 MP 10x zoom lens.
For comparison, the Galaxy S23 Plus has a 50MP main camera, a 12MP ultrawide camera and a 10MP camera with a 3x optical zoom. The Galaxy S23 Ultra’s 10x zoom lens is a huge advantage over the Galaxy S23 Plus when it comes to capturing sharp, clear photos of distant subjects.
However, we didn’t find the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s 200MP main camera to offer a huge advantage over the Galaxy S23 Plus’s 50MP camera, whether for brightly lit photos or those taken in low light.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus vs. Galaxy S23 Ultra: S Pen
Antonio Villas-Boas/Insider
The Galaxy S23 Ultra is the only model in the Galaxy S23 range to feature Samsung’s S Pen stylus built right into the phone. It’s not a must-have for most people, and Galaxy S23 Ultra owners who don’t want to use the S Pen can ignore it and forget it’s even there. Still, it’s a useful tool for note-taking and those who use a stylus for more precise typing, whether for general Android and app navigation or for finer photo editing where a finger just isn’t precise enough.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus vs. Galaxy S23 Ultra: Which model should you buy?
Antonio Villas-Boas/Insider
Despite the larger dimensions of the Galaxy S23 Ultra, the S Pen and the additional 10x zoom lens, we recommend the Galaxy S23 Plus first. It’s a smartphone with a comparatively large display, it beat the Galaxy S23 Ultra in our battery stress test, and it has a camera system that most people will be happy with, all at a lower price point.
If you take a lot of photos with your phone and use the zoom lens more often than the main camera, then the Galaxy S23 Ultra is a good smartphone for you. And if you’ve always wished for finer, more accurate typing on the screen, the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s S Pen could be indispensable.
This article is a translation. You can find the English-language original by Antonio Villas-Boas from “Insider” here: “Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus vs. Galaxy S23 Ultra: Which premium Android phone should you buy?”