The Galaxy S23 Ultra includes several key improvements over the 2022 model — namely a 200MP main camera and a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip customized for Samsung phones. That latter addition not only improves performance but battery life as well. Otherwise, the Galaxy S23 Ultra has much in common with its predecessor, including a familiar design.
For
- Powerful 200MP camera
- Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip beats contemporary iPhones on graphics
- Awesome display
- Excellent battery life
- Smart One UI 5.1 upgrades
Against
- Very expensive
- Curved screen can get in way
- No upgrade in charging speed
While the Galaxy S23 Ultra introduced some notable improvements over the Galaxy S22 Ultra, the latter phone remained a solid enough device for existing owners to skip an upgrade. That could change once the Galaxy S25 Ultra arrives, as it will be three years since the S22 Ultra's release by then.
For
- Faster S Pen built in
- Super bright display
- Cameras offer strong low light performance
- Sleek design
- 45W charging
Against
- Pricey
- Less RAM than previous model
- Shorter battery life than S21 Ultra
Neither phone is the newest Ultra in town anymore — that honor goes to the Galaxy S24 Ultra — but a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. Galaxy S22 Ultra comparison remains relevant to show just how much can change from one year to the next. And with the Galaxy S25 Ultra likely to arrive in a few months, it's helpful to know where these older models fall short if you're mulling over an upgrade.
As we found in our Galaxy S23 Ultra review, Samsung's premium release from 2023 really focuses on cameras. The Galaxy S23 Ultra is highlighted by the switch to a 200-megapixel main shooter that's proven to raise the bar for camera phone photography. It's also a distinct leap forward over the 108MP shooter found on the Galaxy S22 Ultra. Plus, the S23 Ultra packs a 12MP front camera with better HDR performance and auto-focus for selfies.
The other big change with the Galaxy S23 Ultra's arrival involved a faster new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip exclusive to Samsung phones that boasts world-beating graphics performance. It also helped the newer Ultra last longer on a charge.
So what else is different between these two phones? Let's break it down in our Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. Galaxy S22 Ultra comparison.
Galaxy S23 Ultra vs S22 Ultra: Specs compared
Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. Galaxy S22 Ultra: Price
When it debuted in 2023, the base model of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra cost $1,199. That was the same starting price as the Galaxy S22 Ultra when it arrived a year earlier. Fortunately, with the S23 Ultra, you get double the starting storage, which is now 256GB vs 128GB for the previous model. The starting RAM remains 8GB.
There are additional versions of the Galaxy S23 Ultra, including a 12GB/512GB model that cost $1,379 when it debuted; a 1TB version of the Galaxy S23 Ultra cost you $1,619. The S22 Ultra offered 256GB and 512GB upgrades.
Samsung upped the price on its Ultra model by $100 with the release of the Galaxy S24 Ultra, making the S23 Ultra's starting price a relative bargain. We would assume the price of the S23 Ultra has fallen further, given the arrival of a newer model and the length of time that's elapsed since its original release. In other words, if someone's still charging $1,199 for the Galaxy S23 Ultra, they're charging you too much at this point. Check out the best cell phone deals to see if there are any deals on these older Samsung models.
Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. Galaxy S22 Ultra: Design and colors
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra looks pretty much the same as the Galaxy S22 Ultra, but there are some notable differences if you look closer. For one, the camera array on the back is a bit larger on the newer phone due to its bigger 200MP camera, but not enough to be an eye sore.
One welcome upgrade is that the display on the S23 Ultra has a less severe curve, which makes writing and drawing using the S Pen a more natural and comfy experience as you approach the edges of the phone. Even so, in our Galaxy S23 Ultra testing, we still found it difficult to tap on icons or buttons on the extreme edge of the display where there still is some curve.
While both the Galaxy S23 Ultra and Galaxy S22 Ultra sport a sturdy armor aluminum frame, the S23 Ultra features new Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the display and rear of the phone, which should better protect the new Samsung S23 Ultra from drops and scratches.
Measuring 6.4 x 3.0 x 0.35 inches and weighing 8.2 ounces, Galaxy S23 Ultra is slightly narrower and heavier than the Galaxy S22 Ultra, which measures 6.43 x 3.07 x 0.35 inches and weights 8.94 ounces.
The main Galaxy S23 Ultra color options are Phantom Black, Cream, Green and Lavender. The Galaxy S22 Ultra colors are Phantom Black, Phantom White, Burgundy and Green. Samsung had been offering additional color options if you ordered your phone from the phone maker's website, but the Graphite, Lime, Light Blue and Red options appear to be gone.
Similar though the phones may be, if you do opt for the Galaxy S23 Ultra, you're going to want one of the best Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra cases since those are designed to fit the new phone perfectly. The best Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra cases are designed to fit the older model.
Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. Galaxy S22 Ultra: Display
Both the Galaxy S23 Ultra and Galaxy S22 Ultra sport a 6.8-inch AMOLED display with QuadHD+ resolution and a refresh rate that goes from 1 to 120Hz. And you still get a max brightness of 1,750 nits with either phone.
In our testing, the Galaxy S23 Ultra screen hit 1,225 nits, which was actually less than the 1,359 we recorded when testing the S22 Ultra last year. Regardless, both screens are bright enough to be seen in sunlight. That said, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is brighter than both phones at 1,363 nits in our testing, as Samsung embraces the brighter display trend that most phone makers are pursuing these days.
The S23 Ultra Samsung has an enhanced comfort feature allows users to adjust color tones and contrast levels, lessening eye strain from screen time at night. In addition, the Vision Booster feature now adjusts at three levels of lighting instead of two to fight glare in daylight.
Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. Galaxy S22 Ultra: Cameras
The biggest Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. Galaxy S22 Ultra differences come down to the cameras, starting with a new 200MP sensor on the S23 Ultra that delivers enough detail to create poster-size prints.
The adaptive pixel sensor on the S23 Ultra can also combine 16 pixels into one larger pixel for brighter and more detailed photos, especially in lower light situations. If you engage the 200MP mode, you can also crop in on photos after the fact and reframe your shot.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra also includes a newer 12MP front camera, which seems like a downgrade compared to the the Galaxy S22 Ultra's 40MP front camera. However, Samsung promises better portraits overall thanks to better AI along with a compelling Night portrait mode.
Just like the Galaxy S22 Ultra, the Galaxy S23 Ultra features dual 10MP telephoto cameras with 3x and 10x optical zoom, and a 30x digital zoom option. You can even go all the way up to 100x Space Zoom. Samsung has subsequently replaced that 10MP/10x optical zoom lens with a 50MP version that only offers a 5x zoom for the Galaxy S24 Ultra, which we felt was a step back for Samsung's otherwise superlative zoom capabilities.
Back to the S23 Ultra: it builds on the Nightography features of the S22 Ultra, optimizing photos in low light while reducing noise and improved details and color tones. There's still an Expert RAW app for shooting in RAW format, but now you can tinker with multiple exposures or use Astrophoto settings to capture the stars.
Video gets a boost with the Samsung S23 Ultra, as you can now shoot 8K video at 30fps, up from 24fps. And you get double the optical image stabilizer angles for steadier footage.
We've tested the Galaxy S23 Ultra's cameras, but against phones like the iPhone 14 Pro Max and the Pixel 7 Pro — not against its predecessor. Still, the S23 Ultra's camera capabilities impressed us enough to declare that Samsung's phone was the best camera phone at the time; subsequent releases — including the S24 Ultra — have since replaced the S23 Ultra on that list. Nevertheless, it remains a very strong performer when taking photos and capturing video.
Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. Galaxy S22 Ultra: Performance
The Galaxy S23 Ultra featured a first for Samsung phones when it came out in 2023: an exclusive Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy. This chip offered more clock speed than the regular version of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, along with the fastest graphics performance you can get on a phone.
At the time, Samsung said the graphics performance of the S23 Ultra is 40% faster than the Galaxy S22 Ultra and the AI performance is 40% faster. A bigger vapor cooling chamber on the newer model also helped deliver stronger sustained performance.
As you can see from our benchmark results, the S23 Ultra definitely improved upon the S22 Ultra's performance, even though the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip powering the latter phone was no slouch in our testing.
In our Galaxy S23 Ultra benchmarks, the new phone beat the Galaxy S22 Ultra and its Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 silicon in every way. More impressively, the graphics scores even topped Apple's current iPhone models at the time of testing — the iPhone 14 series, to be exact — so the Galaxy S23 Ultra was quite the powerhouse handset in its heyday.
Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. Galaxy S22 Ultra: Software
The Galaxy S23 Ultra ran Android 13 out of the box, and based on our Android 13 review, the upgrades are nice to have, but not monumental. This release focused on things like stability, permissions changes and Material You design personalization, along with better privacy and security.
There's also an updated media player in Android 13 and the ability to customize Bedtime mode to help your eyes adjust before going to bed. Other highlights include spatial audio support for the best headphones.
Samsung's One UI 5.1 software delivered a bunch of new upgrades to the S23 Ultra. These included Bixby Text call for responding to incoming calls with a text; Bixby will literally answer the call for you in its voice and then you tell it what to say.
Other One UI 5.1 highlights include a Routines option for triggering a sequence of actions on your device and the ability to co-edit Samsung notes while on a Google Meet call. Some of these features have found their way to the Galaxy S22 Ultra via software updates.
Speaking of software updates, when the Galaxy S24 series came out, it arrived with a bunch of Galaxy AI features that tap into artificial intelligence to automate time-consuming tasks. These include translation tools, writing assistance and a Circle to Search feature that makes it easier to find things just by tapping images. Samsung extended many of those features to both the Galaxy S23 Ultra and Galaxy S22 Ultra through the One UI 6.1 update earlier this year.
Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. Galaxy S22 Ultra: Battery life and charging
On paper the Galaxy S23 Ultra is similar to the Galaxy S22 Ultra with the same 5,000 mAh battery. But in reality, the newer Ultra lasts a lot longer on a charge, which we credit to the S23 Ultra's more efficient Snapdragon silicon.
We test the battery life of phones by having them surf the web continuously over cellular until they run out of power. The Galaxy S23 Ultra lasted for 12 hours and 22 minutes. That lands it on our list for the best phone battery life. The Galaxy S22 Ultra finished 2 hours behind the S23 Ultra's time, and that was with the display's dynamic refresh rate feature turned off. That's quite an improvement.
The S23 Ultra continues to offer 45W fast charging, which promises 65% charge in 30 minutes with the right adapter (not included). Sadly, our S23 Ultra only got to 57% in our testing. The wireless charging speed stays the same as well.
Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. Galaxy S22 Ultra: Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. Galaxy S22 Ultra comparison really comes down to a few key areas. The biggest is the jump from 108MP to 200MP on the main camera, with image quality really making this a critical upgrade for the Ultra. The new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip is also a really big deal, given its terrific graphics performance and how it helps the new phone last longer. Those who use the S Pen a lot will probably like the flatter display on the S23 Ultra as well.
At this point, upgrading to either model is likely out of the question, given the age of the devices. But if you've got either phone, knowing the differences we just outlined can help you make an upgrade decision the next time Samsung updates its Galaxy S line — which will likely happen at the start of 2025 with the Galaxy S25 family.
Because of the camera improvements and long battery life of the Galaxy S23 Ultra, you may be comfortable holding onto that phone for another year — especially if Samsung continues to charge $1,299 for its Ultra model as it did with the S24 Ultra. Galaxy S22 Ultra owners, however, might see more reason to upgrade, with the chance to take great leaps forward with performance, camera quality and battery life, not to mention any new Galaxy AI features Samsung introduces with the S25 lineup.
