The Galaxy S23 Ultra is no different, and that’s okay

OPINION: Earlier this week, Samsung unveiled its flagship 2023 smartphone lineup, the Samsung Galaxy S23 series.

While the line boasts the usual yearly updates, including a more powerful processor, better cameras, and new software, I’ve noticed some fans have been particularly critical of the Galaxy S23 Ultra, claiming it’s essentially the same as the Galaxy S22. Ultra.

It’s easy to see why they feel that way – the design is pretty much unchanged from the S22 Ultra, it has the same 5,000mAh battery, the same display technology, and there are no meaningful upgrades to the S Pen Ultra’s functionality – but to be honest, I don’t see this is a big problem.

Why? Because the incremental upgrades on offer, combined with last year’s model’s already cutting-edge technology, pushes the smartphone forward significantly, rather than just redesigning or introducing features for the sake of it.

I mean, look at this; The S23 Ultra’s ultra-premium 6.8″ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display is one of the best, the new 200MP main camera really looks like a big leap forward, especially in low light, and while it stays the same, the 5000mAh battery should be more than enough to provide a full day of use.

Even a slight decrease in the curvature of the display, which may not seem so big on the announcement, is surprisingly noticeable as soon as you pick up the smartphone.

Let’s not forget the Galaxy’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, which will push performance higher than most competing flagships, meaning you’ll get the very best mobile performance from a top smartphone.

Of course, it is not new and not redesigned, but why is it needed if it meets so many requirements?

If you’re not a Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra owner, the S23 Ultra remains a tempting option for consumers looking for a significant upgrade over their current smartphone.

Looking at the bigger picture, smartphone innovation has slowed somewhat over the past few years compared to the early 2000s, when technology advanced rapidly throughout the year.

Smartphones used to move so fast because there were notable advances to be made, whether it was high-resolution displays, all-day battery life, or powerful cameras—the benchmarks that are now mostly performed in today’s smartphone market.

Now we have displays with incredible detail, cameras capable of capturing photos and videos in a wide variety of scenarios, and more than enough processing power to play the most demanding mobile games, so what else to do? What else does a smartphone need? At some point, it becomes something more.

That’s why the incremental changes to the Galaxy S23 Ultra are so important. This is not about introducing new technologies just for the sake of a few headlines at launch, but about improving the quality of the smartphone for the user year after year.

If Samsung truly believes it has achieved this with the Galaxy S23 Ultra, then I’m fine with that.