SAMSUNG

Galaxy S23 Ultra: still more of the same

The new Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, released on February 2, looks exactly the same as the Galaxy S22 Ultra released in 2022. It would be difficult for the average consumer to find the difference just by looking at the pictures. With the same square screen size, S Pen stylus and five round cameras on the back, the two phones are pretty much the same phone, and Samsung doesn't even try to hide it.

Of course, the Galaxy S23 Ultra features the latest 2nd generation Snapdragon 8 chipset, a 200Mp main camera, and several new software technologies. However, the word evolution is more appropriate than the word innovation. At least, the S23 has the feature of supporting Culcom's special 2nd generation Snapdragon 8, boosting the CPU clock speed to 3.36GHz, but this element is not easy to feel very special from a consumer point of view. . Ultimately, the S23 isn't much different from the previous generation product released a year ago, and that trend is likely to continue well into the future.

It's not just Samsung. Apple's iPhone 14 also looks almost identical to the iPhone 13. It's a different version, but it's pretty much the same phone. Google's Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 are in a similar situation. Samsung tweaked the rear camera design of the new Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus. If you look at the numbers related to the camera's specs, it's the same as the S22 series. When you put the S23 in the case it looks like the S22 and the S22 looks like the S21.

The S23 Ultra's 200Mp sensor does smart pixel binning and improves low-light performance, so image quality is good. But the ultra-wide telephoto lens is the same as last year. Most of the time, you won't notice much difference if you compress the size of your photos and post them on social media.

Perhaps this is a natural result. That's because Samsung's smartphones are always selling well, even if they don't put a lot of effort into developing a new version. Even if you launch a smartphone with a similar design to the previous generation, the sales figures are always similar or even better. If you look at the reviews of famous IT journalists or YouTubers, then new products are rated at the level of 4 or 5 points.

This area also includes technical consultants. Technical consultants try to focus on the merits of the product itself rather than comparing and reviewing products. In other words, we don't lower the ratings just because it's similar to the previous generation. In that sense, I personally strongly recommend buying the 13 instead of the 14 for the iPhone model, because it's better to buy a cheaper one if it's a similar product.

This logic applies equally to Samsung. If you like the S23 Ultra, I recommend getting the S22, which is nearly identical. The S22 Ultra and S23 Ultra are similar, but just at a lower price point because they were released last year. Anyway, the user experience is similar for both products.

The same goes for the S23 and S23 Plus. Unless you prefer the updated design even more this year, the S22 or S22 Plus offer great features for less money. Apple and Samsung support at least four years of software updates, which is enough for a smartphone you buy a year after launch. It's easy to be tempted to buy a brand new product, but the days of smartphones with monumental new designs are over. It means that it is difficult to expect from the manufacturer the huge surprise that we felt when we switched from the iPhone 4 to the iPhone 5 or from the Galaxy S5 to the Galaxy S6.

In this regard, in recent years, Apple and Samsung have released almost the same smartphone every year, and they only do extensive marketing that a new version has come out. Of course, there are strategic differences between the two companies. The 2020 iPhone 12 is still available to buy as new, but Samsung is not officially selling the 2021 S21, S21 Plus, and S21 Ultra.

I'm not saying what the best strategy is. Major smartphone manufacturers already plan to release new versions of their products every year, but what if Apple and Samsung don't release new flagship smartphones every year? What would the market look like if we followed the same path as the Fairphone to make it last and not encourage replacement?

At the Galaxy Unpacked 2023 event in the US this week, Samsung boasted that the S23 Ultra has more parts made from recycled materials than the S22 Ultra. However, it is not environmentally friendly to create a program that extends the battery replacement and support period so that the S22 can be used longer, instead of giving you a smartphone that can be used enough and inducing you to buy one. new?

Rather than helping users keep their smartphones longer, major smartphone manufacturers release new products once a year, creating the illusion that a new smartphone is needed. But keep in mind. If you are using a relatively new smartphone, it is functionally equivalent to the brand new iPhone 14 or Galaxy S23 Ultra.

I'm not saying that you shouldn't blindly buy a new phone. But now the era has come when you can use a smartphone with good enough performance without having to change it every year. In fact, unlike in the past, I can't find many noteworthy features about this Samsung S23 series. This structure, in which profits can only be made by launching new products each year, may be blocking innovation in smartphones.

Source image: ⓒ Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry