Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Vs Galaxy S23 Ultra: The Right Upgrade!
Today’s topic is no different than before. And we have already talked about the Galaxy S25 Ultra with the Galaxy S24 Ultra smartphone, giving you an ideal decision about which to pick this year. Now, some of you are still using the old Galaxy S23 Ultra from 2023. You might be wondering if this is the time you should switch to the new one.
Well, today I will go a deep dive into the S25 Ultra versus the S23 Ultra’s offering. Find out whether you should get the new Ultra or not. Without further ado, let’s dive into the comparison review:
Table of Contents
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Galaxy S23 Ultra: Key Differences
Here’s a few informative key features that makes both Galaxy S25 Ultra and S23 Ultra apart from their core offerings. They are given down below:
| Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra |
| Titanium Frame (Upgraded) | Aluminum Frame |
| Snapdragon 8 Elite (3nm) | Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4nm) |
| 218 grams (Lighter build) | 234 grams (Heavier than S25 Ultra) |
| S-Pen (No Bluetooth) | S-Pen (Bluetooth & Air Actions) |
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Galaxy S23 Ultra: Design & Build
| S25 Ultra | S23 Ultra |
| Flat Design | Curved Design |
| Titanium Body | Aluminum Body |
| Lighter build than previous model | Slightly heavier than latest Ultra |
Let’s talk about the design and overall built changes Samsung made this year with the S25 Ultra. In comparison there are really good chances you might wanna look for a check for the second time.
Previously with the S23 Ultra, it had a touch from the S22 Ultra, a curvier design all-around. Aluminum framing, and a Gorilla Glass Victus 2 for protecting the precious display.
There was a curved display as well, which looked and felt premium for users who loved curved displays. You also get a few unique color options from Samsung like BMW M Edition, Lavender, Lime and so on.
Now with the new S25 Ultra, you are getting a refined finishing all-around. There is the brand new and upgraded Titanium body, Gorilla Glass Armor 2 to protect the displays further and more of a flat or boxier design. I don’t personally like this too much sharp corners, but some user’s will definitely find it attractive. As for the color options, you get all the common colors with Titanium like the Titanium Silver Blue, Titanium Green and so on.
Read More: S25 Ultra Vs S24 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Galaxy S23 Ultra: Display
| S25 Ultra | S23 Ultra |
| 6.9-Inch | 6.8-Inch |
| Gorilla Armor 2 | Gorilla Victus 2 |
| 2600 nits | 1750 nits |
Now that you have heard a bit changes about the design features, let’s go on top of the device and talk about the overall display both devices have to offer.
As for the display of the S23 Ultra, you get similar display quality like the newly released Galaxy S25 Ultra. Although there are few differences seen, you get almost 48% improvement in the screen-to-body ratio. From 1750 nits you get around 2600 nits with the S25 Ultra’s display.
There’s also greater protection for the display with the new one, now with Gorilla Armor 2 from Corning, you are getting better protection in terms of drops and bumps. While the previous S23 Ultra had Gorilla Glass Victus 2, which is still good but not as much as the Armor 2, so do keep in mind about these changes.
Viewing angle looks just like the new one, and of course you will get slight changes due to a better solution compared to the S23 Ultra. One thing which did disappoint is the refresh rate, from the last three years, Samsung still providing the same old 120Hz refresh rate, I mean why Samsung? Where brands like ZTE or even recently popular Motorola provide 144Hz refresh rate, why can’t our beloved Samsung do it? I Hope Samsung will bring some changes next year.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Galaxy S23 Ultra: Camera
| S25 Ultra | S23 Ultra |
| 50MP ultrawide Lens | 8K Recording | 12MP Ultrawide, No 8K ultra wide Lens |
| 50MP Periscope Camera with 5x Optical Zoom | 10MP Periscope Camera with 10x Optical Zoom |
Moving on, here are some of the most useful changes Samsung made, which will really push you to get the new Ultra. Both the S25 Ultra and the S23 Ultra give you quad camera setup.
Noticed few changes in the megapixels, and the higher resolution video recording capability. Previously with the S23 Ultra, you only had a 10MP periscope lens with 10x optical zoom. TherYou also get a 50MP ultrawide lens with the new S25 Ultra, which is missing in the older S23 Ultra.
Now with the new Galaxy S25 Ultra, you get 50MP periscope telephoto with 5x optical zoom. Don’t ask why, but Samsung made this changes just to compete with rest of the android brands. There’s also 8K recording with the S25 Ultra, giving you better video recording for those who like to make wider vlogs. You will miss these fancy features in your old S23 Ultra.
Among these few camera changes, there is no major shift from the S23 Ultra.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Galaxy S23 Ultra: Performance
| S25 Ultra | S23 Ultra |
| Snapdragon 8 Elite | Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 |
| Adreno 830 | Adreno 740 |
| Up to 12GB RAM | Up to 12GB RAM |
This is the section where users wait to get some changes, and the only sector Samsung noticeably made upgrades. Talking about the performance guys, and to give you a straight answer, it’s a huge leap from S23 Ultra’s Snapdragon 8 gen 2.
With the new Galaxy S25 Ultra, there is the flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, providing you 4.47Ghz processing power compared to last year’s 3.36GHz processing. This is around 33% improvement from the last two years. Running multiple applications and games won’t do any harm with this processing power.
Talking about games, the Galaxy S25 Ultra now comes with Adreno 830 GPU, a shift from S23 Ultra’s Adreno 740. Playing most common hyped games like Genshin Impact or even Call of Duty: Mobile proved reliable FPS and visuals. Thanks to the high refresh rate with these Galaxy devices, the gameplay and overall operation in applications seemed really smooth.
In terms of communications changes, the new S25 Ultra gives you Wi-Fi 7 instead of S23 Ultra’s Wi-Fi 6e, which is a previous model of Wi-Fi but it still delivers great speed for download and uploads.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Galaxy S23 Ultra: S-Pen
| S25 Ultra | S23 Ultra |
| S-Pen (No bluetooth, no air actions) | S-Pen (Bluetooth, Air Actions) |
Here’s a portion where you will feel totally disappointed after reading this. Let me summarize the facts in a simple line, “You are not getting the Bluetooth and Magical Air gestures with the S-Pen of S25 Ultra”.
Alright now that you know, it is really an upsetting moment for new Galaxy users who are switching to the new S25 Ultra. As there is just drawing and note taking and simple AI feature interaction with the S-Pen.
Cause you are literally not getting the fancy “Air Actions” like opening the camera and taking pictures, presenting your business ppt slides by staying connected with your Ultra. No, not anymore, as there is no bluetooth function with the new S25 Ultra. As before, with the S23 Ultra, you got all those stylish S-Pen features, like “Air Actions”, bluetooth, and most of the note taking or drawing. All that gone, Puff!
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Galaxy S23 Ultra: UI & OS
| S25 Ultra | S23 Ultra |
| One UI 7 | One UI 6.1 |
| Android 15 | Android 13 |
| 7-Years OS Update | 4-Years OS Update |
Upgrading a device is your choice and yours only. And the portion I’m going to describe now is important nowadays. Samsung now provides 7-years of OS update, which was only limited to four years for S23 Ultra.
Before you get the One UI 6.1 on top of Android 13 with the S23 Ultra, it was okay for the overall customization and few features. But with the new Galaxy S25 Ultra, you are getting at least 7 years of OS update, which is a great thing not to wait or switch to new devices for newer OS.
There’s also new AI features from Samsung with the new Ultra. If you are currently using S23 Ultra, it did not have newer “Circle to Search”, “Best Take” and even a bunch of other features like noise cancelling and greater photo editing.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Galaxy S23 Ultra: Battery
| S25 Ultra | S23 Ultra |
| 5000mAh | 5000mAh |
| 45W Wired | 45W Wired |
| 15W Wireless (Qi2) | 15W Wireless (Qi) |
If you care about power, there are no single noticeable changes Samsung did this year with the new S25 Ultra.
Before you had 5000mAh battery with 45W wired charging with the S23 Ultra, and this was okay for the price and performance you were getting. What is surprising, the Galaxy S25 Ultra still comes with the same 5000mAh battery and the same 45W wired charging with just an upgraded Qi2 wireless charging.
I mean why Samsung, WHY? Why don’t you upgrade to at least 200mAh or 500mAh with the newer phone. It was the same battery capacity from the last five years and Samsung shamefully continued it. Hopefully will notice this user’s queries and upgrade in the upcoming Ultra devices.
Overall Specs
Here is both the device’s technical information for a better overview of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra specification against the S23 Ultra’s specs-
| Specifications | Galaxy S25 Ultra | Galaxy S23 Ultra |
| Network | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| Launch | 2025, January 22 | 2024, January 17 |
| Status | Released 2025, January 22 | Released 2024, January 24 |
| Body | 162.8 x 77.6 x 8.2 mm (6.41 x 3.06 x 0.32 in) | 162.3 x 79 x 8.6 mm (6.39 x 3.11 x 0.34inch) |
| Weight | 218 g (7.69 oz) | 232 g or 233 g (8.18 oz) |
| Build | Glass front (Corning Gorilla Armor 2), glass back(Corning Gorilla Armor 2), Titanium Frame | Glass front (Corning Gorilla Armor), glass back (Corning Gorilla Armor), titanium frame (grade 2) |
| SIM | Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time) – INT | Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time) |
| IP Rating | IP68 dust tight and water resistant (immersible up to 1.5m for 30 min)Stylus | IP68 dust tight and water resistant (immersible up to 1.5m for 30 min)Stylus (Bluetooth integration, accelerometer, gyro) |
| Display Type | Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 2600 nits (peak) | Always-on display | Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 2600 nits (peak) | Always-on display |
| Display Size | 6.9 inches, 116.9 cm2 (~92.5% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.8 inches, 113.5 cm2 (~88.5% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Resolution | 1440 x 3120 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~498 ppi density) | 1440 x 3120 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~505 ppi density) |
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Armor 2 | Corning Gorilla Armor |
| OS | Android 15, up to 7 major Android upgrades, One UI 7 | Android 13, up to 4 major Android upgrades, One UI 6.1.1 |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite (3 nm) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm) |
| CPU | Octa-core (2×4.47 GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix L + 6×3.53 GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix M) | Octa-core (1×3.36 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2×2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2×2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3×2.0 GHz Cortex-A510) |
| GPU | Adreno 830 | Adreno 740 |
| Memory Card slot | Not Available | Not Available |
| Internal | 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 12GB RAM | 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 12GB RAM |
| Main Camera | 200 MP, f/1.7, 24mm (wide), 1/1.3″, 0.6µm, multi-directional PDAF, OIS10 MP, f/2.4, 67mm (telephoto), 1.12µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom50 MP, f/3.4, 111mm (periscope telephoto), 1/2.52″, 0.7µm, PDAF, OIS, 5x optical zoom50 MP, f/1.9, 120˚ (ultrawide), dual pixel PDAF, Super Steady video | 200 MP, f/1.7, 24mm (wide), 1/1.3″, 0.6µm, multi-directional PDAF, OIS10 MP, f/2.4, 70mm (telephoto), 1/3.52″, 1.12µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom10 MP, f/4.9, 230mm (periscope telephoto), 1/3.52″, 1.12µm, PDAF, OIS, 10x optical zoom12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55″, 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, Super Steady video |
| Main Camera Features | Laser AF, Best Face, LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama | Laser AF, LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Main Camera Video | 8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60/120fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 10-bit HDR, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS | 8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS |
| Selfie Camera | 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.2″, 1.12µm, dual pixel PDAF | 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.2″, 1.12µm, dual pixel PDAF |
| Selfie Camera Features | HDR, HDR10+ | HDR, HDR10+ |
| Selfie Camera Video | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps |
| Sound | Yes, with stereo speakers | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| 3.5mm Headphone Jack | Not Available | Not Available |
| Sound Features | 32-bit/384kHz audio | Tuned by AKG | 32-bit/384kHz audio | Tuned by AKG |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Bluetooth | 5.4, A2DP, LE | 5.3, A2DP, LE |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.2, DisplayPort 1.2, OTG | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG |
| Sensors | Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer | Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| Samsung Features | Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support)Ultra Wideband (UWB) supportCircle to Search | Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support)Ultra Wideband (UWB) supportCircle to Search |
| Battery | Li-Ion 5000 mAh | Li-Ion 5000 mAh |
| Charging Info | 45W wired, PD3.0, 65% in 30 min15W wireless (Qi2.1)4.5W reverse wireless | 45W wired, PD3.0, 65% in 30 min15W wireless (Qi)4.5W reverse wireless |
| Colors | Titanium Silver Blue, Titanium Black, Titanium White Silver, Titanium Gray, Titanium Jade Green, Titanium Jet Black, Titanium Pink Gold | Phantom Black, Green, Cream, Lavender, Graphite, Sky Blue, Lime, Red, BMW M Edition |
| Performance Tests | AnTuTu: 2207809 (v10)GeekBench: 9846 (v6)3DMark: 6687 (Wild Life Extreme) | AnTuTu: 1241531 (v9)GeekBench: 4927 (v5.1)3DMark: 3790 (Wild Life Extreme) |
Verdict
That was it guys, a simple and to the point explanation about the S25 Ultra versus the two year old S23 Ultra. This is a good deal if you see the performance of the camera quality improvement. As you are getting almost double the performance and sleeker new look with the upgraded build.
If you are already using the S23 Ultra, now’s the time to move forward and get the best android king in the market. As you are not just getting the newer build here, there is the all new high performing Qualcomm chip inside, brighter display and greater periscope and ultrawide lens to give you those quality photography power.
Above all, if you are planning to get the new Galaxy S25 Ultra, or even the newer galaxies in the market at an attractive price, take a look at Apple Gadgets to get the best deals.
Get the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, if:
- You want the latest Qualcomm flagship in the Samsung Ultra.
- You require the most updated camera functions
- You want a change in terms of design in your newer Galaxy Ultra.
Get the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, if:
- You don’t need those fancy AI upgrades;
- You are okay with the two year’s back flagship processing power
- You do not find the latest Galaxy S25 Ultra’s design attractive.
Rabbi Rahman enjoys talking about tech, gadgets and especially smartphones. He’s been writing about them for four years . His favorite topic is discussing innovations in devices, engaging in conversations with others who share his passion for technology.
