Even if the Galaxy S23 Ultra is uninspired, you should reserve one right now
If you’ve been listening to the Android Police podcast for the last month — or reading ourGalaxy S23 coverage— you’ve seen our normal annual excitement for Samsung’s next flagship turn out a bit muffled by what’s shaping up to be the most iterative of iterative upgrades. And if you’re only looking at the S23 series in relation to last year’s Galaxy S22, it’s hard not to feel like this is just reheated smartphone leftovers with some pale colors slathered on top.
Even so, if you’re planning to buy a phone in 2023, you should reserve and preorder this one. Much as we love Pixels and fawn over foldables, the Galaxy S23 series will be thebest Android phonefor the vast, vast majority of Android users.
We’ve known these phones for months, but we can finally buy them Wednesday. And if you reserve one now, you’ll get $50 Samsung Instant Credit to use towards accessories or other devices, too.
You could wait eight months for the Pixel 8. Or you could wait five months for the Galaxy Z Fold 5 (if you’re willing to spend twice the money for a more convoluted phone). But if you’re looking for a long-lasting, ultra-reliable phone (no pun intended), the Galaxy S23+ and S23 Ultra will be your best bets.
Sure, the only upgrades here look like a supersized camera sensor and a refined curve to the edges of the screen and frame.Pixel binninghasn’t always had the best reputation, but given recent advancements in computational photography, especially in the last two years, this might be the hardware that finally lets Samsung take the “best cameras on Android” crown back from the Pixel 7 Pro.
The new curve won’t mean much of anything to the masses who will slap the Ultra into a case faster than you can say “thermoplastic polyurethane.” However, for you nudist freaks who insist on using a phone careless, you’ll be able to hold the Ultra comfortably again.
Both the S23+ and Ultra are also rumored to start with more storage and a faster class of storage, a small speed boost that will nonetheless be felt across every action and in every task you complete on your phone. More importantly, with Samsunggoing all-in on Qualcomm with the S23, most markets will see a dramatic increase in processing power, after years of Exynos. Anyone coming from an older Galaxy — S10e, S20, even S21 — will also see a tangible, recognizable difference in speed and fluidity. (Just so long as we don’t have a repeat of last year’s thermal issues…)
In short, boring as these changes might feel to enthusiasts, this is still going to be a solid upgrade for most Android owners who aren’t already on the S22. (And if you intend to buy the S23 a year after the S22, please save your money and wait a year.) Sure, the Google Pixel series isrumored to have a fancier camera, too, but Pixel is only now starting to gain even a foothold in the North American market — to say nothing of the rest of the Western world — and since it always debuts in October, its Black Friday deals are only $100 or so off, compared to $200-$350 off for the Galaxy S23 series.
If you were wondering why I omitted the regular S23 so far, I have two simple reasons for this. First, it’s the only model where Samsung still seems to be usingolder, slower 128GB storage as the default, which means the only S23 worth buying will be the 256GB model, at which point you’re already halfway (or more) to the S23+ with its larger screen and bigger battery. My other reason is that Samsung itself seems to be ignoring the base S23 as an also-ran, a “get this free at your carrier” phone, based on the marketing leaks.
That’s a shame because the baby S23 is the best size and the only one that I can comfortably use one-handed. I mean, look at these dbrand skins; the Galaxy S23 is the only one that isn’t ridiculously huge to those of us who can’t palm a basketball. It’s also the one I intend to order for myself, handing in my old S20 before it loses all trade-in value.
And if you’re going to buy the Galaxy S23 at any point in the year, the best time is during the preorder window. Samsung usually throws in a free storage upgrade, enhances trade-in more than it will the rest of the year (except for the Z Fold 5), and will likely sweeten the pot further with free chargers, cases, or even free watches if it has any more Galaxy Watch 4s left in its inventory.
Reserving a phone right now won’t cost you money — if you don’t buy the phone, you can just unsubscribe from the email and go on with your life — but if you do buy an S23 Ultra, S23+ or S23, you’ll get $50 of Samsung instant credit. Use that for a better case, fresh wireless charger, or some of the best earbuds on the market, the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, which will be further discounted if you bundle that purchase with your phone.
Samsung Instant Credit can’t be applied to the purchase price of your Galaxy S23, but you can use it on cases, screen protectors, watches, earbuds, or even tablets, if you’re looking to expand your Galaxy ecosystem. And $50 of Samsung credit for reserving an S23 right now, for free, is too good to pass up.
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