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  Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

  Spiritual successor

  The Galaxy S23 Ultra is the spiritual successor to the Note 20 Ultra and carries that burden with pride. With a vast 6.8-inch canvas, the S Pen has never been better in this form factor.

  Pros

  • Variable refresh rate at 1440p
  • Bigger battery
  • Four years of Android updates ahead

  Cons

  • No microSD

  $1200 at Amazon

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  Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra

  Last of a dying breed

  The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra was the last of the beloved Note family. It may be getting long in the tooth, but it's still a powerful smartphone with decent specs, good cameras, and the mighty S Pen.

  Pros

  • MicroSD
  • Nicer colors

  Cons

  • Flawed zoom camera
  • No more Android updates
  • Smaller battery

  $410 at Amazon

The original Galaxy Note came out back in 2011, based on the legendary Galaxy S2 and with a then-huge 5.3-inch screen. Fast forward to 2020, and the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra ended up being the last phone released under the Note moniker. It has a 6.9-inch display, a plethora of rear cameras, and an improved S Pen.

Thankfully, the Note was dead in name only, as its features merged into the S22 Ultra. The Galaxy S23 Ultra refines that formula, making it one of the best phones Samsung has ever produced. But is that enough for old-school Note owners? Is the S23 Ultra a worthy upgrade?

Price, availability, and specs

The Note 20 Ultra is almost three years old, so you won't find one unless it's used or refurbished. The S23 Ultra, on the other hand, is readily available from all major retailers and carriers worldwide. It starts at $1,200 but can be had for less than $1,000 during sales events like Amazon Prime Day. These two phones look similar, but two and a half years make a big difference on the inside, as demonstrated in the spec sheet below:

• 	Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra	Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
  SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy	Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
  Display
  RAM	8GB, 12GB	8GB, 12GB
  Storage	256GB, 512GB, 1TB	128GB, 256GB, 512GB
  Battery	5,000mAh	4,500mAh
  Operating System	One UI 5.1 and Android 13	Android 12 with One UI 4
  Front camera	12MP f/2,2	10 MP, f/2.2
  Connectivity	UWB, NFC	UWB, NFC
  Dimensions	163.3 × 78 × 8.9mm	164.8 x 77.2 x 8.1 mm
  Weight	234g	208g
  IP Rating	IP68	IP68
  Micro SD card support	No	Yes

Design and build quality

The S23 Ultra looks like a Note, thanks to the sharp corners and curved display, although the latter is far more subtle than previous models. Both phones look and feel sublime, especially if you get them in the right color, like the Note 20 Ultra's Mystic Bronze.

While the differences are subtle, the S23 Ultra is easily the better design. The screen doesn't curve over the sides anywhere near as much as the older Note, making it easier to hold and use, especially with the S Pen. The material choices are also better, swapping stainless steel and Gorilla Glass Victus for armored aluminum and Gorilla Glass Victus 2. We'll talk more in-depth about the cameras later, but in terms of design, the individual lenses on the S23 look better than the sizable camera bump on the Note 20 Ultra.

Software and performance

The Note 20 Ultra shipped with Android 10 but is now running Android 13 with One UI 5.1, the same software the S23 Ultra launched with and is still running. One UI 5.1 added new widgets, better integration with the Expert RAW app, and some other small niceties. While the S23 Ultra has four Android updates ahead of it, taking it up to Android 17, the Note has reached the end of the line, aside from some more security patches.

The Snapdragon 865+ paired with 12GB of RAM made the Note 20 Ultra an absolute powerhouse when it came out. That performance has held up today, with the phone able to glide through most tasks; however, times have changed. For example, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 runs faster, cooler, and more efficiently. The only downside to the S23 Ultra is the RAM, which is limited to 8GB unless you buy the 512GB version, which gets the same 12GB as the Note did. While the Note still feels good, it can't compare to its successor.

Battery and charging

This is where things truly shift in the S23 Ultra's favor. Despite being slightly smaller than the Note 20 Ultra and still housing an S Pen, the battery is a 5,000mAh cell versus the 4,500mAh battery found in the Note. Combine that with the more power-efficient chip, and you have a flagship that's almost impossible to kill in a day. The Note 20 Ultra didn't have bad battery life, but it can't compete with the new phone. Both phones feature 45W wired charging, 15W Qi charging, and reverse charging for accessories.

Display

The Note 20 Ultra has a 6.9-inch QHD display that can reach 120Hz, while the S23 Ultra has a 6.8-inch QHD display that can also reach 120Hz. Besides the 0.1-inch, there are some significant differences. For example, the Note 20 Ultra doesn't have a variable refresh rate, so you can run it at either 60Hz or 120Hz, choosing between them in the settings menu. It's also unable to run at 1440p and 120Hz simultaneously, so you need to pick between smoothness and sharpness.

The S23 Ultra doesn't make any of these sacrifices, and it can automatically vary its refresh rate anywhere from 1-120Hz based on the content being displayed. It's also much brighter, reaching a maximum brightness of 1,750 nits, while the Note maxes out at 1,500 nits. Overall, the newer display in the S23 Ultra walks all over the older panel in the Note.

Cameras

The Note 20 Ultra uses the first-generation 108MP sensor paired with a 12MP 5X periscope zoom lens and a 12MP ultrawide. These cameras were excellent at the time, but the S23 Ultra is far better. The 5X lens on the Note was great for taking photos of things far away, but if you only wanted a small amount of zoom, say 2X or 3X, the Note would be digitally cropping the 108MP sensor.

The S23 Ultra has dual 10MP lenses, one a 3X telephoto and the other a 10X periscopic lens. This makes the camera system far more versatile. The ultrawide is about the same, though it can double as a macro camera in the newer phone.

The significant upgrade on the S23 Ultra versus any of Samsung's older phones is the new 200MP primary sensor. This camera has become one of our favorites to use. Performance is excellent in all lighting conditions, and its photos are exceptional.

Should you upgrade?

Yes, you should. The Note 20 Ultra is at the end of its life now, and while the S23 Ultra sacrifices the Micro SD slot, it more than makes up for that in other ways. It's the most reliable phone I've ever used, and unlike the Note, it brings that superior Snapdragon experience to all markets instead of forcing most countries to use an Exynos chipset.

If you want to experiment with the S Pen to see if it's something you'll enjoy using — but don't want to commit to an expensive new phone to do it — the Note 20 Ultra could be a good buy as long as you can find it cheap enough. Amazon often has them for as little as $400 these days, which isn't bad at all.