Am I switching back to the iPhone 15 Pro Max?
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra First Impression Review
*All unedited images in this article are shot using Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Apple recently released the iPhone 15 Pro Max, and some of my friends wondered if I was switching back to the iPhone after trying the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. The short answer is, no, I am not switching back to the iPhone. I have watched a few reviews on the new 15 Pro Max and didn't see anything new that is enticing enough for me to dump my S23 Ultra. Even though the new iPhone shows a few advanced improvements, they are not attractive enough for me to return to Apple's system. If I could choose again, I would still choose the S23 Ultra. There have been a few times when I upgraded my iPhones, I felt uninspired. The iPhone's incremental updates were bland at best, and the hardware and software design felt dated. Every time I upgraded my iPhone, the phone felt more or less the same. After I switched to the iPhone 12 Pro Max, I decided not to upgrade again unless I saw a significant improvement. I waited too long and decided to try the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. Once I got used to my Samsung phone's new system, I constantly discovered something new, practical, and exciting things! It is like I had been stuck in a room for too long, and now I see the blue sky and smell the flowers and fresh air.
Does it mean the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is a perfect phone? Of course not. Not at all. Every device has flaws, but we are allowed to pick what works best for us. You probably could guess the one major inconvenience with an Android system. Some apps are not well developed and maintained compared to apps on the iPhone. Some app companies don't even bother creating a separate Android app. Regardless of how much I love my new Samsung phone, you have no choice if the app you can't live without is not on Android. Luckily, I don't have such an issue, especially since I am still using my iPad Pro, which I will not replace anytime soon. Also, you won't be able to do Facetime or iMessage. You can find alternative ways to connect with friends; it just isn't the same one you were familiar with.
If you are reading this, you may be looking for options other than the iPhone or simply want to know if the S23 Ultra is actually any good. My disclaimer up front for you is I have had the S23 Ultra for less than a month, so I can't stand behind in terms of how long this phone will last. In addition, I am still discovering new features here and there every day, so I don't know entirely how good this phone is. I am learning as it goes, and here are the things I love about S23 Ultra.
Addressing the basics, the battery life is excellent. To protect the battery life, I chose only to charge it to 85%, and so far, it is working well. I haven't run out of battery, and I can recharge the S23 Ultra reasonably fast when I need to top off the power. The weight distribution of the hardware is great. When using my iPhone 12 Pro Max, I often hurt my fingers or wrist. With the S23 Ultra, the phone feels comfortable to grip, and the weight doesn't stress my fingers or wrist. The weird thing is, my iPhone always used to want to escape my pants pocket if the pocket was not deep enough, and that hasn't happened with the S23 Ultra. Since I am discussing the hardware, I can't express adequately how much I love the fingerprint unlock feature. The funny thing is, Samsung's fingerprint unlock is not as good as what iPhone used to have, but I am still glad it is here. It could be better, but it is useful when I can't use the face unlock feature. I still couldn't understand why Apple would remove the fingerprint unlock feature other than Apple wanting to collect our facial recognition data.
There are so many features I love on my Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra! When I want to take a screenshot, I don't have to struggle to push two buttons like I used to on my iPhone. I can just swap my hand across the screen to take a screenshot. It is so intuitive! If I want, I can also tap the back three times to take a screenshot. With an Android phone, I constantly discover a new, better, and fun way to use my phone.
Many people bought an Android phone for its split Windows multitasking feature. I have yet to try much of that, but the split window feature is easier and more intuitive to use than on my iPad. I love that I can keep an app floating on the screen, especially when I need a calculator. I can see why some people love their folded phone because you will have more space for multitasking. And then we also have the widgets, and you can even stack the widgets you like so they don't crowd your screen. For daily use, I enjoyed using the keyboard on my S23 Ultra more than my iPhone. Features are straightforward with the keyboard, and typing feels easier.
One of the reasons I chose to switch to the S23 Ultra instead of Google's Pixel 7 Pro was the S-Pen. Surprisingly, I haven't used the S-Pen as much as I thought I would because so many other features keep me occupied. But when I do use it, I enjoy the S-Pen very much! For example, you may not have known this, but I can draw on my calendar with the S-Pen. It is an excellent and fun way to emphasize specific events on my calendar. If you have used a stylus before, you would know how useful it could be. Other than signing documents, you can draw on any apps that allow. When sharing on social media, you can draw on your photo or video before publishing them. When taking pictures, you can use the S-Pen as a remote control, and then editing the images with an S-Pen is so much easier and gives me more precise control. There are so many more features with the S-Pen that I haven't tried, so if you are more adventurous, you can do so much more with the stylus!
Before I touch on the cameras, I like to mention the built-in photo editing features. For things that you may need an external app to do on an iPhone, you can do it within the Gallery app. Besides the basic editing features, you can also erase something from your photo, and Samsung did an excellent job patching the space! For people who love a little retouch on their portraiture, it is so easy to do in the Gallery app! You can narrow your jaw to make your face look slimmer, smooth out the texture, or remove blemishes. You can even adjust your skin tone if you want your skin color to look warmer or cooler. In addition to that, you can draw or write on your photos and add stickers to make them more fun before sharing. I am genuinely impressed by how many valuable features Samsung packed into the Gallery app!
Lastly, let's look at the cameras on the S23 Ultra! Are they good enough? Absolutely! From my research, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is better in the Portrait Mode and the nighttime video. Other than that, most of the camera features on the S23 Ultra are as good or better. There is always a big debate about whether you need the zoom on the S23 Ultra. As a photographer, it is not replacing my cameras anytime soon, but I enjoy using my S23 Ultra daily. The zoom feature makes it a great convenience device to document my life without worrying about the aperture or shutter speed. Interestingly, Apple chose to focus on the advanced video feature on the new iPhone. If I wanted to film something professionally, I would have used my cameras rather than a phone. Regardless of how good the video could be, you can't beat the performance of a real professional camera.
Ultimately, it would help if you chose a phone that works best for your daily needs. If you switch to an Android phone from your iPhone, I suggest you watch all the setting videos on YouTube because it is a different system. You will find it easier to adapt to an Android phone by having a better understanding. I love my Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra because it is an exciting phone with so many practical, functional, advanced features. I have yet to fully utilize all the features this phone can provide, and this is just the beginning. I love using it to snap pictures of my daily life, trips, pets, and people around me. I feel like I can focus on living life and documenting those precious moments simultaneously with my S23 Ultra. An Android phone is not for everyone, but if you are bored with your iPhone and want to take a step forward to see the broader horizon, you may want to check out all the fantastic Android phones out there!
Too see more photos shot by Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, please check out my previous post.
