All unedited photos below were shot using a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.

Over 11 years ago, I switched to the iPhone 4 from my beloved Nokia N82. N82 was a great phone then, but I was ready to move on to a touch-screen mobile phone. It was an exciting time for mobile phone innovation. Technology advanced and introduced me to a new world, discovering what I could do on my magical iPhone. I remember getting excited with every new app I downloaded. It was so much fun to try and learn. Years later, I frequently stared at my iPhone and felt uninspired. Sometimes, when I went into Best Buy to check out new phones, putting my iPhone beside other Android phones, my iPhone looked and felt dated. I considered trying one of the Android phones from the Samsung Galaxy Note series, but I was too afraid to switch, worrying about the stability of an Android phone. Furthermore, it was the time when you frequently read about the Samsung phone battery exploding unpredictably. But now, that is old news, and we often see new features announced on Android phones.

You can't deny that Apple has laid the foundation for mobile phone technology. They set a new standard and have been leading the industry for years. Unfortunately, after the departure of Steve Jobs, things are moving slower with Apple. We no longer see ground-breaking products; the iPhone is stable but boring. For years, I upgraded whenever they released a new phone. But then, at some point, I no longer felt the need to upgrade. My new iPhone was similar to my older phone, maybe a little faster, plus a few uninspired new features.

Here, you see how the cameras on the S23 Ultra handled tricky lighting conditions.

I have had an iPhone 12 Pro Max for three years now. I didn't need to upgrade to a newer iPhone. This year, the iPhone 15 is about to be announced. I asked myself, is it time to upgrade my iPhone 12 Pro Max? I simply didn't have the desire to spend the money and end up with a similar iPhone. I am sure you can tell me many reasons to stay using an iPhone, but I decided to listen to my gut and made the switch after some research. My options were a Google Pixel 7 Pro or a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. They both are capable phones with some interesting features. Ultimately, I chose the S23 Ultra because of its cameras and longer battery life.

Even after deciding to switch, I was terrified by the unknown, worrying about all the threatening advice I had heard. Since I also use iMac, iPad, and Apple Watch, the disconnection among my devices was a concern. However, I didn't want to stick with an iPhone because of the ecosystem. Instead of buying from Samsung directly, I chose to buy from Amazon because of its fast shipping. Also, if something is off, the return process for Amazon is often easy and not too much hassle.

Opening up the box, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra felt like a premium phone! I like the arrangement of the cameras. In fact, I was never a fan of the iPhone's camera arrangement. The cameras on my iPhone make it look like a three-eye monster from a Disney cartoon. The transition was smooth but could have been better. For example, to transfer your data from an iPhone, you must purchase a Lightning to USB-C cable if you don't have one. In addition, the phone came with 50% battery power, but it needs to be at 80% power to start the data transfer. Other than that, the most painful part was remembering all the passwords since I would have to log in to every app and service on my new phone.

I am happy with my switch after three days of using my new Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. I have discovered so many mind-blowing new features on my S23 Ultra. Compared to my iPhone 12 Pro Max, it is fresh, exciting, and functional. The cameras exceeded my expectations, and all the pictures you see on this page are unedited so that you can decide whether this phone would be right for you. 

Handheld 30X moon shots

The Case I have: