Is it worth it to upgrade from the Note 20 Ultra to the S23 for free?

Hello,

Is it worth upgrading from a Note20 Ultra to the S23 Ultra?

I have my Note20 ultra since 2 years and still like it but im curious if the battery performance will drastically decrease?

Also is it maybe worth to wait for the new foldable phones in a few months? I would like a foldable phone with integrated s-pen.

Been comparing shots on the Samsung S23 Ultra I just got to my Note 20 Ultra. As expected, it's not a night and day difference of course. But in most scenes, the S23 Ultra produces moderately better results with the biggest difference when using Expert Raw in 50MP mode both JPG and RAW output (while the latter is going to be better for post editing. I imagine 200MP is good too but I'm passing on that large of file size).

I found what I think though is a limitation in the camera software (or sensor). Hopefully Samsung will fix it in a future update. It is for moderately low light indoor photos (like late afternoon and overcast with no indoor lighting turned on), but where you have a bright scene through the windows (like snowy mountains). I imagine this happens in any room where you have bright window scene and not a bright room.

The normal camera on the Note20 Ultra does much better metering and doesn't blow out the scene in the windows. The S23 Ultra comes very close if using the normal camera in 12MP mode but at best it's equal to the Note in other tests the S23 Ultra totally blew out the window scene where the Note 20 Ultra didn't. In this test scene it got a little worse in 50MP mode. Then it gets even worse in Pro mode. In Expert Raw it is bad too in some circumstances no matter what metering mode you select or exposure setting. If you are lucky to get a decent shot in Expert Raw you can tweak the RAW output in Adobe lightroom, but it's still not as good as the normal camera mode on both phones! Where as most other shot scenes, the Expert Raw in 50mp mode is superior to the other modes and anything the Note 20 Ultra puts out, but you need to zoom in on the photo to really notice the difference. (Safe to say if you're a Note 20 Ultra User (or S21/22 Ultra), you're not missing out much as the 200mp sensor in the S23 Ultra is as I expected part modest improvement and part a lot of marketing hype.)

Here's a comparison between normal 12mp camera output on Note 20 and S23 Ultra, then an Adobe Lightroom edited RAW image coming from Expert Raw on the S23 Ultra in 12mp mode.

So the end conclusion is that in the current state of the software, on the S23 Ultra, for high contrast moderate natural light indoor shots like this, you are best just using the standard 12mp auto mode in the regular camera app. Whereas in most other situations you get the best quality with reasonable file size shooting in Expert Raw at 50mp.

Image comparisons here:

https://imgur.com/a/7bnmcXU

So after taking a look at some battery test, the s23+ seem very appealing to me, compared to the battery life that going on in my note 20 ultra. Along side not being a box shape, a flat screen, and a tad bit smaller, seems almost perfect (if only just a tad bit smaller 😅). I've also been wanting to kinda use my phone less, so I feel like needing a really beefy phone isn't necessary. The only thing I feel I will miss out not going for the ultra would be the spen, which I hardly use, and WQHD screen. What are y'all thoughts?

Planning to get some good Galaxy flagship I can use for at least 3-4 years, since my A50 broke. Found refurbished S22 for 300€, Note 20 Ultra for 450€ and S21 Ultra for around 500€. A solid camera matters to me the most. I also kinda liked the S pen and it's features, it's really cool and useful, tho I probably won't use it on daily basis. Also I've personally haven't been a fan of heavier phones but if the specs, features are good and the deal is worth it I won't complain. I really like all of them, but can't decide which one should I get.

Wondering if it is worth it to upgrade.

I know the camera and battery are better. I went to the store and compared them side by side and to be honest I can't even tell a difference except the Note 20 is a bit bigger.

I also saw on several Youtube videos that speed wise there is little to no difference. Also I saw comparisons to the cameras and it didn't seem a night and days difference but the S23 does look better.

Just wondering if it has been worth it for those that have upgraded.?

I hate upgrading and a week later it feels like a sideways upgrade and not much difference.

I went from a fold 4 and recently got a Note20 Ultra. It really had been a amazing phone. Really smooth and I love the display. So for 350 bucks I spent and it was new I was really happy.

I've had my N20U for 3 years now and it's been a fantastic phone. The glass by the camera and on the front screen has been cracked for some time but the phone works otherwise. My question is whether they manufacture phones with all these features anymore? Removable SD storage, stylus, 120hz refresh, giant ass screen. It looks like you can get most of these things on new phones but nobody's including sd card slots anymore. What do you guys think? I'm leaning towards getting another N20U even though it's old, it's gold.

Hi y'all! I'm considering buying a new phone and got my eyes on the S23 Ultra cuz of it's price today and from what I've seen online that it's still amazing in 2025. What do you guys think, is it a good upgrade? Or do y'all have other suggestions that I should consider? I'm still a student so the cheaper the better hehehe

Thanks y'all in advance!!

Hi!

I own my Note 20 Ulta since two years and it works perfectly still. Best phone I've ever had. Because the battery is a bit weak I thought about an upgrade, but the additions to the newest phones seen a bit meagre for 1000 Euros minimum for a refurbed S23 Ultra. Only the expensive version has 12GB Ram like my "old" phone and for 256GB memory I'd have to pay an additional 85 Euros. Can it be that the last years hardly brought any real improvements and that I'd pay a hefty price for a kind-of-the-same-level phone? Or am I overlooking something important? Thank you in advance!

Edit: I ordered it. Now I can't wait for it to get here so I can stop watching the battery!

I'm debating on whether to upgrade. Since I have the basic Note 20, the SD card slot is already something I am used to not having. My phone currently works really well other than the battery life. I never leave home without a charger and have to watch my usage so it doesn't drain when no charger is available. I was wondering if anyone else had made this switch and is the battery really that much better. I have a promotion I can take advantage of by trading the Note in for a $1000 credit.

So, i'm looking for a phone size like the note 20, but performs like the s23. I don't know which to get.
I don't care about updates since i'm satisfied with the note 20 updates.
The note 20 performs just good enough for me, the battery is amazing, the camera is amazing, the size is amazing, but the s23 does all that better, but it's smaller, which is the deal breaker for me.
Help me pick which to get
(the note 20 ultra in good condition refurbished is 400 cad, while the s23 is 240 cad in excellent condition from my carrier)

Looking to upgrade to a refurbished model of one of these. Backmarket lists the prices as $458 vs $578 (respectively).

Both would be a MAJOR upgrade from my current phone, but I can't really decide.

Also, I'm a college student, so I don't want to spend more if I don't need to. Of course, with the Note 20 Ultra aging, the S22U feels like the better option, especially since I usually upgrade every 4 years or so.

Thoughts?