Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely vs Galaxy S20 Extremely: Must you improve?

Samsung has simply launched the Galaxy S23 Ultra, marking a brand new entry within the best and most powerful Samsung phones you should purchase. The S23 Extremely represents the height of the corporate’s ambitions, with extra cutting-edge {hardware} than most will know what to do with. That stated, the newest Extremely will nonetheless really feel fairly acquainted to followers of the collection.

In truth, we are able to hint a lot of this newest mannequin’s id again to the Galaxy S20 Ultra, the primary of its title. Should you jumped onto the S20 Extremely bandwagon, it’s been a very good three years, and possibly time to swap out to one thing new. However ought to the S23 Extremely be the gadget that you simply bounce to? We evaluate the Galaxy S23 Extremely vs the Galaxy S20 Extremely to learn the way far the corporate has progressed with its marquee flagship, and if it’s price blessing it once more along with your cash.

The Galaxy S23 Extremely and the Galaxy S20 Extremely are related in numerous methods — they’re evolutions of the identical product line, in any case. However with a three-year distinction between the 2 telephones, some sides which have modified considerably.

The largest change is the usage of the newest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC within the Galaxy S23 Extremely. In truth, the S23 Extremely has a particular model of the processor, branded as “Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy,” with the next clock velocity on the prime core in comparison with the common variant of the processor. On the older Galaxy S20 Extremely, we’ve got the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 5G SoC within the US and the Exynos 990 in different components of the world. These have been flagship processors again within the day, however they are often squarely categorized as mid-range chips now, due to spectacular leaps in processing capabilities lately.

The second largest distinction between the 2 gadgets is the show. Whereas the dimensions and determination stay roughly the identical, the Galaxy S23 Extremely comes with an LTPO 3.0 panel which has a variable refresh price vary of 1Hz to 120Hz. The Galaxy S20 Extremely didn’t have an LTPO panel, so the cellphone can solely select between mounted steps of both 60Hz or 120Hz for its refresh price. The S23 Extremely additionally has the next peak brightness than the S20 Extremely, with this coming into play just for HDR content. The show curvature on the facet edges can be completely different, as the brand new gadget has a barely tighter curve, owing to its Galaxy Notice ancestry.

Talking of Notice ancestry, the Galaxy S23 Extremely additionally boasts an built-in S Pen. The Galaxy S20 Extremely neither integrates an S Pen in its physique, nor does it assist an S Pen in any respect. When the S20 collection was launched, the Galaxy Notice lineup was within the midst of an id disaster. Afterward, Samsung merged the Notice lineup with the S Extremely vary, therefore the presence of the S Pen on the 2023 flagship.

Whereas the S23 Extremely good points a method, it lacks expandable storage. The Galaxy S20 Extremely supported microSD growth as much as 1TB, and it was the final S collection flagship to take action. SD playing cards are slower in comparison with the interior UFS storage and liable to failure, however they nonetheless got here in useful for individuals who created or consumed numerous native media. There’s a 1TB storage choice on the Galaxy S23 Extremely, however as anticipated, it prices extra. There’s the same trade-off with RAM; you get extra however slower RAM on the S20 Extremely (12GB/16GB LPDDR5), whilst you get much less however barely quicker RAM on the S23 Extremely (8GB/12GB LPDDR5X). These are some areas the place the Galaxy S20 Extremely is arguably the higher gadget, as you get much less base storage however expandability with it, and extra RAM which is just barely slower.

In terms of construct supplies, each telephones have an aluminum mid-frame. Nonetheless, the Galaxy S23 Extremely has the newest Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 versus Gorilla Glass 6 on the Galaxy S20 Extremely.

The Galaxy S23 Extremely additionally has a greater digicam setup on paper than the Galaxy S20 Extremely. However we’ll be speaking about this in higher element in a devoted part beneath, so proceed studying!

One other distinction between the telephones is their software program assist cycle. The Galaxy S20 Extremely launched in 2020 with Android 10 and One UI 2.1. Samsung promised three generations of Android updates and 4 years of safety updates. Consequently, the Galaxy S20 Extremely has obtained its Android 13 and One UI 5 updates, in addition to common safety patches up till this level. For the Galaxy S23 Extremely, Samsung is promising 4 generations of Android updates and 5 years of safety patches. This implies, the S23 Extremely will probably be upgradeable from Android 13 to Android 17 and can obtain safety patches as much as 2028.

Each of those Samsung flagships are related in dimension, with the S23 Extremely being very barely leaner and taller. Although you wouldn’t discover until you held them each facet by facet. The Galaxy S23 Extremely measures 163.4 x 78.1 x 8.9 mm, whereas the S20 Extremely measures 166.9 x 76.0 x 8.8 mm. Each telephones additionally use an aluminum mid-frame development with glass on the back and front.

What you’ll discover simply are the completely different design approaches. The Galaxy S23 Extremely takes shut inspiration from the Notice lineup, whereas the Galaxy S20 Extremely maintains extra of its S-appeal. The S23 Extremely has a boxier design with a flat prime and backside mid-frame, sharp corners, and a good curvature on its sides. The S20 Extremely has rounded corners and a smoother curve on its sides. Make no mistake although, each of those are giant telephones and you’ll find it tough to deal with both with only one hand. The S23 Extremely is about 11g heavier than the S20 Extremely, accounting for the built-in S Pen and different inside structure adjustments.

The again of the telephones is one other level of differentiation. The Galaxy S23 Extremely has a clear look with particular person islands for its digicam sensors. The Galaxy S20 Extremely, then again, has a really giant digicam island that calls for consideration. Each telephones will rock when positioned on a desk.

In terms of cameras, each of those gadgets signify a big bounce in {hardware} for the S collection. The Galaxy S20 Extremely was the primary S collection cellphone to come back with a 108MP major digicam and periscope zoom lens; the Galaxy S23 Extremely is the primary S collection cellphone to come back with a 200MP major digicam. The Galaxy S23 Extremely comes with 4 rear cameras, whereas the Galaxy S20 Extremely got here with three cameras and a Time-of-Flight (ToF) sensor for measuring depth information.

The elemental concept behind these giant MP rely setups is to seize numerous information after which use pixel binning to merge a number of adjoining pixels into one. The S20 Extremely merges 9 adjoining pixels (3×3) into one pixel to provide a 12MP picture; whereas the S23 Extremely merges 16 adjoining pixels (4×4) into one pixel to provide a 12.5MP picture. The lead to each circumstances is spectacular pictures off the primary digicam, with ample gentle and good preservation of particulars.

Do observe that for the reason that S20 Extremely was Samsung’s early try at a big MP rely digicam, it has some hassle sustaining topics in focus. Samsung subsequently resolved this by swapping out the ToF sensor for the Laser AF module on the Galaxy S21 Extremely, which you’ll discover on the Galaxy S23 Extremely as effectively.

The 12MP ultrawide angle digicam has not seen a lot change throughout these gadgets, however the zoom method has modified so much. The Galaxy S20 Extremely opts for a 48MP periscope digicam that may output 4x optical zoom; whereas the Galaxy S23 Extremely has a 10MP periscope digicam that may output 10x optical zoom and a 10MP telephoto zoom that may output 3x optical zoom. All of the magnification ranges within the center are dealt with with a mixture of optical and digital crops on each gadgets.

As anticipated, the Galaxy S23 Extremely performs considerably higher in zoom efficiency. The presence of optical zoom at 3x and 10x ranges means that you can get very crisp photos at these factors, while not having any digital zoom. The 3x zoom not solely provides versatility in how shut or far you could be out of your topic but in addition helps out with portrait pictures. Additional, Samsung has additionally made improvements in 30x and 100x digital zoom efficiency — these pictures are unusable on the Galaxy S20 Extremely, however you may get some utility out of those clicked on the newest fashions.

Samsung has added loads of digicam options over time, and it has shared them throughout earlier era gadgets too by means of One UI updates. The gadgets stay largely at par on digicam options for now however count on the hole to widen within the coming years as soon as the Galaxy S20 Extremely stops receiving characteristic updates.

Proper off the bat, the Galaxy S23 Extremely has an edge with options like 8K 30fps video recording, improved Nightography, and Extremely Stabilization for shake-free movies. These options are tied to {hardware} adjustments, and so the Galaxy S23 Extremely will retain its lead within the coming years as effectively. However to its credit score, the Galaxy S20 Extremely was one of many best camera phones of its time, and we’re anticipating the identical for the Galaxy S23 Extremely, though we reserve our closing verdict till we evaluate the gadget.

The Galaxy S23 Extremely comes with a 12MP selfie digicam, in comparison with the 40MP digicam on the Galaxy S20 Extremely (binned all the way down to 10MP). The upper MP rely on the older gadget could seem like higher at a cursory look, however the newer ISP on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, Samsung’s processing, and AI magic gives you marginally higher outcomes on the Galaxy S23 Extremely in all conditions. Once more, we reserve our closing verdict for the complete Galaxy S23 evaluate.

Regardless of the age distinction, Samsung has made virtually no adjustments to the battery and charging scenario. Each telephones include a 5,000mAh non-removable battery that ought to final you thru a very good day and a few. As talked about in our evaluate, the Galaxy S20 Extremely lasted by means of a full day with a few hours’ juice left within the reserve.

Nonetheless, it is very important keep in mind that the Galaxy S20 Extremely may solely do both 120Hz at FHD+ decision, or 60Hz at QHD+ decision, however not 120Hz at QHD+ decision. The Galaxy S23 Extremely can run at 120Hz at QHD+ decision, however we stay assured of its full-day battery life. There’s even an opportunity it gives higher battery life, due to a way more power-efficient chipset and the variable refresh price characteristic. However it’s not potential to understand how a lot of a distinction it would make in actual life till we evaluate the cellphone, so keep tuned for that.

Each telephones assist 45W Adaptive Quick Cost by means of a wired connection. Don’t be misled by the quantity although, as this 45W charging is barely improved from Samsung’s older 25W charging, even for those who use a 45W charger. Count on to spend simply over an hour charging both cellphone from zero to 100%. Each cellphone assist 15W wi-fi charging, and in addition assist reverse wi-fi charging.

What’s completely different throughout the generations is that Samsung has eliminated the charging brick from the field. The Galaxy S20 Extremely comes with a 25W charging brick within the field, however the Galaxy S23 Extremely doesn’t include a charging brick in its field.

Surprisingly, Samsung managed to carry down and keep the decrease pricing on its Extremely flagship from the Galaxy S21 Extremely onwards. The beginning price of the Galaxy S23 Ultra is $200 decrease than that of the S20 Extremely, however the S23 Extremely nonetheless is likely one of the costlier telephones on the market.

You can also make the value of the Galaxy S23 Extremely extra palatable if you buy throughout the pre-order window. Should you pre-order the gadget, Samsung gives you a free improve to the subsequent storage model. There are additionally enhanced trade-in reductions of as much as $100, letting you get an excellent higher deal. The cellphone is obtainable for pre-order from February 1, 2023 to February 16, 2023, with open gross sales starting from February 17, 2023.

Samsung not sells the Galaxy S20 Extremely in its new situation. You’ll be able to spot refurbished items on Amazon and pre-owned items on Swappa, for ~$300 relying on the situation of the cellphone. Because the gadget ages additional, count on it to exit of circulation.

Should you’ve adopted alongside thus far, the decision is evident: the Galaxy S23 Extremely is the higher gadget. That’s no shock, however the margin between the 2 gadgets is surprisingly not as giant as you may count on, particularly contemplating that the Galaxy S20 Extremely was launched three years in the past. That’s testimony to the truth that overkill specs age gracefully due to the additional headroom.

Nonetheless, in case you are out to purchase a top-tier flagship, the Galaxy S23 Extremely is the apparent and clear alternative. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is a wonderful chip that won’t disappoint with its efficiency or effectivity. You additionally get an S Pen, which opens up new methods to work together along with your gadget. And the truth that the Galaxy S23 Extremely will rise up to Android 17 sooner or later and proceed to obtain safety patches as much as 2028 can be a giant win if you end up about to drop $1,199 on a cellphone.

The one benefits the Galaxy S20 Extremely has over the S23 Extremely are the presence of the microSD card slot and extra RAM, however we don’t contemplate each of those heavy sufficient to outweigh the upgrades the S23 Extremely brings to the desk. Whilst you can decide up the Galaxy S20 Extremely for reasonable in a refurbished state and Samsung will nonetheless assist your gadget with safety patches (and chances are you’ll presumably additionally obtain a One UI 5.1 replace), the longer-term prospects of the gadget will not be that nice. As a substitute, you could be serious about trying out different great budget phones.

In fact, you would doubtless hold an present Galaxy S20 Extremely ticking over for one more 12 months, in case your gadget continues to be in good situation. General although, these seeking to improve shouldn’t hesitate to leap on the Galaxy S23 Extremely. It’s a wonderful alternative.