As you know I'm a diehard Nexus / Pixel guy, but open to other brands if they're truly as good or better.
Don't know why I'm always so tempted by the S23 Ultra? I keep reading about the stellar battery life, and amazing bright screen, and that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 being far superior than Tensor 2
But...is the S23 Ultra smooth and fluid with little to zero hiccups or microstters? Meaning as smooth as a Pixel 7 Pro?
Everything I read online approx 75% people saying the S23 Ultra is way better and faster and just as smooth as the 7 Pro. But then I also read about 25% of people saying it still runs Lagwiz and just isn't on par animation wise and fluid wise as a Pixel or newer iPhone?
If not, why is that? The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra has the best fastest hardware of any Android phone, so why isn't is as smooth and watery fluid as a Pixel? It should destroy it, but I hear it doesn't. What's up with that? Or am I wrong here?
I have a Pixel 7 Pro and Samsung s23 ultra. I am not a particular fan of any company, more than they make a good product and stand behind it. I have used Android since before donut and used tons of various Android devices over the years. I have also used iPhone and iOS.
So to your maim question, which phone feels faster, more fluid, with no microstutters, etc. I think that is about all. In having used both phones since launch I can safely say that the Samsung S23 Ultra is a clear winner in all categories. The snapdragon 8 gen 2 is a huge upgrade from the Tensor G2.
Before OneUI 5 all Samsung devices had animation stutter. Once Samsung released One UI 5 the stutter was gone and this was on a s22 plus. The s23 ultra has never had any animation stutter at all since I have owned it. The s23u is amazingly fast, efficient and with the vapor chamber stays cool no matter what you do. I have never had this phone heat up on me.
So the s23 u has way better thermal performance than the P7P, it has better efficiency, battery life and still is vastly faster. The screen is better. The box shape of the screen actually makes a difference in optimization of usable space. The speakers have more bass and get louder. The s pen for signing documents.
Now to be fair for about half the cost of the s23u configuration I have my base model Pixel 7 Pro is about 85%-90% as good as the s23u hardware wise in terms of everyday use. Comparing the phones it is not as big a difference as you would think.
The P7P is still fast. The Tensor G2 is not a bad chip. The AI capabilities are pretty amazing. In my opinion I don't care so much about raw speed in a Pixel as much as I expect reliable and steady power which unfortunately due to the thermal issues and throttling the G2 doesn't always deliver. It can run hot doing seemingly nothing too. If you are in a warm environment, using 5g and GPS mapping, a few other apps and the phone will get hot and apps will slow down or even freeze.
However, most of the time the Tensor runs good enough. Sometimes the battery life will surprise you. The screen while not the latest tech and with a pretty big curve is one of the nicest I have used. The color balance is perfect. Taking photos I prefer on the Pixel because shots just look better over all.
The speakers on the P7P are surprisingly good. Loud and rich. The only real issue is battery and throttling.
In terms of UI I do prefer Pixel UI. I am not going to lie. I have hated Samsung UI for many years since TouchWiz. I actually don't hate OneUI as it is called now any more. I still hate all the pre installed apps. But the UI has greatly improved and has a kitchen sink approach to Android that like a Swiss army knife can be useful at times.
Pixel UI is just more refined and streamlined. Sometimes that means less configuration but I feel like Google does a good job striking the right balance between configuration and simplicity.
Honestly I really think you should just get a S23 Ultra. I would say sans Pixel 8 Pro the s23 ultra is the over all best phone of 2023. It just is a great phone in every way. But you should keep a Pixel around. It is really nice to back and forth between the P7P and the s23u. They are both incredible phones. In terms of value the Pixel 7 Pro in my opinion is the best phone of 2023 for value.
