I’m upgrading my phone soon, I have an S21 ultra that is suffering from moderate battery drain, is overheating a lot, and is just too big for me, it’s a giant phone I can never one hand.
I went to a physical store for once (I usually check things out online and on YouTube). Here’s what I found out after actually touching and using all the models in person:
The Z fold 5: this is my first time ever touching a fold in real life and WOWWW that cover screen is so narrow, everything felt like it was squished from the sides into a super narrow screen, my eyes felt uncomfortable just looking at it, Samsung should seriously do what OPPO did with the Find n fold or One plus Open, their cover screens are naturally sized proportions. But on the other hand the big display on the inside of that Z fold 5 is AMAZING! if I had the courage to spend $1300 I’d definitely get the fold 5 purely for that inner display, but I still have grudges against that cover screen. Way too narrow in my opinion.
Z flip 5; amazing cover screen, I’ve seen people do so many cool stuff with it, even make custom GIFs and wallpapers for it. You can check your notifications and do some quick checks and swipes without ever opening the phone. But personally I’m not a fan of a flip smartphone because when you open it, it’s way too tall. Yeah it’s compact in my pocket sure but when using it, one handed usage is impossible.
S23 ultra: the ultra is far too big and boxy for me and I’m never gonna use the S-pen so no point in buying that.
S23 plus: this one actually felt very good, like it’s not so big it’s uncomfortable but it’s not small enough to my liking either but if I ever bought an S23 plus, I wouldn’t mind it, one handed use was quite good but just not perfect. Everything else about the phone is amazing. It’s a safe phone you can never go wrong with.
Base S23; this is the one I TRULY wanted to see and touch but unfortunately they didn’t have a display model, I’m very curious about how 6’1 inch phone actually looks and feels in my hands, one day I’ll find a display model somewhere to determine if I should get base 23 or s23 plus, those are my best options.
A54: very cool phone for that price you get SO MUCH! I’d almost have gotten an A54 if the performance was a little better. I’m someone that truly hates strutters and app lag in my phones, I don’t game but I hate it when apps slow down or don’t respond properly due to a mediocre SoC so maybe I’ll see what chip they put in the A55.
Overall, the 2023 lineup is very good, they’re all upgrades from their last year versions obviously so not a major design change but I like them. I just wish they had a base S23 in display so I could see it. No one buys it in my country so stores don’t stock them much.
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Can’t say much about the help and stores but I had the s23 Plus and the battery life was great on that phone. Took good pictures. Speakers are decent. I don’t think there’s any downside to that phone except maybe the price
I don’t even have a Samsung store anywhere near me. I know what they are and what they’re about. I probably wouldn’t go to a store if it was closer anyway.
Samsung is sticking their guns to the narrow outside perfect inside size design because they want people to unfold. If the cover screen is perfect the inside size isnt good. Unfold your world with galaxyz
Wait till you see foldable phones from other manufacturers.
The Xiaomi foldable is the smaller, slimmer, thinner than my S23 Ultra (in a case) when folded, with almost a similar sized screen. It opens up to a tablet screen that has practically NO crease (see to believe)
Samsung is just lazy to innovate.
I am familiar with other folds but the overall performance and specifications doesnt even compare to a zfold, every attempt after the first fold has its benefits. Samsung isnt lazy they are just not rushing. Taking the apple approach and some people just complain
on paper it may not seem to compare, but in real life use I find the Xiaomi phone better to use. They have a different approach to how they use the inner/outer screens, but once you understand how it works, it’s fine. And I have been a almost Samsung flagship phone only user for the last 13+ years.
Samsung has close to 0 hardware improvements over the many years. Finally allowing the screen to close after 5 years - something to be proud of?
Screen crease still so obvious compared to other phones that has almost no crease for the last 2 years - something to be proud of?
Defending Samsung for this is like defending mediocrity. I really miss the days when I get a Samsung phone and I’m proud that I’m having the latest/best. Nowadays, getting the Fold/flip it’s 100% certain that it’s outdated compared to others on the market.
I’d almost have gotten an A54 if the performance was a little better.
If you really want something that looks like an A54 on the outside, but has a better performance (and better build quality), the S23 FE is your thing (the S23 FE is really an S22+ made to look like an A54 on the outside).
I have an S23 base and man does it feel great in my hand. I’ve never been a fan of huge phone, but believe me this phone was designed to be used.
I went from s10+ to s23+ couldn’t be happier.
But honestly, what phone you buy is purely up to your priorities. Power user or heavy gamer? S23 Ultra. Want a cheap flagship? S23. Want the absolute rock bottom cheap phone? A54. Heavy multitasker? Z fold 5. Want a cool yet compact device? Z flip 5.
But remember to do your research before buying a new phone do see which one suits your needs.
You can also trade-in your S21 Ultra for some discounts.
P.S. I think you should wait for the S24 lineup as it will be coming in a few months time.
Thankyou, you have helped me a lot. I am replacing my ladies S9 and size and feel of the phone is important. Hence the delay in not wanting g a new phone for so long. She hates big phones.
i am eyeing an android aquisition in the near future … vs a pixel or maybe a future sony? we’ll see. regarding samsung : z fold 5 has bad cameras for the price .2 i don’t like the samsung auto jpeg algorithm… too processed! i’d like it to look more like the pixel one! more natural!