The OnePlus 11 and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra have similar high-end specs, but is it worth paying an extra $500 for Galaxy S23 Ultra? The two phones are at the opposite end of the flagship price spectrum. While Samsung's Galaxy S23 Ultra is one of the most expensive Android devices around, OnePlus returns to its affordable flagship roots with the OnePlus 11. The OnePlus 11 has almost everything a flagship smartphone should have, so is the Galaxy S23 Ultra worth the extra cost?
Although the Galaxy S23 Ultra might be a lot more expensive than the OnePlus 11, it offers more productivity and unique features for the additional cost. The OnePlus 11’s base variant starts at $699 with 8GB RAM and a 128GB storage option, while the Galaxy S23 Ultra base variant starts at $1,199 with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. Additionally, the Galaxy S23 Ultra has an inbuilt S Pen to help take notes, make sketches, and increase productivity for power users.
OnePlus 11 Vs. Galaxy S23 Ultra: Display, Cameras & Battery
The OnePlus 11 and the Galaxy S23 Ultra have an aluminum unibody frame and Gorilla Glass on the front and back. However, the Galaxy S23 Ultra's IP68 rating and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 offer better protection than the IP64 rating and Gorilla Glass 5 back of the OnePlus device. The OnePlus 11 has a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a peak brightness of 1,300 nits, while the Galaxy S23 Ultra's 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED display has the edge with its 1,750 nits peak brightness. Both have 5,000mAh batteries. But the OnePlus 11 comes with a charger in the box and charges much faster with its 80W fast charging (100W in some markets). On the other hand, the Galaxy S23 Ultra supports 45W fast charging, but it also comes with wireless charging support.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra also has the advantage in the camera department. It has a 200MP (f/1.7) main camera, a 12MP (f/2.2) ultra-wide sensor, a 10MP (f/2.4) telephoto unit with 3x optical zoom, and another 10MP (f/4.9) telephoto lens with 10x optical zoom. The OnePlus 11 offers a 50MP (f/1.8) main camera, a 32MP (f/2.0) telephoto unit, and a 48MP (f/2.2) ultra-wide sensor. For selfies, the OnePlus 11 has a 16MP (f/2.4) camera compared to the 12MP (f/2.2) shooter on Galaxy S23 Ultra. Unsurprisingly, the Galaxy S23 Ultra takes better photographs with consistent image quality and color rendition.
OnePlus 11 Vs. Galaxy S23 Ultra: Performance & Storage
The OnePlus 11 and Galaxy S23 Ultra have the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Soc, built on 4nm technology for more power efficiency. However, the Galaxy S23 Ultra has slightly better performance due to its exclusive Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 For Galaxy processor, which has a comparatively higher clock speed and better GPU performance. The Galaxy S23 Ultra uses faster UFS 4.0 for all its storage options, while the OnePlus 11 only uses UFS 4.0 with the 256GB storage option. The base 128GB storage variant uses the slower UFS 3.1 standard. Wireless connectivity options are the same, though, with both phones supporting Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, and 5G.
Samsung and OnePlus have promised four years of Android updates and five years of security updates, so buyers should be able to hold on to their new phones for longer. Neither device will have any issues with daily tasks like multitasking, high-resolution video recording, and intensive gaming or video editing. The OnePlus 11 is a better choice for buyers on a tight budget. But for anyone with an extra $500 to spend, the Galaxy S23 Ultra has much more to offer, with better performance and cameras, more protection, and useful extras like wireless charging and the S Pen.