The Galaxy S23 Ultra: The best Android smartphone… that I can’t use | Tech Aza

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely: A beast of a smartphone

Let me first begin off by saying that I’ve all the time been a low-key fan of the Extremely lineup. I by no means needed to love it, due to the ridiculous dimensions, however there was one thing that made it stand out, in a sea of massive handsets.

The Galaxy S23 Extremely is at present the perfect Android smartphone cash should purchase. And whereas benchmarks give the iPhone 14 Professional and iPhone 14 Professional Max an edge within the efficiency division, beneath real-life circumstances, this doesn’t make a lot of a distinction. The entire aforementioned smartphones are ridiculously quick.

Now for the elephant within the room: the show. The Galaxy S23 Extremely encompasses a 6.8” (admittedly attractive) display screen. You don’t want me to inform you that this panel seems to be gorgeous – if there’s one factor Samsung is aware of find out how to do, it’s shows.

You may chuckle at me, however I’ve all the time puzzled why the sides of the Extremely had been extra rounded, in comparison with these of the vanilla and Plus fashions. I by no means gave it a lot thought, as a result of I used to be all the time extra within the smallest handset within the lineup to start with.

Beforehand, my principle was that the marginally extra rounded design was meant to distinguish the Extremely from its less-premium siblings. In mild of the truth that the present development is for high-end smartphones to function a squared-off, industrial design, I used to be reasonably perplexed by this alternative of aesthetic for probably the most premium mannequin.

Now, nevertheless, I perceive why Samsung made this resolution and I’m very completely satisfied that it did. You see, the iPhone 14 Professional Max is a stunner in terms of seems to be, however additionally it is, simply, probably the most painful smartphone to make use of. These edges harm even on the 6.1” mannequin, however the greater, heavier model is way, a lot worse.

I’ve discovered a brand new appreciation for the design of the Extremely, as a result of the gadget is about as ergonomic as it may be, with these dimensions. And it does make a distinction – I’d argue that the design is what makes the Extremely usable within the first place. However was it usable for me?

Residing with the Galaxy S23 Extremely: The Good, The Dangerous, The Painful

On this part I’ll share my private expertise with the Galaxy S23 Extremely. Keep in mind that it’s, to an extent, subjective and closely influenced by my private desire for smaller smartphones… which, sadly, has not modified.

The Good

I’ll start with a number of the highlights of this expertise. However, I’ll firstly have to offer you a little bit of context – particularly, what sort of smartphone person I’m. In contrast to most tech fanatics, I think about myself the alternative of an influence person.

I exploit one app at a time (multitasking continues to be a delusion for me) and I principally spend my display screen time on net searching, information studying and messaging. I usually don’t eat a variety of media on my smartphone, as I nonetheless want doing that by way of my laptop computer.

That is the place I want to offer credit score the place credit score is due. I’ve by no means imagined that watching a video on a smartphone may very well be this pleasurable. There’s something concerning the Extremely’s barely curved show that makes the expertise very immersive. Studying content material on-line was additionally way more pleasurable, because the added display screen actual was a sport changer.

Moreover, the Galaxy S23 Extremely made me do one thing I by no means thought was doable – I really ditched my trusty Kindle. Provided that I primarily used it to learn newspapers, it goes with out saying that the latter appeared infinitely higher on the display screen of the Extremely. As a minimalist, I used to be extraordinarily completely satisfied about charging one much less gadget.

Subsequently, I’ve come to grasp the attraction of an even bigger display screen. However, does that imply I now want one? Most actually not.

The Dangerous

Now’s the time for extra sensible concerns. Like most individuals, I have a tendency to take my smartphone in every single place with me – not solely to stay linked, but additionally as an alternative to my bodily pockets (shoutout to the Apple MagSafe Wallets).

It goes with out saying that it’s way more troublesome to discover a place for the Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely, than it’s for the iPhone 13 mini. No matter what anybody tells me, I don’t consider your pocket is an possibility.

Fortunately, I nearly all the time go round carrying a backpack, so I might merely slip the Extremely in it. A working resolution, but additionally removed from supreme given the effort such an association might trigger when you’ll want to reply a name in a crowded place. Maybe this is the reason so many individuals take pleasure in wearables, different devices I discover it laborious to heat as much as.

Thus, I’m inclined to say that the Galaxy S23 Extremely is markedly much less moveable than a extra reasonably-sized handset. This may probably not hassle many individuals, however for me it was an enormous (pun meant) downside.

The Painful

However the former pet peeve paled compared with the final inconvenience (to place it mildly) I want to spotlight. You see, I’ve very small palms. I can not comfortably attain the highest of the display screen on a tool like the usual iPhone 14, what’s left for the S23 Extremely.

This made utilizing the Galaxy S23 Extremely each day, frankly talking, a painful expertise. Particularly, after I needed to deal with the gadget with a single hand. Some duties like taking photographs had been notably tedious.

Lastly, due to the dimensions, my grip was by no means as agency as I’d have preferred. This led me to reside in fixed worry of dropping my $1200 smartphone – not a sense I’d advocate.

Is larger essentially higher?

In conclusion, I want to assert quite a lot of essential factors. Simply because the Galaxy S23 Extremely just isn’t match for me, doesn’t imply that it isn’t a superb smartphone – quite the opposite, the Extremely is, as soon as once more, an distinctive gadget that many would fall in love with.

Nonetheless, it’s merely not meant for everybody and that is one thing I would love extra producers to acknowledge. Small smartphones is perhaps much less in style amongst mainstream customers, however this doesn’t imply that each smartphone ought to be 6+ inches.

Choices are one thing that ought to be cherished in a lineup, not abolished, and portability just isn’t solely my chief concern in terms of a smartphone, but additionally that of many different customers. For this reason I’d all the time select a mini over an Extremely