Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs Galaxy A54: The Ultimate Showdown
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🏆 Quick Verdict
The S23 Ultra is the clear winner for power users demanding the best camera, performance, and display. However, the A54 provides excellent value with a solid feature set and longer software support, making it a compelling choice for those prioritizing affordability and a reliable experience.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy A54 |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 - International | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 20, 26, 28, 32, 38, 40, 41, 66 - International |
| 5G bands | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 75, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - International | 1, 3, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - International |
| Speed | HSPA, LTE (up to 7CA), 5G | HSPA, LTE, 5G |
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G | GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G |
| 1, 7, 28, 41, 66, 71, 78, 258, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - USA | 25, 41, 66, 71 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - USA | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2023, February 01 | 2023, March 15 |
| Status | Available. Released 2023, February 17 | Available. Released 2023, March 24 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), glass back (Gorilla Glass 5), plastic frame |
| Dimensions | 163.4 x 78.1 x 8.9 mm (6.43 x 3.07 x 0.35 in) | 158.2 x 76.7 x 8.2 mm (6.23 x 3.02 x 0.32 in) |
| SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time) | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM |
| Weight | 234 g (8.25 oz) | 202 g (7.13 oz) |
| IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) Armor aluminum frame with tougher drop and scratch resistance (advertised) Stylus (Bluetooth integration, accelerometer, gyro) | IP67 dust/water resistant (up to 1m for 30 min) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 |
| Resolution | 1440 x 3088 pixels, 19.3:9 ratio (~500 ppi density) | 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~403 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.8 inches, 114.7 cm2 (~89.9% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.4 inches, 100.5 cm2 (~82.9% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1200 nits (HBM), 1750 nits (peak) | Super AMOLED, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1000 nits (HBM) |
| Always-on display | - | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (1x3.36 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3x2.0 GHz Cortex-A510) | Octa-core (4x2.4 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SM8550-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm) | Exynos 1380 (5 nm) |
| GPU | Adreno 740 | Mali-G68 MP5 |
| OS | Android 13, up to 4 major Android upgrades, One UI 8 | Android 13, up to 4 major Android upgrades, One UI 7 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot) |
| Internal | 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 12GB RAM | 128GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 6GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM |
| UFS 4.0 | - | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | Laser AF, LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama | LED flash, panorama, HDR |
| Quad | 200 MP, f/1.7, 24mm (wide), 1/1.3", 0.6µm, multi-directional PDAF, OIS 10 MP, f/2.4, 70mm (telephoto), 1/3.52", 1.12µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom 10 MP, f/4.9, 230mm (periscope telephoto), 1/3.52", 1.12µm, PDAF, OIS, 10x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, Super Steady video | - |
| Single | 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), Dual Pixel PDAF | 32 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/2.8", 0.8µm |
| Triple | - | 50 MP, f/1.8, 23mm (wide), 1/1.56", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 123˚ (ultrawide), 1/3.X", 1.12µm 5 MP (macro) |
| Video | 8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps, 720p@480fps, gyro-EIS |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR, HDR10+ | - |
| Single | 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.2", 1.12µm, dual pixel PDAF | 32 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/2.8", 0.8µm |
| Video | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | No | No |
| 35mm jack | No | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| 32-bit/384kHz audio Tuned by AKG | - | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.3, A2DP, LE | 5.3, A2DP, LE |
| NFC | Yes | Yes (market/region dependent) |
| Positioning | GPS, GALILEO, GLONASS, BDS, QZSS | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG | USB Type-C 2.0, OTG |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer | Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, compass, barometer (USA only) |
| Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support) Bixby natural language commands and dictation Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified) Ultra Wideband (UWB) support | Virtual proximity sensing | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 45W wired, PD3.0, 65% in 30 min 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless | 25W wired |
| Type | Li-Ion 5000 mAh | 5000 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Phantom Black, Green, Cream, Lavender, Graphite, Sky Blue, Lime, Red, BMW M Edition | Lime, Graphite, Violet, White |
| Models | SM-S918B, SM-S918B/DS, SM-S918U, SM-S918U1, SM-S918W, SM-S918N, SM-S9180, SM-S918E, SM-S918E/DS | SM-A546V, SM-A546U, SM-A546U1, SM-A546B, SM-A546B/DS, SM-A546E, SM-A546E/DS, SM-A5460, SM-A546M, SM-A546M/DS, SM-A546W |
| Price | € 549.90 / $ 454.99 / £ 433.00 | € 210.00 / $ 119.11 / £ 169.95 / ₹ 28,999 |
| SAR | 1.12 W/kg (head) 0.92 W/kg (body) | 0.81 W/kg (head) 0.67 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | 0.96 W/kg (head) 1.40 W/kg (body) | 0.69 W/kg (head) 1.34 W/kg (body) |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | Endurance rating 126h | Endurance rating 119h |
| Camera | Photo / Video | Photo / Video |
| Display | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | -25.6 LUFS (Very good) | -26.6 LUFS (Good) |
| Performance | AnTuTu: 1241531 (v9) GeekBench: 4927 (v5.1) GFXBench: 67fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) | AnTuTu: 506678 (v9) GeekBench: 2703 (v5.1), 2797 (v6) GFXBench: 25fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
- Exceptional Camera System
- Blazing-Fast Performance
- Stunning Display
- Excellent Battery Life
- S Pen Functionality
- High Price
- Large and Heavy
- Complex Software for Some
Samsung Galaxy A54
- Excellent Value for Money
- Good Battery Life
- Vibrant Display
- Water and Dust Resistance
- Long Software Support
- Less Powerful Processor
- Mediocre Camera Performance Compared to S23 Ultra
- Slower Charging
Display Comparison
The S23 Ultra boasts a significantly brighter display at 1274 nits compared to the A54's 980 nits, offering better visibility in direct sunlight. Both have excellent contrast ratios (Infinite nominal), but the S23 Ultra's higher resolution and dynamic refresh rate (1-120Hz) provide a smoother and more immersive visual experience. The A54's display is still very good, but the S23 Ultra is in a different league.
Camera Comparison
The S23 Ultra's camera system is a major highlight, offering incredible detail, zoom capabilities (10x optical), and low-light performance. The A54's camera is competent, producing good-quality photos in well-lit conditions, but it lacks the versatility and image quality of the S23 Ultra.
Performance
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in the S23 Ultra delivers vastly superior performance compared to the Exynos 1380 in the A54. Expect faster app loading, smoother multitasking, and significantly better gaming performance on the S23 Ultra. The A54 is capable for everyday tasks, but struggles with demanding applications.
Battery Life
The S23 Ultra provides an active use score of 13:24h and an endurance rating of 126h, indicating excellent battery life. The A54 offers a respectable 11:15h active use and 119h endurance rating. While both offer solid battery performance, the S23 Ultra's larger battery capacity gives it a slight edge.
Buying Guide
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is ideal for photography enthusiasts, gamers, and anyone who wants the absolute best Samsung has to offer. The Galaxy A54 is perfect for budget-conscious buyers, students, or those who want a dependable phone with a great display and battery life without breaking the bank.