When deciding between the Nothing Phone 2 and the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, it’s crucial to consider one key factor: how important is the “cool factor” to you? While both are some of the best smartphones around, the former boasts some unique features.
The Nothing Phone 2 has received high ratings, but it shares several similarities with the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, which is also highly rated. Both devices utilize the same processor and guarantee similar battery performance. Additionally, their screen sizes are almost identical.
Let’s compare the benefits and drawbacks of the Nothing Phone 2 and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra to determine which one is more suitable for you.
Design
It’s obvious that the Nothing Phone 2 is a visually impressive device. The transparent back panel showcases the phone’s inner workings, and the glowing glyph lights add to its unique appearance. The phone also boasts a 2.5D curved glass and a flexible 6.7in LTPO AMOLED display. It’s safe to say that there’s nothing quite like the Phone 2 on the market.
The S23 Ultra follows a conventional design similar to its predecessor, the S22 Ultra. It features curved sides and a display with curved edges, measuring 6.8 inches and boasting a resolution of 3088×1440 pixels. The AMOLED screen is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus 2.
Features
The Nothing Phone 2 provides unique features that are exclusive to the brand. One of its standout features is its transparent back that showcases a “glyph interface” composed of an LED light grid. This interface displays various information, such as charging status, notifications, and music playback.
The Nothing Phone 2 has a Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 processor and a 4500mAh battery that supports 50W fast charging. With this, you can use it for a full day without recharging. It also comes with Android 12 installed.
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra comes equipped with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, ensuring the phone is fast and responsive. Additionally, it features an S Pen stylus that enables users to take notes and interact with the phone in innovative ways. Samsung’s handset has a bigger battery (5000mAh) with 45W fast charging. It ships with Android 12 with Samsung’s One UI 4.1 on top.
Screen and sound
The Nothing Phone 2’s screen is impressive, featuring a 6.7in OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate for smooth and seamless visuals. The resolution stands at 2412×1080 pixels with 394 ppi density. Moreover, the screen has a brightness rating of 1000 nits, making it suitable for outdoor use, and a peak pixel brightness of 1600 nits with HDR. Its always-on display highlights the time, date, and notifications even when the phone is locked.
The display of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is awe-inspiring. It features a 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen that produces rich colors and deep blacks. Additionally, the 120Hz refresh rate ensures a smooth and seamless viewing experience. Thanks to its LTPO technology, the refresh rate can adapt to the displayed content for optimal performance.
The resolution of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is 3088×1440 pixels, with a density of 500 pixels per inch (PPI). It boasts a maximum brightness of 1200 nits in high brightness mode (HBM) and a peak of 1750 nits.
In terms of sound quality, both devices share similar specifications. The Nothing Phone 2 boasts dual stereo speakers positioned at the top and bottom of the phone, specifically tuned by Teenage Engineering. These speakers also support Dolby Atmos. On the other hand, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra has stereo speakers located at the top and bottom of the phone. AKG has fine-tuned these speakers and also supports Dolby Atmos technology.
Camera


You’ll be impressed with the camera systems on both phones. The Nothing Phone 2 features an advanced Sony IMX890 sensor integrated into its primary camera. It boasts a 50MP camera with an f/1.88 aperture lens, phase-detect autofocus, and optical image stabilization. Although photos are downscaled to 12MP, you can toggle to 50MP in the camera app’s settings.
The Nothing Phone 2 provides various video recording options, such as 4K recording at 60 fps, 1080p recording at 30 or 60 fps, and Live HDR at a specific frame rate. Additionally, it offers features like slo-mo, night mode, action mode, and time-lapse.
The front-facing camera on the Nothing Phone 2 has impressive features such as a 32MP resolution, ƒ/2.45 aperture, 1/2.74″ sensor size, advanced HDR, night mode, and portrait mode. Additionally, it offers 1080p video recording at 60 fps and Live HDR at 1080p at 30 fps.
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra features a high-quality primary sensor with 200MP and an f/1.8 aperture that can capture amazing 16-into-1 shots even in low light. It also has advanced noise reduction algorithms and adaptive image stabilization for video recording. In addition, the phone includes a 12MP ultra-wide camera with an f/2.2 aperture and two 10MP telephoto lenses, one of which is a periscope lens. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra has a 40MP front-facing camera with an f/2.2 aperture and a 26mm wide-angle lens.
Price
If you’re deciding between the Nothing Phone 2 and the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, the price may be the deciding factor. In this case, the clear winner is the Nothing Phone 2.
The Nothing Phone 2 is reasonably priced, just like its predecessor, the Nothing Phone 1. You can buy one for $599/£579 with 128GB of storage. On the other hand, the most affordable Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra costs $1200/£1249 and comes with 256GB of storage. To get a Nothing Phone 2 with the same storage capacity, you’ll need to spend $699/£629.
Nothing Phone 2 vs Samsung S23 Ultra verdict
If you’re looking for a smartphone that will impress and save you some cash, the Nothing Phone 2 is definitely worth considering. However, a few factors might make the higher price of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra worth it.
For instance, Samsung’s model boasts a superior and slightly larger display. Its camera system (rear and front) also offers significantly higher resolution than Nothing’s. Additionally, the Samsung phone has a larger battery capacity, although since both promise daylong battery life, this might mean very little.
Regardless, the Nothing Phone 2 shouldn’t be considered a bad choice, as its specs are still impressive — mainly because of its price.
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