{"id":366161,"date":"2026-04-06T11:16:21","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T11:16:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/366161\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T11:16:21","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T11:16:21","slug":"3-reasons-why-i-upgraded-my-galaxy-s23-to-the-s26-ultra","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/366161\/","title":{"rendered":"3 reasons why I upgraded my Galaxy S23 to the S26 Ultra"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"The<\/p>\n

Fewer and fewer people are upgrading to new phones every year, and honestly, I get it. I\u2019ve been using the Samsung Galaxy S23 since October 2023, and it\u2019s been a rock-solid experience. I\u2019ve rarely felt it slow down, and while there are occasional hiccups, it\u2019s not nearly enough to make me dislike the phone.<\/p>\n

Recently, though, I got a chance to try the Galaxy S26 Ultra<\/a>, and with the Samsung store offering a solid trade-in for my Galaxy S23, I finally decided to upgrade after nearly 2.5 years. I\u2019ve been using the Galaxy S26 Ultra for the past couple of weeks, and there are three major changes that have made the switch feel completely worth it.<\/p>\n

If you bought a Galaxy S26, did you upgrade from an older Samsung phone?<\/p>\n

158 votes<\/p>\n

Yes, Galaxy S25 series<\/p>\n

15%<\/p>\n

Yes, Galaxy S24 series<\/p>\n

15%<\/p>\n

Yes, Galaxy S23 series<\/p>\n

36%<\/p>\n

Yes, Galaxy S22 series (or older)<\/p>\n

24%<\/p>\n

Yes, from a different Samsung phone line (Galaxy A, Galaxy Z, etc.)<\/p>\n

4%<\/p>\n

No, I came from another phone brand<\/p>\n

6%<\/p>\n

Privacy Display is genuinely useful (but isn\u2019t perfect yet)<\/p>\n

\"Privacy<\/p>\n

The headlining feature of the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is the new Privacy Display<\/a>. For those unaware, this feature helps prevent people around you from viewing your screen. You can technically achieve something similar with a privacy screen protector, but Samsung has integrated it directly into the display, which is something we\u2019ve never seen before.<\/p>\n

You can toggle Privacy Display on or off whenever you want. So, if I\u2019m watching something with someone next to me, like a video with my wife, I can turn it off, and the display becomes visible from the sides again. But when I am commuting on a train and don\u2019t want others peeking at my screen, I can turn it on and limit the viewing angles.<\/p>\n

In actuality, the Privacy Display works really well. Sure, it\u2019s not as effective as a dedicated privacy screen protector, since some content is still slightly visible from extreme angles, but the implementation is what really stands out. You can keep the display looking normal most of the time and only enable the feature for specific situations.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

For example, I have set it to turn on automatically for apps like WhatsApp and Messages, when entering a PIN or password, and for notification pop-ups. Only those specific elements are hidden, while everything else looks like a normal display. That level of control is what really made me appreciate the feature.<\/p>\n

Sure, Privacy Display isnt\u2019 perfect. There\u2019s still some leakage from certain angles, and the \u201cmaximum privacy mode\u201d makes the screen genuinely hard to use. But for a first-generation implementation, Samsung has done a great job. I\u2019m already a fan of the hardware-level approach, and I\u2019m confident it\u2019ll only get better in future versions. But even right now, Privacy Display has been a big upgrade over my Galaxy S23.<\/p>\n

Seven years of updates and Galaxy AI make this an easy long-term choice<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

While most Galaxy phones now come with long-term software support, Samsung only introduced that extended update policy starting with the Galaxy S24 series. That means the Galaxy S23 I was using is limited to four years of major updates, and Samsung has already rolled out three of them. Only the Android 17 update<\/a> remains.<\/p>\n

Moving to the Galaxy S26 Ultra means I now get much longer support. Samsung is promising seven years of major OS updates for this device, which means it\u2019ll stay relevant for far longer than my Galaxy S23.<\/p>\n

On top of that, Samsung has added several new Galaxy AI features that aren\u2019t available on the Galaxy S23 (and may not arrive anytime soon). For example, one feature I\u2019ve been actively using is call screening. Similar to what\u2019s available on Pixel devices<\/a>, it asks unknown callers on your behalf why they\u2019re calling and only alerts you if it\u2019s worth picking up. In my region, I get at least three unknown calls every day, and this has been a lifesaver.<\/p>\n

Another feature that arrived with the Galaxy S26 Ultra (or rather One UI 8.5) is notification summaries. As the name suggests, it converts long notifications into a more readable format. For example, if you\u2019re getting a flood of messages in a group chat or a long email you don\u2019t have time to read, this feature summarises it into something quick and digestible. It does take a few minutes to kick in from what I\u2019ve noticed, but waking up to neatly summarised notifications is a really nice perk I didn\u2019t have on the Galaxy S23.<\/p>\n

So many spec upgrades that really add up<\/p>\n

\"Samsung<\/p>\n

Paul Jones \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n

Other than that, several hardware upgrades have made the switch from the Galaxy S23 to the Galaxy S26 Ultra feel worthwhile. The base Galaxy S23 I used came with a 3,900 mAh battery. Moving to the Galaxy S26 Ultra, even though Samsung hasn\u2019t increased the battery compared to its previous Ultra models, still means I\u2019m now getting a much larger 5,000mAh cell.<\/p>\n

It may not match the massive batteries on some Chinese competitors, like the OnePlus 15<\/a> with over 7,000 mAh, but it\u2019s still a solid upgrade over the S23. In real-world use, I had to charge my Galaxy S23 at least twice a day. While some of that was due to battery degradation over time, the Galaxy S26 Ultra easily lasts a full day for me, even with heavy usage.<\/p>\n

Several hardware upgrades have made the switch from the Galaxy S23 to the S26 Ultra feel worthwhile.<\/p>\n

Charging speeds have also improved significantly. The Galaxy S23 is limited to 25W charging, whereas the Galaxy S26 Ultra supports up to 60W. In day-to-day use, that\u2019s made a noticeable difference for me. My S26 Ultra takes only about 45 minutes to go from 0-100%, while it used to take over an hour for the S23 to fully top up.<\/p>\n

And of course, there\u2019s the chipset upgrade. The Galaxy S26 Ultra runs on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5<\/a>, which is far more capable than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in the Galaxy S23. I don\u2019t game much on my phone, but when you think long term and factor in AI features, along with tools like Samsung DeX that I use quite often, the performance bump definitely comes in handy.<\/p>\n

Was the Galaxy S26 Ultra worth the upgrade?\n<\/p>\n

So, was upgrading from the Galaxy S23 to the Galaxy S26 Ultra worth it for me? Absolutely.<\/p>\n

Sure, I do miss the compact size of the Galaxy S23, and I wish Samsung made a mini-er version of the Ultra. But apart from that, the Galaxy S26 Ultra has been a breath of fresh air. The bigger battery, improved chipset for long-term use, faster charging that you only truly appreciate over time, and the clean, bug-free One UI 8.5 experience have all made the upgrade feel worthwhile.<\/p>\n

There are still a few baffling choices, especially the whole Qi2 situation<\/a> and Samsung\u2019s refusal to add integrated magnets to its phones. But look past that, and the Galaxy S26 Ultra has been a great experience and a very worthwhile upgrade over the S23.<\/p>\n

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra<\/a>\"Samsung\"AASamsung Galaxy S26 Ultra<\/a><\/p>\n

Privacy display \u2022 Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy \u2022 Power AI features<\/p>\n

Powerful flagship with top-tier cameras, AI, and privacy features.<\/p>\n

The Galaxy S26 Ultra is Samsung’s slimmest and lightest Ultra yet, pairing a 6.9-inch display with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy and a redesigned cooling system. It doubles down on imaging with a brighter 200MP main camera, upgraded zoom, advanced 8K video features, and Ultra-exclusive privacy and Galaxy AI tools.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t want to miss the best from Android Authority?<\/p>\n

\"google\"google<\/a><\/p>\n

Thank you for being part of our community. Read our\u00a0Comment Policy<\/a> before posting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Fewer and fewer people are upgrading to new phones every year, and honestly, I get it. I\u2019ve been…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":366162,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[342,111,139,69,869,28219,28236,6703,145],"class_list":{"0":"post-366161","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mobile","8":"tag-mobile","9":"tag-new-zealand","10":"tag-newzealand","11":"tag-nz","12":"tag-samsung","13":"tag-samsung-galaxy","14":"tag-samsung-galaxy-s23","15":"tag-samsung-galaxy-s26","16":"tag-technology"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366161","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=366161"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366161\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/366162"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=366161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=366161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=366161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}