Comparative: Are Common Features More Valuable than Gaming Focused Qualities in the Galaxy S23 Ultra vs ROG Phone 6 Battle?

The Galaxy S23 Ultra was launched as Samsung’s latest flagship, with a focus on improving a number of attributes. One of them is the gaming part. On the other side is the ROG Phone 6, as the latest gaming smartphone from ASUS.

Does it pay more to buy a common flagship or a mobile phone for games? TudoCelular tells you the answer now, in this Comparative.

The manufacturers didn’t skimp on construction and put an aluminum body and glass back, covered with Gorilla Glass. Only the new Victus 2 version of the Galaxy surpasses the third generation of ROG. It also has the most compact dimensions and lightest weight of the duo.

The overall appearance of the S23 Ultra doesn’t change much from what was already known. We are talking especially about the cameras positioned without a module on the cover and the notch in the form of a hole. The ROG 6, on the other hand, inserts the sensors horizontally, in a revamped and more modern block, not to mention the RGB LED logo and the front without any notch.

The two bring biometric reader under the screen, but the Korean still has IP68 certification, which protects against dust and water, while the Taiwanese IPx4 only guarantees resistance against splashes. ASUS responds with the presence of ultrasonic buttons on the right edge, to serve as triggers in games. Not to mention the second USB-C port, to connect your cell phone accessories or facilitate charging.

None of them have any slots for storage expansion. At least, sixth generation Wi-Fi and NFC technology are guaranteed in them. Already the Bluetooth 5.3 used by Samsung is superior to version 5.2 of the rival.

Galaxy has the toughest, most compact and light body. But ROG provides more interesting features for gamers. Therefore, we opened the duel with one point for each.

The devices here contain a screen with almost the same size of 6.8 inches and support HDR10 + technology, to improve the quality of compatible streams. The S23 Ultra’s panel focuses on its slightly higher brightness level and Quad HD + resolution, against a Full HD + on the ROG 6, which reproduces more colors than the competitor.

Samsung repeats the Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection from the back on the front. ASUS puts the first generation of the Victus series on the display. In any case, scratch protection won’t be the problem.

So far, the benefits of Korean are not so different. But the Taiwanese makes up for it with two characteristics that matter most to gamers. We are talking about the 165 Hz refresh rate, for greater fluidity than the rival’s 120 Hz, in addition to the touch sensor that responds to 720 Hz, with a focus on reducing latency in games.

The advantages of the gamer cell phone weigh more in this regard and give the point to the ROG Phone 6.

In terms of audio, both devices provide a stereo system consisting of two sound outputs. The difference is that the ROG 6 comes with the two speakers positioned at the front, which allows for greater immersion than the S23 Ultra configuration.

Smartphones deliver a very powerful sound that does not distort at maximum volume, in addition to the great balance between bass, mids and highs, with low frequencies a little more elaborate in Taiwanese. ASUS also offers dedicated amplifiers optimized by the Swedish Dirac, for greater customization than the set signed by Samsung’s AKG.

Even though companies no longer send headphones in the package, the Taiwanese company still includes a physical connector to plug in any compatible accessory.

This is an easy point for ROG.

The Galaxy comes out of the box with native Android 13, while the ROG still comes with version 12 of the “little robot” pre-installed. In addition to the gamer model featuring older software, it still does not reach the long service life promised by Samsung.

At least, they do not disappoint in terms of the mobile network, due to the presence of 5G support in the pair. Fluidity won’t be a problem on these systems either, thanks to the high refresh rates of their screens.

Moving on to features, the S23 Ultra offers from the well-known shortcuts of the Edge Screen, to the most advanced ones, such as DeX, which turns the cell phone into a portable PC. Not to mention the S Pen, the pen that brings a series of additional features.

On the other hand, ROG also features shortcuts in a side menu, in addition to being able to customize the LED on the back, manage all gaming hardware with Game Genie and configure each title individually through Armory Crate.

With advanced features in the duo, the Korean’s longevity ends up tying for the S23 Ultra.

The Galaxy comes equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 platform, in a version modified especially for Samsung. The ROG already contains the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1. How do they behave in performance? We saw in our tests that the S23 Ultra is the faster of the pair, with a difference of almost seven seconds.

Benchmarks confirm the Korean’s favoritism, with higher scores for him on AnTuTu and Geekbench indicators. The two run games with maximum quality and as much fluidity as possible in general, with an advantage for ASUS due to the lower latency.

Samsung scores for superior multitasking.

The Korean maintained a 5,000 mAh battery in its flagship, against a 6,000 mAh capacity in the Taiwanese gamer model. Our standardized tests showed over 30 hours for each. But the ROG still exceeds 31 hours and has become the best top of the line in autonomy ever tested here at TudoCelular so far.

When we go to recharge, the 65 W adapter from ASUS makes the device reach 100% in 46 minutes. The 25 W one sent by Samsung takes just over an hour to complete the process.

Point to the ROG Phone once again.

The S23 Ultra comes with four rear cameras, while the ROG 6 has a triple set. ASUS may even have improved the results with the 50 MP main sensor of this generation, but the 200 MP used by Samsung hits more details and texture quality. At night, the Galaxy also manages to take pictures with greater clarity than the rival.

The Korean’s ultrawide has noise control and distortion correction that work better than the Taiwanese. In addition to coming with autofocus, for better macros than the competitor’s dedicated lens. To complete, the S23 Ultra still comes with its dual telephoto cameras, for zoomed images without much loss of quality.

This time it’s an easy point for Samsung.

These devices are compatible with 8K videos, but only the Galaxy reaches 30 fps at that resolution. In 4K, both support up to 60 fps. The quality of the S23 Ultra pleases more than the ROG, both in recordings during the day and at night. Samsung still hits more on optical stabilization and more agile focus than the rival. At least stereo audio capture is satisfactory on them.

One more point for the Korean.

The front camera of the duo has a resolution of 12 megapixels. Despite this, you will have more details in Galaxy selfies during the day, in addition to clearer records and better colors at night. The Korean is also the only one of the duo to film from the front in 4K.

Samsung notes another point.

These devices officially arrived at Brazilian retailers. The Galaxy S23 Ultra was launched for BRL 9,500 in the country, much more expensive than the suggested price of BRL 7,000 for the ROG Phone 6. In the current market, the scenario remains more favorable for ASUS, with a price of BRL 4,500. On the other hand, the Samsung model is still found above R$ 6 thousand.

In this way, the Taiwanese takes the final point of the duel.

The clash between these advanced cell phones showed a great balance between them. The Galaxy is best suited for those who want a more durable, compact and lightweight body, as well as faster multitasking performance. It also delivers a superior camera suite and system longevity.

On the other hand, the ROG Phone 6 gets gaming features right in its design with triggers and LEDs, in the higher quality sound, in the more fluid screen and with a fast touch sensor, in addition to the category-winning battery with autonomy, without compromising the recharge time.

Overall, the ASUS model proved to be more prepared to serve the most demanding gamers, even behind on the scoreboard, and without hurting the consumer’s pocket so much. If you like to play games, but don’t want to give up other features, the S23 Ultra certainly won’t let you down.

RESULT

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: 6 POINTS

• Stronger, compact and lightweight design
• Longer lasting system
• Faster multitasking performance
• Rear cameras with better and more versatile pictures
• Videos with optical stabilization and faster focus
• Front camera with sharper selfies and 4K footage

ROG Phone 6: 5 POINTS

• Design with triggers, LEDs and second USB-C
• Smoother screen and faster touch sensor
• higher quality sound
• Longer battery life and shorter charging time
• Lowest price in the current Brazilian market

Would you rather buy the Galaxy, or do you think the ROG is a better deal? Tell us in the space below.

(updated March 17, 2023 at 2:04 PM)