Samsung's latest Galaxy S23 flagship phones keep proving that an ostentatious exterior design doesn't always translate to the best features and a superior user experience.
A good case in point is the minimalist camera housing design of the Galaxy S23 Ultra next to the overblown camera bump on the Xiaomi 13 Ultra and the Oppo Find X6 Pro. Without knowing better, some Android phone customers could think that Samsung's flagship has the least-impressive camera setup. But that's far from the truth.
Although the Xiaomi 13 Ultra and the Oppo Find X6 Pro are designed to look like they're more camera-centric than the Galaxy S23 Ultra, the opposite is actually true.
Not only does the Galaxy S23 Ultra boast better zoom capabilities and a 200MP primary shooter, but a recent comparison that's floating around Twitter demonstrates that the latest Xiaomi and Oppo flagships are unable to match, let alone beat the Galaxy S23 Ultra in terms of video stabilization.
https://twitter.com/Tech_Reve/status/1653559741803790336
Flashy designs and collabs won't beat Samsung's finest
Video image stabilization is a technology that tries to negate unwanted motion from videos and stabilize the video recording to improve the viewing experience. And judging by the short GIF demonstration above, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is miles above its rivals.
This quick comparison goes to show that flashy designs and clever branding might get some people's attention. But without any real substance, these design and marketing tricks won't win the battle or translate into a superior user experience for the customer.
The Xiaomi 13 Ultra and Oppo Find X6 Pro both employ oversized circular housings designed to make these phones resemble point-and-shoot cameras. One would think that they can do better, especially since Oppo's flagship boasts the Hasselblad branding on its camera housing, while the Xiaomi 13 Ultra carries the Leica branding.
Evidently, these are just marketing schemes, and neither of these things guarantees a superior user experience. Not when the Galaxy S23 Ultra can deliver such results while carrying a minimalist, brandless camera housing (or lack thereof). And not when Samsung focuses as much as it does on improving the camera experience even further through regular firmware updates.
