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Journalism of Courage
Part of my job is to test the latest gadgets and gizmos and I don’t complain. It’s been almost four years since I switched my primary SIM to an iPhone back in 2019. Since then, I have tested a plethora of Android phones and iPhones, but my primary SIM had a hard time switching from an iPhone to an Android.
And this is changing in 2023, thanks to the amazing pre-order offer that Samsung had for the recently launched Galaxy S23 Ultra series, to be specific, the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Here is how Samsung’s brilliant strategy made me pull the trigger.
When people get an iPhone, they probably want an Airpod and then an Apple Watch. This means, spending a lot of money. With the Samsung pre-order offer, I could get into its ecosystem. For the price of an iPhone 14 Pro, not only I am getting a Galaxy S23 Ultra, but also getting a smartwatch with all the bells and whistles, and even a TWS.
The 256GB iPhone 14 Pro Max (review) costs Rs 1,49,900 while I bought the Galaxy S23 Ultra with 256GB of storage for Rs 1,27,998, this includes the Samsung Watch 4 Classic LTE (46mm), Galaxy Buds 2, Samsung’s wireless charging pad, and a 25W fast charging adapter.
Samsung doesn’t include a charger in the box, but as a part of my pre-order, I got a free adapter and even a wireless charging pad. Coming back to the Watch, it had features like LTE connectivity, Google Play Store support, and it even has features like a BP monitor and a heart rate sensor, although these features are disabled in India.
As these offers are only available for a short duration, I definitely fell prey to the FOMO factor. Hence, despite having a mint-conditioned iPhone 12 Pro that works flawlessly, I ended up pre-ordering the cream-coloured S23 Ultra.
You might also ask why S23 Ultra and not the other variant. I can confidently say it’s not for the S Pen but for the cameras, specifically the 10x periscope zoom lens and 100x space zoom, and this will also be my smartphone with a periscope zoom lens.
There are also a few other features that made me pick the S23 Ultra, the device supports eSIM just like an iPhone or a Pixel. Besides, the 1750nits curved display 120Hz refresh rate and 2K resolution. While I am not a fan of OneUI (the device ships with OneUI 5.1 based on Android 13), I am just glad that it’s not as bad as MIUI or FunTouch OS.
While I await for Samsung to deliver the S23 Ultra, I have already started shopping for accessories, which include a screen guard and a rugged case because the official ones from Samsung are expensive.
I am excited to get into the Samsung ecosystem. While could have bought an Apple Watch and the AirPods for a lot less, I am intrigued to test the Samsung ecosystem for the first time. Samsung’s campaign for S23 had done it and the time has come to switch to the other side.
