This is the new Galaxy S23 Ultra, Samsung's Apex predator. The first time I picked up this phone, I thought I was holding the older S22 Ultra in my hand. It has the same boxy shape, the same display and the same battery. On top of that, the front camera sees a major resolution downgrade from 40 megapixels to just 12-megapixels.
Sure, on paper, the S23 Ultra doesn't really seem like a huge improvement, but after spending some quality time with it, I can be sure that this is Samsung's most refined product, and is well worth your consideration.
There's a lot to like about this phone and it does come with two big additions, more on those later.
Also Read: iQOO 11 Review
AUDIO
The most impactful and memorable changes are the subtle ones. For instance, the speakers on the S23 Ultra are significantly louder than its predecessor, and offer a surprisingly rich bass. This is a welcome change and shows that Samsung is making significant strides in the audio department.
FRONT CAMERA
Additionally, the front-facing 12MP camera on the S23 Ultra provides improved selfie quality, even with a lower resolution than the S22 Ultra. This is most likely due to the new Super HDR feature that captures brighter and more detailed selfie snaps.
SOFTWARE
These enhancements are further complimented by the new One UI 5.1 skin based on Android 13, which offers custom modes and routines for various daily activities, such as sleeping, driving and working. The updated software also includes Bixby Text Call, allowing users to respond to phone calls with voice-dictated text from the call screen, and the ability to access Expert RAW mode directly from the camera app.
DESIGN
Then there's the design, which looks almost identical to the S22 Ultra. Even the default colours aren't that different from last time around. However, there are some thoughtful upgrades such as the sides of the phone being flatter and thicker, which improves grip and makes it feel a little better in my hand. The S23 Ultra is designed to be more durable too, as it's the first phone with Corning's Gorilla Glass Victus 2, both on the front and back, so it should be a tough nut to crack, but I was quite reluctant to test this theory.
Samsung hasn't just created a tougher and visually appealing flagship phone. They are also focusing on environmental sustainability, and have managed to make the Ultra's display out of 22 percent recycled glass.
DISPLAY
Talking about that display, it remains as beautiful as ever and showcases stunning visuals, just like the screen on the S22 Ultra. Its standout aspect is undoubtedly its massive size, measuring 6.8 inches and featuring an AMOLED 2x display with a wide aspect ratio, which provides an optimal and immersive media experience. The only noteworthy change to the front panel is that it is less curved than the S22 Ultra, resulting in a larger and flatter surface area. In addition, the Vision Booster feature has been updated to adjust to three lighting levels instead of two, further enhancing its visibility in sunlight.
Apart from these minor tweaks, the technical specs of the screen remain unchanged from last year's model, such as its peak brightness of 1,750 nits, 1440p resolution, and LTPO technology, which allows for a variable refresh rate ranging from 1Hz to 120Hz.
I would like to have seen Samsung take its next step by raising the refresh to 144 Hz for better high frame rate gaming for example. Despite this, the S23 Ultra continues to excel in various aspects, especially when it comes to performance.
PERFORMANCE
And this leads me to my first big change on the S 23 Ultra. The phones features the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset across all regions, eliminating the division between Snapdragon and Exynos variants. This means that at least for this year, the one-phone-two-chipsets dilemma has been avoided.
Oh, and by the way, this is no ordinary Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, it's a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy, which has been specially optimised for the S23 series However, before you get excited, I should point out that it's just a slightly overclocked processor. The S23 Ultra definitely scores higher on the benchmark tests but it's not noticeably faster in carrying out day to day operations than let's say the iQOO 11, which runs on the standard 8 Gen 2.
Comparisons aside, the S23 Ultra is a beast of a smartphone blazing through everything from multitasking to high graphic gaming without breaking a sweat. Plus, the GPU comes with ray tracing capabilities for enhanced light and shadow rendering in games, which is pretty cool. .
Now, all this extra power does require extra cooling, and the S23 Ultra is equipped with a larger vapor chamber which efficiently transfers heat away from the processor. The back of the phone may experience some warmth during extended gaming, but it is notably less warm compared to previous models, indicating that Samsung has been listening to feedback.
The other advantage this phone has over its predecessor is the inclusion of UFS 4.0 storage. This makes it the fastest flash memory in the world, as we recently experienced with the iQOO 11. The UFS 4.0 storage enables lightning-fast file transfers and reads, almost two times faster than the previous version, while consuming less power. This means that if you frequently transfer large files to your computer, you will notice a substantial difference in speed and efficiency.
It's also nice to see that Samsung continues to offer a range of high storage options for its top tier flagship devices in India, including 256GB, 512GB, and an impressive 1TB. Furthermore, all variants of the S23 Ultra come equipped with a substantial 12GB of RAM.
On a side note, I wanted to mention this is very much a 5G powered device and you don't have to wait for a software update to access fast internet speeds. You're good to go right out of the box!
REAR CAMERAS
Now, let's talk about the biggest and obvious highlight of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, its 200-megapixel sensor. That's a crazy number for a smartphone camera but the true value of this sensor lies in its use of pixel binning, a technique that combines multiple pixels into one to improve image quality.
Essentially, the larger sensor now lets you take both 50MP and 12.5MP binned photos, striking a desirable balance between high resolution images and storage efficiency. More importantly though, the main camera consistently delivers exceptional results. These are some really nice and sharp photos with superb dynamic range.
However, I will admit that Samsung's tendency to produce highly saturated colours has been amplified in this year's Ultra model. The camera's software tends to set the vibrancy of things like the sky, leaves, and flowers to its highest level.
To truly understand what I mean, just check out some of these comparison shots with the Pixel 7 Pro. It's quite clear that the Pixel adopts a more conservative and natural approach to colour reproduction, whereas the S23 Ultra produces over processed results with enhanced colours. But, most likely it will be the latter that ends up finding a place in your social media feed.
Samsung has also advanced its night photography through the use of its main sensor's pixel binning process. This allows for clearer photos to be captured in low light situations.
The improvements in low-light photography enhance the performance of the S23 Ultra's Astrophotography mode too. Sadly, I was unable to test this feature due to the polluted sky in Delhi.
Another benefit of the 200MP sensor is faster autofocus performance. Samsung says it's now 1.5X faster, and in my testing the S23 Ultra's camera is a lot quicker than the S22 Ultra's at capturing focus.
The other three rear cameras stay the same: a 12-megapixel ultra-wide and two 10-megapixel telephotos that feature the same combination of a three-times optical zoom camera and a ten-times optical zoom camera with a maximum zoom range of 100 times. Samsung claims that the upgraded processor in this model provides enhanced AI processing, leading to a noticeable improvement in the quality of zoom shots, and I am inclined to agree with them. In comparison to the S22 Ultra, my testing shows that the S23 Ultra delivers sharper results, especially when zooming in on people, at both 30X and 100X digital magnification.
For most people, the 3x and 10x optical zoom capabilities are more than good enough as they provide clear images of distant subjects without seeing much loss in detail. I also noticed that the new Ultra is finally better at taking snaps of moving subjects, especially at 3X zoom.
With regards to portraits, it was a strong emphasis in the S22 line up and continues to be this year as well. Samsung's AI has impressively improved its ability to detect edges and accurately distinguish individual hair strands from the surrounding background.
But how does it stack up against the Pixel 7 Pro, which is highly regarded for its portrait capabilities? Well, in this comparison, the S23 Ultra delivers more crisp and vibrant detail with spot on edge detection whereas the Pixel 7 Pro does the best job with my face and skin tone.
Night time portraits get a boost as well on the Utra as it effectively distinguishes between foreground and background subjects in low light.
The video recording capabilities have been slightly upgraded in the S23 series too. You now get support for 30 frames per second at 8K resolution, which is a bump up from the 24fps on the S22 Ultra. Samsung has also improved its low-light video capabilities thanks to its new noise reduction technology and by doubling the optical image stabilization (OIS) angles in all directions.
BATTERY LIFE
While the Galaxy S23 Ultra makes a wide range of enhancements in its camera and performance, the battery capacity remains the same as the previous model at 5,000 mah. However, the S23 Ultra's more efficient chipset and power optimizations provide an extended battery life compared to the S22 Ultra. On most days the phone got me comfortably to bedtime with around 30 per cent juice left in the tank.
The only let down in this department is that the charging capability remains unchanged. The S23 Ultra still supports 45W wired charging , and just like previous models, it doesn't not come with a charging adapter in the box. If you do buy one separately, then it will take more than an hour to fully charge the phone, which isn't too bad but most of the competition can accomplish this in less than 30 minutes or even quicker.
S PEN
It also appears that the S Pen has not undergone any changes. In fact, during the Galaxy Unpacked 2023 event, Samsung did not mention any modifications to the S Pen experience, suggesting that the internal hardware powering it stays the same. That being said though, I don't think that's such a bad thing because the S Pen has undergone multiple advancements in recent years and remains a formidable tool for efficient multitasking.
VERDICT
Even if it didn't come with the S Pen, this phone is still a great choice for anyone seeking advanced features.
There's no head turning design sequel here, no revolutionary wheels being broken either. Just smart upgrades in all the right places, particularly in camera and performance.
Whether the higher price tag is justified is a personal decision, but if you are looking for the top of the line in smartphone technology, then there's a good chance you have already ordered the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
