Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Specifications
It may be very similar to its predecessor, but there is still a lot to like about the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Key features
200 MP primary camera The upgraded rear camera has potential, especially in low light conditions
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy Galaxy S23 Ultra features a unique high-quality Snapdragon chipset exclusive to Galaxy devices
Glass Protection UpgradeCorning's Gorilla Glass Victus 2 is said to be more tough against falling on concrete
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Introduction
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra has just been unveiled by Samsung, and I have already seen it personally.
Although the Galaxy S23 Ultra shares many similarities with its predecessor, the upgraded features look to fix some of last year's biggest complaints with the flagship. The question is, how does it work in real life?
I was invited to a hands-on Samsung event before the launch of the new flagship, and here's what I'm thinking so far.
Design & Display
Modified design, but very similar
More flat screen than S22 Ultra
New glass protection
The first thing you may notice about the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is that it doesn't look very different from the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, and that's basically because it's not.
Think of the Galaxy S23 Ultra as a more refined to last year's design, with modifications such as a slightly flat windshield with less curvature to the edges to slightly expand the usable area of the 6.8-inch screen and a bit ( read :) a modified rear camera lineup with slightly thicker edges around the camera. Hi, you should be able to tell the difference between the two somehow, right?
Apart from minor design differences, the Galaxy S23 Ultra works a lot as usual. It's still pretty bulky, which means it'll still be a bit tough when used with one hand, although it sits nicely in the hand with a low bend on the edges.
The Galaxy S Pen is present and calculated, again found embedded in the S23 Ultra body for convenience, which will pop up with a simple press, remaining an exclusive key feature of the top model.
The finishing touches now also match the rest of the Galaxy S23 range, available in dum-black, cream, green, and lavender. In fact, the S23 Ultra's design is now the default cross-band design with the Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus abandoning the surround camera casing for a similarly simple look.
The 6.8-inch OLED display, as it has always been, is stunningly vibrant and detailed, and although my work time was limited to an indoor location, I can't foresee any issues with screen brightness, even in direct sunlight.
Not much has already changed with the display – still tied to 120Hz, featuring adaptive refresh rate technology and HDR content support – but since the S22 Ultra HD display was one of the best in 2022, that's not really a deal.
What's new is the protection around this sleek display, with the Galaxy S23 Ultra – along with the rest of the collection – now offering Corning's updated Gorilla Glass Victus 2 which Corning claims should better protect against falling on hard surfaces like concrete specifically, but let's take this with a pinch of salt now.
It's too early to give specific opinions on the screen, of course, but the show looks promising.
Cameras
New 200MP rear camera
Improvements to low-light shooting
Upgraded 12MP front camera
If there's one upgrade immediately noticeable with the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, it's undoubtedly a precursor to a 200MP camera using Samsung's recently announced ISOCELL HP2, higher than the 108MP high-resolution snapper from last year — and it's not just a bump in numbers either.
Samsung uses 16-in-1p binning technology to dramatically improve detail and lighting, while making the most of low-light photography from the new technology.
Without a dedicated low-light camera test area during hands-on training, I can't confirm how much improvement there is, but a Samsung representative showed me a low-light shot of a car taken with the S22 Ultra and S23 Ultra side by side, and the differences were significant. In addition to more light overall, the details seemed clearer and easier to test.
The camera setup also has the ability to analyze hair, skin and eyes separately, which Samsung claims will provide more realistic selfies, although it was hard to tell the difference at the demo event.
The improved 200MP snapper also offers better low-light video, with Samsung's range of hardware and software seeking to provide less noise. It is also capable of capturing up to 8K@30fps with greater accuracy than its predecessor, up to 80° from 57°.
We'll wait for a sample for proper testing before making a verdict, but the 200MP camera is definitely an area of interest.
Aside from the 200MP camera, the Galaxy S23 Ultra comes with the familiar pairing of a 12MP ultra-wide lens and a pair of 10MP telescope lenses at 3.5x and 10x respectively, with some notable changes in terms of hardware. This isn't a big deal considering the huge gains from the main sensor that people will use most often, but it was nice to see something new here.
Samsung's Moon Shot technology is back again, and while I haven't been able to take any pictures of the moon in the briefing, quick shots taken on 100x digital zoom look more detailed – especially once processed by AI aboard Samsung.
Turn the phone over and you'll find a new 12MP selfie camera, which on paper looks like it's slightly regressed compared to last year's 40MP flagship. However, it comes with new features such as Super HDR to improve image quality, along with 60fps video recording capabilities, which should equal things.
This is probably a step to synchronize the front setup of the S23 range, since both the S23 and the S23 Plus also offer the same 12MP front camera and its different upgrades, but we'll have to wait and see if it's actually an upgrade to the S23 Ultra.
Specifications & Performance
Snapdragon for Galaxy
OneUI 5.1 offers iPhone-like focus modes
Large 5000mAh battery
Over the past few years, Samsung has segmented its smartphone offerings in a slightly bizarre way, using Snapdragon chips for US customers and Samsung's Exynos chips for those in Europe. That would have been good if the Snapdragon variant hadn't outperformed the Exynos variant in some tests, but that wasn't the case.
Sure it was just a problem for real techies who know the difference between Exynos and Qualcomm chips, but still. The good news is that this isn't the case in 2023, as the Samsung Galaxy 23 Ultra features the same chipset no matter where you buy it – and it's also premium.
Samsung worked with Qualcomm to produce the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy exclusively for its core suite featuring a booster CPU capable of delivering clock speeds of up to 3.26GHz compared to the 2.3GHz of the standard Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, along with an updated Adreno GPU that Qualcomm claims is more powerful and more energy efficient than the usual GPU.
With that said, it shouldn't come as a surprise that the S23 Ultra can handle anything you could throw at it – I haven't seen any lag or stuttering during my short working time, anyway.
It will ship with Android 13 with Samsung's new OneUI 5.1, which brings with it major improvements such as custom modes and routines in a context similar to the different focus modes of the iPhone. There's also Bixby Text Call that allows you to answer incoming calls via text messages completely hands-free, and Samsung claims it's more customizable this time too.
Pair that with the promise of an upgrade of 4 years of OS updates and 5 years of security updates and you'll get a solid software offering.
With the same 5000mAh battery as its predecessor, it will be interesting to know how long a single charge will take and if the improved battery efficiency can extend battery life compared to the S22 Ultra that we found good, but not groundbreaking.
Fast charging remains the same as last year at 44W, which is a bit disappointing considering that major competitors offer 100W charging if not more. I imagine it would take some time to charge due to the large capacity of the battery, but I'll have to test that once a sample is available for review.
Early judgment
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is not redesigning the wheel, instead offering more frequent upgrades to stay competitive in 2023.
There's a new technology like adding a 200MP final tool that, if early hands-on workouts indicate any indicator, could offer significant improvements to low-light photography, and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy should boost performance, but it may not be enough to entice those who already have the S22 Ultra.
For everyone else, it seems that the Galaxy S23 Ultra may retain its crown for another year, although we will have to wait and see how it accumulates once we get it to review.