Smartphones have remained largely the same from one generation to the next due to incremental improvements at best. However, Samsung’s new Galaxy S23 Ultra demonstrates that even incremental improvements may be worth anticipating. Rather than focusing on gimmicks or novelties, Samsung’s latest and greatest smartphone nails some of the basics and sets a new bar for excellence in the industry.
The Outer Beauty
While the Galaxy S23 Ultra may not seem drastically different from the previous generation, there have been several visible alterations to the device’s design that have been widely discussed. Neither is the S23 Ultra a radical break from the Note’s design philosophy, but it does feature some little refinements here and there that set it apart from previous models.
The display has become even flatter, which is probably the most notable change. Even though Samsung was an early adopter of curved displays before the foldable revolution, the company has gradually moved away from the design choice in recent years. Because of this, the 2023 model almost entirely eliminates the curved display found on the Ultra and its predecessors.
The frame is constructed using Samsung’s proprietary Armor Aluminum alloy, which is more durable than regular aluminum. Meanwhile, Corning provides both the front and back panels, which are made from their newest Gorilla Glass Victus 2. This material should fare better than the Victus+ it replaces, especially when dropped face-down on concrete.
The phone has an IP68 rating, meaning it can withstand dust and water for up to 30 minutes without damage, but Samsung doesn’t go as far as Apple in this regard.
It’s important to highlight the upgraded camera rings; the three major cameras now have thicker outer housing. The S23 Ultra is somewhat heavier at 234g than its predecessor’s 228g weight.
The USB-C port, primary speaker, microphones, and SIM card slot (which accepts either one or two nano SIMs but no microSD) are all located on the equally flat bottom. The S Pen slot, which was moved to the left side of the phone for the final ‘real’ Note, the Note20 Ultra in 2020, which non-Note S-series Ultras have since adopted, can also be found here.
The Display
The 6.8-inch QHD+ display features a 19:3:9 aspect ratio and a 1440x3088px resolution (or a pixel density of 501ppi). The name “Dynamic AMOLED 2X” relates to the 120Hz maximum refresh rate and HDR10+ certification that make this screen special.
The S23 Ultra has two distinct settings for motion smoothness: Adaptive and Standard. Due to adaptive behavior in both modes and the fact that Standard will not always be at 60Hz, the labels are largely meaningless. The modes can be thought of as two different limits, one of which is up to 120Hz while the other is up to 60Hz.
The S23 Ultra’s panel is an 8-bit one, which means just 16 million colors, which is a bit of a downer on an otherwise impressive display specification list. A 10-bit panel, with its 1 billion color gradations, will be superior at presenting smooth color gradients without producing banding.
The All New One UI 5.1
It’s easy to get used to and navigate around One UI 5.1, which is built on Android 13. Several of the features that make contemporary Android so fantastic are included, such as sophisticated multitasking, Material You tones everywhere (which you can toggle off if you want), and Samsung’s many enhancements. In addition to receiving security patches for five years, the Galaxy S23 Ultra and its siblings will also receive four years of major Android updates.
As an added bonus, there are excellent features that work across devices if you’re already committed to Samsung’s ecosystem. I’ve been using the S23 Ultra, Galaxy Tab S7+, and Galaxy Buds Pro and have found functions like Auto Switch and Copy & Paste between devices to be really helpful.
The Endurance
Like its predecessor, the S22 Ultra, the S23 Ultra has a battery capacity of 5,000mAh. However, given that it is equipped with the more efficient Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and has undergone a few other differentiating modifications, we had hoped for longer battery life than the 2022 model could provide.
After extensive testing, we found that the S23 Ultra had a remarkable talk time of almost 39 hours. Test results on display were even more astounding, with over 21 hours of Wi-Fi online browsing and over 23 hours of offline movie playback being recorded. When the Ultra’s highly respectable standby efficiency was factored in, the total Endurance rating reached 126h. Damn, a power user’s wet dream!
The Rear and Front Shooters
The Samsung HP2 sensor is used in the main camera, which is a 200MP monster that fits in a 1/1.3″ optical size thanks to extremely small pixels (0.6m). This sensor is smaller than Samsung’s HP1 (200MP, 1/1.22″, 0.64m), which is sold to companies like Motorola.
The rest of the cameras on the device’s back, including the telephoto lenses, retain their previous specifications and hardware. Again this generation, only the Ultra of all Galaxies is granted autofocus on its ultrawide, with the IMX564 taking the place of the IMX563 in the previous edition. The sensor size remains the same at 1/2.55 inches, and the pixel size remains at 1.4 micrometers. The lens’s field of vision is 120 degrees and has an aperture of f/2.2.
As is customary, the Ultra can extract 12MP resolution from the teles’ IMX754 (10MP, 1/3.52″, 1.12m) sensors. The aperture of the periscope 10x (230mm tele) is f/4.9, while that of the 3x zoom module (69mm equivalent) is f/2.4. Both lenses have image stabilization.
The S5K3LU imager (1.12m, presumably 1/3.24″) is used in the front-facing camera, and its f/2.2 aperture and 26mm equivalent focal length give it a high resolution of 12 megapixels. Every flagship Galaxy phone has included an autofocus selfie camera for as long as we can remember.
Images captured in natural light with the Galaxy S23 Ultra look fantastic and are stylistically distinct from those captured with the prior generation. In general, the colors are becoming more saturated, and there is a noticeable trend towards greater warmth and more prominent shadow.
Samsung’s processing tends to oversaturate the highlights, which might make nighttime images look a little murky. The same is true of typical HDR, which is harsh on shadows.
All five of the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s cameras are capable of recording 4K60 video. The primary rear camera can capture 8K video at 30 fps, up from 24 in earlier Galaxy models. All these settings include video stabilization, but you can disable it if you have another way to steady your phone.
Tailend Tidbits
In terms of the basics, you’ve got an improved battery life, a faster charging time, and one of the greatest displays on the market. The camera has also been upgraded beyond the 200MP advertised, making the Ultra a strong contender among camera phones. The Galaxy S23 Ultra excels at a wide variety of tasks, and it does so while offering the longest battery life of any premium Android smartphone on the market.
Buy the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra from Amazon!
- More innovation, less footprint – Galaxy S23 Ultra’s striking symmetrical design returns with one major difference: recycled and eco-conscious materials. From the metal frame to the glass finish, it’s polished with fresh new colors inspired by nature.
- Note’s signature tool comes built in – The built-in S Pen keeps the legacy of Note alive. Plus, it helps you ditch the dependency on notebooks, making sketches and jotting notes effortless and eco-friendly.
- Low light. Camera. Action – A Pro-grade Camera grabs brighter photos and video, dusk to dawn. The intelligent pixel sensor adapts to low light with Nightography and the camera lens tones down flare for clearer captures
- 200MP. Wow-worthy resolution – Resolution on the Wide-angle Camera has nearly doubled, delivering strikingly clear photos. Zoom and crop your shots for a whole new view —or leave it intact for brilliant detail, corner to corner.
- Power for those who don’t pause – Your quest for epic mobile gaming is over. Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy optimizes and streamlines your device for silky smooth games —without draining the battery
