The Galaxy S23 Ultra is the latest and most powerful smartphone from Samsung with a more impressive chip, battery and camera than its predecessors. But do the improvements justify such a high price?
Priced at £1,249 ($1,199 / A$1,949), which is £100 more than last year’s model, it’s one of the most expensive non-folding smartphones available.
The S23 Ultra is the spitting image of its predecessor, an extremely solid and premium device that looks great in cream as pictured. It has the same super-bright, sharp screen, the same aluminum frame, and glass that’s slightly less curved at the edges.
One of the unbeatable features of the S23 Ultra is the fan-favorite S Pen stylus, which was added to the S series last year and receives only minor changes. It’s a similar story for software, with the phone running Samsung’s One UI 5.1, which is based on Android 13. It’s packed with useful features, including productivity tools for the S Pen and more customization options for the home screen. blocking.
The new phone will receive at least five years of software updates since launch, including four major Android version updates and monthly security patches. Samsung has drastically improved the speed and availability of updates for older devices in the last two years, which means that most of its top-of-the-line phones made in recent years already run One UI 5.1.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Now Worldwide
Unusually for Samsung, all Galaxy S23 models use the same top Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, regardless of where they’re sold. In the past, most regions, including the UK and Europe, used Samsung’s slightly weaker chips, while the US used Qualcomm’s.
Therefore, the new chip is more important to consumers in Europe, as it not only increases overall and gaming performance by up to 35%, but also runs much more efficiently, staying cooler under loads of heavy duty jobs and considerably extends battery life.
The S23 Ultra lasts over 52 hours between charges, making it one of the longest-lasting smartphones I’ve tested alongside Apple’s iPhone 14 Plus. That was with the screen actively used for more than six hours and at least one hour on 5G a day, the rest of the time on Wi-Fi. Intensive gaming sessions reduced battery life, but the phone survived even the most intense days of general use with about 30% remaining in the tank.
I have no doubt that nearly three days of battery life is possible with more frugal use. Turning off the always-on display adds about 10% to battery life.
Specifications
-
Main screen: 6.8in QHD+ Dynamic Amoled 2X (500ppi) 120Hz
-
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
-
RAM: 8 or 12GB
-
Storage: 256, 512 GB or 1 TB
-
OS: A 5.1 user interface based on Android 13
-
Camera: Quad rear: 200MP, 12MP ultra-wide, 10MP 3x and 10x telephoto; 12MP front
-
Connectivity: 5G, USB-C, Wi-Fi 6E, NFC, Bluetooth 5.3, UWB and GNSS
-
Waterproof: IP68 (1.5m for 30 minutes)
-
Dimensions: 163.4×78.1×8.9mm
-
Weight: 233g
Sustainability
Samsung does not provide an expected life for the battery, but it should last more than 500 full charge cycles with at least 80% of its original capacity.
the phone is usually repairable. Screen repairs cost around £260, while the battery can be replaced at authorized service centers. Samsung offers a self-healing program in the US, but not in the EU or the UK. The phone scores up to 6 out of 10 on iFixit Repairability Ranking.
It contains recycled material in 12 components, twice as many as last year, including aluminum, glass and plastic. Samsung offers exchange and recycling systems for old devices. The public company annual sustainability reports but not impact assessments for individual products.
Camera
There are four cameras on the back of the phone and a good 12-megapixel selfie camera at the top of the screen.
As with the previous two Ultra generations, the quad-camera array includes 10MP 3x optical zoom and 10x telephoto modules, which are excellent and allow for a much greater zoom range than any rival. Images at up to 30x zoom look just as good as most other phones at less than 10x. The 12MP ultra-wide produces great landscape and architectural shots and is used for Samsung’s very good macro mode when up close.
New this year is a 200 MP main camera, which uses the first of a new generation of sensors with almost twice as many pixels as previous models. By default, it uses data from all pixels to boost captured light and detail, producing 12MP images that are some of the best available in a variety of light levels. The phone can also shoot at a full 50MP or 200MP, the latter producing huge image files with a staggering amount of detail in bright light. However, they lack the dynamic range of 12MP shots, missing out on some of the advanced processing.
Low-light mode is slightly better overall, producing generally well-exposed images, although less is needed as the camera gathers more light to begin with. The camera app is packed with fun and advanced features, including a full RAW shooting experience for those looking to do their own editing and the most capable video on Android.
Samsung’s portrait photography, particularly with its 3x zoom, leads its class in natural look and fine details like stray hairs.
Compared to the S21 and S22 Ultra of the past two years, the S23 Ultra offers only incremental updates to the entire camera system. But that has kept it the most capable camera on any smartphone available, and it’s just about the only one I’d consider capable of replacing the utility of a dSLR or equivalent with its full range of optical zoom.
Price
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra costs from £1,249 ($1,199.99/AU$1,949) with 256 GB of storage.
For comparison, the Galaxy S23 costs £849the S23+ costs £1,049the Z Fold 4 costs £1,649does the Google Pixel 7 Pro cost £749 and the iPhone 14 Pro costs £1,099.
Verdict
If ever there was a phone worthy of the “ultra” moniker, it’s the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.
The phone is unrivaled for size, power, capacity and battery life on Android, while its camera is more capable than anything else on the market. It’s overkill for most, but for those who’d like the ability to do more or less anything with a phone, the S23 Ultra has the goods.
It is full of small improvements in almost every aspect. However, it only builds on the great advances made two years ago and is dwarfed by more innovative folding devices. Its very high price makes it a poor value next to the Google Pixel 7 Pro, which can’t quite match the Samsung on all elements, but it comes close enough for £400-£500 less.
It is without a doubt the best Android phone available. Whether that’s enough to be a hit at this price, I’m not sure.
Advantages: very large 120hz screen, brilliantly capable camera with 3x and 10x optical zoom, good software with five years of support, faster fingerprint scanner, S Pen stylus, superior performance, very long battery life, contains recycled materials .
Cons: Huge, heavy, extremely expensive, S Pen may be a superfluous feature for many.
