Review of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: the unbreakable monolith

Since its February release, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra has become the industry standard for smartphones. It's undoubtedly the greatest Samsung phone (and also at the top of the short list of the best stylus phones ), but it also ranks highest among the finest 5G phones , or the best of the best that are out there. It's unavoidably enormous, gorgeous, and wonderful. Furthermore, we are compelled to concur with the consensus despite our best efforts to cast suspicion on it.Of course, not everyone will find it appealing, particularly if you lean Apple in the iPhone vs. Samsung argument. If you want the greatest smartphone available right now, check out the options below, but remember that the iPhone 15 release date is quickly approaching and could end up taking the top spot when it does.Now, let's get started with our review of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra :

Cost and accessibility

Worldwide, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is offered by a number of network providers and stores. It's available from all of the top UK phone operators and is one of the best AT&T phones in the US. In addition to the normal Phantom Black, Green, Lavender, and Cream, you may choose from four special colors when you purchase it straight from the Samsung website: Graphite, Lime, Sky Blue, and Red.

• 256GB / 8GB RAM – $1,199.99 / £1,249
• 512GB / 12GB RAM – $1,379.99 / £1,399
• 1TB / 12GB RAM – $1,619.99 / £1,599

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Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra specificationsAttributes

In addition to having all the inside gadgets you could possibly need, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra also offers some cool exclusive features. There is Samsung DeX, an intriguing and little-used tool that allows you to use your phone like a desktop. It seems reasonable that this phone can function as a PC since it has more RAM than my $1,500 laptop.Additionally, there is the incomparable fingerprint sensor, which maps your print using ultrasonic vibration as opposed to an under-display camera. This indicates that it is far faster than the majority of its rivals, with the exception of Vivo's X80 Pro. Even though you can use the front-facing camera to achieve this, I still think FaceID is better since it's more secure.Then there are the cameras—four in all, the highlight of which being a 200MP sensor. Although we discuss their quality in greater depth below, Samsung also offers some very cool incorporated features. You can use the camera app to take clever photos, record complex timelapses, even zoom in on the moon, albeit this has generated some criticism since it isn't quite "real." This phone includes every Android-related function you could want and more.The best feature of the S23 Ultra is a small opening for the S-pen stylus, which elegantly slides into the phone's bottom. While I'm not particularly like styluses, I think it's a great feature that the S-pen is always there when you need it, whether it's to precisely sign your signature or simply to fool about with a drawing.

Photography

The four camera lenses of the S23 Ultra are its main attraction. The massive 200MP primary wide camera is supported by three lenses: a 10MP telescope lens, a 10MP periscope lens, and a 12MP ultrawide. Oh, and if it seems that there are five cameras on the rear, the laser focusing on the S23 Ultra allows it to locate targets and take pictures very instantaneously. This is represented by the fifth ring.The zoom lenses, which enable optical zoom beyond anything I've ever seen on a smartphone, are the unexpected stars of the show, putting aside the primary monster for the time being. With a 10x zoom, you can capture very detailed images, which makes the phone far more flexible than its rivals.When you are able to concentrate on the subject, the ultrawide can get some very lovely, detailed close-ups with a great, natural bokeh. Furthermore, in contrast to several other ultrawides, the distortion around the shot's edge is hardly evident.Of course, the 200MP primary camera is the true star. This camera reduces ordinary images to 12MP, but that doesn't mean it's a waste; it still captures more information by minimizing noise and merging pixels into one huge pixel. Additionally, you have the option to utilize the 50MP mode or the full 200MP, but the latter uses a lot of storage. The dog's comparison above illustrates how the modes vary from one another.In any case, the outcomes are self-explanatory. Whether I shot them in RAW or used Samsung's extensive processing, every single one of my pictures looks stunning. Although I didn't have a camera on hand for a fair comparison, you can see how adaptable the camera is in the pictures below.There's so great natural depth to every photo that it almost seems unnecessary to use portrait mode. Night mode is the way to go, in my view; night images are equally great whether you use the flash or night mode. The latter is usually a strange one.All in all, it's difficult to criticize, and virtually nothing rivals it. That's a great alternative, as we explain in our Xiaomi 13 Pro review, but we still believe the S23 beats it. Although we give the cameras a lot of credit in our Google Pixel 7 Pro review, they are tied if we take the price into account. Of course, if all you're looking for is a decent camera, the Pixel is the better option since it's so much less expensive.

Design

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is made entirely of one large, thin metal slab. It is tall and broad in black, with a screen that is edge-to-edge, sharp corners, and a gentle curve to the edges that make it feel comfortable to hold. It's the magnificent monolith from A Space Odyssey.It is, of course, enormous as well. Even with my large hands, I find its enormous size to be somewhat difficult. It is a little bit broader than the majority of its big-screen rivals and sometimes feels heavy. It still fits neatly into the pocket and is still quite useful on a daily basis since the cameras aren't as noticeable as they are on some other rivals.Its front and back are covered with Gorilla Glass Victus 2, and the rear is neatly frosted to deter fingerprints—at least in my experience with the Phantom Black variant. Although I didn't do any drop testing, the black metal rails are really sleek and strong. You shouldn't have to worry about a bath or beach outing because of its IP68 water and dust resistance, which is another benefit of all these beautiful materials.

Show

Considering that every display in the S23 range is essentially the same, this one is just as good. Given the resolution of 1440 x 3088, the Ultra has a superior pixel density of around 500 ppi. Like much of the phone, this is overkill if anything. Everything is flawless and lovely, making it difficult to find any flaws.Smooth animations at 120Hz are made possible by the high refresh rate screen, which makes it easy to navigate menus and launch programs. Videogames with the highest framerates also look fantastic. Naturally, if the CPU isn't up to par, a fancy display is pointless, but the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 isn't only capable of keeping up; it also improves battery life.

Power Source

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2's efficiency improvements and innovative features like variable refresh rate allow the S23 Ultra to have a long battery life. With its enormous 6000mAh battery, our Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate review is an exception when it comes to battery life. This one isn't quite as good.Based on my experience, it has around two days of ordinary usage, which is comparable to the iPhone 14 Pro Max. Even if I had spent the day shooting pictures, playing games, watching movies, and listening to music, I would gladly limit my phone's charging to once every other night. It's very good.You may not get the same effects if you use more, but you won't likely run out of charge at the end of the day. It's more than sufficient for someone used to smaller phones, and it's great and constant with no obvious decreases from certain usage scenarios. There is nothing to be unhappy about when you combine this with the good wireless charging.

Achievement

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra sports a vapor chamber to improve cooling in addition to the same processor as its less expensive siblings, the S23 and S23+. As shown by Samsung's Won-joon Choi interview, the phone ought to function better under continuous stress.This implies that you may play for a longer period of time with a comparable performance. This is because a chip will restrict its performance to lower the temperature and lessen the amount of heat it generates when it becomes hot. Performance doesn't change if a strong heat sink eliminates the need for it to do this. It is only available in the S23 Ultra vapor chamber.Thus, the S23 Ultra is the Samsung group's top pick if you're a serious mobile gaming addict who enjoys playing Warzone games on the move or spending endless evenings in Wild Rift. The good news is that all of this makes sense in real life as well as on paper.We reached 60 frames per second at high settings in Genshin Impact, a popular game at PT, and played for an hour without experiencing any noticeable frame dips. In busy times, it often hovers around 58 or 59. During one very short segment, it dropped all the way to 50. The phone's internal temperature increased to around 41°C, although it didn't feel very hot or have an impact on functionality.On this enormous AMOLED, shooters also shine, and the often crowded HUD has enough room around the borders. While CoD Mobile locked in at 60 frames per second, I was unable to discover a means to increase it to 120 frames per second. PUBG Mobile locked in at 40 frames per second and I was unable to find a way to modify it, however it absolutely remained there.Performance is flawless regardless of whether a game supports 120 frames per second or not. Although I'm sure it's true that this new technology from Qualcomm is capable of ray tracing, it will probably be some time before we see any practical application for it on a mobile device. Though more of a proof of concept, it is still rather amazing.

Number

The finest phone available for purchase is the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. The S23 Ultra is the best option if you're the kind of person who requires a smartphone that can accomplish everything and will really use the enormous capability in all these areas. It's almost difficult to find issue with its industry-leading camera arrangement, superb design philosophy, and more than enough power for whatever task you throw at it.The only complaints I have are rather minor ones: the phone is a little too large and expensive for my tastes, but these problems are consistent with the phone's overall overkill theme. Not in the sense that a ROG phone is too elaborate for gamers; rather, the S23 Ultra is superbly everything. All you need to do is confirm that some of the items it is maxing out are indeed stuff you want.

Replacements

An Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max

The iPhone 14 Pro Max is somewhat smaller if you're looking for a phone that's a bit easier to handle. Its design could appeal to you more, and its power is exactly the same. Its cameras can even somewhat compete. Make sure that you're satisfied with Apple's side of the iPhone vs. Android debate. and all will be OK with you.

Xiaomi 13 ProSimilar to the S23 Ultra, the Xiaomi 13 Pro review explains how this phone's enormous features and size compare. It does, however, have a large camera bump and curved screen borders, which are minor variances. I'm not sure why you would want the latter, but if the 13 Pro design is more your style, it's a very powerful smartphone.