Once you digest the price, which is a hard one to swallow, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is all kinds of awesome
It’s that time of the year when Samsung becomes the first manufacturer out of the gates with their flagship smartphone series. The Galaxy S series has been a Q1 staple and in 2023, Samsung is already making the case for Smartphone of the Year, with the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Judge the S23 Ultra by its looks and you may not notice anything different from its predecessor, the Galaxy S22 Ultra. The S23 Ultra borrows a lot from last year’s Galaxy S22 Ultra. It’s got the same 6.8-inch (3088 x 1440 resolution, 500ppi, 120Hz refresh rate) Super AMOLED display. It also has the same 8/12GB RAM options, Up to 1TB storage and a 5000 mAh battery. It’s also got a similar quad-camera setup on the rear, with the only difference being the main sensor, which is now a mighty 200MP sensor. Both smartphones have an IP68 rating and the much-loved S Pen.
The main differences this year are the brand-new custom Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset and the main sensor on the rear camera.
How Much Does It Cost In India?
The Galaxy S23 Ultra comes in 3 variants:
- 12GB RAM + 256GB storage: Rs 1,24,999
- 12GB RAM + 512GB storage: Rs 1,34,999
- 12 GB RAM + 1TB storage: Rs 1,54,999
For customers that pre-book the Galaxy S23 Ultra, the Galaxy Watch4 LTE Classic and Galaxy Buds2 are available at just Rs 4,999!
Switching To The Galaxy S23 Ultra: Breezy
Prior to using the S23 Ultra, my primary device was Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4 (their flagship foldable smartphone). Before transferring data via Samsung’s Smart Switch, I made sure both devices were charged to at least 70 percent and that both were connected to WiFi.
Thereafter, just follow the steps, and be ready to have your new phone set up in just an hour. The same folders, the same home screen, it all gets transferred over!
If you’re coming from a different Android phone or even an iPhone, then it’ll take a little bit longer, but still, follow the steps and you’re good to go. For the most optimal switching experience, connect the old and new smartphones via the cable.
Why the Galaxy S23 Ultra?
The S23 Ultra embodies the extreme. It’s got a massive 6.8-inch Super AMOLED display that’s bigger than both the iPhone 14 Pro Max and the Google Pixel 7 Pro. The Ultra offers 100x zoom capabilities at the maximum, with 30x being very much usable and probably more than you’d need on a daily basis. There’s the S Pen stylus that’s stored inside the phone. The stylus is something that none of the main rivals of Samsung offer.
The only downside to all of this excessiveness is that of the price. Once you digest the price, which is a hard one to swallow, the smartphone is all kinds of awesome.
Let’s Talk About That Design And Display
The subtle design changes of the S23 Ultra make it an absolute delight to use in hand. The bright 6.8-inch Super AMOLED display is a pleasure to use. The boxy form factor, with more rounded corners for this year, means you can now hold it all day long without being fatigued. The S23 Ultra has the same frosted matte glass back but gets the newly upgraded Gorilla Glass Victus 2. There’s the familiar camera lenses in an island-like array and the metallic frame.
The rounded corners on the S23 Ultra make a huge difference. It’s now easier than ever to write with the S Pen, and holding the phone for hours doesn’t tire oneself out. The front display wraps around, every-so-slightly, to meet the frame. It’s still a curved screen, and on the whole, it’s quite decent.
The bright and vibrant 6.8-inch display (1440p resolution and 120Hz refresh rate) can hit a peak brightness of 1,750 nits, which is plenty bright for the outdoor sunlight. If you’ve heard people tell you that Samsung has the best displays of any smartphone manufacturers, then you can safely assume that they are telling the truth. The S23 Ultra represents the pinnacle of smartphone displays. It’s large, crisp, vibrant and an absolute pleasure to use whether you’re playing games, doomscrolling, or just editing documents.
There’s some subtle design changes, but overall, the S23 Ultra retains the same aesthetics as the S22 Ultra. As they say, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Samsung prioritsed under-the-hood refinements instead of a massive overhaul on the outside. Frankly, I’m alright with that, because this is what has made the S23 Ultra a flagship device from an Android manufacturer that can finally be used for its full life span.
Performance: Is The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 For Galaxy Worth It?
With the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chip, Samsung has worked with Qualcomm to tweak the CPU and GPU output and put up huge benchmark scores. You may not notice the difference on a day-to-day basis vis-a-vis another Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 smartphone like the OnePlus 11. Still, the S23 Ultra is by far the speediest performer of the Android smartphones.
It’s safe to say that the smartphone absolutely flies through daily tasks such as checking emails, snapping photos, watching YouTube, playing games, and having three different apps open at the same time. This time around, Samsung has made sure that the smartphone’s chip is more efficient. I’ve yet to notice a single app crash in my one week of testing. I’ve also barely noticed any overheating issues (though some of my peers have complained to me about it).
The S23 Ultra comes with OneUI 5.1 (based on Android 13) out-of-the-box. There are some small updates to the software that has extended Samsung’s lead as the manufacturer with the best Android fork out there. One of the changes I really like is that the connected devices’ charge levels can be seen with just a quick glance. One can now access Expert RAW directly from the camera app.
Of course, Samsung, like all other manufacturers (except Google themselves) floods its consumers with bloatware during the setup. Luckily, they can all be uninstalled post the setup.
Samsung has promised that the S23 will be supported with five years of security updates and four major OS upgrades. That’s massive, and this is a smartphone that can easily last you for the entire duration.
Testing Out The New Cameras
I’ve talked about how the design and performance of the S23 Ultra is excellent par none. When comparing to the vanilla S23 and the S23+ though, the main differentiator is the camera. With a new isocell HP2 image sensor (200MP output), can the S23 Ultra rise to the occasion and be the best smartphone for photography enthusiasts out there? The answer, for the most part, is yes.
Despite the usual oversaturation, I like how photos came out of the main sensor. By default, the S23 Ultra’s 200MP sensor captures 12MP binned images. In normal lighting conditions, the photos are stunning, and go toe-to-toe with Google’s Pixel 7 Pro.
Thanks to Expert RAW—which captures 50MP images that can be directly edited in Lightroom—Samsung gives you total control over your photos, unlike on the Pixel 7 series. The photos on the Galaxy S23 Ultra are simply outstanding and on par with the iPhone 14 Pro and Google’s Pixel 7 Pro. It all comes down to personal preferences. There’s excellent exposure and HDR on the S23 Ultra though some oversaturation exists.
Under the hood, there are improvements to dynamic range, autofocus, low-light performance and even colour accuracy. Furthermore, there’s a whole lot of work done by Samsung in minimising the noise. While the 200MP sensor may be the big-ticket item, it isn’t something to write home about. Low-light photography is up there with some of the best. Samsung does a good job of keeping the main elements in detail and doesn’t overexposure things like lights.
Samsung, like last year, retains the crown of being the king of zoom. Samsung’s 30x zoom shots are far more usable this year and can be shared without a worry. What’s more impressive is the improved optical image stabalisation (OIS). Shoot a video, in any resolution, and you’ll instantly notice it.
The one downside is that the shutter lag still exists. It’s less noticeable than on the S22 Ultra, but when you need to capture fast moving objects, it becomes very evident and supremely annoying.
Battery Life And Call Quality
In my initial impressions of the S23 Ultra, I raved about the much-improved battery life. Over the last three days, the smartphone has last over 19 hours with a good six-hours plus of screen-on-time (SoT). Safe to say, even with a medium-to-heavy usage, the S23 Ultra will easily last you a full day.
With a top wired charging speed of 45 watts, the S23 Ultra charges quite slowly as compared to its Chinese rivals. Samsung hasn’t given any importance to charging speeds (both wired and wireless) and it’s high-time Samsung improves in this area.
As this is a smartphone, something it should absolutely do well is making and receiving calls. Safe to say I’ve had no complaints about my voice and I could hear everyone loud and clear.
Verdict: Is The S23 Ultra The King Of The Android Crowd?
The S23 Ultra from Samsung is the king of excess. It’s got a large and bright screen, the massive 200MP camera (with 100x zoom), the S Pen, blazing fast performance and much-improved battery life. It’s a gigantic phone with a lavish price to match it.
It’s an iteration (on the S22 Ultra) and not something revolutionary. That isn’t to say that the S23 Ultra isn’t worth it. It most definitely is. If you can absorb the sticker shock (in fact, it’s cheaper than the iPhone 14 Pro Max), and don’t mind a gigantic smartphone, then this is the one for you.
If you’re coming from an S22 Ultra or a similar smartphone, then there is no need to upgrade just yet. Anything older than a 2022 flagship, and the S23 Ultra becomes extremely compelling.
The Pixel 7 Pro and OnePlus 11 are cheaper alternatives to the S23 Ultra but they both lack the bells and whistles of Samsung’s latest and greatest. There’s also Samsung’s own Galaxy Z Fold 4, their foldable flagship, that is a compelling device on its own.
At Rs 1,24,999, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is a tough sell. If all Android flagships were priced equally, the Galaxy S23 Ultra would be the clear winner. But, alas, that isn’t the case. Still, keeping in mind everything I’ve said in this piece, the S23 Ultra is one of the best Android smartphones every crafted.