The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is the epitome of the Ultra phone and it is undoubtedly Samsung’s most sought-after device. Some may find the design slightly uninspiring at present, however it is unquestionably an example of function preceding form. The rectangular body is perfectly suited to hold a powerful four-camera island, a formidable chipset with its associated cooling, a substantial 5,000mAh battery, and a stylus. Plus the largest possible display on a non-folding phone.

The Galaxy Ultra is now in its fourth iteration, and Samsung has made sure it stands out from the competition by including the S Pen and a 200MP camera. This solidifies that the Galaxy Ultra has a feature that no other device has.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra is a perfect choice for those dedicated to the Galaxy Ultra and the prior Galaxy Note series. Samsung has been very thorough in ensuring that the device is in line with its traditional roots. A similar situation can be seen with the iPhone Pro Max, as people have been eager to invest in it year after year.

The Way it is Designed and How it is Used

The Galaxy S23 Ultra has maintained the same overall design as the former S22 Ultra model, but a few changes have been made for the better. The display and glass panel curves have been drastically decreased, and the frame has been widened at the sides. This has made the phone easier to get hold of as well as less slippery – a bonus for those who use their phones without a cover.

The rear glass with a matte finish is pleasant to the touch yet can be slick at times; however, the shiny Armor Aluminum frame is prone to smudging but it has the advantage of being easier to hold.

It’s impossible to ignore the enormous size of the Galaxy S23 Ultra, but Samsung has perfected its handling. Specifically, the device has a balanced weight distribution, so it won’t tilt or lean when held in the hand.

The button arrangement is dead-on accurate – the power button is in the perfect spot for either the right thumb or left index finger. Having the button placed in the right area is a skillful craft – if you ask any iPhone 15 Pro Max user, they can tell you if the new Action Button location is comfortable for them.

The S23 Ultra performs as competently as can be expected from a device of its dimensions. However, individuals with smaller hands may find the Galaxy S23 Ultra to be overly bulky.

What has been the outcome?

Since the Galaxy S23 Ultra released in February, we have usually kept it covered in a case. Although, there have been a few times during its months of use that we deliberately removed it from its case to appreciate its superior texture.

The rear panel of the phone is beset with the same minute dot-scratches or blemishes as the Samsung S22 Ultra. We can only assume that specks of dust became lodged in between the phone and its protective casing. Nevertheless, they are practically invisible.

The frame is flawless. We can’t say for sure if it’s made of Samsung’s particular alloy (called Armor Aluminum) or something else, but we haven’t experienced any issues with it.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra’s earpiece has a tiny slit that tends to accumulate dust. Attempts to eradicate it with an air blower, water, and a toothbrush have been unsuccessful. Fortunately, it does not have any effect on the phone’s call quality.

In regards to phones with curved displays, there are very few quality glass screen protectors available for the Galaxy S23 Ultra, but there is a greater selection for the Galaxy S23 and S23+, which won’t obstruct the ultrasonic fingerprint scanner. The good thing about glass protectors is that they have their own oleophobic coating, and when it wears off, you can just switch out for a new protector and enjoy a great display for another six months to a year. On the other hand, if you prefer the cheaper feeling of plastic, you could opt for a plastic protector.

Using Biometrics for Identification

Biometrics is a technology that utilises a person’s biological traits, such as their fingerprints, to authenticate and identify them. This technology has become an integral part of a variety of security systems because it is an incredibly reliable method for verifying a person’s identity. The use of biometrics has helped to reduce the risk of fraud and security breaches.

The fingerprint scanner on the Galaxy S23 Ultra is fantastic. It is identical to the one from the Galaxy S22 Ultra, which was also of outstanding quality. It is still incredibly quick and precise, even after extended use and no smudges make any difference in its performance – that’s the beauty of ultrasonic fingerprint scanners. It would be great to have the same tech featured on the following Galaxy S Ultra.

Visuals and Audio output

The Galaxy S23 Ultra has an impressive display that surpasses that of its rivals in terms of size, color accuracy, and viewing quality. Additionally, it can also be utilised for writing or drawing purposes, making it one of the best displays on the market.

Samsung’s auto brightness feature is top-notch, always adjusting to the lighting around you to provide the perfect level of illumination. You can manually tweak the brightness if necessary, but it will stay that way until there is a drastic shift in the environment. To put it another way, this functionality is “just right” for your needs.

When you are reading a book in the evening, for example, the screen of the phone can be adjusted to be quite dim.

If you’re using your phone right before going to sleep, the blue light emitted from the display can interfere with your ability to rest and reduce your sleep quality. Samsung has implemented an advanced blue light filtering system to adjust the color temperature to one that you prefer or have the phone adjust it based on the light in the environment. Additionally, you can also have the tones and contrast of the display adapted.

The Always On Display of the Galaxy S23 Ultra is great. You can enable it to appear when you receive a notification or manually activate it, and it will stay lit for 6 seconds, conserving battery. You can select to keep it constantly up, stipulate it to a certain schedule, or have it only show when there is a notification. Additionally, you can customize the clock design, color, or pick a widget.

The sound system of the Galaxy S23 Ultra is remarkable. This model features a hybrid speaker setup, with one located in the earpiece, yet it doesn’t compromise on quality. Audio is full and robust, and it has a great range of volume.

Showing Outstanding Results

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is a dependable device due to its powerful chipset, efficient cooling system, and dependable software.

The phone is able to quickly process apps without any issues, and is powerful enough to take on more demanding tasks, such as editing ExpertRAW (or other RAW formats) photos in Adobe Lightroom Mobile, creating 4K videos in programs like Adobe Rush or KineMaster, and running two apps simultaneously.

Our testing of the Galaxy S23 Ultra has been completely problem-free, with no interruptions, unexpected shutdowns, crashes, or restarts occurring. The phone has been highly reliable throughout our evaluation.

During the summer months, when watching high-definition videos on the phone, it can become quite hot; however, this did not seem to have an effect on the functioning but did impact the battery life.

Power Durability and Recharging

The Galaxy S series has made the switch to the Qualcomm chipset, pleasing both the casual fans and those in the know. Our review of the S23 Ultra revealed that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 was more efficient than the Exynos 2200. Our battery tests displayed that the device had 5 and a half hours more of video playback and 4 hours more of internet browsing than its predecessor. This was likely due to the new Snapdragon chip and its TSMC architecture being more adept at handling the 5,000mAh battery than the Exynos ever was.

The impressive battery life has remained mostly consistent since we began using the Galaxy S23 Ultra. However, when the weather heated up, we noticed that the battery was dropping faster during an hour-long navigation session than it had in the cooler months.

On a daily basis, you can depend on the Galaxy S23 Ultra to provide no less than 6 and a half hours of screen-on-time, except if you’re running Waze or Google Maps for over two hours at maximum brightness, at which point the time is closer to 4 hours.

I charge my Galaxy S23 Ultra on a wireless charger each night, and only need to occasionally refresh the battery during the day with fast wired charging. The device has an impressive charging control system, which allows the user to separately configure fast wired or fast wireless charging. It even has a smart function that will trickle charge the battery to 100% right before the phone is unplugged in the morning, theoretically reducing stress on the battery.

To further safeguard your battery, you could set the maximum charge to 85% – this will reduce the amount of charging cycles and will not be as taxing to the cells.

Recent Developments

When it comes to updates, Samsung has proven itself to be reliable in regards to both major OS updates and minor security patches. Each year, the company has been pushing its newest version of Android to its Galaxy S series earlier and earlier – the Galaxy S20 series got One UI 3 in December 2020, the Galaxy S23 series got One UI 4 in November 2021, and the Galaxy S22 series obtained One UI 5 in October 2022. Our Galaxy S23 Ultra was provided with One UI 6 on October 30th, offering a variety of features, enhancements, and a revitalized design, including a new system-wide font, a revised Quick Settings design, and more.

For the purpose of this review, we will not focus on the recent Android 14 software as all of our long-term testing was done using One UI 5 and Android 13.

Despite having a good history of releasing updates, Samsung’s August security patch had a hiccup as it took two months to reach many Galaxy S23 users, our own included.

The S Pen

The S Pen is a stylus that comes with certain Samsung devices. It allows users to jot down notes, draw, and perform other tasks. It has become an integral part of many Samsung phones and tablets, providing a great way to interact with the device.

Samsung has been relying on the S Pen as a unique feature for a long time. It’s experienced several improvements and is now seamlessly connected to the Galaxy S23 Ultra.

The S Pen is highly advantageous in a variety of situations, such as annotating screenshots, entering into non-disclosure agreements, creating directions on a map, and even providing a form of amusement for passengers on an extended journey. It is an invaluable asset!

Samsung Notes is an excellent tool for writing and sketching, as well as organizing your notes. Additionally, the Screen off memo feature allows you to quickly jot down a note without having to unlock your phone – simply take out the S Pen and write your note, put the pen away, and your phone will save the note for later.

Camera

The use of cameras has become increasingly commonplace in our culture, from capturing moments with loved ones to taking pictures of unique moments. Now, cameras are a part of everyday life, and photographic equipment has become commonplace in our society from taking pictures of special occasions to snapping shots of the extraordinary.

The new Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra has released a 200MP imager, being the largest one on a Samsung phone to date. Samsung claims that users will experience clarity unlike anything seen on a Galaxy phone before, so we put it up against the best on the market at the time to see how it would fare. For more detailed information on the camera specs, we recommend looking at our review. In this article, we will be focusing more on particular camera features rather than the whole system.

The 200MP primary lens of the Galaxy S23 Ultra is impressive, but the real strength of the device is the range of its camera system. Starting at 13mm with an ultrawide, the phone progresses to 23mm for 2x zoom, then to 69mm for 3x, and all the way to 230mm with its unique 10x lens. This is an unrivaled level of zooming for a phone, and with rumors of the Galaxy S24 Ultra ditching the 10x camera in favor of 5x, the Galaxy S23 Ultra might be the last phone with optical 10x available.

Speaking of quality, the Galaxy camera app is one of the top apps and has not seen many changes in recent years. This makes it recognizable to those with a Galaxy phone. Anywhere the user is, they can double-press the power button to open up the camera, double-press it again to switch to the selfie camera, and double-press it one more time to get back to the main camera.

When it comes to good lighting conditions, the main camera of the Galaxy S23 Ultra does a great job of taking crisp images with almost no grain. The dynamic range is impressive – darker tones are still detailed but retain their natural hue, while the highlights are never too bright. We’d refer to the saturation as leaning heavily towards midtones. The colors are lively without being over-the-top, and the sky colors are a faithful representation of reality.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra really stands out when it comes to zoomed images. Its 3x and 10x cameras capture shots of remarkable quality in both bright and dim lighting. The details, contrast and hues are all quite impressive, however, grain can be seen with the 3x and 10x cameras.

These cameras are more about providing a different outlook, rather than purely great photography. The 10x lens on the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is an unparalleled optical tool at 230mm, allowing for a distinct viewpoint, be it in a bustling city or up in the clouds gazing down at wind turbines from 11000 meters. Long-term use of the S23 Ultra instructs the photographer to look beyond the 5x camera of a standard smartphone. We’re looking forward to a bigger sensor zoom in the next iteration of the Galaxy S Ultra.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is a dependable camera, and it continues to be one of the most adaptable on the market. You can be certain that it won’t let you down, be off-focus, or fail when it matters most. It offers reliable stabilisation up to 230mm, and its autofocus has a knack for accurately pinpointing the subject of your shot – be it an individual nearby or a plane soaring across the sky at 10x. No other phones allow you to fit an ultra-wide, a wide, a midrange zoom, and a super telephoto lens into your pocket.

Our experience with this phone has been a positive one, as it has been able to handle all our requests without difficulty. We anticipate that other users would benefit similarly from its performance.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra is a significant improvement over its predecessor, however it still remains relatively the same phone. It’s unlikely to persuade iPhone or Pixel users to switch, so it’s important to manage one’s expectations of the device. This phone has been designed with a very specific user in mind, and those that fit the criteria will be more than content with the Galaxy S23 Ultra. It is very distinctly Samsung in its design, with lots of features and a huge size.