Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Phone Review

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is the flagship smartphone, the best of the best, from the Samsung Galaxy S23 range which also features the Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus and Samsung Galaxy S23. We've already reviewed the Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus which impressed us with its performance and looks so let's find out if the bigger and better big brother can do the same. 

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Features

On the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, you get an impressive line-up of camera specs which include a rear quad camera which is led by a 200MP f/1.7 24mm (wide) camera while on the front is a 12MP f/2.2 26mm (wide) selfie camera with Dual Pixel PDAF which is cut out of the 6.8-inch display. The other rear cameras include a 10MP f/4.9 230mm (periscope telephoto) with Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS and 10X optical zoom (up to 100x digital zoom is also available), 10MP f/2.4 70mm (telephoto) with Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS and 3x optical zoom and a 12MP f/2.2 13mm (ultrawide) with Dual Pixel PDAF. 

Video is captured in a variety of resolutions at various frame rates which includes 8K at 24/30fps and you also have access to Expert RAW app so you can capture RAW as well as JPEG images which is supported by Adobe Lightroom. 

Size-wise, there's no denying that the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is a big smartphone measuring 163.4 x 78.1 x 8.9mm but you do get a 6.8-inch display constructed from Gorilla Glass Victus 2 which is also featured on the rear of the smartphone. The battery is rated at 5000mAh and the weight of the Galaxy S23 Ultra is listed at 234g which is noticeably more than the Galaxy S23 Plus. 

Other features shared by all the smartphones in the S23 range are an IP68 rating for dust/water resistance and various colour choices. They don't have headphone jacks but not many premium smartphones do nowadays.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Specs:

• 200MP f/1.7 24mm (wide), 10MP f/4.9 230mm (periscope telephoto) with Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS and 10X optical zoom (up to 100x digital zoom is also available), 10MP f/2.4 70mm (telephoto) with Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS and 3x optical zoom and a 12MP f/2.2 13mm (ultrawide) with Dual Pixel PDAF
• 12MP f/2.2 26mm (wide) selfie camera with Dual Pixel PDAF
• Up to 10x optical zoom and 100x digital zoom
• Expert RAW app (supported by Adobe Lightroom)
• 6.8-inch Display
• 5000mAh battery 
• IP68 rating 
• Dimensions: 163.4 x 78.1 x 8.9mm
• Weight: 234g

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Handling

For those who prefer a larger smartphone, the Galaxy S23 Ultra has a lot to like. It does feel big when holding it and it's not that easy to navigate one-handed but you do get a lot of screen real estate. Edges/corners aren't quite as smooth as they are on the Galaxy S23/S23+ but those who were fans of the Note series and precious S series Ultra models will very much like the Galaxy S23 Ultra. It feels incredibly well-built and of premium quality (something we couldn't quite say about the Galaxy S22 Plus) while the display is bright, sharp and responsive. An S-pen stylus is provided with the Galaxy S23 Ultra which sits neatly away in a slot which can be used as a remote to capture images with the smartphone. 

It's actually very similar to the Galaxy S22 Ultra sharing a similar design, user interface and cameras but Samsung's latest camera technology does make an appearance, making welcomed tweaks where needed. 

On the back, the camera units take centre stage but there's no housing wrapped around it as you see on other smartphones (and previous Galaxy smartphones such as the Galaxy S21 FE 5G). Instead, there are individual circles cut out of the glass back which gives it a sleek, modern look and marks a new era for the design of the Galaxy smartphone series. On test, is the green colour variant which we like a lot and is very on-vogue with modern colour palettes. 

Measuring 163.4x78.1x8.9mm it's noticeably larger than the Galaxy S23/Galaxy S23 Plus and it weighs 234g. It might not sound a lot but you can feel the weight of the Galaxy S23 Ultra as soon as you pick it up and it's definitely noticeable when you put it into a coat pocket. 

An impressive array of cameras are built-in with a 200MP f/1.7 wide featuring PDAF, Laser AF and OIS, 10MP f/4.9 telephoto offering 10x optical zoom, PDAF and OIS, 10MP f/2.4 telephoto with 3x optical zoom, PDAF and OIS and finally, a 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide with PDAF. Samsung says the 200MP Adaptive Pixel sensor uses pixel binning to support multiple levels of high-resolution processing at once.

Multiple creative camera app features are built-in which include Astrophoto settings and an option to capture multiple exposures. There's also an Expert RAW app so you can capture DNGs as well as JPEG images. Samsung says that low light photography has been improved so images/video will be sharper in a wide range of ambient lighting conditions and Noise is corrected by a new AI-powered image signal processing (ISP) algorithm that enhances object details and colour tone. Other modes built-in include Portrait, Night, Food and Panorma (to name but a few). 

The IP68 rating for dust/water resistance is reassuring and is something all of the smartphones in the Galaxy S23 range feature.  

As for the display, it measures 6.8 inches and is actually a rather fabulous offering that feels much bigger than other smartphones with a similar screen size and that's because it has a wider aspect ratio. Images are bright, colours are accurate and detail is sharp. 

Camera Specs:

• 200MP f/1.7 24mm (wide)
• 10MP f/4.9 230mm (periscope telephoto) with Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS and 10X optical zoom
• 10MP f/2.4 70mm (telephoto) with Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS and 3x optical zoom
• 12MP f/2.2 13mm (ultrawide) with Dual Pixel PDAF
• 12MP f/2.2 26mm (wide) selfie camera with Dual Pixel PDAF
• Up to 10x optical zoom and 100x digital zoom
• Expert RAW app (supported by Adobe Lightroom)

Battery life -  A 5000mAh battery is built in and it easily lasts a full day of use without having to reach for a power cable.