prologue
A year later, Note that not Return value. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra brings a predictably minor upgrade. Most of the time there are camera tweaks and a new chipset, but just how much can the S22 Ultra improve in just one year? Check if it is possible.
Of course, it’s an extensive spec sheet. At the Ultra’s heart is his Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, made specifically for the Galaxies and featuring higher clock rates than its competitors. The latest Qualcomm top-end chips also promise efficiency.
The camera sees the introduction of a new 200MP sensor, up from the 108MP resolution of past Ultras. Some telephoto shots are staples of the lineup and a standout feature in a market where 10x optical zoom is only found on Samsung products. The 2023 Ultra is the only model in the lineup with an autofocus ultra-wide. This is an ongoing rant that needed to be included here about the lack of autofocus on the smaller S23 than the ultimate Galaxy’s actual notable features.
Galaxy S22 Ultra (top) next to Galaxy S23 Ultra
Otherwise, the long list of numbers and features below doesn’t really bring much of a change from the previous generation. Battery capacity remains the same as charging rating. It’s not like the ultrasonic fingerprint reader suddenly became optical – it still has unique features like DeX and Samsung Pay and you can expect the display to be the best in the business – a small win is his 256GB base storage . Last year’s model started at an absurdly low 128GB.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra specs summary:
- body: 163.4×78.1×8.9mm, 234g; front glass (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), rear glass (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame. IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 minutes).
- screen: 6.80″ Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1750 nits (peak), 1440x3088px resolution, 19.3:9 aspect ratio, 501ppi, Always On.
- Chipset: Qualcomm SM8550-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm): Octa-core (1×3.36 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2×2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2×2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3×2.0 GHz Cortex-A510); Adreno 740 .
- memory: 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 12GB RAM. UFS4.0.
- OS/Software: Android 13, One UI 5.1.
- Rear camera: wide (main): 200 MP, f/1.7, 24mm, 1/1.3″, 0.6µm, Multidirectional PDAF, Laser AF, OIS; telephoto: 10 MP, f/2.4, 70mm, 1/3.52″, 1.12µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom. telephoto: 10 MP, f/4.9, 230mm, 1/3.52″, 1.12µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS, 10x optical zoom. super wide angle: 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚, 1/2.55″, 1.4µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, Super Steady Video.
- Front camera: 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), dual pixel PDAF.
- Video capture: rear camera: 8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+, Stereo Sound Rec, Gyro EIS; front camera: 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps.
- battery: 5000mAh; 45W wired, PD3.0, 65% in 30 minutes (ad), wireless (Qi/PMA), 4.5W reverse wireless.
- others: fingerprint reader (under-display, ultrasonic); stylus (Bluetooth integration, accelerometer, gyro); NFC; stereo speakers; Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX, Bixby natural language command and dictation, Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified), Ultra Wideband (UWB) support.
We’ve been calling the S23 Ultra a notebook from the start, and the S Pen is certainly here to stay – habitual pessimists around the office writing off after the beloved notebook moniker disappeared on the S22 Ultra Sure, you can use the S Pen (another one) for the Fold, but the S Pen case can’t beat the convenience of an in-body stylus like the one you get here.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Unboxing
However, you don’t get much else. The Ultra appears in what has become standard in Samsung’s high-end cell phone packages. This is the thinnest possible black cardboard box with the handset’s likeness printed on the lid in a color that corresponds to the inside of the actual unit.
The size of the box ensures there’s no charger inside, but there’s still a USB-C cable – to our ongoing drone of ‘this may be the last time we get a cable’ Nonetheless, Samsung is really sticking to including one – is it? There’s also a SIM eject pin that I wouldn’t normally mention, but the unpacking section could use an extra word.