Teuku.Net - The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra delivers many updates that raise the bar for premium flagship phones. Starting from the 200 MP camera to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset specially designed for the Galaxy S23 series.
TeukuNet thoroughly tested the performance of the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Here is the full review :
{getToc} $title={Table of Contents}
Design
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is available in four diverse color options namely Phantom Black, Green, Lavender, and Cream. Samsung also provides four exclusive color options online namely Graphite, Sky Blue, Lime, and Red.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra in the Green variant that visited the TeukuNet editorial office has a rather unique color tone. The green color used is much more muted and dark, even in certain angles it looks like gray.
The front and back of the Galaxy S23 Ultra are protected by Gorilla Glass Victus 2 which is claimed to be more resilient. The phone is also framed in Aluminum Armor material. The back has a matte finish that makes it fingerprint-free but makes the phone body feel slippery when held.
Samsung has slightly changed the design of the Galaxy S23 Ultra. When compared to the Galaxy S22 Ultra, the body of the Galaxy S23 Ultra feels more boxy with a flat top and bottom and slightly curved left and right sides.
The left and right sides of the screen are still curved but not as extreme as previous Samsung phones that use a curved screen. The bezels at the top and bottom of the screen are also made smaller so that the screen diagonal becomes wider.
The rear camera array of the Galaxy S23 Ultra is still the same as its predecessor which is made fused with the rear panel. The difference is that each camera is now decorated with a ring that makes it look more prominent.
Screen
Samsung equipped the Galaxy S23 Ultra with a 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel. The screen has a resolution of 3088 x 1440 pixels (QHD+) with an adaptive refresh rate of 1-120Hz, HDR10+, and always-on display support.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra's display has a peak brightness level of up to 1,750 nits. As a result, visibility under the hot sun is not compromised and the content on the screen can still be seen optimally. The adaptive refresh rate support of 1-120Hz makes browsing and scrolling social media smoother and more comfortable on the eyes.
Samsung has also embedded an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor under the Galaxy S23 Ultra's display. The ultrasonic fingerprint sensor has many advantages such as a faster and more accurate detection process.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra also comes with a number of features that support a high-level multimedia experience. Not only HDR10+, the Galaxy S23 Ultra also has a Widevine L1 certificate that allows users to enjoy the highest quality Netflix content.
The stereo speakers embedded by Samsung also have a very impressive quality, whether used to watch videos or play games. Not to forget the Dolby Atmos feature that can adjust the audio output following the user's activity.
Hardware
The Galaxy S23 Ultra is a truly unique premium flagship phone. Because this phone uses the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset which is specially designed for the Galaxy S23 series. That chipset is paired with 12GB of RAM and up to 1TB of internal memory.
The main difference of Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy when compared to Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 used by other Android phones is the higher clock speed for its CPU and GPU.
Another advantage of Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy (or perhaps Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in general) is the disappearance of the overheating problem that many complained about in Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. Moreover, Samsung also uses a larger vapor chamber in the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Thanks to the combination of a top-tier chipset and a larger vapor chamber, the Galaxy S23 Ultra can be used to play heavy games like Genshin Impact very smoothly. This game can be played with the highest graphic quality and frame rate but the phone body never feels hot.
TeukuNet also tested the performance of the Galaxy S23 Ultra using the AnTuTu, Geekbench, and PCMark benchmark applications. The results can be seen below.
For Antutu it scored 1,215,530, for PCMark it scored 15,784 and for Geekebench it scored 1,893. These are all high scores which means the performance is okay.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra's performance is supported by a 5,000 mAh battery with 45W fast charging. On a single charge, the Galaxy S23 Ultra's battery can last more than a day even after being used to play heavy games.
Samsung only provides a USB-C cable without a charger head in the Galaxy S23 Ultra sales package. Using Samsung's built-in cable and a third-party charger, recharging the Galaxy S23 Ultra battery takes about 70 minutes from 5% to full.
Productivity
The Galaxy S23 Ultra is equipped with a built-in S Pen stylus, which can be stored in the body of the phone. But Samsung did not bring a significant update for the S Pen on the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Samsung keeps the S Pen stylus in the lower left corner of the Galaxy S23 Ultra. After the S Pen is removed from its storage, the Galaxy S23 Ultra immediately displays the Air Command menu.
The S Pen can certainly be used for writing, drawing, and coloring. The experience of using this stylus is very smooth and responsive, and it can adjust the thickness of the scribble according to the pressure applied.
The stylus also supports advanced features such as Smart Select that can select a section of a website or photo to scribble on. There is also AR Doodle that can turn on-screen doodles into AR stickers.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra also has DeX and Link to Windows features to support user productivity. The DeX feature allows users to access the contents of their phone on a PC with the same layout as on the phone.
Camera
The Galaxy S23 Ultra is Samsung's first phone equipped with a 200 MP camera. To test the photography capabilities of the Galaxy S23 Ultra, with photographer Enche Tjin whose review can be seen below.
In addition to the 200 MP main camera, the Galaxy S23 Ultra also features a 12 MP ultrawide camera, 12 MP telephoto camera, and 10 MP periscope camera with 10x optical zoom. On the front, there is a 12 MP camera for taking selfies.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra's main camera has a fairly wide lens, equivalent to 24mm. The sensor used is quite large at 1/1.3 inch, almost matching the 1 inch sensor in premium digital cameras. The aperture is also large at f/1.7.
Snapshots using the Galaxy S23 Ultra's main camera are very good due to the large lens aperture and sensor. As a result, this phone can take photos with naturally blurred backgrounds without excessive processing.
Although the maximum resolution reaches 200 MP, the Galaxy S23 Ultra by default takes photos with a resolution of 12 MP. Perhaps because the pixel output is less, the Galaxy S23 Ultra's processor can exert its power to run computational photography, such as balancing dark and light and guiding the best shooting composition.
Snapshots using the Galaxy S23 Ultra's main camera are excellent due to the large lens aperture and sensor. As a result, the phone can take photos with naturally blurred backgrounds without excessive processing.
Although the maximum resolution reaches 200 MP, the Galaxy S23 Ultra by default takes photos with a resolution of 12 MP. Perhaps because the pixel output is less, the Galaxy S23 Ultra's processor can exert its power to run computational photography, such as balancing dark and light and guiding the best shooting composition.
This shooting guide feature can guide users to take the best position and suggest that users point the camera at the circle on the screen. This feature is suitable for use if you want to photograph scenes that are symmetrical so that the horizon looks perpendicular.
Next is the 12 MP ultrawide camera that carries a 1/2.55 inch sensor. Because the sensor size is smaller than the main camera - as well as the aperture - the images taken using this lens are not as clean as the main camera.
As the module is also very wide, subjects at the edges of the photo will also look convex. This is usually seen when photographing buildings in urban areas.
Next up is a 10 MP telephoto lens with a 70mm equivalent that allows photos to be taken with a 3x optical zoom. In bright light conditions, this camera module is suitable for taking portraits with a blurred background or photographing subjects that are slightly far away.
Finally, there is the 10MP telephoto periscope camera with 230mm equivalent or 10x optical zoom. This camera is certainly designed to capture subjects from very far away, but because the aperture and sensor used are not large enough, it is best used in bright light conditions.
In addition to taking photos, the Galaxy S23 Ultra can also record videos with a high resolution of 8K 30fps or 4K 60fps. The phone's camera can also record slow-motion video at a maximum Full HD resolution of up to 240fps or 10x slower than normal.
The bottom line
Although it physically looks the same as its predecessor, the Galaxy S23 Ultra brings a lot of improvements that are not to be missed. The screen is bright and pleasing to the eye, performance is faster thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy, and the 200MP camera is more advanced.
Combining a fast processor with smarter algorithms for computational photography, the Galaxy S23 Ultra's camera can process images with brighter colors and a better balance between light and dark.
Unfortunately, only the main camera gets an upgrade. The other three cameras are not upgraded, so the quality is more or less the same as the Galaxy S22 Ultra's camera. The phone's camera is suitable for users who want photos with bright tones and high contrast straight from the camera without the need for editing.
In the end, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is better described as a polished Galaxy S22 Ultra. The price, which is higher than the previous generation, should also be taken into consideration.
