Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra-Price Reviews Specification

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra wants to take smartphone photography to the next level with its massive 200MP camera and other improvements. And based on my testing, this camera system — and nearly everything else about this flagship — lives up to the hype. 

So what can you do with 200 megapixels? The sensor can combine 16 pixels into one for brighter, more detailed shots, or you can shoot in full 200MP mode, which gives you a lot more freedom when it comes to cropping in and reframing your pics.

Other Galaxy S23 Ultra upgrades include a sharper 12MP front camera, an exclusive new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip made for Galaxy that delivers fast graphics performance that beats the iPhone and a display that’s better optimized for S Pen use. See our Galaxy S23 Ultra vs S23 face-off if you’re on the fence between both flagships. 

Based on my extensive comparisons, I can tell you that the S23 Ultra is definitely one of the best camera phones — even better than the Pixel 7 Pro and neck and neck with the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Even better, the battery life is much improved at over 13 hours. Is all of this worth $1,199?

Yes, the Galaxy S23 Ultra isn’t just the best Android phone money you can buy, it’s arguably the best phone period among premium flagships. Here’s the pros and cons based on my Galaxy S23 Ultra review. 

For more, see our Galaxy S23 Ultra vs iPhone 15 Pro Max comparison to see which phone is right for you and our Galaxy S23 Ultra vs Pixel 7 Pro comparison. 

SAMSUNG GALAXY S23 ULTRA RELEASE DATE AND PRICE

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra arrived in February with a starting price of $1,199 / £1,249 / AU$1,949 for 256GB of storage. That’s double the storage of the Galaxy S22 Ultra, which is good news, but the UK / AU pricing is £100 / AU$100 more than what the S22 Ultra cost. 

The Galaxy S23 Ultra is also available with 512GB for $1,379 / £1,399 / AU$2,249 or 1TB of storage for $1,619 / £1,599 AU$2,649. 

Check out our Galaxy S23 deals page for the latest discounts. 

SAMSUNG GALAXY S23 ULTRA SPECS

SAMSUNG GALAXY S23 ULTRA DESIGN AND COLORS

There’s a couple things you notice about the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s design right of the bat. The cameras on the back are even bigger this time around compared to the Galaxy S22 Ultra and the display is flatter. There’s still a gentle curve to the 6.8-inch panel, but you get a slimmer curve with a flatter surface area, which makes using an S Pen a bit more comfortable.

I know some would prefer a totally flat design, but I hold the S23 Ultra in my hand the curve does give it a slightly more premium feel. The only issue is that it can sometimes be difficult to target items with your finger on the extreme edges of the display. 

The Galaxy S23 Ultra is built to be tougher, too, as it’s the first phone with Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus 2, which promises to protect the front and back better from scratches and drops. The YouTuber JerryRigEverything has conducted some durability tests, and the Galaxy S23 Ultra fares quite well when it comes to scratching and bending. However, you’ll still want to invest in one of the best Galaxy S23 Ultra cases to protect your investment.  

The Galaxy S23 Ultra comes in four colors, including Phantom Black, Green, Cream and Lavender. I’m partial to the green as it pops the most of all the hues — which is the model I’m testing — followed by the lavender, which is subtle and elegant. I also like that the design does a fairly good job of resisting fingerprints. 

It’s worth noting that the S23 Ultra still features a SIM card slot, unlike the iPhone 14 Pro Max, which is located on the bottom of the device. 

Samsung is touting the eco-friendliness of the S23 Ultra’s design, as the company is using more recycled materials for the phone. This included recycled discarded fishing nets for the S Pen inner cover and bottom speaker module, recycled water barrels for the side key and volume key and recycled aluminum for the SIM tray.

Weighing 8.2 ounces and measuring 6.4 x 3.0 x 0.35 inches, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is the same size as the S22 Ultra but a bit heavier as that flagship weighed 8.08 ounces. 

SAMSUNG GALAXY S23 ULTRA DISPLAY

The Galaxy S23 Ultra simply has one of the best displays on any phone. It’s bright, bursting with color and performed very well in our lab testing. 

Like the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, the S23 Ultra features a 6.8-inch QHD OLED screen with a resolution of 3088 x 1400 pixels and a rated peak brightness of 1,750 nits. You also get the same 120Hz refresh rate as before, which can scale down to 1Hz. 

During my testing, I’ve been very impressed with the overall image quality from the S23 Ultra’s panel. When watching the trailer for The Mandalorian season 3, the shiny helmets popped off the screen, and I enjoyed wide viewing angles. Even in direct sunlight I could see the display fairly well. 

This is also an amazing canvas for showing off your photos and videos. I loved reviewing the shots I took with the S23 Ultra’s cameras, including the super shot above image of a water fountain in Bryant Park. 

In our labs, the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s display turned in an average brightness reading of 1,225 nits with HDR content, which is just behind the iPhone 14 Pro Max’s 1,275 nits. The Galaxy S23 Ultra’s screen delivers more colors, hitting 112% of the DCI-P3 color gamut in Natural mode, compared to 83% for the iPhone 14 Pro Max.

Both panels are also highly color accurate, with the S23 Ultra registering 0.3 on the Delta-E Test where lower numbers are better in Natural mode and 0 in Vivid mode. The iPhone 14 Pro Max scored 0.26.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra also includes an advanced Vision Booster feature, which is designed to let you adjust color and contrast of the image to ambient lighting conditions. And there’s an eye comfort feature to make viewing the display easier.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S23 ULTRA CAMERAS

Is it overkill or a game changer? After doing lots of testing, I’m leaning toward the latter. The Galaxy S23 Ultra is the first flagship phone in the U.S. to pack a 200MP camera, and Samsung says this sensor can deliver poster size prints. 

But that’s not the only benefit of having a main wide camera this powerful. The adaptive pixel sensor can combine 16 pixels into one larger pixel for brighter and more detailed photos, especially in lower light situations.

Shooting in 200MP model also gives you the option to crop in on the image after you shoot, so you can get a completely different looking shot without (ideally) sacrificing detail. I was floored when I took a photo of a Bryant Park surrounded by colorful paper lanterns. Look how much I can crop in on the sign and then the lanterns themselves. (Note that the establishing shot is in 12MP because our system cannot support uploading such a large file.)

For more on the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s main camera, check out our 200MP camera tests with Samsung’s flagship phone.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra has a new 12MP front camera, which is technically a downgrade versus the S22 Ultra’s 40MP selfie shooter, but Samsung promises better portraits overall thanks to better AI along with a compelling Night portrait mode.

In this selfie example, the Galaxy S22 Ultra produces a brighter image of my face but I appreciate the greater level of detail in the Galaxy S23 selfie, especially in my shirt on the left side. The grass also looks lusher in the S23 Ultra image. 

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You still get dual 10MP telephoto lenses with 3x and 10x optical zoom, and a very strong 30x digital zoom option. The 100x Space Zoom option is also still available, though the results can be shaky.

Check out the above photos of the Empire State building ranging from 1x all the way up to 100x. At 3x you can make out the steam coming off the top of a nearby building in the freezing cold, then the spire of the building at 10x and then the windows surrounding the top of the building at 30x. While a bit shaky it’s impressive that you can see the colored lights at 100x.