The Galaxy S23 Ultra is official, starts at $1,199, and seriously upgrades the camera.
In 2022, Samsung pretty much merged the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note into one device, the Galaxy S22 Ultra. For 2023, the mashup of the century, in terms of mobile phones, is continuing as the Galaxy S23 Ultra is official.
As we expected after rumors and year over year expectations, Samsung refined a bit and really focused on the camera. Specifically with the inclusion of a 200-megapixel wide lens that should capture a ton of crispy details and accurate colors for a great photo or video.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra is sticking with a $1,199 starting price and in typical Samsung fashion, there’s also a preorder deal or two to be had. So let’s break down what is new and how to lock in an order.
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How to Preorder the Galaxy S23 Ultra
Samsung is currently offering two pre order incentives for the S23 Ultra. For starters, they will automatically double the storage of the device so a 256GB becomes a 512GB. Additionally, you can score up to a $100 credit with the purchase that can be used for accessories or other Samsung devices. You’ll need to preorder by Feb. 16 to score either of these.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra comes in lavender, green, cream, and Phantom Black. Samsung is also exclusively offering it in lime, red, Sky Blue, and Graphite. You can also score more off the MSRP of the smartphone by trading in an eligible device.
However, since you’re reading this you can also unlock an additional deal. By using our link, you can score an extra $50 in credit for a total of $150 in Samsung Credit.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (Starting at $1,199.99 at Samsung)
Galaxy S23 Ultra: Similar Design, New Camera Chops
Cameras
Leading the pack in terms of changes is a new 200-megapixel wide camera. It can capture a full image at its full megapixel count, but in the name of practicality and saving storage Samsung is updating its pixel binning technology. Essentially when shooting with this main lens, with this enabled, it will combine every 16 pixels into one. The result is an image that’s still packed with details, but doesn’t take up as much space on the device.
With a physically larger sensor and one sitting at 200-megapixels, the S23 Ultra should be able to let a lot more light hit the sensor and in turn capture a lot more details. In a brief hands-on, I was able to get a sense of how quickly it can capture a shot and the quality. It was both quick and delivered a nice shot in an indoor space that was well lit. It is effectively doubling the resolution for shots from the main camera year over year.
Additionally, the S23 Ultra sticks with a dual 10-megapixel telephoto lens to enable crispy zoom shots and offers a 12-megapixel ultra wide lens. Built into the display on the front in a pinhole notch is a new 12-megapixel camera with a larger sensor. But, this one seems a little odd as the S22 Ultra featured a 40-megapixel selfie lens.
Display and Design
While the selfie megapixel count did decrease, Samsung is sticking with a 6.8-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2x display. It still gets super bright and delivers vibrant colors with stark contrast points. You can also run it at the highest resolution with a refresh rate up to 120Hz—though it scales as low as 1Hz—for a buttery smooth experience. The left and right edges of the display still slope downwards as well.
All of this is packed into a premium smartphone that’s primarily built from glass and aluminum, specifically Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and Armor Aluminum to ease durability concerns as well. Rather than just offering two colors, the S23 Ultra comes in Phantom Black, Green, Cream, and Lavender. When’s the last time Samsung offered its premium flagship in a fun color? Well, it’s been a while.
The S23 Ultra still keeps an embedded S-Pen, this way fans of the Note will be right at home and newcomers will enjoy the added functionality. You can pop the S-Pen out of the integrated silo to jot down a note, create some art, or get more precise control over the Android interface.
Samsung is sticking with a single USB-C port for charging, in addition to wireless methods, and data transfers.
Software and Performance
Jacob Krol/TheStreet
Just like the S22 Ultra before it, Samsung’s S23 Ultra is shaping up to be a beast in terms of performance. Powering the 6.8-inch smartphone is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy with either 8GB or 12GB of RAM. This should be plenty for even the most advanced tasks and the cooling technology on the inside has been upgraded to let the S23 Ultra run longer.
Out of the box it will be running Android 13 with Samsung’s custom One UI 5.1 user interface on top. This offers deep integration with S-Pen, a quick app launcher, and custom widgets among other customizations. We fully expect the S23 Ultra to offer excellent performance and be a top performer among Android smartphones.
Last, but not least, let’s talk about battery life. Inside the Galaxy S23 Ultra is a 5,000mAh battery, which Samsung says will deliver all-day battery life. We’ll need to put it to the test as we review the S23 Ultra, but you can recharge it via USB-C or wirelessly via the Qi standard. The S23 Ultra additionally supports the major bands for 5G, Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.3.
Let’s Recap The Galaxy S23 Ultra
While Samsung didn’t deliver a full redesign or rethinking to the Galaxy S23 Ultra, they really sharpened the focus on its main camera. The upgrade to a 200-megapixel from a 100-megapixel main lens should be a big improvement for everyday photos or videos captured on the device.
Beyond that, Samsung is speeding up the performance with a custom flavor of a new chip from Qualcomm and continuing to offer an excellent software guarantee that really extends the value of the S23 Ultra.
Prices are accurate and items in stock at time of publishing.
