Samsung’s newest flagship device, the Galaxy S23 Ultra comes with promising features. Boasting the latest upgrades in a smartphone, this phone gives off amazing specs on paper. However, will its hefty price tag that starts at Php81,990 justify it all?
Released in early February this year, this new smartphone from Samsung comes with a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, top-notch quad cameras for photos and videos, large and vibrant display, sleek design, and large battery capacity.
We used the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra for more than a month to see how this phone actually works in a real-world scenario and if the specs are reasonable enough for its expensive price tag.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Specs
- Android 13, One UI 5.1
- Dual SIM, Dual standby
- 6.8-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2x display, 3088 x 1440 pixel resolution, 501ppi
- 1Hz-120Hz adaptive refresh rate, 240Hz touch sampling
- Always-on display, Vision Booster
- Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2
- 3.36GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 octa-core processor
- 12GB RAM
- Adreno 740 GPU
- 256GB/512GB/1TB UFS 4.0 internal storage, non-expandable
- 12-megapixel front camera, dual-pixel PDAF
- 200-megapixel (f/1.7, PDAF, Laser AF, OIS) + 12-megapixel (ultra-wide, autofocus) + 10-megapixel (3x telephoto, OIS) + 10-megapixel (10x periscope telephoto, OIS) rear cameras, LED flash
- Under-display fingerprint scanner
- AKG-tuned stereo speakers
- No headphone jack
- S-pen support
- HSPA+, 4G LTE, 5G
- WiFi 6e, tri-band
- Bluetooth 5.3
- GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS
- NFC
- Ultra Wideband (UWB)
- USB Type-C
- Dimensions: 163.4 x 78.1 x 8.9mm
- Weight: 234g
- Colors: Phantom Black, Green, Cream, Lavander
- 5,000mAh non-removable battery, 45W wired charging, 10W wireless charging
Display and Sound Quality
The Samsung S23 Ultra comes in a large 6.8-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED display with 3088 x 1440 pixel resolution and a high 501 pixels-per-inch. No doubt that the screen delivers what’s expected of a flagship device. It has a crisp and vivid display with the right amount of contrast and details. As expected from Samsung, the S23 Ultra is equipped with one of the best screens (if not the best) in the market today.
The screen covers most of the front of the device, and it features small bezels around the edges. In the center of the top of the screen is a hole-punch camera cutout, which houses the 12-megapixel front-facing camera. The sides of the device are flat and feature a metal frame that runs around the perimeter.
On the right-hand side, there are power and volume buttons, while the left-hand side is left plain. The stylus is hidden at the bottom of the device, in its usual place like when the Galaxy Note was still alive.
The phone also has a 1Hz-120Hz adaptive refresh rate and 240Hz touch sampling which makes it smooth and fast. There’s also the Always-on display, which has been a staple for the Samsung Galaxy S series for years now.
In addition, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra sports a Vision Booster, a feature that intelligently identifies outdoor light and adjusts the screen based on it. We find this feature really useful especially if you’re outdoors, as it works great in our local tropical climate.
The S23 Ultra screen also uses Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, which is more durable as it can withstand rough surfaces and concrete. Still, users should not go around testing its durability by intentionally scratching the screen and dropping the phone, because it can still be damaged.
When it comes to sound, the S23 Ultra has impressive audio. As expected from a flagship device, there’s stereo support and the volume can get really loud. There’s clear stereo sound separation and audible bass as well, so it’s really good for music listening and watching videos.
Hardware and Performance
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is a high-performance device equipped with the most powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset on Android, making it fast and highly dependable. With 12GB of RAM and an Adreno 740 GPU, this phone can handle multiple apps and games with ease. Additionally, the device comes in three storage variants: 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. Like most phones these days, external storage expansion via microSD is not available.
Unlike in previous iterations, Samsung decided to stick with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chipset on this one and ditched its in-house Exynos, which is often riddled with problems and consumer complaints. Now that they are using the exact same processor as everybody else, there’s no more reason why Samsung’s flagship would get performance issues.
In terms of software, the phone’s exceptional performance is evident in its ability to handle multitasking, while still maintaining a fast and snappy user experience. It can seamlessly play any game, stream videos, and perform other basic tasks, as expected from a device with such a powerful chipset.
We tested the phone’s gaming capabilities and found that it had no issues running games on ultra settings, without encountering any issues. This handset is a top-performing device that offers a smooth and reliable user experience, particularly when it comes to gaming and other high-performance tasks.
As usual, games like Mobile Legends, League of Legends: Wild Rift, Call of Duty: Mobile, and PUBG Mobile worked incredibly well. The same goes for Genshin Impact, a wildly popular and extremely demanding mobile game right now. With its massive 5,000mAh battery, the Galaxy S23 Ultra can keep up with several hours of gaming, without needing to reach for the charger often.
Cameras
One of the biggest improvements in the S23 Ultra is in the camera department. The unit comes with four camera setup on the back. It has an impressive 200-megapixel main sensor, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide and autofocus lens, a 10-megapixel camera for 3x telephoto, and 10-megapixel for 10x periscope telephoto and OIS. There’s also a tiny LED flash between the smaller lenses. Moreover, it sports a 12-megapixel front camera with dual-pixel PDA.
The 200-megapixel camera sensor of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is more than just its high pixel count. As you can see, the images captured with this phone are truly stunning. The colors are well-balanced, with the right amount of contrast. Moreover, its impressive zooming capabilities allow for up to 10x lossless zoom and up to 100x digital zoom.
The device’s cameras also perform well even in low-light conditions, thanks to its night photography feature. Using multi-frame processing, the S23 Ultra can capture images with exceptional brightness and vividness, even in the darkest of environments. The photos taken are detailed despite being taken in a very dim setup. However, the phone struggles when there is too much light coming in, which results in the photos being overexposed.
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is also impressive when it comes to portrait photography. Its background detection has indeed improved from its predecessors. Portraits taken with the S23 Ultra look great and can produce natural-looking bokeh. Of course, there are times when the cameras struggle when it’s faced with challenging backgrounds.
In addition, back cameras are excellent in recording videos, boasting the ability to capture UHD 8K footage at 30 frames per second with superb focus capabilities. It can also identify objects and effectively blur the background, all on its own with the help of software processing and artificial intelligence.
Shooting videos is also quite good, with Samsung’s improved stabilization taking center stage. Taking videos while walking and even running surprisingly gives great results, with very little shakiness in the output. It’s kinda similar to the iPhone’s video stabilization, but better.
The selfie camera also takes sharp and detailed photos. When taking videos, the front camera can identify faces and change the focus based on the number of faces on the screen, which is perfect when you’re recording with multiple people.
Software and User Interface
Samsung’s One UI based on Android 13 is arguably one of the best Android skins nowadays. It is responsive, intuitive, customizable, and most importantly, it has dependable software support compared to its competitors. Even though it took a while, Samsung has finally committed to providing long-term support to their products, especially in their flagship devices.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra also comes with useful tools to fully make use of the S-pen. It’s easy to customize and comes with features that are helpful in productivity.
The S-Pen stylus is previously exclusive to the Galaxy Note series of phones and tablets. But now that the Note line is gone, the S and Fold devices are the only ones with S-Pen support.
The Samsung S-Pen lets you write and draw as if you were using a pen and paper. This makes it a great tool for taking notes, whether it’s in a meeting or in a lecture. If you’re an artist, the S-Pen can also be a great tool for drawing and sketching. With pressure sensitivity, you can create fine lines and do shading just like you would with a real pen or pencil.
For business people, the S-Pen can help in doing annotations and signing documents. If you don’t do any of those, then the stylus won’t be that useful for you.
Battery
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra comes with a large 5,000mAh non-removable battery. After using it for over a month, the device lasts for almost two days in a day-to-day scenario with mostly emails, social media, and watching videos.
However, the biggest irk with this phone is that it still comes with 45W wired charging and 10W wireless charging. Its 45W wired charging capability is not that bad and is actually pretty decent. But since other Android brands come with 60W to 100W, we kind of wish that Samsung stepped up their game with the S23 Ultra.
Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is undeniably one of the best smartphones this year. With its powerful performance, great cameras, and long-lasting battery, it definitely ticks all the check boxes anybody would want from a flagship Android phone.
If we were to nitpick, its not-so-fast charging speed is probably one of the few things we wish could have been better. Another potential issue for most people is the price tag. But in a world where every flagship is so expensive, we understand Samsung for putting a premium on its brand and technology. Still, the price should have been a little lower, maybe around Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro Max which starts at Php77,990.
Is it worth the money? It depends. If you’re coming from a 2-year-old device like the S21 Ultra, this upgrade could bring significant improvements for you. Otherwise, stick with your S22 Ultra (or any other recent flagship). But overall, even with its ridiculously high price tag, Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra is the best flagship Android smartphone in the market right now.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra price and availability
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra retails for a starting price of Php81,990 for the 256GB version. You can order it at the brand’s official stores in Shopee, Lazada, and through Samsung shops nationwide.
Pros
- Excellent cameras, great for video
- Powerful processor, fast performance
- Long-lasting battery
Cons
- ‘Slow’ 45W charging
- Identical design with the S22 Ultra