Our Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra review will tell you why this is the most complete Android phone you can currently buy, and why it’ll last you for years.
Before reading this review, there are a few things I want to suggest. Don’t get caught up in the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra’s admittedly high price tag, but instead think about the value it represents. Don’t get overwhelmed by its astonishing ability or extensive feature list, but consider the things it can’t do. Don’t think of it as being “more of the same” either, as you’ll miss things that mean it’ll stay usable for longer.
I know that’s a lot of “don’ts,” but there’s a reason I’ve pointed them out. It’s because the Galaxy S23 Ultra can do pretty much everything you want today, next year, and almost certainly for a few years after that too. When you know this, it’s only the things it can’t do that will matter — and believe me, it’s a very short list indeed. Join us as we go into detail in our full Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra review.
Our Galaxy S23 Ultra review is based on over a week of regular use with the phone. We tested two different models throughout that time; one in the U.K. used by Andy Boxall, and another used in the U.S. by Joe Maring. Both are unlocked versions of the phone. We’re still using the device regularly, and we’ll continue to update our Galaxy S23 review as we do so, if any of our observations change.
I came to the Galaxy S23 Ultra from the OnePlus 11 and spent the first few days adapting to the difference between the two. The OnePlus 11 is slim, light, and very “holdable,” and the S23 Ultra really isn’t any of those things. If you’re coming from a phone that isn’t nearly 9mm thick, 78mm wide, and 233 grams in weight, you’re really going to notice how much of a handful the S23 Ultra is.
It’s not unmanageable, but there is a period of adjustment involved unless you’re already using the Galaxy S22 Ultra or an iPhone 14 Pro Max, which are the closest analogs to the S23 Ultra’s size.
You will get used to the S23 Ultra’s size and weight, but if you’ve got small hands, the width and thickness make singlehanded use very difficult, which is far harder to overcome. It’s a consideration that’s mostly unnecessary on phones like the OnePlus 11, iPhone 14 Pro, or even the Galaxy S23 Plus. If this is going to be your first massive smartphone, before you buy it, go and hold one first and see if you think it’ll fit into your lifestyle.
Samsung hasn’t really changed the design of the Galaxy S23 Ultra over the S22 Ultra. It’s still that familiar all-business look, with curved sides to the chassis and the screen, tiny bezels, and five circular camera modules on the back. It’s not especially eye-catching, but this will be part of its appeal. There’s a maturity to the simple stylishness of the S23 Ultra, and the device itself is instantly recognizable too. It’s not going to be mistaken for an iPhone 14 Pro Max or a Google Pixel 7 Pro.
The build quality is superb, it’s incredibly substantial, and it should be very durable too. The S23 Ultra has an IP68 water-resistance rating, Gorilla Glass Victus 2, and Samsung’s latest Armor Aluminum chassis material. The weight means putting it in a case will protect it in the event of a fall onto something hard, but there’s a degree of reassurance that comes from Samsung’s commitment to durability that’s missing from many of its competitors.
This also applies to Samsung’s use of recycled materials, and its lengthy software update commitment, which, when combined with the durability and performance of the phone, adds up to it being a device you’ll be happy to keep for years. It used to be fine to keep a phone for two years if you were keen on mobile tech, but this is a three-or-more-year device.
The headline feature is Samsung’s own ISOCELL HP2 200-megapixel camera. It’s joined by a far more conventional 12MP wide-angle camera with a 120-degree field of view, plus a pair of 10MP telephoto cameras for a 3x and 10x optical zoom. The camera is also equipped with optical image stabilization (OIS) and laser autofocus, plus a Super Resolution Zoom with recommended levels of 30x and 100x digital zoom.
It’s possible to shoot photos at the full 200MP resolution, just be aware that these take up at least 40MB of space on their own, compared to the more usual 4MB to 7MB 12MP shots the camera takes by default.
Here’s the most important thing you need to know about the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s camera: the reason to buy it is not the 200MP camera, but its incredible zoom capabilities. They are transformative and make the camera so much more versatile than what’s on any other phone available today. The quality of the 3x and 10x zoom is excellent, but now the 30x zoom is catching up. And although the 100x still isn’t great, it’s much better than ever before. The Galaxy S23 Ultra’s telephoto cameras take photos that are impossible to replicate on any other smartphone, at least with the same quality. You’ll have a lot of fun taking amazing zoom photos with the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
The main camera takes brilliant photos, but you won’t really know it’s a 200MP camera. Shots have a vibrant, exciting tone, with strong colors and masses of detail. I like the overall atmosphere the camera creates, which straddles the line between realism and hyperrealism very effectively. Most of the time, the colors are amped up by just the right amount, but it can slip into oversaturation when faced with reds and blues in some situations.
It takes considerably brighter photos than the iPhone 14 Pro and exposes more detail in the shadows too, but this comes at the expense of a natural color palette. The camera also produces shots with a very different atmosphere. I’d call them more instantly shareable, but that won’t be deemed a good thing by everyone. We’ll continue testing the Galaxy S23 Ultra against other great camera phones to see how it fares over the coming weeks.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra can struggle in difficult lighting conditions, there’s a bug where it will sometimes fail to focus when using the 10x zoom, and the viewfinder doesn’t always accurately show what the photo will look like. This is a problem because they look much worse than the end result, which may stop you from taking a photo that would end up being fine. These are issues that may be resolved through a software update, as we are using the phone ahead of its final release.
You can also download Samsung’s Expert RAW app from the Galaxy App Store, which unlocks the camera’s potential to take professional-level images in RAW forma that are ready to be edited in apps such as Adobe Lightroom.
