This series of Samsung Galaxy S23 phone devices (the S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra) is set to be released on February 17th. You should have seen all your iconic icons cooing over 2023’s Galaxy S models, especially the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra is the star child of this year’s Galaxy S phones, as its online keynote and spec sheet indicate. Despite minor aesthetic changes, it received the most improvements.
We’ll take a quick look at what the premium flagship variant has to offer – it has the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset as the other two models. Furthermore, it boasts the largest display of the three, with excellent fluidity and resolution (6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 1-120Hz refresh rate, 480Hz touch sampling rate for gaming). With Samsung’s curved panel, the curvature was reduced to take advantage of its specs. Comparatively, it’s a minor change from our Galaxy S22 Ultra.
Aficionados of the Galaxy Note and S Pen will be pleased to learn that the built-in S Pen will return. It was almost as if Samsung forgot to mention the S Pen beyond its existence in its announcement. Rest assured, the S Pen is virtually unchanged since the Galaxy S22 Ultra, with minor software improvements to work with more apps.
With full compatibility, a built-in slot, and heightened pressure accuracy, the Galaxy S22 Ultra is a true successor to the Galaxy Note. Please note that the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s S Pen is only compatible with its device, so you can’t take it to its other S23 series siblings or older models.
An additional upgrade that only the Ultra model gets is a new 200MP sensor on the main camera. This confers other benefits as well. With a higher megapixel count than its old 108MP main camera, Samsung was able to introduce Super Quad Pixel, its 16-in-1 pixel binning technique. By combining the sensor’s 16 adjacent pixels, the phone can capture more light but sacrifice the megapixel count (12MP).
With the evolution of smartphones, hardware upgrades have become less revolutionary and more incremental. The Galaxy S23 Ultra’s new 200-megapixel camera will determine whether that sentiment holds true.
Samsung Galaxy S23 lineup specs compared
| Galaxy S23 | Galaxy S23 Plus | Galaxy S23 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Display size, tech, resolution, refresh rate, brightness | 6.1-inch AMOLED; 2,340×1,080 pixels; 120Hz Adaptive Refresh Rate; 1,750 nits | 6.6-inch AMOLED; 2,340×1,080 pixels; 120Hz Adaptive Refresh Rate; 1,750 nits | 6.8-inch AMOLED 3,088×1,440 pixels; 120Hz Adaptive Refresh Rate; Edge Screen; 1,750 nits |
| Pixel density | 425 pixels per inch | 393 pixels per inch | 500 pixels per inch |
| Dimensions (inches) | 2.79 x 5.76 x 0.3 in | 3 x 6.21 x 0.3 in | 3.07 x 6.43 x 0.35 in |
| Dimensions (millimeters) | 70.9 x 146.3 x 7.6 mm | 76.2 x 157.7 x 7.6 mm | 78 x 163.3 x 8.9 mm |
| Weight (ounces, grams) | 168 g (5.93 oz) | 196 g (6.91 oz) | 234 g (8.25 oz) |
| Mobile software | Android 13 | Android 13 | Android 13 |
| Camera | 50-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 10-megapixel (telephoto) | 50-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 10-megapixel (telephoto) | 200-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide) 10-megapixel (telephoto) 10-megapixel (telephoto) |
| Front-facing camera | 12-megapixel | 12-megapixel | 12-megapixel |
| Video capture | 8K at 30fps | 8K at 30fps | 8K at 30fps |
| Processor | Galaxy-optimized Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 | Galaxy-optimized Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 | Galaxy-optimized Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 |
| RAM/storage | 8GB RAM + 128GB; 8GB RAM + 256GB | 8GB + 256GB; 8GB + 512GB | 12GB + 256GB; 12GB + 512GB; 12GB + 1TB |
| Expandable storage | None | None | None |
| Battery/charging speeds | 3,900 mAh (25W wired charging) | 4,700 mAh (45W wired charging) | 5,000 mAH (45W wired charger) |
| Fingerprint sensor | In-display | In-display | In-display |
| Connector | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C |
| Headphone jack | None | None | None |
| Special features | 5G (mmw/Sub6), IP68 rating, faster wired charging, wireless PowerShare to charge other devices | 5G (mmw/Sub6), IP68 rating, faster wired charging, wireless PowerShare to charge other devices, UWB for finding other devices | 5G (mmw/Sub6), IP68 rating, faster wired charging, wireless PowerShare to charge other devices, integrated S-Pen, 200x Space Zoom, 10x Optical Zoom, UWB for finding other devices |
Similarly impressive were the AI-assisted imaging tools behind the scenes, which allowed the Galaxy S22 Ultra to automatically detect people and keep them white-balanced enough to look natural.
There are also improved videography features, including an 80° field-of-view, double the OIS angles (to reduce noise in videos), and 8K30FPS video.
Samsung’s One UI 5.1 (a proprietary reskin of Android OS) is based on Android 13, which means tons of quality-of-life changes. It features Routines and Modes, a similar feature to Apple’s iOS15’s Focus mode (although Apple suggests the type of mode you need). Among the less-known improvements is Bluetooth 5.3, which can potentially consume less power, pair faster with other Bluetooth gadgets, and perform better in smart homes. Long drives and long meetings may make the most use of its new Bixby Text Call, which sends a courtesy SMS if you are too busy to answer.
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(Credits: Lee Jin-man, GSMArena)
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