Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra in the test: A boringly good smartphone

the performance

Now we come to the biggest change in comparison: the SoC. Last year I was very upset at this point in my review of the S22 Ultra and ended my own paragraph with “You get a worse processor for your money in Europe than in other markets and that’s a shame”.

Samsung now seems to have responded to the massive criticism, because Qualcomm processors are now available in all regions – including Europe. Meanwhile, Samsung is installing the “Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy” in the entire Galaxy S23 series. A long name for the currently best processor you can get in an Android smartphone.

But what use is the addition “for Galaxy” compared to the normal 8 Gen 2? Samsung got a special version of Qualcomm’s processor that has a little more graphics power.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra finally has a Qualcomm processor in Europe (Image: BASIC thinking)

The difference is clearly noticeable in everyday life. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, the processor is significantly faster, secondly it is better optimized for the software. This ensures no stutters, faster photo processing and longer top speeds in games. The device no longer gets warm with all this, which was felt several times with the S22 Ultra.

Storage has also been improved. 256 gigabytes of UFS 4.0 memory are now installed as standard, bringing eight gigabytes of RAM to the LPDDR5X standard. This leads to fast copying of files or installing to apps as well as fast launching of apps.

Anyone who pre-ordered the S23 Ultra has already received the 512 gigabyte model. If you want, you can buy a 1 terabyte version of the device from the Samsung store.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: The sound

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra has stereo sound again, a large speaker on the lower frame and an earpiece in the device. Especially when I took a shower in the morning, I noticed how big the difference to other devices like the Pixel 7 Pro is. Voices in particular are much easier to understand thanks to the loud sound in a large background noise.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra has stereo sound with loud speakers (Image: BASIC thinking)

But for your own consumption you should use headphones, which most people already do when they are out and about. In bed, however, you can watch one or two YouTube videos with it without resorting to external headphones. For the record: Of course, there is no longer a 3.5 millimeter jack connection.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: The cameras

Samsung is currently advertising with a slogan: 200 megapixel camera in the S23 Ultra. I’m not a fan of big megapixel numbers, as I’ve experienced exactly the opposite in the past. Whether Xiaomi, OnePlus, or Motorola: All had high megapixel numbers, but the Google Pixel was a lot better with significantly fewer megapixels.

So I was curious to see what Samsung would deliver with 200 megapixels. In addition, the company installed a twelve-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens and two ten-megapixel telephoto cameras (for triple and tenfold optical zoom). The front camera now has a resolution of ten megapixels, according to the paper a step backwards from the 40 megapixel front camera from the Galaxy S22 Ultra.

The 200 megapixel sensor

All in all, the photos are always of a good standard, but that’s what I expect from such an expensive smartphone. In general, the photos are always adorned with bright colors and lots of light. In very good light, it’s really fun to take photos even in 200 megapixel mode, where you usually get very detailed pictures.

But as the light heads towards the sunset, the photos get a little washed out and the details inaccurate. Night photos are now taken much faster, but do not yet come close to Google’s Pixel 7 Pro in terms of detail and accuracy.

Thanks to the 100x zoom, spectacular pictures of the moon can be taken as long as there are no branches in the way. What is striking, however, is that the preview usually looks much worse than the finished photo. Thanks to the Expert Raw app, there is also the option of setting up the camera professionally if you don’t like the automatic image processing.

As always, we have put together a gallery of original photos (slightly compressed by Google) from the Galaxy S23 Ultra for you, which you here can call.

The ultra wide-angle camera is the same as in the S22 Ultra and has a resolution of twelve megapixels. The photos are good, but the sensor has long since been overtaken by OPPO (Find X5 Pro) or Vivo (X80 Pro). There is still a lot of room for improvement, especially when it comes to the details on the edges.

Zoom and front camera

Then there is the combination of triple and tenfold optical zoom, which resolve with ten megapixels. Both have optical image stabilization and take good photos in good light. But I sometimes find the tenx zoom too “close” to the objects. Google relies on a five-fold zoom, which is better suited for many uses.

Speaking of Google: Once again, they have much better software for calculating the images. Samsung tends to oversaturate and blur the objects, especially in motifs with many small details. This was even clearer to see last year, Samsung seems to be working on the problem.

The selfies and portraits are again really well done. In my opinion, Samsung is catching up with Google, which did well last year. With very fine hair (such as dogs), the AI ​​does not always recognize everything, but the photos are always suitable for photo albums.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: Software

Samsung’s latest OS is pre-installed on the Galaxy S23 Ultra, OneUI 5.1 based on Google’s Android 13. Unlike last year, I haven’t been able to find any significant bugs, let alone any performance problems at all. Samsung has learned from this and not delivered the device as early as possible (like last year), but as a finished product.

The One UI interface takes some getting used to and is packed with extra features. Samsung also has its own portfolio of apps. So if you prefer to use the Google apps, you have two browser apps and two phone apps.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra also has an S-Pen installed. (Image: BASIC thinking)

A unique selling point is the S Pen. This has not received any innovations this year, but is still the only serious pen for a smartphone. It’s pretty useful for taking notes, but it wasn’t used much in my everyday life.

Samsung promises you four major OS updates and five years of security updates. This is unique in the Android space and ensures that the device is future-proof.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: Battery

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra still has the 5000 mAh battery from the Galaxy S22 Ultra and continues to charge at a maximum of 45 watts. The charger is not included in the scope of delivery.

With the S22 Ultra, the battery life was not good due to the processor and the poor software optimization. I got through the day at most, but sometimes had to charge in between. Samsung has improved this very significantly with the S23 Ultra. The battery life is always sufficient for at least one day, but sometimes also for a long evening in the bar.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra has a large battery that charges for a long time. (Image: BASIC thinking)

Charging is still below average for this price range, and the Chinese manufacturers in particular are already charging much faster. In my opinion, the battery of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra currently has the longest battery life of any Android flagship. I would not have thought that in contrast to the last Galaxy S flagship.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: Conclusion

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is boringly good. This has to do with the fact that not much “new” has happened compared to the predecessor. Sure, a new processor and better cameras, but we already know that from the last generations. But the screws that Samsung turned were absolutely right.

The processor makes a huge difference in everyday life, the cameras are visibly better and the battery is finally worthy of a flagship. The display, the loudspeakers and the workmanship are at the absolute top level, and there is room for improvement in terms of loading speed.

Go to the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra