The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is the most flagship, powerful and highly capable model among the three devices launched today. As with the Android operating system, Samsung only made a few iterations to differentiate this year's model from last year's S22 Ultra model.
At a glance, the changes made are difficult to see. Samsung this year focused more on better camera capabilities and additional features offered in the new software. Is the S23 Ultra ultras enough to set it apart from other competitors in the increasingly fierce market?
Specifications And Design
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
6.8″ Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen
WQHD+, 120Hz, HDR10+
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Processor For Galaxy (4nm)
1 X 3.36 GHz Cortex X3 chip
4 X 2.8 GHz Cortex A715
3 X 1.8 GHz Cortex A510
Adreno 740 Graphics Chip
RAM 12GB LPDDR5X
Internal Storage 256GB /512GB/1TB UFS 4.0
Main Camera 200MP f/1.7, OIS (Wide Angle)
12MP f/2.2 (Ultra Wide Angle)
10MP f/2.4, OIS (3X Telephoto)
10MP f/4.9, OIS (10X Telephoto)
Selfie Camera 12 Megapixel f/2.2
5000 mAh battery
45W wired charging
15W wireless charging
SIM/Telephony Dual SIM nano / 5G
NFC Yes
No Audio Jack
Waterproof IP68
Scan System Under-screen fingerprint scanner
Sale Price RM 6199 (12/256GB)
RM 6699 (12/512GB)
RM 7199 (12/1000GB)
Similar but not the same is the most suitable theme for the Galaxy S23 series. If the S23 and S23+ receive the new Floating Camera design, the S23 Ultra maintains the same design as the S22 Ultra. The design between the three S23 models is more consistent with all of them no longer having the large hump at the back. Good news for the anti-bump crowd.
The screen is still 6.8″ QHD+ with a refresh rate of up to 120Hz from the LTPO type. There is absolutely no change in specifications compared to last year, only the Vision Booster feature exists which according to Samsung ensures that the image remains sharp and can be seen in various lighting situations. Three levels of Vision Booster are provided on the S23 Ultra screen.
The screen curve still exists on the left and right sides, just not as extreme as in the Vivo X90 series. No issues with content overflowing or the screen detecting accidental touches. The Samsung panel is always brilliant and the displayed colors look vivid, the viewing angles are excellent and it detects every touch on the screen accurately. For durability, the screen uses the handsome Gorilla Glass Victus 2 which is more durable.
An optical fingerprint scanner is also retained below the screen. The position is still the same and is still easy to access with the finger you want to scan. Samsung did not say the sensor was changed so it can be assumed that the sensor used before is retained.
S-Pen support also returns this year after the Note and Galaxy S series were combined. No improvements in nib precision, new features, battery life or differences in size. This is the same stylus used since the Note 10 series. This may be seen as a negative but there is no technology out there that is better than the Wacom stylus used by Samsung. So the lack of change here is not a bad thing.
HDR content is still supported up to HDR10+ only with a description above 1750 nits. In the test that was done, HDR content can be played smoothly and without any issues such as color banding. For those looking for a good screen for watching videos, the S22 Ultra screen is among the best right now.
Design
The body of the S23 Ultra is more boxy with flatter sides than the previous model. In our opinion, holding the device is more comfortable with this new design due to the larger flat surface area. In terms of aesthetics, it also looks more stylish. We can't remember the last time Samsung used a boxy design like this. For sure, it reminds us of the classic design of Sony Xperia Z which is crossed with the design of iPhone 14 Pro Max. As fans of both devices, we have no complaints with the S23 Ultra's new design.
Audio and power adjustment buttons are placed on the right side. Its position is easy to access even if used with only one hand. The nano dual-SIM slot, USB-C charging port, audio grille and S Pen storage are placed at the bottom of the device. At the top there is a hole for the microphone.
The three main camera lenses are not placed in the hump with a design called Floating Camera. The size of the three main lenses is even and slightly larger this year. Because of this, many may not realize that the sensor for the wide-angle lens is now 200MP. This is the new ISOCELL HP2 sensor that has the ability to combine 16 pixels into one to produce sharper images. In this mode the image produced is only 12.5MP
This is paired with a 12MP ultra-wide-angle lens, a 10MP optical 3x telephoto and a 10MP optical 10x telephoto. The S22 Ultra sensor is recycled on the other three lenses of the main quad-camera system on the back of the device.
The Floating Camera is not placed in a large bump but the device still cannot be placed flat on the table. Only using a framework can solve this issue. Samsung doesn't offer a free frame with purchase but they do offer an official frame that can provide protection to the rear camera lens and flatten the back panel.
More significant changes are made inside where a larger cooling system is used on all S23 series. We understand that on certain models of the S23 series the cooling system is now up to 2.7X larger than the S22 series. On the S23 Ultra it increases 2.1X times solving the issue of reduced processing power when the device heats up.
For sure this is a necessary feature because among the issues that are often heard is that the initial performance will be affected if the device becomes fast. In yesterday afternoon's test session, we participated in three continuous online Asphalt 9 game sessions. After three sessions, the S23 Ultra was just lukewarm in the hand. Maybe this new cooling system works as advertised.
Like the screen of the device, the rear panel of the S23 Ultra also uses Gorilla Glass Victus 2 which is durable. On all models, the glass panel is non-glossy and does not trap dirt easily. Finally the S23 Ultra passes the IP68 standard for dust resistance and can even be submerged in water.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 For Galaxy
In terms of specifications, the S23 Ultra is offered with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 For Galaxy chip as previously announced. It is a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip with some customizations on the GPU and NPU to improve performance. Complete information about other changes is still kept secret from us and this first look will be edited after the launch session later.
This chip is paired with 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and up to 1TB of UFS 4.0 storage. For those who feel the RAM offering may not be enough, there is a RAM Plus feature that adds up to 8GB more RAM virtually when needed by taking up the device's storage space.
Here are the scores recorded after the device was tested using a popular benchmarking application. Compare the scores recorded with iQOO 11 5G (Snapdragon 8 Gen 2), Vivo X90 (Dimensity 9200), Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max (A16 Bionic), and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 (Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1)
Geekbench 5
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra – 1345/4989
iQOO 11 5G – 1457/4702
Vivo X90 – 1372/4192
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max – 1875/5469
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 – 1298/3963
Antutu 3D
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra – 1,161,357
iQOO 11 5G – 1,248,937
Vivo X90 – 1,147,029
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max – 974,941
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 – 980,346
Wild Life Extreme
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra – 3247
iQOO 11 5G – 3763
Vivo X90 – 3176
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max – 3373
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 – 2798
Use And Software
The One UI 5.1 operating system is used on the S23 Ultra and it is based on Android 13. The interface of One UI 5.1 is not much different from One UI 5.0. This is because the focus is on adding some new features that have already been introduced through One UI 5.0 at the end of last year.
The interface elements are still minimalist, easy to understand and neat. There is theme customization with the color of the interface elements changing according to the background color used. On One UI 5.1, widgets are improved in that they can be arranged in layers. Up to nine widgets of the same size can be stacked. Users can change which widgets they want to see by scrolling left and right.
The key screen is also given more in-depth customization. Widget type, color tone, and font design can be changed more easily. Improvements to security through Samsung Knox have also been introduced which will detect if the user's personal data has been leaked. A password change notification will be provided if this happens.
All of these features are similar to the features that can be found on iOS 16. After several years of iOS taking inspiration from Android, it is now One UI's turn to take inspiration from iOS as well.
In the short period of using the device it feels fast, smooth, no issues installing apps and there are interesting feature additions. The only issue is that the addition of these given features may not be very noticeable and large. This is not an issue with One UI but rather because with Android already including many interesting features, no really amazing new features can be introduced.
The strength of Samsung devices with One UI is still support for updates of four Android versions and security patches for five years which is the best among Android manufacturers at this time.
Camera
With a new 200MP sensor for the wide-angle lens, Samsung says camera performance is even better. We are not yet able to do a complete test. Here are some samples that were taken. Also included below are 1X, 3X, 10X, 30X and 100X zoom qualities.
Battery
The battery remains with a capacity of 5000 mAh which can be charged wired with a power of 45W, wirelessly with a power of 15W and reverse wireless charging. If there is one disappointing specification on the S23 Ultra it is that the charging system used is slow for a flagship device.
Oppo, Realme, Xiaomi and Honor have all been able to offer at least 80W charging since last year. It's even sadder when you realize Samsung no longer provides chargers in the box to reduce plastic electronics waste.
In the box
Here is what is received in the box with purchase.
1x Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra.
1x USB-C to USB-C charging cable.
1x Manual.
1x SIM Pin.
Conclusion
Our experience using the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra was very short with one hour in Malaysia and three hours in Singapore yesterday. So far what we can say is that although the changes to the design are not very significant, the addition of features offered is interesting but not very large. This year's wow factor is the 200MP camera with better picture detail and a further improved night mode.
Is this enough for the Galaxy S series to give competition to other Android manufacturers as well as Apple which is increasingly aggressive in its marketing in Malaysia? Only time will tell. We can only give a final result after doing a full review when the device is received by the our lab later.
In Malaysia, Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra sales will open today with a selling price of RRM6199 for 12/256GB, RM6699 for 12/512GB and RM7199 for 12/1000GB.
Pro
The body design is more boxy and more comfortable in the hand.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 For Galaxy is more powerful than the regular edition.
The main camera is now 200M.
Supports S Pen.
Four Android version updates and five years of security.
Cons
Other camera sensors are still the same as last year.
Charging just 45W can no longer be called fast.
A sudden price increase.