Samsung is unrivaled when it comes to large devices—extraordinarily sized phones that can do it all. A dozen years ago, the company that brought the idea of a “phablet” to the forefront of popular culture has never given up on its lofty goals for the size of mobile devices.
In 2022, Samsung took a chance by discontinuing its popular Note line. It made sense to do this, even though I still think the Samsung Galaxy S22 Note would have been a good compromise in terms of branding.
To begin, there was not much of a gap between the Galaxy S and the Galaxy Note lines. Design-wise, it was getting harder to tell the two apart. The inclusion of S Pen functionality on a device that is already quite large was the final straw for many.
People aren’t buying phones like they used to, so merging two similar premium lines was a sensible strategy. Because of this, Samsung was able to back up its claims about foldables with action.
There was some doubt in my mind when Samsung announced the Galaxy Z Fold as a flagship device. Even though the verdict is still out on its long-term viability, those concerns were put to rest when it was elevated to the top spot by filling a Note-sized void in its lineup.
In the middle of 2022, analysts estimated that Samsung had shipped 10 million foldable devices. That’s not something to scoff at, and it’s an undeniable perk of still being essentially the only foldable option out there.
Samsung, along with Apple, remains the market leader despite being far behind in the premium segment. For the time being, Huawei is no longer a contender, and while many other Chinese manufacturers have gladly filled the void, Samsung remains the premium Android smartphone to beat.
You can think of the Galaxy S23 Ultra as the Galaxy Note 23 in all but name. In many ways, it anticipates and fulfils the market for what that original device was destined to become. This is not the most expensive Samsung smartphone (that honour goes to the Z Fold), but it is one of the company’s top models.
An initial cost of $1,200 makes this item unaffordable for the vast majority of smartphone users. If you’re willing to sacrifice some of the S23’s premium features, you can get it for $800, which is competitive with the other flagship offerings.
Screen size, battery life (which is proportional to the size of the display and the phone itself), camera quality, and the ability to use a stylus are typically reduced in the budget version. Not everyone requires a 200-megapixel camera sensor or what’s a 6.8-inch phone, but the 6.1-inch handset is still very much a flagship.
Galaxy S23+, priced at $1,000, acts as a compromise between the two extremes. What you get with the S23 Ultra is closer to the 6.6-inch screen and 4,700mAh battery. The main camera has been reduced from 200 to 50 megapixels, and support for the stylus has been eliminated. If you don’t need those features, like most people who buy Samsung’s top phone, it’s not a very good reason to spend $100 more than you would on the entry-level iPhone 14 Pro.
Since the Note has been absorbed into the Galaxy S line, there isn’t much room for Note fans to manoeuvre. There isn’t any Note Lite or something similar. Even with the Note’s popularity, phones that support stylus functionality are still a niche product. Mathematically, it makes sense to keep the product in stock, but maybe not to base an entire line around it.
If you want the feature, you need all of its extras. Samsung has long offered custom colours across product lines, but when it comes to the mass production of consumer electronics, custom features are a whole other ballgame. It’s hard to argue that anyone “needs” either of these features, but many owners of high-end Samsung devices have found the S Pen to be incredibly useful in their professional lives.
It’s worth noting that the three different versions all use the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor. In terms of improvements, Qualcomm’s newest flagship offers a lot. One example is the improved wireless connectivity brought about by a newer, more powerful radio and Wi-Fi version 7. Mind you, the latter is a tiny bit of preparation for the future, as the first compatible routers will appear on the market this year. Wi-Fi 6 and 6E are available for use in the meantime, with speeds varying depending on your network setup.
The most notable improvement, as usual, is in processing speed. With 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, the S23 Ultra achieved a Geekbench 5 single core score of 1434 and a multicore score of 4787, representing a significant improvement over the previous generation. However, these scores still fall short of what Apple is currently able to achieve with first-party silicon in the iPhone. Using the phone is a completely painless experience.
After years of hardware and software development, the product is fast and responsive for switching apps, playing games, and watching videos. As opposed to last year’s model, which featured rounded corners, this year’s phone has a more squared-off appearance.
That feels like a bit of a curse and a blessing at the same time. Perhaps it’s just me, but I find that the trend towards increasingly streamlined gadgets, while aesthetically pleasing, makes them harder to actually hold.
However, it feels like Samsung is leaning into the tank metaphor on its high-end device, and those who have trouble holding a 6.8-inch phone in one hand may struggle here. This model’s design is more industrial and, perhaps, business-focused, in contrast to the rounded S23 and S23+.
The back camera configuration remains unchanged. The autofocus 12-megapixel ultrawide camera is on top, followed by the 200-megapixel wide camera, and finally the 10-megapixel telephoto. To the left of the 200-megapixel lens is a smaller 10-megapixel lens that also features Space Zoom (3x, 10x optical).
The camera once again plays a central role. For a long time, it has served as the primary arena for the flagship wars. Samsung’s main competitor in this space has been Apple, though Xiaomi and other Chinese companies have emerged as formidable rivals since Huawei’s departure. Although Google hasn’t cracked the market just yet, the company has emerged as a serious threat thanks to its innovative use of hardware and AI-driven computational photography.
Obviously, everyone will be talking about the 200-megapixel sensor. Strangely, it appears that the S23 Ultra isn’t the first smartphone to offer the ultra-high megapixel sensor. The Xiaomi 12T Pro appears to be the winner in this category. It’s not shocking that Samsung is one of the largest suppliers of phone parts to other manufacturers.
The display looks as stunning as ever. When compared to the S23 and S23+, which both sport a 2,340 x 1,080 display, the 6.8-inch AMOLED screen’s resolution of 3,088 x 1,440 is a significant upgrade. The refresh rate can be set between 60 and 120 Hz on all three. The maximum brightness of the Ultra is also very high, reaching 1,750 nits.
Not surprisingly, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is a top-notch mobile device. Everything about this Android phone is top-notch, from the expansive display and powerful battery to the multiple cameras and innovative S Pen. The saying “you get what you pay for” couldn’t be more accurate with this device, which is extremely costly but offers great value.
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