Samsung’s top smartphone Galaxy S23 Ultra in the test: almost perfect

Everything is more expensive at Samsung: the company has increased the price of this year’s top smartphones S23, S23+ and S23 Ultra. You can’t love that, but that doesn’t change the fact that this is a common trend with almost all manufacturers. Apple is also charging more for its iPhones this year.

For customers of the devices, it is all the more important that the price-performance ratio is right. Here we take a look at Samsung’s top-of-the-line S23+ and S23 Ultra smartphones, which launched on February 17.

We have not tested the S23. Apart from the smaller screen size of 6.1 inches (6.6 inches for the S23+ and 6.8 inches for the Ultra) and the smaller battery size, there are no differences with the S23+.

What do the photos taken with the S23 Ultra’s camera look like? How fast is the processor in the new devices? Is the pen in the S23 Ultra still a selling point this year?

Here are the answers to those questions.

200 megapixels – now what?

Samsung is marketing its most expensive model S23 Ultra from the S23 series with the new camera, which has 200 megapixels. Compared to the previous model with 108 megapixels, the resolution has almost doubled this year.

Can what looks impressive on the data sheet also convince in the practical test? Well, at first glance hardly anyone will notice the higher resolution. At least at first glance, a comparison with the 12-megapixel camera of the iPhone 13 showed no differences. However, when zooming in on the image, artifacts became apparent in the iPhone’s lower resolution image.

With the image of the S23 Ultra, we had to enlarge the image considerably until artifacts became visible, which speaks for the camera. The camera of the S23 Ultra was also the better choice for shots with a lot of detail.

Crisp, sharp photos, great zoom

Test shots with the Galaxy S23 Ultra showed a clear, sharp image with high contrast and good lighting. Even night shots were surprisingly clear compared to other cell phone cameras.

The camera in the expensive Ultra model differs from the two cheaper S-23 models, which offer “only” a 3x optical zoom, thanks to the 10x optical, i.e. lossless zoom.

The Galaxy S23, S23+ and S23 Ultra models record videos in up to 8k at 30 frames per second (fps). This worked without any problems in the test.

More efficient Qualcomm processors also for European models

Snapdragon instead of Exynos: Samsung has also opted for a Snapdragon processor for its European models this year. Last year, an Exynos CPU with its own graphics processor worked in the devices for the European market.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen2 for Galaxy processor is a modified and overclocked version of the Qualcomm mobile chip. Samsung installed the processor in all three versions of the Galaxy models.

We subjected the CPU to numerous so-called stress tests or benchmarks. These are programs that push both the graphics unit and the pure calculation core to the limit and compare the measured values ​​with those of other smartphones.

In all benchmarks, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra was one of the most powerful devices on the market. The S23+ with the same processor also performed well above average in the tests.

No noticeable delays

What does this mean for the user? In everyday life, the performance of a smartphone stands out because there are no noticeable delays, for example when switching apps. The time it takes for the smartphone to unlock via facial recognition also depends on the performance of the built-in processor.

In the test, we did not notice any lag in day-to-day use with either device. Whether surfing the Internet or using complex programs such as games – Samsung mobile phones allowed us to quickly switch back to the home screen or other programs at any time.

The Ultra retains its stylus

The stylus, called the S-Pen, is also housed in the housing of the S23 Ultra, as it was in the predecessor S22 Ultra. The stylus on the bottom of the case can be easily removed as usual. Typing with the pen on the display still feels good and there are no noticeable delays when writing.

What we still particularly liked is the auditory feedback when writing on the smartphone. A sound simulates a real writing process by making the smartphone sound like a pencil is writing on paper.

High quality edge rendering

Hardly anything has changed in the design of all three Galaxy models. Samsung has only adapted the two models S23 and S23+ to the look of the Ultra and integrated the camera block on the back directly into the housing, which looks absolutely consistent.

What we liked: Samsung is staying true to the edge display again with the S23 Ultra. After the introduction of the Galaxy S6 Edge in 2015, Samsung mounted the display in fewer and fewer smartphones. The rounded screen looks chic and distinguishes itself from devices from other manufacturers.

All smartphones in this year’s Galaxy series have an AMOLED screen that operates at up to 120 Hertz. Only the Ultra has a QHD resolution. With a maximum of 1,750 nits, the brightness of the screens is in the top range. In the test, the displayed content was easy to see even in direct sunlight.

With up to 1,750 nits, the screens of the Samsung devices do not quite match those of competitor Apple and its iPhone 14 Pro, which briefly reaches around 2,000 nits.

Let’s get to the battery sizes: The Galaxy S23 has a 3,900 mAh battery. The battery of the S23+ has 4,700 mAh and that of the S23 Ultra 5,000 mAh. Samsung does not supply chargers.

The batteries of the S23+ and S23 Ultra last about a day with moderate use. Moderate use means: we occasionally surfed the web, took pictures with the smartphone camera, launched game apps and wrote messages.

The battery is easier to replace than in the previous model, but overall the S23 Ultra gets only four out of ten points from iFixit’s repair experts for repairability.

prices and colors

Due to the new prices, there is only one model in the new series that costs less than 1,000 francs: the Galaxy S23 in the simplest configuration with 128 GB memory. The device costs 899 francs. Early customers will get the 256 GB model for the price of the 128 GB version.

It will be more expensive for buyers of the S23+. The smallest model with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage costs here 1149 francs. Again, early customers will get the 512 GB version for the price of the 256 GB model.

With the top model S23 Ultra Buyers can choose from three configurations: 8 GB and 256 GB in the minimum configuration for 1349 francs and 12 GB of RAM with 512 GB or 1 terabyte of storage. Here too, early customers get 512 GB for the price of 256 GB. The device with the large 1 TB of storage costs 1599 francs and is only available online in the Samsung shop. For comparison: the iPhone 14 Pro Max with 1 terabyte of memory costs 1899 francs.

Technical specifications

Conclusion: Is the high price justified?

Samsung’s new models are excellent smartphones. Especially with the S23 Ultra, we wonder why more manufacturers don’t use the alternative operation of their devices with a pen.

We think Samsung’s decision to equip its mobile phones with Qualcomm’s fast processor in Europe is a good one. The devices are among the fastest smartphones on the market and graphically intensive applications also run smoothly. The operating system will receive four generations of Android updates and five years of security updates on all three models.

Due to the minor changes compared to the predecessors, we advise owners of the previous models S22, S22+ and S22 Ultra not to upgrade. Last year’s models are still powerful enough for their owners to run current applications. The cameras in the S22, S22+ and S22 Ultra still take excellent photos compared to current devices.

New buyers should consider whether they want to spend that much money on a smartphone. Experience shows that the prices for Samsung’s top smartphones will fall in the coming months. So if you can wait, you should wait until the devices are offered at a lower price. Everyone else will also get one of the best smartphones on the market.

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(t online)