Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: The Android flagship just got even better

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra has a very similar display to its predecessor, which again measures 6.8 inches, offers a high pixel density and works with a dynamic refresh rate of 1 to 120 Hz. The sides are now less rounded, which benefits the contact surface when using the S Pen.

The Galaxy smartphone is now powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy, whose prime core clocks a little higher than in the conventional Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. The GPU seems to have also gotten a slight performance increase, but this is unfortunately negated by the weak cooling of the SoC. Nevertheless, this does not stand in the way of excellent everyday performance and has no noticeable negative effects in our tests, even in gaming. A pity, however, that Samsung does not support the additional audio codecs from Qualcomm.

The main camera has been upgraded to 200 MP and enables good photos and video recordings. At close range, small artifacts occasionally appear, as was the case with the S22 Ultra. Experience has shown that this will be improved with future updates. Speaking of updates: the S23 Ultra is set to receive four major Android upgrades, i.e. up to Android 17, and another year of security patches.

With its Galaxy S23 Ultra, Samsung has an excellent smartphone in its portfolio that will please its users for a long time. However, why Wi-Fi 7 has been omitted remains a mystery to us. The reduced RAM for the basic variant is also deserving of criticism. Moreover, Samsung should support stronger charging technologies and more standards.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra starts at US$1199.99 (RRP) in the smallest memory variant (256 GB) and can be purchased directly via Samsung's webstore. It is usually available at cheaper prices at Amazon and other online retailers.