Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Review On This Powerful Device
Are you looking for the latest and greatest smartphone on the market? The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra could be the phone you're looking for! In this in-depth review video, we'll be taking a close look at all the features and specifications of this powerful device.
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TechTranscript
00:00 On the surface, the Galaxy S23 Ultra doesn't seem that different than its predecessor.
00:03 You have a similar design, the same size display, and the same S Pen.
00:07 But the headline feature that it might be worth upgrading for is that 200MP camera.
00:12 I'm going to be breaking it all down in this video to help you decide if the S23 Ultra
00:16 is worth the money, or if it doesn't quite live up to the hype.
00:20 Long gone are the days when having the highest megapixel count meant that you had the best
00:24 camera phone.
00:25 But that hasn't ever really stopped Samsung from cramming as many pixels as it could into
00:29 its handsets.
00:31 And this year, it has taken it to another level, pinning all of its marketing on that
00:35 200MP camera, and stating that if you own this phone, you'll become the de facto photographer
00:40 for your friendship group with everyone bugging you too.
00:44 So is it overkill, or is it a game changer?
00:47 Let's go find out.
00:48 I'm not going to draw this out.
00:49 After doing a lot of testing, I'm leaning towards game changer.
00:52 The 200MP camera can deliver poster-sized prints, but most users aren't actually going
00:57 to be shooting billboard ads on their smartphone.
01:00 You will see the benefit from the Adaptive Pixel Sensor, which can combine 16 pixels
01:05 into one larger pixel for brighter and more detailed photos, especially in lower light
01:10 situations.
01:11 Shooting in 200MP mode also gives you the option to crop in on the image after you shoot,
01:16 so you can get a completely different looking shot without sacrificing too much detail.
01:20 So right now we're in 200MP mode, and again you have to be a little bit patient because
01:24 it takes a bit to process the image.
01:27 And then let's see how much we can crop.
01:33 I was also floored when I took this photo of a bright park sign surrounded by colorful
01:37 paper lanterns.
01:38 Look how much I can crop in on the sign and the lanterns themselves.
01:42 The Galaxy S23 Ultra has a 12MP front camera, which is technically a downgrade versus the
01:47 S22 Ultra's 40MP selfie shooter.
01:50 However, Samsung promises better portraits overall thanks to better AI along with a compelling
01:55 night mode.
01:56 In this selfie example, the S22 Ultra produces a brighter image of my face, but I appreciate
02:01 the greater level of detail in the S23 selfie.
02:05 You still get dual 10MP telephoto lenses with 3x and 10x optical zoom and a very strong
02:10 30x digital zoom option.
02:13 The 100x space zoom is also still available, which while shaky, can produce pretty awesome
02:18 results.
02:19 Up until now, I've really thought of the space zoom as more of a gimmick, but I was
02:22 really impressed when I turned the Galaxy S23 Ultra's camera on the moon.
02:26 The 100x space zoom photo shows darker and lighter spots on the moon's surface.
02:30 It's almost like having a telescope in your pocket.
02:33 The Galaxy S23 Ultra fared well against the iPhone and Pixel 7 Pro in this shot of the
02:38 Bryant Park fountain.
02:39 And in low light, I like how the S23 Ultra produces the warmest shot of the bunch.
02:44 On the video front, the Galaxy S23 Ultra offers improved stabilization, and video recording
02:49 now goes up to 8K at 30fps, with a wider angle for recording.
02:54 I'm going to switch to UHD 30 because the big difference between the two is that when
03:00 you're in UHD 60, you can't zoom in.
03:02 And that really limits your flexibility in terms of shooting video.
03:07 So even in that mode, even when in playback mode, the detail is pretty staggering actually.
03:14 And it makes the display look great.
03:16 The Galaxy S23 Ultra's footage didn't look as smooth or colorful in super steady mode.
03:21 But I really liked the results when I recorded my colleague Mike ice skating in Bryant Park.
03:26 And it's nice having a 10x telephoto zoom option while you're shooting.
03:30 So is it all just gimmicks and marketing, or is this 200 megapixel camera phone worth
03:34 the hype?
03:35 I would say the S23 Ultra is arguably the best camera phone ever made.
03:40 The Galaxy S23 Ultra packs an exclusive version of Qualcomm's new chip called the Snapdragon
03:44 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy.
03:47 Samsung promises that this processor can deliver an even higher clock speed than the standard
03:50 version of the chip, and also promises the world's fastest graphics in a phone.
03:55 But I mean the graphics are pretty great.
03:58 The frame rate is not dropping.
04:00 And this is a pretty fast-paced game.
04:03 We've run several Galaxy S23 Ultra benchmarks, and the results are quite strong.
04:07 On Geekbench, which measures CPU performance both single-core and multi-core, the Galaxy
04:11 S23 Ultra handily beat the S22 Ultra on both tests, and the regular iPhone 14 on multi-core,
04:18 but not single-core.
04:19 The iPhone 14 Pro's A16 Bionic is still the fastest.
04:23 We used 3DMark Wildlife to test the graphics performance of mobile devices, and this is
04:27 where the S23 Ultra shined with its frames per second count.
04:31 Stats and numbers aside, the truth is, for normal users and day-to-day use, this phone
04:35 is incredibly responsive.
04:37 When playing Apex Legends, the graphics were stunning and the controls were responsive.
04:42 The S23 Ultra never slowed down.
04:45 When it comes to design, there isn't too much to say.
04:47 You'd be forgiven for mistaking the S23 Ultra for last year's S22 Ultra at a glance.
04:52 The camera modules are slightly bigger this time around, and the display is a little bit
04:56 flatter.
04:57 That flatter display makes using the included S Pen more comfortable, which is nice, but
05:01 I know some of you would have preferred a totally flat design.
05:05 Maybe next year?
05:06 Holding the S23 Ultra in my hand, the curve does give it a slightly more premium feel.
05:11 The only issue is that it can sometimes be difficult to target items with the finger
05:14 on the extreme edges of the display.
05:17 The Galaxy S23 Ultra is built to be tougher too, as it's the first phone with Corning's
05:21 Gorilla Glass Victus II, which promises to protect the front and back better from scratches
05:26 and drops.
05:28 The Galaxy S23 Ultra comes in four colors, including Phantom Black, Green, Cream, and
05:32 Lavender.
05:33 In my experience, the S23 Ultra is pretty great at resisting nasty fingerprint smudges,
05:37 and you'll also be glad to hear that the Ultra features a SIM card tray.
05:41 It's a little nuts that we now live in a world where that is a serious selling point of a
05:44 phone, but it's really nice to have.
05:48 Put simply, the Galaxy S23 Ultra has one of the best displays on any phone.
05:52 Samsung always delivers in the screen department, and so it should.
05:56 It's bright, bursting with color, and performed very well in our lab testing.
06:00 I've been very impressed with the overall image quality from the S23 Ultra's panel.
06:04 When watching the trailer for The Mandalorian Season 3, the shiny helmets popped off the
06:08 screen and I enjoyed wide viewing angles.
06:11 Even in direct sunlight, I could see the display fairly well.
06:15 Although it's not new, it's nice that the Galaxy S23 Ultra continues to feature a 120Hz
06:21 refresh rate which goes all the way down to 1Hz, and it really makes for super smooth
06:24 scrolling.
06:25 If you're paying this much for a phone, then you want to be sure it can last all day, and
06:29 you'll be glad to hear the S23 Ultra has improved greatly over the S22 Ultra in this
06:34 department.
06:35 On paper, they share the same 5,000mAh battery, but it looks like Samsung has made this phone
06:40 more efficient through its custom Snapdragon HN2 chip.
06:44 On the Tom's Guide battery test, which involves continuous web surfing at 150 nits of screen
06:48 brightness over 5G, the S23 Ultra lasted a very strong 12 hours and 22 minutes in adaptive
06:54 mode.
06:55 That's good enough to make our best phone battery life list.
06:58 And in 60Hz mode, it lasted a superb 13 hours and 9 minutes.
07:04 While these improvements are impressive, unfortunately Samsung is sticking with the same 45W fast
07:08 charger for the S23 Ultra.
07:10 On our charging test, the S23 Ultra went from 0 to 57% in 30 minutes.
07:16 The OnePlus 11?
07:17 Got to 97% in the same amount of time.
07:20 Running on top of Android 13, the new OneUI 5.1 software offers a number of handy improvements.
07:27 For example, with Bixby Text Call, Samsung's assistant can answer incoming calls for you,
07:32 and then you can pass on messages via speech-to-text or by voice typing.
07:36 It's actually pretty cool to see Bixby Text Call in action, though callers might be freaked
07:40 out the first time they encounter this.
07:42 There's also a new modes option that lets you create customized settings for different
07:46 aspects of your life, whether it's sleep, exercise, driving, or work.
07:50 There's also more personalization features in OneUI 5.1, such as an improved stacked
07:55 widget system and recommended apps and different actions for different times of the day.
08:00 They're all nice quality of life improvements that might not be reasons to rush out and
08:03 buy the S23 Ultra immediately, but they will make your day-to-day experience with the device
08:08 easier.
08:11 The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is the best Android phone you can buy, period.
08:17 And it makes a very strong case for being the best phone overall.
08:21 It's a seriously fast phone, thanks to that new Snapdragon 8Gen2 chip, and this is the
08:26 best phone for gaming I've ever tested.
08:28 Plus, the over 13 hours of battery life is a serious improvement over the S22 Ultra based
08:33 on our testing.
08:35 The headline-worthy 200-megapixel camera is simply stunning, and Samsung has really upped
08:39 its game when it comes to low-light performance.
08:42 In some cases, the S23 Ultra delivered better-looking photos than the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
08:47 If you'd like to see a proper deep dive between these two cameras, then let me know
08:51 in the comments and we'll make a video where we crown a definitive winner.
08:55 Now it's easy to recommend the S23 Ultra as the best phone you can buy if you can afford
09:00 it.
09:01 If the Ultra is a little too expensive for you and you want to see our initial thoughts
09:04 on the S23 and S23 Plus, then you can check out our hands-ons with these devices right
09:10 now on the Tom's Guide YouTube channel.
09:12 I've been Mark Spoonhour, and I'll see you in the next video.
09:14 [MUSIC PLAYING]