Design Language
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra has imprinted and transferred its sleek contemporary innovative build onto the S23 and S23+. This transference has slightly more rounded edges for its corners. Collectively the S23 series is shrouded in a similar garment of many soft colours. This combines a variety of choices and sizes to fit your personal sense of style. The design language of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra has an innate sleek contemporary influential build. Influenced by the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra aesthetics, albeit with less rounded cornered edges with a slight curve and overall flatter panel, more practical for using the S-Pen.
Collectively the S23 series is shrouded in a similar coat of many colours with a variety of choices. Similar to last year, the design of the S23 and S23+ has remained uniform in profile and visually almost unchanged. Previously the S22 Ultra stood out with its own distinctive design in comparison. Now the S23 Ultra wields this advanced molecular S23 structure partially inherited by the whole S23 family series.
Eco Friendly Design
To look at, the trio of premium smartphone are certainly impressive eye candy. However you personally feel about the environment and damage control of the air we breath. Samsung deserves a nod of praise for their eco-friendly stance by upcycling their build. Samsung uses eco-conscious materials to partially craft their Armor aluminium frame for all models. This shows forward thinking and their commitment to the environment by using eco friendly materials. Furthermore, by utilizing recycled technology Samsung believe they can reduce as much as 15 tonnes of plastic waste from the oceans by the end of the year. As many as twelve separate eco components are incorporated into the design. This includes the aluminium frame and 22% of the scratch resistant Victus 2 Gorilla Glass.
IP68 Dust & Water Resistant
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is almost aesthetically identical to the S22 Ultra. The only difference is that the camera rings are slightly larger on the latest model. The entire Galaxy S23 line-up is IP68 dust and water resistant for up to 1.5m for 30 mins. This provides a reassuring safety net and protection against accidental submergence. Additionally this makes it easy to wash the phone when cleaning spillages. The aluminium frame gives that premium feel weighing in at 234 grams. Additionally, it can be noted that this weight falls in line with the 228g of the S22 Ultra and is slightly lighter than the 240g of the iPhone 14 Pro Max
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is 2023’s early flagship model for Samsung. This is the current cream of the crop. Plucked from the colour spectrum cloaked in shades of Phantom Black, Green, Cream, and Lavender. We’ve included photos from the press release below. Which colour suits you?
The Samsung Galaxy S23 and S23+ each share and feature the same colour pallet of Black, Cotton, Green and Violet. These colours aren’t wild and contrasting. Similar to colours portrayed by the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, these colours seem safe, soft and easy on the eye.
Design
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra features a truly stunning 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X always-on display. This innovative and cutting edge display features an advanced enhanced resolution of 3200 x 1440 pixels. This screen brandishes HDR10+ supporting vibrant vivid visuals. Combined with 120Hz refresh rate, and you have incredibly smooth viewing and gaming. We’ll break this down for the non-nerds out there.
Dynamic AMOLED 2X
Starting first with the “Dynamic AMOLED 2X always-on display” What is it and how does it work? Beginning with the term “Dynamic” in Dynamic AMOLED. This refers to technology that adjusts the colour, brightness and contrast of the display in real-time. Dynamic AMOLED technology enables the device to conserve energy, only lighting up necessary pixels, instead of the entire display. The technology works by automatically adjusting the light emitted by individual pixels. This results in a more striking and naturally lifelike, animated luminous display. The “2X” in Dynamic AMOLED 2X reveals that this display is two times the standard resolution of traditional smartphone. This high resolution provides an even more vivid, crisp and crystal clear visual viewing experience.
HDR10+
Next, if your not familiar with the technical language. The acronym HDR10+ stands for (High Dynamic Range). The technology is typically used for video playback. This enhances the colour depth, brightness, and contrast of video and stills. Providing a wider range of colours and greater detail. The “+” in HDR10+ refers to the use of dynamic metadata which allows for scene-by-scene optimization of HDR content. This provides an even more immersive viewing experience. In other words, HDR10+ is an enhanced version of HDR10 offering even finer textured detail and colour accuracy. The always-on display allows you quick accessibility to check information. Such as the time, date, notifications, and battery life without having to fully awaken the device. This can enhance and provide a more immersive and interactive experience.
Pixel Density & Screen Comparison
Excluding the S23 Ultra, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Series all share the same foundational display make-up. Furthermore, the Samsung Galaxy S23 and S23+ share a uniform resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels. The smaller S23 has 422 (pixels per inch) spread across a 6.1 inch display. This equates to more condensed pixels per inch in ratio to its screen size. In comparison to the S23+ which compacts together a pixel density slightly less 390 pixels per inch. This amounts to an imperceptible loss in perceived pixel density, which is explained by the extra surface area and ample screen real estate of 6.6 inches.
The decision between choosing between the S23 and S23+ is a compromise between style and needs. On the other hand, the premium Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra boasts a larger and wider screen compared to both alternatives. Endowed and sprinkled with 1440 x 3088 resolution of 501 ppi spread across a 6.8 inch display. Outside of Samsung and in comparison the iPhone 14 Pro Max has 1290 x 2796 with 460 ppi. This is a mere basic fundamental comparison to bear in mind.
In summary of the display, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Series in totality has arguably the most power efficient, colour rich and finest detailed displays ever crafted and compressed into a smartphone. High-performance gaming, detailed photography, and film are what these displays are designed for.
Snappy Chipset
Combined with the stunning display and enhanced refresh rate the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra has the internal state-of-the-art and overclocked 2nd generation Qualcomm SM8550-AC Snapdragon 8 chipset. This chipset is the most important component. It is like the Queen on the Chess board, the whole game is influenced by her presence. The chipset acts as a bridge between various components such as the CPU, GPU, memory, storage, and other peripherals. It helps manage data flow, power consumption, and communication between different components.
Without this critical chipset the refresh-rate would be superfluous. This is so important, everything has to work and run in cohesive union. Despite a device having the best refresh-rate specified on the market. Without a sufficient CPU, GPU, and an optimized chipset, the display won’t function at its full potential due to the lack of necessary technological resources. Thankfully this is all a walk in the park and swings and roundabouts for the Samsung Galaxy S23 Series. The Snapdragon chipset is state-of-the-art with AI implementation and surrounded by a small army of dedicated useful pawns.
GPU Performance
The whole system is powered by an octa-core processing system and the Adreno 740 GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) is manufactured by Qualcomm. The Adreno 740 is part of the Adreno 7 series of GPUs and is built using the latest manufacturing process. This enables it to be more power efficient compared to previous generations. Capable of advanced HDR rendering and colour correction and 3D graphics acceleration. Additionally, the Adreno 740 is capable of supporting high-resolution displays with even higher refresh rates. This further enhances the overall visual experience when working with all additional essential components, in unison together to power the display and device.
RAM & Storage
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra uses (Universal Flash Storage 4.0). This high-speed data storage interface offers read and write speeds 2X faster then anything else compared. This helps to reduce file transfer lag and will significantly improve multitasking & overall user experience. Both the S23 & S23+ will additionally operate and make use of the advanced UFS 4.0 on the 256GB and 512GB internal storage options. Only the Samsung Galaxy S23 will have an entry industry standard 128GB option functioning with UFS 3.1. instead of UFS 4.0.
Battery Performance
The battery is an essential component of any smartphone. The S23+ and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra both recharge 65% in just 30 minuets. The Samsung Galaxy S23 charges 50% in half an hour. All models support wireless and reverse charging, so you can use them to charge other devices. Influencers who received the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra ahead of launch report the battery has performed well @Techdroider drew a comparison between the iPhone14 Pro Max which got 11hrs 25 minuets with one charge and the S23 Ultra achieved 11hrs 15mins. You can read the full thread below.
When considering the extra screen real estate and display capabilities and the power consumption this must entail, this comparison is an excellent result and achievement. Early anecdotal reports have said that the phone manages to remain cool throughout usage when benchmarked for its capabilities.
Camera System
| Camera | Specification |
| Main Camera | 200MP, f/1.7, 1/1.3 inches, 0.6µm pixels |
| Ultrawide Camera | 12MP, f/2.2, 1/2.55 inches, 1.4µm pixels |
| Telephoto Camera #1 | 10MP, 3x optical zoom, f/2.4, 1/3.52 inches, 1.12µm pixels |
| Telephoto Camera #2 | 10MP, 10x optical zoom, f/4.9, 1/3.52 inches, 1.12µm pixels |
| Selfie Camera | 12MP, f/2.2 |
| Video Recording | 8K at 30fps, 4K at 60fps, 1080p at 240fps, 720p at 960fps |
Camera Lingo
We’ve travelled through each component of the Samsung Galaxy S23 series and we now arrive at the camera system. At its launch the main Quad Camera module was trumpeted by Samsung. One of our favourite directors Ridley Scott made a short 8K film for Samsung Unpacked in display of the devices capabilities. There’s no denying that this is one of the main selling points of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. If your a photographer and enjoy printing your own expensive family albums. You’ll already have a camera for that.
F/1.7 Lens Aperture
The S23 Ultra is touted and sold as a portable DSLR camera to carry with you everywhere. It offers the specifications of a 200 MP main camera. This features a f/1.7 lens aperture. This is an important factor in determining the amount of light the camera can capture. The lower the f-number, the wider the aperture, and the more light the lens can gather. This helps with low light photography. In comparison to the main camera on the iPhone 14 Pro Max The f/1.7 aperture is larger, this should result in better low light performance. Furthermore, Multi-directional PDAF and Laser AF means the Samsung S23 Ultra should have faster and more accurate autofocus.
Multi- Directional PDA
Additionally, the iPhone 14 Pro Max has dual-pixel PDAF, which arguably could be less accurate and marginally slower compared to the multi-directional PDAF and Laser AF on the main 200 MP lens of the Samsung Galaxy 23 Ultra. You may be wondering, what is multi-directional PDAF? This stands for Phase Detection Autofocus. Multi-directional PDAF with Laser AF combines two methods of determining focus distance. Multi-directional PDAF uses multiple points on the camera sensor to quickly determine focus distance and make adjustments as needed. This combination results in fast and accurate autofocus, especially in low-light conditions, allowing the capture of sharp images and stable video (supported by OIS) even in challenging lighting conditions where other methods of AF would have difficulty performing the same feat.
Periscope & Telephoto Lenses
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra has dual 10 MP f/2.4, 70mm (telephoto) lens with 3x optical zoom for moderately ranged footage and pictures. Additionally to this is a dual 10 MP periscope telephoto lens with an f/4.9 aperture. You might recognise the term periscope, submarines are famously equipped them. You might also remember and find a periscope on the beach where you can drop a few coins to spy over the horizon. This lens features a sensor size of 1/3.52 and 1.12µm pixel size. The larger pixel size of 1.12µm also means the camera lens will perform well in low light conditions.
This lens features Dual Pixel PDAF and OIS for fast and accurate autofocus. This lens provides 10x optical zoom for detailed long-range shots and 100x space zoom. Rumour has it that the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra periscope telephoto lens, on a clear night can unbelievably capture a fairly detailed image of the Moon in orbit. This was confirmed when @MKBHD released this short footage below. @elonmusk was even impressed with this short.
Camera Conclusion
Without going into any further detail on each camera module. This is just our first impressions and a full thorough analysis would result in a concrete review. It should be noted that the camera system is indeed impressive, possibly the best buy right now. However it would truly be a mistake to conclude the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra will entirely replace your DSLR. It has excellent capabilities in the hands of anyone and not just a professional or someone with experiential rudimentary knowledge and artistic eye. The ability is there to save in RAW (Raw Image Format) for post processing. Additionally it can shoot in genuine 8K which can be viewed from the phone. If your serious about photography, the decision is a no brainer but not a replacement.
S-Pen
In 2011 Samsung released their incarnation of a electronic digital stylus with the Samsung Galaxy Note. This included pressure sensitivity and Bluetooth connectivity to distinguish it in an already competitive marketplace. This function has become a staple accessory for phablet devices. The S-Pen for the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra has the following essential and useful operational features.
- Screen off Memo
- Smart Select
- Translation & Magnification
- Glance
- Air Preview
- S-Pen device unlock
- Write on Calendar
- Customise Air Command
Screen Off Memo
Enables you to instantly jot down a note on your screen display before even fully activating and unlocking the device. Any note written down can be saved into Samsung Notes. This will be useful for taking random notes, shopping lists or quick notes for work. Theoretically reducing the amounts of post it notes used in the office.
Smart Select
This is very easy and useful way to clip for yourself a specially selected screenshot. This is handy when using social media or for taking visual notes instead of taking a full screenshot and editing it down. As well as being an incredibly useful S-Pen function this should help in saving time and storage space. These clippings are easily shared.
Translation & Magnification
This S-Pen function can be used to translate text whilst browsing the internet. Magnification also acts as a way to magnify screen areas for closer inspection. This is a practical tool and you can use this to magnify difficult to read text online.
Glance
This a multitasking feature to use with the S-Pen. By keeping a tiny preview screen window open at the bottom corner of the display and hover your pen over to swich to that window. With a flick of the wrist you can return to the previous app/task/window and hover to return. Great for cross referencing between screens and apps.
Air Preview
Air preview is a useful way to simply hover the S-Pen over a video which will begin to play a preview of that video before opening it. This is somewhat useful immersive functionality.
S-Pen Unlock
Enabled by going into advanced settings. Once you have put in your pin code and authorised this feature you’ll be able to unlock the phone with a tap of a button on the S-Pen. This S-Pen function seems convenient, but it poses a security risk. If you were leaving your phone unattended for a moment, or accidently left it somewhere with this feature enabled anyone could access your phone for anything they want. You have to be conscious of your use when enabling this feature. The risk of this security chink in the armour could be reduced.
It would have been cool if Samsung made the phone to only let you remove the S-Pen with biometric authentication. However this would mean more moving parts to keep the S-Pen in place. A software update could remedy this situation. Samsung could add a time limit option when using this unlocking feature. Samsung should make this to be in increments of 15 minuets, 30 minuets to an hour. When you reach the safety limit, a notification could appear, offering to extend the unlock function.
Write On Calendar
This is a feature unique amongst all smartphone on the market. The idea and functionality is simple. This grants the ability to simply write in your phones calendar with the S-Pen. You can also zoom in for taking greater detailed notes for the calendar.
S-Pen Conclusion
The camera system isn’t the only unique selling point for the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra The S-Pen offers a convenient and practical way to navigate the phone. It has useful features that would only function properly with an S-Pen and its handy to draw, take notes and sign your signature.
So What Are Our First Impressions?
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Series plants a genuine fearsome flag in the ground. Each model is enforced with the latest and customised for Galaxy 2nd Gen Qualcomm SM8550-AC Snapdragon 8 chipset. This chipset includes AI processing magic primed for the 2023 singularity and will support anything you can throw at it. The entire series is equipped with UFS 4.0 which offers RAM speed x2 faster then anything else currently available. These are the first devices to feature this memory option but wont be the last.
The camera system seems to be phenomenal and adaptive for low light photography and is enhanced with AI processing technology and multiple lens for all round use. The S-Pen provides convenient and practical functionality but could do with security patchwork if used to enable screen unlock. The Dynamic QHD AMOLED x2 display features a 120hz refresh rate reinforced with all the correct hardware to make it purr and growl with perfection. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is the all singing and all dancing flagship smartphone. If you don’t think you’ll need the S-Pen but still want a larger phone the S23+ with its 6.6″ display might float your boat if not the S23 could be for you.