Phones · 2023 · Samsung

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

The Galaxy S23 Ultra is Samsung’s top S-series phone from 2023. It has a 6.8-inch 1–120 Hz QHD+ display, a built-in S Pen, a 200 MP main camera and two telephoto cameras at 3x and 10x. It was the first Ultra to use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy in every region; the 5000 mAh battery supports 45 W wired charging.

Galaxy S23 Ultra (2023): 8 GB + 256 GB, 12 GB + 512 GB or 12 GB + 1 TB. Every market uses the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy. The Galaxy S23 and S23+ and the later S24 Ultra are separate models.

Specifications

SpecificationValue
Display6.8-inch QHD+ Edge Dynamic AMOLED 2X; 1–120 Hz adaptive refresh; 1750 nits; 240 Hz touch sampling in Game Mode

Adaptive refresh drops to as low as 1 Hz when content is static to save power and rises to 120 Hz when scrolling and gaming. Vision Booster adjusts colour and contrast in bright conditions across three lighting levels; the edge curve is reduced compared with the S22 Ultra.

Front and back glassCorning Gorilla Glass Victus 2; Armor Aluminum frame

According to Samsung, the S23 series was the first S series to use Gorilla Glass Victus 2.

ProcessorSnapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy

Samsung says the vapour chamber is larger on every S23-series model.

Memory and storage8 GB + 256 GB, 12 GB + 512 GB or 12 GB + 1 TB

Memory depends on the storage option; usable space is lower because of preloaded software. There is no memory card slot.

Rear cameras200 MP Wide (F1.7, 85°), 12 MP Ultra Wide (F2.2, 120°), 10 MP 3x telephoto (F2.4, 36°), 10 MP 10x telephoto (F4.9, 11°)

The 200 MP sensor outputs 200, 50 or 12 MP images through pixel binning. 100x Space Zoom combines 10x optical with 10x AI-assisted digital zoom; image quality may deteriorate beyond 10x. The optical stabilisation angle was doubled compared with the S22 Ultra.

VideoUp to 8K at 30 fps

The Expert RAW app (downloaded separately from the Galaxy Store) offers RAW capture at up to 50 MP.

Front camera12 MP, F2.2, 80°

On the S23 series the front camera gets fast autofocus and 60 fps Super HDR.

Battery and charging5000 mAh (typical; rated minimum 4855 mAh); 45 W wired charging; Fast Wireless Charging 2.0; Wireless PowerShare

45 W requires a separately sold 45 W adapter and a 5 A USB-C cable; wired charging is compatible with QC2.0 and AFC. Wireless PowerShare charges Qi-compatible devices from the back of the phone when the battery is above 30%.

Software and updatesLaunched with Android 13 and One UI 5.1; four Android OS upgrades and five years of security updates

Update timing can vary by model and market.

Connectivity5G, LTE, Wi‑Fi 6E, Wi‑Fi Direct, Bluetooth 5.3

Using Wi‑Fi 6E’s 6 GHz band needs a Wi‑Fi 6E router and market availability.

SecuritySamsung Knox, Knox Vault

Knox Vault keeps critical data in separate hardware isolated from the operating system.

Water resistanceIP68 (up to 30 minutes at 1.5 metres in fresh water)

Samsung does not recommend beach or pool use.

Size and weight78.1 × 163.4 × 8.9 mm; 234 g

From the manufacturer

Samsung presents the S23 Ultra with its 200 MP Adaptive Pixel sensor, improved Nightography and a Snapdragon platform tuned for Galaxy. Samsung Newsroom UK

Strengths and limitations

  • According to TechRadar, the 200 MP main camera delivers consistent results from day one; stabilisation and processing keep detail and colour across the zoom range in good light, night mode brightens dark areas at some cost to colour accuracy, and the telephotos showed a green tinge and noise in low light. Battery life was clearly longer than the S22 Ultra with the same capacity: a day and a half in normal use and about eight hours of screen-on time. Genshin Impact ran smoothly at maximum settings for 20 minutes, but the phone got noticeably hot. Remaining criticism was that the large, squared body is hard to use one-handed and 45 W charging is slower than rivals.

    TechRadar review (2023); a single green test unit.

    TechRadar: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra review

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Sources

  1. Samsung Newsroom UK: Galaxy S23 series announcement and specifications
  2. TechRadar: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra review