The wait is finally over as Samsung has officially unveiled the Galaxy S23 series smartphones, probably the most-awaited Android flagships, are finally here. The series is made up of three-strong Galaxy S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra. The star of the show and the subject of this post is the Ultra model, which boasts a high-resolution 200MP main camera and Qualcomm’s latest and greatest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor.
In this article, we are going to look at everything which includes the price, specifications, and features of the new Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Table of Interests
Galaxy S23 Ultra Unveiled With Improved Cameras & a Powerful Processor
Design
If you are expecting major changes in the design, you’d be disappointed. The Galaxy S23 Ultra looks so similar to the S22 Ultra that most people won’t be able to tell the two apart. The handset measures almost the same as its predecessor and has sharp corners with an S pen housed on the top.
The camera island, where most aesthetic changes usually occur, is also the same. There are three camera rings placed individually. One notable difference is that the device has flatter sides, making it easier to grip.
Specifications
Being Samsung’s most premium smartphone, the Galaxy S23 Ultra brings cutting-edge hardware. It has the brand’s best display, best cameras, and fastest chip. In other words, there’s a tall 6.8-inch AMOLED display with a QHD+ (3,088 x 1,440) resolution and a dynamic refresh rate that can go from high 120Hz to as low as 1Hz with the help of LTPO technology.
The display of the smartphone can attain a peak brightness of up to 2,000 nits. This is much higher than Galaxy S22 Ultra’s 1,750nits brightness. The panel comes with Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection.
Powering the smartphone is Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, which is paired with either 8GB or 12GB of RAM and 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB of internal storage. Unlike last year, Samsung didn’t launch the Exynos chipset variant of the device.
The S23 Ultra is fueled by a 5,000mAh battery with 45W wired and 10W wireless charging. There’s support for reverse charging as well. Lastly, the smartphone runs Android 13-based One UI 5 out of the box.
Cameras
The S23 Ultra arrives as Samsung’s best camera phone. The smartphone flaunts a quad-camera setup, highlighted by a large 200MP ISOCELL HP2 sensor capable of recording up to 8K resolutions at 30fps. The primary sensor has optical image stabilization (OIS) as well.
The main sensor is accompanied by a 12MP ultra-wide-angle lens that has an f/1.4 aperture and 120-degree FOV and a 10MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom, f/2.4 aperture, and OIS support. There’s also a 10MP periscope telephoto camera with up to 10x optical zoom and f/4.9 aperture. For selfies, the handset gets a 12MP camera up front.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Specifications
Network Properties
- 2G bands: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 – SIM 1 & SIM 2 (Dual SIM model only)
- CDMA 800 / 1900 & TD-SCDMA
- 3G bands: HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100
- CDMA2000 1xEV-DO
- 4G bands: LTE
- 5G bands:
- SA/NSA/Sub6 – International
- SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave – USA
- Speed: HSPA, LTE-A (CA), 5G
Launch
- Announced: 2023, February 01
- Status: Exp. release 2023, February 17
Design
- Dimensions: 163.4 x 78.1 x 8.9 mm (6.43 x 3.07 x 0.35 in)
- Weight: 234 g (8.25 oz)
- Build: Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame
- Colors: Phantom Black, Green, Cream, Lavender
- SIM: Nano-SIM and eSIM or Dual SIM (2 Nano-SIMs and eSIM, dual stand-by)
- IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 mins)
- Armor aluminum frame with tougher drop and scratch resistance (advertised)
- Stylus (Bluetooth integration, accelerometer, gyro)
Display
- Type: Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1750 nits (peak)
- Size: 6.8 inches, 114.3 cm2 (~89.5% screen-to-body ratio)
- Resolution: 1440 x 3088 pixels (~501 ppi density)
- Protection: Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2
- Always-on display
Operating System
- Android 13, One UI 5.1
Hardware
- Chipset: Qualcomm SM8550-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm)
- CPU: Octa-core (1×3.36 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2×2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2×2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3×2.0 GHz Cortex-A510)
- GPU: Adreno 740
- Memory Card slot: No
- Internal: 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 12GB RAM
- UFS 4.0
Cameras
- Main Camera: Quad
- 200 MP, f/1.7, 24mm (wide), 1/1.3″, 0.6µm, multi-directional PDAF, Laser AF, OIS
- 10 MP, f/4.9, 230mm (periscope telephoto), 1/3.52″, 1.12µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS, 10x optical zoom
- 10 MP, f/2.4, 70mm (telephoto), 1/3.52″, 1.12µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom
- 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55″, 1.4µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, Super Steady video
- Features: LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama
- Video: 8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS
- Selfie Camera: Single – 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), Dual Pixel PDAF
- Features: Dual video call, Auto-HDR, HDR10+
- Video: 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps
Multimedia
- Radio: No
- Loudspeaker: Yes, with stereo speakers
- Audio 3.5mm jack: No
- 32-bit/384kHz audio
- Tuned by AKG
Connectivity
- WLAN: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct
- Bluetooth: 5.3, A2DP, LE
- Positioning: GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO
- NFC: Yes
- USB: USB Type-C 3.2, OTG
Features
- Sensors: Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer
- Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support)
- Bixby natural language commands and dictation
- Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified)
- Ultra Wideband (UWB) support
Battery
- Battery Type and Capacity: Li-Ion 5000 mAh, non-removable
- Charging: 45W wired, PD3.0, 65% in 30 min (advertised)
- 10W wireless (Qi/PMA)
- 5W reverse wireless
Models: SM-S918B, SM-S918B/DS, SM-S918U, SM-S918U1, SM-S918W, SM-S918N, SM-S9180, SM-S918E, SM-S918E/DS
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Price and Availability
The Galaxy S23 Ultra comes in four colors: Phantom Black, Cream, Green and Lavender.
It will be available for purchase through various channels starting February 17. The base 8/256GB version of the smartphone starts from $1,200 in the US.