” One sees clearly only with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eye “. This touching and magnificent replica of the fox in Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince resonates perfectly with the general feeling that the freshly formalized Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra can leave when taken in hand. Yes, on this smartphone, the most important things are hidden from view and we must therefore look more closely to detect them.
For all intents and purposes, note that this is not an emotional sequence that awaits you – for that, read the Little Prince again. So put away the violins and the handkerchiefs. Before being able to see the Galaxy S23 Ultra with the heart, we will first have to look at the heart of the first contender for the title of best smartphone of 2023. You will quickly understand. Here are our first impressions of Samsung’s new flagship.
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Samsung Galaxy S23 UltraDesign: let’s not cut corners
It is a fact assumed by the brand, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is not intended to seduce people who have fallen for an S22 Ultra, or even an S21 Ultra. The first targets of this device are those who have been using the same smartphone for a few years and who now want to change it to enjoy the crème de la crème. In this, the new phone does not try to be radically different from its predecessor. It even takes up almost all of its aesthetics.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra vs Galaxy S23 Ultra // Source : Arnaud Gelineau – Aroged
All ? No ! A very small detail adds its grain of salt to give a touch of originality to this Galaxy S23 Ultra. The screen is indeed less curved on the sides. However, it is not a flat slab, the top-of-the-range beauty canons have a hard tooth. It probably won’t change your viewing experience. On the other hand, there is a direct consequence on the grip of the device. The edges of the smartphone are much flatter. Not as much as on an iPhone 14, but still, it feels.
At the moment, I admit to still being quite unable to say whether or not I prefer this new sensation in contact with my palm. However, I can already say that I did not find it unpleasant and the evolution remains subtle enough not to be prohibitive. Note also that this reinforces the deliberately raw and industrial aspect of the S23 Ultra which contrasts with the cuter side of the S23 and S23+. We also have angles that are still as square as ever, which seem almost even more abrupt with the slight modification made this year.
Slightly flatter edges on the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra // Source: Arnaud Gelineau – Aroged
The cameras on the rear keep the same layout as on the 2022 predecessor with all the cameras appearing to have been integrated independently of each other. Samsung explains that it had a lot of positive feedback last year regarding this design and therefore wanted to reiterate this good formula. We will just note that the rings around the lenses reflect the light a little more on the S23 Ultra, because they are a tad wider, but that’s a detail.
For the rest, no surprise: it’s a great smartphone determined to be the heir to the late Note range. Count on dimensions of 78.1 x 163.4 x 8.9 mm and a weight of 234 grams. It does not play in the featherweight category, keep that in mind before any purchase. The screen remains magnificent, could it be otherwise with the AMOLED with Samsung sauce? It boasts a large 6.8-inch diagonal, an adaptive refresh rate ranging from 1-120Hz, and a promised peak brightness of 1750 nits so you never have to squint under the most darting of suns. . Also note that, by default, the definition is set to Full HD + to preserve the battery, but the QHD + remains at your disposal if you wish to activate it.
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The S Pen is there and always stores at the lower edge on the right. Please note that the S23 Ultra’s stylus changes shape slightly, so do not try to insert the S22 Ultra’s. It wouldn’t pass. Finally, we are dealing with a solid smartphone with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front and back while the frame is made of reinforced aluminum. As for the repairability index, it displays the fine score of 8.2/10.
S Pen of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra // Source: Arnaud Gelineau – Aroged
S Pen of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra // Source: Arnaud Gelineau – Aroged
S Pen of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra // Source: Arnaud Gelineau – Aroged
Samsung Galaxy S23 UltraSnapdragon 8 Gen 2, the real hero of all time
Frustration grew from year to year in the European ranks of Galaxy S users: why the hell did Samsung persist in integrating Exynos chips into its models sold on the Old Continent when the rest of the world was entitled to more power? To put out the embers, the brand paradoxically called on a dragon. To a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra // Source : Arnaud Gelineau – Aroged
It’s Qualcomm’s latest all-powerful SoC and it’s clearly here to rock. This will result in more raw power – we have already been able to test a smartphone equipped with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 – and it will be particularly good for performance in 3D games which had really hurt the S22 Ultra and its Exynos 2200 . That’s not all. We have good reason to hope for improvements in terms of heat management and autonomy, two things on which the choice of chip plays an important role.
Another reason to be optimistic: Samsung claims that Qualcomm has worked hand in hand with it to design a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 optimized for the S23. The brand suggests that this should have an impact on photo processing, but we bet that it will also result in a fluidity found in the daily experience.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, S23 Plus and S23 // Source: Arnaud Gelineau – Aroged
Samsung Galaxy S23, S23 Plus et S23 Ultra // Source : Aroged
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, S23 Plus and S23 // Source: Arnaud Gelineau – Aroged
In short, we are obviously looking forward to it, but here we are facing an improvement that is currently invisible to the eyes as long as we have not yet been able to launch the tests to see with the heart. Still a little patience Little Prince.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra200 megapixels: waiting for the final version
UItra practical wide-angle. Clean x3 optical zoom. Delicious 10x optical zoom. All this, we will necessarily be entitled to it with this Galaxy S23 Ultra. This generation, however, comes to sprinkle this known – but highly appreciated – formula with a home-designed 200-megapixel main photo sensor.
Obviously, I immediately activated the option to see what this 200 Mpx mode was worth on the camera. Do we have a real improvement there compared to a 108 Mpx mode? Difficult to perceive with the naked eye and it will therefore be necessary, again, more in-depth tests. So, dear Little Prince, here too we will have to be content, initially, with some non-exhaustive feedback.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra // Source : Aroged
So be aware that the 200 Mpx mode succeeds in its small effect: when you take a photo with it and then zoom in on the shot, you manage to perceive small details with great precision. This should be handy when you want to crop the image to keep only part of it. This should be more practical than the x100 digital magnification that the S23 Ultra can reach and which should remain quite a gadget.
Be careful though, I noticed a significant latency time (several seconds) each time a photo was taken at 200 megapixels. Samsung spokespersons wanted to be reassuring by explaining that we did not yet have in our hands the firmware version intended for sale. Users should be entitled to a shorter processing time, but it seems unlikely that this will disappear completely.
200 Mpx mode on the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra // Source: Arnaud Gelineau – Aroged
To avoid this inconvenience – and the very heavy weight of 200 Mpx shots – you can also opt for the intermediate mode at 50 megapixels. The main camera also benefits from optical stabilization that is twice as effective – 3 degrees of stabilization compared to 1.5 on the previous generation. Handy for videos.
Beyond that, we can’t wait to test the improved autofocus on each photo sensor, even at the front. Moreover, for selfies, we go from 40 to 12 megapixels. Samsung explains that this was necessary to better manage the focus. A blessing in disguise and a good opportunity to remember that high definition does not rhyme with better photo quality.
Selfie with the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra // Source: Arnaud Gelineau – Aroged
The “false problem” of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
We can switch fairly quickly to the 5000 mAh battery and the supported charge up to 45 W. Nothing surprising about the One UI 5.1 interface under Android 13 either. However, this one pleases with its promise of four updates. major updates and five years of security patches. Serene.
5G is there, as is Wi-Fi 6E. And with all this information, we went around the owner a bit. The biggest upheaval, namely the switch to Snapdragon, takes place under the hood of the beast. Moreover, the changes made compared to the previous model are very subtle… some would say insufficient. However, this is a “false problem” replies a contact at Samsung.
Samsung Galaxy S23, S23 Plus and S23 Ultra // Source: Arnaud Gelineau – Aroged
He argues that the comparisons between models from one generation to another is an exercise to which technology enthusiasts readily lend themselves, but not the general public who change smartphones on average every three years. In this context, the gain in quality is more palpable. If we are obviously aware of its marketing rhetoric, we take advantage of this speech to underline the obvious: changing smartphones every year is clearly not a behavior to be encouraged.
We will therefore recommend this Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, which looks excellent, to people who have a phone that coughs a little after the weight of the years. You can then tame it like the fox in the Little Prince. If you have a recent device, it is much less relevant. Especially since the price is far from being accessible to all budgets.
Samsung Galaxy S23 UltraSamsung Galaxy S23 Ultra price and release date
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is released on February 17, 2023. Three configurations exist for three prices:
1419 euros for the model with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage; 1599 euros for the 12/512 GB version; 1839 euros for that of 12 GB of RAM and 1 TB of storage. Where to buy the
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra at the best price?
From February 1 to 16, the pre-order offer allows you to take advantage of a bonus of 150 euros when you take back your old phone (in addition to its residual value) and to double the storage of your smartphone at no additional cost. Example: for the pre-order of a 256 GB S23 Ultra, you will receive the 512 GB one.
