At Samsung’s recent Unpacked event in San Francisco, California, the company announced its flagship Galaxy S23 series and its headliner, the Galaxy S23 Ultra. The high-end smartphone features a 200-megapixel primary camera as its highlight feature. I tested the new camera out, and you can learn more about it in my S23 Ultra hands-on.
The S23 Ultra’s aforementioned 200-megapixel primary camera offers impressive low-light performance. In my testing, the lens actually does take better pictures than the 108-megapixel sensor featured in its predecessor. Further, the S23 Ultra can now snap astrophotography pictures and full-resolution 200-megapixel images that are perfect for being blown up. Alongside the 200-megapixel shooter, the handset offers the same other camera sensors as the S22, which means it features a 12-megapixel ultrawide shooter, 10-megapixel telephoto with 3x zoom and another lens with 10x zoom.
It’s important to note that the S23 Ultra’s front-facing camera features a minor downgrade and now offers a 12-megapixel sensor compared to the 40-megapixel shooter in the S22.
Galaxy S23 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
Display
6.8-inch Curved Dynamic AMOLED, 1,440 x 3,200 pixels, 20:9 aspect ratio, 120Hz display (variable 1-120Hz) HDR10+, 240Hz Touch Sampling in Games
6.8-inch Curved Dynamic AMOLED, 1,440 x 3,200 pixels, 20:9 aspect ratio, 120Hz display (variable 1-120Hz), HDR10+, 240Hz Touch Sampling in Games
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
RAM
8GB of RAM, 12GB of RAM
8GB of RAM, 12GB of RAM
Storage
256GB, 512GB, 1TB
128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
Dimensions (in.)
163.4 x 78.1 x 8.9mm
163.3 x 77.9 x 8.9mm
Weight
234g
229g
Rear Facing Camera
200-megapixel, 12-megapixel (f/2.2, 120-degree), 10-megapixel (f/4.9, 10x zoom), 10-megapixel (f/2.4, 3x zoom)
108-megapixel (f/1.8), 12-megapixel (f/2.2, 120-degree), 10-megapixel (f/4.9, 10x zoom), 10-megapixel (f/2.4, 3x zoom)
Front Facing Camera
12-megapixel
40-megapixel (f/2.2)
OS
Android 13, One UI 5.1
Android 12, One UI 4.1
Battery
5,000mAh
5,000mAh
Network Connectivity
5G, LTE, Wi-Fi 6E
5G, LTE, Wi-Fi 6E
Sensors
Fingerprint (in-display), accelerometor, gyro, proximity, compass
Fingerprint (in-display), accelerometor, gyro, proximity, compass
SIM Type
Nano SIM, eSIM
Nano SIM, eSIM
Launch Date
February 17, 2023
February 25, 2022
Misc
Colours: ‘Phantom Black,’ ‘Green,' 'Lavendar,' 'Creme'
Colours: 'Phantom Black,’ ‘Phantom White,’ ‘Green,’ ‘Burgundy,’ and Samsung exclusive colours ‘Gray,’ ‘Light Blue,’ and ‘Red.’ & S Pen with 2.8 m/s latency
Display
Galaxy S23 Ultra
6.8-inch Curved Dynamic AMOLED, 1,440 x 3,200 pixels, 20:9 aspect ratio, 120Hz display (variable 1-120Hz) HDR10+, 240Hz Touch Sampling in Games
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
6.8-inch Curved Dynamic AMOLED, 1,440 x 3,200 pixels, 20:9 aspect ratio, 120Hz display (variable 1-120Hz), HDR10+, 240Hz Touch Sampling in Games
Processor
Galaxy S23 Ultra
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
RAM
Galaxy S23 Ultra
8GB of RAM, 12GB of RAM
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
8GB of RAM, 12GB of RAM
Storage
Galaxy S23 Ultra
256GB, 512GB, 1TB
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
Dimensions (in.)
Galaxy S23 Ultra
163.4 x 78.1 x 8.9mm
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
163.3 x 77.9 x 8.9mm
Weight
Galaxy S23 Ultra
234g
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
229g
Rear Facing Camera
Galaxy S23 Ultra
200-megapixel, 12-megapixel (f/2.2, 120-degree), 10-megapixel (f/4.9, 10x zoom), 10-megapixel (f/2.4, 3x zoom)
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
108-megapixel (f/1.8), 12-megapixel (f/2.2, 120-degree), 10-megapixel (f/4.9, 10x zoom), 10-megapixel (f/2.4, 3x zoom)
Front Facing Camera
Galaxy S23 Ultra
12-megapixel
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
40-megapixel (f/2.2)
OS
Galaxy S23 Ultra
Android 13, One UI 5.1
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
Android 12, One UI 4.1
Battery
Galaxy S23 Ultra
5,000mAh
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
5,000mAh
Network Connectivity
Galaxy S23 Ultra
5G, LTE, Wi-Fi 6E
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
5G, LTE, Wi-Fi 6E
Sensors
Galaxy S23 Ultra
Fingerprint (in-display), accelerometor, gyro, proximity, compass
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
Fingerprint (in-display), accelerometor, gyro, proximity, compass
SIM Type
Galaxy S23 Ultra
Nano SIM, eSIM
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
Nano SIM, eSIM
Launch Date
Galaxy S23 Ultra
February 17, 2023
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
February 25, 2022
Misc
Galaxy S23 Ultra
Colours: ‘Phantom Black,’ ‘Green,' 'Lavendar,' 'Creme'
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
Colours: 'Phantom Black,’ ‘Phantom White,’ ‘Green,’ ‘Burgundy,’ and Samsung exclusive colours ‘Gray,’ ‘Light Blue,’ and ‘Red.’ & S Pen with 2.8 m/s latency
Besides its cameras, the S23 Ultra features up to 12GB of RAM, up to 1TB of storage (the 128GB option is gone), a 5,000mAh battery and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor. The handset also has Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front and back to better protect against falls, and, of course, the device has an S Pen.
The S23 Ultra comes in ‘Phantom Black,’ ‘Green,’ ‘Cream,’ and ‘Lavender,’ while the smartphone is available in ‘Lime,’ ‘Graphite,’ ‘Red’ and ‘Sky Blue’ colourways exclusively on Samsung’s website. While all of the colour variants look pretty cool, the Lavender and Green models stand out to me as the best-looking. The s23 Ultra starts at $1,649.99 for the 256GB model, the 512GB variant costs $1,889.99, and the Samsung exclusive 1TB costs $2,209. The handset is available for pre-order now and release on February 17th.
For more on Samsung’s Galaxy S23 line, check out our hands-on with the new smartphones and all of our Unpacked 2023 content here.
MobileSyrup utilizes affiliate partnerships. These partnerships do not influence our editorial content, though we may earn a commission on purchases made via these links that helps fund the journalism provided free on our website.
MobileSyrup may earn a commission from purchases made via our links, which helps fund the journalism we provide free on our website. These links do not influence our editorial content. Support us here.