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Is the Galaxy S23 Ultra a good phone?

Could the Galaxy S23 Ultra be the next big thing?
Last Updated on April 21, 2023
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With Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked launch event around the corner, you may be wondering: Is the upcoming Galaxy S23 Ultra a good phone?

The Galaxy S23 Ultra will be the premium model in the S23 series. At the time of writing, Samsung has not officially launched this device but this doesn’t mean we can’t have a look at the smartphone’s expected specs.


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The previous model, the Galaxy S22 Ultra is a very powerful and versatile phone. TechRadar even eluded to it being the best smartphone of its time, giving it 4.5 out of 5 stars. 

This is clearly a very strong score. But, it is no surprise. The S22 Ultra boasts an outstanding camera system with Space Zoom technology and a bright, vivid display.

The Galaxy S22 Ultra does fall a bit short in other areas though. Its Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor is slightly inferior to the iPhone 14 Pro Max’s A16 Bionic chip. 

And as for battery life. Well, the capabilities are not where we want them to be. Considering the Galaxy S22 Ultra comes with a 5,000 mAh battery, we expect the smartphone to have exceptional battery performance. But, in reality, the smartphone can only really last a full day.

With all things considered, assuming the Galaxy S23 Ultra will come with a few minor upgrades in most areas, it seems that the new smartphone will most likely be a pretty great phone. Let’s take a further look at the rumored specs to gain a better view.

Galaxy S23 specifications (predicted)

S23 Ultra
CameraMain: 200MP ISOCELL HP2 primary camera sensor
Telephoto: 10 MP resolution
Ultra-Wide: 12 MP resolution
Selfie: 12MP resolution
ProcessorQualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
Storage and MemoryStorage:
128GB
256GB
512GB
1TB

RAM:
8GB
12GB
Screen6.8-inch display
120Hz adaptive refresh rate
QHD resolution
(rumored Ultra Dynamic Range or UDR panel)
Battery5,000 mAh battery
45W wired charging
15W wireless charging
Price$1,199 (expected)

There are a few major upgrades that we cannot ignore. Firstly, the main camera. Samsung is expected to keep most of the camera hardware the same on the S23 series, but the S23 Ultra will get an upgrade.

We expect to see a new 200MP main camera on the device, which is a major improvement compared to the 108MP resolution on the S22 Ultra.

Next, let’s look at the processor. We are getting the newer Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. For reference, the S22 Ultra used a mixture of Samsung’s Exynos processor and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.

How is the new Qualcomm chipset different? It is said to have 35% faster performance and 40% improved efficiency compared to the previous generation. So, a pretty big upgrade in this area too.

As for all the other specs, it seems that Samsung is planning to rely on the S22 Ultra’s specs. However, we may see an upgrade to the screen with the addition of an Ultra Dynamic Range or UDR panel – resulting in a much brighter beautiful display.

Conclusion

If the rumored specs are proven to be true, the S23 Ultra looks to be a pretty amazing smartphone. However, until it’s confirmed we’ll reserve judgment. Samsung will be releasing the features of the new Galaxy S23 this week.

Once the smartphone has become live, we will be updating this page with the most up-to-date information. So, be sure to revisit this article after the launch event to find out whether the S23 Ultra is worth the upgrade.

Funmi joined PC Guide in November 2022, and was a driving force for the site's ChatGPT coverage. She has a wide knowledge of AI apps, gaming and consumer technology.