Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra 5G Dual SIM Android Mobile Phone
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra 5G Dual SIM Android Mobile Phone, 512GB, SIM Free Smartphone, Black 3Y Extended Manufacturer Warranty
Nightography Camera
Low light. Camera. Action
Take crisp photos and videos, from dusk until dawn. Galaxy’s most advanced camera sensor and fastest processor accommodate low light and reduce noise. And even the camera lens clears up the capture by toning down flare.
Performance
Power for those who don’t pause
Maximise your free time with the most powerful chip on a Galaxy smartphone. Improved features across the board means everything from gaming to streaming is optimised and seamless — without draining the battery.
Eco-Conscious
Designed with the planet in mind
The use of conscious materials makes this our most eco-conscious smartphone ever.¹ ² Recycled glass and PET film accent the phone’s exterior, and box made from recycled paper makes it planet-loving from the moment it hits your hands.³
Expert Raw Astrophoto
Raw power, from snap to edit
Switch into Expert RAW to finesse in greater detail.⁴ Snap in 50MP for detailed, dynamic frames, or expand your repertoire with astrophoto, multiple exposure and other exposure features.
Display
A brighter future in sight
Dynamic AMOLED 2X delivers clear, colourful details onscreen, whether dimmed down low or full-blast brightness.⁵ And 120Hz technology intelligently optimises the refresh rate to smooth out action and save on battery.
Battery
Bring on the boss battles
Meet the long-lasting battery made to fuel your victories. This intelligent 5000mAh (typical) battery saves power for go time, so you can game and stream into the night.⁶
Productivity With S PEN
Do more with every pen stroke
Any pen can write words, but S Pen helps you capture them. Highlight event info from a poster or video, then simply tap to save the date straight into your calendar.⁷
PC Continuity
Multitasking meets Multi control
Start on your phone and move as your ideas grow. With continuity across Galaxy devices, you can stick to a single mouse, keyboard or touchpad to drop text and images to your PC easily, then go back to the phone when it’s time to run.⁸ ⁹ ¹⁰ ¹¹
ONE UI
Your Galaxy, the way you like it
Now it’s easier than ever to set your phone up just for you. One UI maximizes customization, allowing you to pick almost every detail, from lock screens and themes to widgets and notifications.
Smart Switch
We made keeping your data easy
In just a simple Wi-Fi transfer or quick log in to your Samsung Account, you’re all set. In even fewer steps, carry over your apps, photos, messages and more from any OS to your new phone.¹² ¹³
I’ve read a few of these reviews before doing my own to see what points were being made and what was not. I can’t speak as a former samsung owner as I never went through the exynos period of mobiles where battery seemed to be lacking but I did come from the nothingphone (1) which is considered a midtier mobile and I can see differences between the two.
I’ll start of with my previous phone, the nothing phone (1) which was the gimmick phone with the clear back and lights released july 2022 and actually it’s been a decent phone. The battery life was really good and would typically last about a day and often longer so seemed to pair well with the seven series chip that it was using, It was a good phone but NOTHING much more to say. The Thing I didn’t like about the phone was the quality control, I spoted dust underneath the near glass panel meaning it was either there on purchase or over time slipped in and was there to stay, there are other reports of this as well as screen issues and with glyph lights. The overall feel of the phone in the hand was ok but there was something hollow about it and a sense that it was going to fall apart eventually.
Although unnecessary I decided I wanted something a bit smaller from a more reputible brand with quality products. I’ve had samsung devices in the past such as the Tab S7+ and was very impressed with the quality then so I made the plunge to buy the S23. The first thing I notice on arrival is the quality difference between nothing and the S23 just by holding it. There were no sharp edges (those complaining of such have never experienced a sharp edge clearly), the weight although heavy for some is appreciated by myself as it’s typically a sign of quality, the frame feels far more sturdy and grippy and the glass backing repells fingerprinters well and doesn’t feel cheap, so far so good.
The software/GUI, One UI 5.1 is really enjoyable to use and looks neat with everything easily accessible and customizable (Except playstore icons! argh!) aside from that really nice to use. The one problem I do have however is out of the box bloatware, I don’t know why typically asian brands load their devices with unwanted apps, (Xiaomi does it as well) fortunately it isn’t hard to uninstall them and I appreciate that they don’t force us to have these perminately.
I want to be fair on the phone in regards to the battery because I understand the type of device i’ve come from and moved onto and it’s my own choice in doing so. If i’m comparing battery with the nothing phone it does lose as I will typically get over a day of use from nothing and maybe 10hrs+ from the S23. It all comes down to my typical use case but that is what happens when you go from a phone with 4500mAh with a midtier processor to 3900mAh with a toptier processor. I wanted the smaller phone and will need to put up with the smaller battery, something I will adapt and get used to. Considering the phones nice size however I am happy with the use I get from it and the software seems well optimized.
The S23 cameras are really nice, will they be the best? no of course not there will always be better cameras out there, The S23 ultra for example will have better cameras because it’s even more of a premium phone with better goodies built in. That said the S23 takes some really nice clear imagery without a ridiculous amount of processing, I can tell there’s some slight sharpening but not terrible levels. In the end it makes great photo’s in both lighter and darker enviornments. (Photo’s taken using 3:4 50MP, scene optimizer off, effects off)
I’m sure there are other points I can make but as a conclusion I would recommend the S23 to anyone who can afford it and is typically used to small phones. You will be paying a premium but in return you are getting a quality, well developed product that will likely last you years.
I love the size, the quality, the functionality and the speed. The phone is a beauty and Amazon sells it for a very competitive price.
This is an upgrade on my last phone, and what a difference between them, it is quicker searching for things, the picture quality is fantastic, and I am still learning what it does.
Absolutely love the Samsung s23 ultra. Perfect sound when listening to music. Brilliant pictures. I also love the s pen.
Size is small than expected, I thought upgrading from S20 fe would be a good choice, but it’s not. I fell for the hype and regret it.
I’m fully immersed in the Apple ecosystem (M1 MBA, M2 Mac Mini, M2 iPad Pro 11″, ATV etc) and really want to love their phones; but the ‘tied-downess’ of them, the lack of being able to easily customise it (launcher, icon packs, location of apps etc) can be a bit frustrating at times, and not being able to easily change the tones etc
So took the plunge and bought the S23U and have moved the 14 Pro Max on and absolutely no regrets…
It’s a superb phone, a fantastic screen and an absolute beast of a camera; but I still need to see more of my previous iPhone 14 PM pictures side by side with the S23Us etc
All in though; I genuinely believe this is the Android handset to beat the 14 Pro Max, at last…
Money came out of account but wasn’t 1,240.20 and worked out also saved a further 140 which was great and also got double storage for pre ordering and to me seemed like a really good deal and that was before I even got the phone lol
Phone arrival kept changing and I actually got it on the Tuesday afternoon instead of Friday,always dread it when you have to transfer everything over to new phone as takes a while as depending how much you want transferring over and gotta login again to everything but made it much easier by also transferring account and passwords but not everything did so had to re login to some like tiktok etc
Upgraded from the galaxy note 10 plus and I wouldn’t say it’s leaps and bounds over it but what’s the biggest upgrade is the battery on the S23 ultra as it easily lasted a day of usage and thought it wasn’t lol I actually almost got 2 days battery with light usage which is pretty unheard of tbh with android phones etc,I’ve got it on max display as obviously you’ve paid good money for it so might aswell use the best features as that’s what they’re there for,speakers have also been improved that give good clear sound and volume,no problems with Bluetooth synching to headphones etc
Watching videos etc also great but dunno what playing games are like on it as tbh prefer playing them on the xbox
I’m very happy with my purchase and glad I pre ordered it
Highly recommended
I’ve just come from the Honor magic 4 pro, which is a brilliant phone and I do miss some features that, that phone has (3d face unlock etc) but this Galaxy feels different. The snapdragon 8gen 2 is brilliant, the battery life is phenomenal, no need for the fast charging that I had with my honor, it lasts all day. I usually wake up between 5-6 and go to bed about 22:00 and I go to bed with about 30/40 % still left, it’s just brilliant.
I use Nova launcher and I’ve seen some stutter/lag, I.e the phone not responding to my fingerprint/face, but I put this down to Nova launcher, and hopefully this can be resolved in an update.
Camera is superb, phone cases are abundant, unlike the Chinese phones I usually go for. Overall, very pleased and I’ll be keeping this one.
Battery life 1-2 days easily, no need to worry about drain while phone screen is off or fake battery percentage and fast drain after a bit of sleep anymore.
Screen is amazing, colors and quality is just top notch, heavier and bigger ofc but its so comfortable compared to Iphone pro max in comparison.
Camera is amazing, finally I am having much better color accuracy and way more detailed and better colors, shadows, HDR, ..etc it’s just very good and much better than the S21 for example, specially at night
Phone is smoother and much more fluid than my S21, also no more heat when I am doing simple stuff like maps and gps and much cooler on heavy computations of gaming.
The green color looks amazing and just nothing to complain about regarding the design, with the right amount of curve for the screen and great looking camera rings with curved sides is just good
Overall I think this is a very good overall package, nothing missing here really.
model and I have to say I am very impressed.. The quality of build, the weight is not heavy, at least not for me and only adds to the feel that you own something of quality..It’s insanely snappy, the quality of the screen is so sharp and a pleasure to view, the addition of the s-pen is very welcome… As for the camera, being a very avid photographer, I own a Sony RX10iv and am very happy with the results I have gotten using it, however I am astonished with the quality of image, that you can capture with the s23 ultra, are, for a smartphone, truly amazing.
If your are an android fan and you want the best Samsung has to offer, you will most definitely not be disappointed with the S23 Ultra, in every respect, it is most definitely Samsungs best ever phone.. So it isn’t exactly inexpensive but once you get one in your hands, only then will you understand.
Oh and the battery life, is excellent..I can use it all day and still have at least 30-35% battery left, before dropping it onto the wireless charger, before bed.
I highly recommend the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Now, the phone: I am a long term of user of P30 Pro. I’m not a fan of Huawei’s UI but P30 pro is still awesome after nearly 4 years and is more than capable of taking stunning pictures, very good battery and still handles all kinds of software. The point I’m trying to make is that it is hard to beat.
However, I think S23 Ultra made it. The camera is definitely next level, and if you know what you’re doing with photography, is a serious contender for the foreseeable future. I’m also impressed by the quality of sound on the videos too. Some friends sent me private messages on the back of my latest social media posts to ask if I have a new phone and comment on quality of content. This was adding to a “Wow” effect.
120hz display is definitely awesome, even not at highest resolution.
Battery is very good but real measure for this can be done after a year. Slightly annoying that it doesn’t really charge nearly as quick as the old Huawei. However, this could be a good thing for battery life, who knows.
It is the first phone I have with an S-pen and I think in some situations it is great! Certainly works like nothing ever so accurate. And is great tool to remote control your camera shutter – great!
The overall feel of the phone is very nice, even though 225 gramms is a substantial amount of weight.
Now the “not so great” sides:
Firstly, it is a shame that a flagship of a phone costs so much money these days. However, this is across all manufacturers so I guess it is partially inflation and shortage of microchips – we need to get used to this. On the bright side, I can say it looks like there is no compromise on quality of materials used on the S23 Ultra – you get what you pay for – best technology available today.
Secondly, the phone is pretty big. Not unmanageable big, just an “XL” phone. I’m a bit annoyed that the cutting edge technology has to be of this size. Quality of the screen and overall experience make you feel you can live with this though. One advice – when getting a protector bumber, might be a good idea to take a ring at the back of the case too – for better grip.
Thirdly, same as all manufacturers, Samsung is trying really hard to pre-install their ecosystem of apps that may not be suitable for everyone. This is a problem with all manufacturers, to be fair. I just spent half a day cutting down apps and permissions.
In conclusion, having used various manufacturers through the last 10 years, including Sony, Samsung, Huawei and Apple, every one of these manufacturers has some features that are awesome and others that aren’t so great. You cannot buy “a best phone ever”, just depends on what you like.
I like the S23 Ultra and think it’s worth the money and the upgrade. Time will show but my first impression is that this phone can breeze through the next 5 years with no issues.
Hope you find this useful!
The phone itself is very snappy with the new snapdragon processor and the 120hz display gives a very fluent and smooth experience when moving pretty much anything on screen.
Keep in mind it’s a heavy phone, nothing unbearable but it is 40g (~15%) heavier than the S23 plus.
I preordered this with the buds2, they connected almost seamlessly, they wouldn’t connect from the Galaxy Wear app but connected straight away from Bluetooth settings.
The model I got has a dual sim but no micro sd expansion so its definitely work getting a high storage model. Of my 512gb, I’ve already used 140gb from system and apps alone.
A couple of other things to note if you’re coming from another android phone.. If you’re using Samsung’s SmartSwitch app I needed more storage than I had left on the phone (I needed 16gb, only had 4gb) to actually use the app, so I had to copy everything across manually and from Samsung cloud backups. As part of switching my watch (I have a galaxy watch 4) you need to reset the watch, although inconvenient, creating and then restoring from a backup worked well and it kept everything in tact except for my watch face.
Overall, its a great (and heavy) phone and worth the upgrade as long as its from a phone more than a couple of years old.
I’ve used OnePlus phones since 2019 and charging from OP to Samsung meant a different software experience. But what I find One UI 5 does is bring you a much nicer experience. The UI doesn’t feel heavy and laggy, instead it feels much lighter and works well with the phone’s hardware. I find my user experience to be butter smooth and very fast!
The display on this phone is absolutely amazing. I like the fact that you have a squared look rather than rounded corners. Watching videos in landscape are nothing short of breathtaking. Samsung make the best phone panels in the business and they will always reserve their best for their flagships.
The cameras on this phone work well. I have no complaints about the pictures and videos I have taken so far. You get the minor delay in image processing, but that’s because the software is creating the best possible output for photo you have taken.
The battery life on this phone is very good too. I’m getting around 7-8 hours screen on time. When you have QHD switched on with a number of widgets and background processes, you’ll always get more drain than running minimal services. But I have a lot running and can make the best of the phone, without worrying too much about battery life. The phone doesn’t charge in 59 mins, it takes just over an hour for me. But I’m hardly gonna lose sleep over 10 mins extra charge time.
Overall, I 100% recommend this phone. I am very, very fussy about my phone experience. I notice lags and stutters which a few may not. But this phone meets all my expectations and I am a very happy Samsung customer.
Of course I’m at awe cause I’m from a 3 years old phone. Hopefully same as my Samsung Note 10, this S23 Ultra would last me 3 years or even more.
I’ll post an update after a month or two.
Update 18/02/23
Battery is great.
No regrets at all. fully charged within an hour and it usually last me 7 to 8 hours continuous use or its screen time. Camera is far superior to my previous note 10+, which is expected of course. the front camera and it’s night shots are part to an iPhone, and might even a bit greater than an iPhone. Sound is awesome. No problems with NFC, was able to use my GooglePay without any hassle at all.