Samsung merged the Galaxy Note last year with the S22 series to create the Galaxy S22 Ultra, its previous flagship device now residing in its iconic Galaxy S series of phones. With other manufacturers increasingly pushing a more premium version of their most popular range of devices, this was serendipitous timing for Samsung.
The S22 range of phones was among our best camera phones of last year, praised for their fantastic build quality, large sensors, excellent image quality, and outstanding AI processing.
This year, Samsung is back again this year with its Note-inspired Galaxy S23 Ultra, still keeping the design language from the Galaxy Note alive, with the addition of the secreted S Pen for note-taking and annotations on the go, however, this is no longer a Note device, and the Galaxy S23 Ultra is the flagship phone to beat this year.
We had a chance to get hold of one of its Galaxy S23 Ultra right after its launch last week and here are our first impressions of the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
The Design
The Galaxy S23 Ultra is a really nice phone to behold, the new minimalist aesthetic that Samsung is going for with its 2023 device trends. The front glass is high-gloss, and the back is matte finish; both do a decent job of repelling fingerprints. The phone’s IP68-rated body also handily resided the water as we ran over it.
As we compare the Galaxy S23 Ultra with the Galaxy S22 Ultra, the camera bump is slightly bigger than the Galaxy S22 Ultra. At the bottom surface, it houses the SIM slot, USB-C charging port (the phone ships with a USB-C cable but no charging brick- BYOB is a thing now), speaker grille, and the S Pen. The display is also made to support the S Pen and the device comes with several features like Vision Booster, Game modes, and more.
The Display
Immediately turning on the screen of the Galaxy S23 Ultra, it was love at first sight. The screen is big, bold, and beautiful, with rich gorgeous colors and incredible sharpness.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra comes with a 6.8″ QHD+screen with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, a first for the smartphone industry. The S23 Ultra screen is curved on the sides, but less severe than last year’s model, offering a more flat surface than available on last year’s model.
The SPen
The S Pen is still tucked away inside the phone for those that like to scribble notes on the go, and like previous years’ Note devices, and last year’s Galaxy S22 Ultra, it is so seamless that you forget it is even there until you need it.
The Camera
The most notable change is in the cameras, and this is where you’ll find probably the biggest discrepancy between the regular S series and the Ultra. We mean, the Galaxy S23 Ultra gets a 200MP main camera (with iOS f/1.7). The Galaxy S23 Ultra main camera also introduces a Detailed Enhancer, Super HDR, and New Adaptive Pixel autofocus that uses four adjacent pixels across the whole sensor for phase detection.
It is also equipped with another 3 cameras; 10 MP with iOS f/4.9 10x Telephoto lens, 10 MP (with iOS f/2.4) 3x Telephoto lens, and 12 MP f/2.2 Ultra-Wide. On the front, users would receive a 12MP (f/2.2) camera lens for selfies and videos.
The Performance
The S23 Ultra is powered by the very latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy in collaboration with Qualcomm.. Samsung claims the new Galaxy series offers the best mobile gaming experience available with more than 40% faster GPU and NPU Exclusively Optimised, Real-Time Ray Tracing, and a Vapor Cooling Chamber which allows an immersive experience that won’t slow down during graphics-heavy games.
An updated One UI 5.1 offers modes and routines for different parts of your day such as sleeping, driving, or at work. Bixby Text Call will also now allow users to respond to phone calls with a voice-dictated text from the call screen. And Samsung Notes now allows collaborative editing in a Google Meet video call too.
The Battery
Galaxy S23 Ultra battery is a 5,000mAh unit with 45W wired fast charging support. The phone also gets 15W wireless charging and 4.5W Reverse Wireless PowerShare which allows it to charge other devices.
Inside The Box
The Galaxy S23 Ultra ships with just a Type-C to Type-C data cable in the box along with some documentation and a SIM card ejector tool.
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra was priced starting at RM5,699 with 4 colors for selection; Phantom Black, Cream, Green, and Lavender.
PRE-ORDER Online and GET FREE Storage Upgrade!
Currently, Samsung is running a pre-order promotion (Pre-Order purchase between 2 – 23 Feb 2023) for all buyers who ordered their Galaxy S23 Ultra on Samsung’s official website at https://www.samsung.com/my/smartphones/galaxy-s23-ultra/buy/ would be able to enjoy a complimentary storage upgrade worth up to RM500. Plus, get RM 400 e-Voucherto to spend on https://www.Samsung.com/my and also up to 30% off for PWP eco-promotions.
Trade in your old mobile device would be able to enjoy and enjoy great savings with an additional rebate of RM600.
**While stocks last. T&Cs apply.
Interested to know more about our in-depth review of the Samsung S22 Ultra? Stay tuned to our website. Our full review will be published on our website very soon.
