If the Samsung S22 Ultra was the ultimate evolution of the slab smartphone, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is the Victory Wrap. The S23 Ultra comes with some updates and a new main camera sensor. No groundbreaking new features. It cannot be halved. Until someone invents radically improved battery technology or a holographic display, the Ultra will do the same in the near future.
The other side of this coin is that the S22 Ultra is already very good and the S23 Ultra is even better. Powered by a custom Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, performance is blazing fast. The updated camera system is capable of breathtaking performance.
Also, a few small tweaks (the phone’s slightly reshaped side rails and screen) have a big impact on the device’s likeability. This is good news. The bad news is that it remains a very expensive device at $1,200. That’s slightly more than the $1,099 iPhone 1 Pro Max and a big jump from the Pixel 7 Pro’s starting price of $899. There are some well-known issues, such as sticking to.
Camera systems can produce surprisingly good images, but sometimes they make silly decisions and deliver utterly shoddy photos. But if you can tolerate the price and the occasional weird picture, you’ll find the maximalism of the S23 Ultra very rewarding.
