I need to tell you regarding the amazing experience I had with the best smartphone in the world. Samsung: o Galaxy S23 Ultra. The use I had with it was sensational! It offers everything an Android can provide, with a set of cameras, a wonderful screen and enviable performance and the battery that was so criticized in the S22 Ultra has been improved.
But, you must be wondering if it’s worth paying around R$8,500 for it or any other cell phone. I understand that the price may seem high, but trust me, when it reaches what I consider to be a fair price, it will be the best choice you ever made! I thoroughly analyzed what makes this product so special and now I share it all with you. Using the Galaxy S23 Ultra got me excited, it is simply the best Samsung phone of 2023.
- Best screen: The screen on the Galaxy S23 Ultra, has the best AMOLED panel we’ve ever tested, great colors and sharpness, excellent brightness, great for outdoor use.
- Best photos: Low light shots this time around are stunning. Samsung knew how to deal with the need and problems that were occurring in past smartphones, what it has evolved in the last two years has been excellent.
- Best performance: The hardware used in the S23 Ultra makes it one of the most powerful on the market. You will have a robust cell phone, without locks for a long time.
- Android Support: Samsung has promised a 4-year Android update and more security updates, showing the confidence it has in the project.
- Construction: Made in an aluminum frame and protected by Gorilla Glass Victus makes this smartphone very durable, able to even be used without a protective cover.
- Battery: here we had a big improvement in relation to the S22 Ultra;
Bodies
Let’s now talk regarding what makes this product so special and, accordingly, more expensive. Starting with the screen! We are talking regarding a 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED screen with QuadHD resolution and a refresh rate of 120Hz. The quality and sharpness are simply amazing, one of the best I’ve ever seen on a cell phone.
Samsung still gives you the option to choose the resolution you want, but personally, I prefer to use the highest resolution to ensure the best possible sharpness. It is worth mentioning that this screen still has a fingerprint sensor under the screen, making it even more special. Undoubtedly, this is one of the most expensive parts of the product, but the quality and user experience are worth every penny invested.
Performance
The Galaxy S23 Ultra is Samsung’s most powerful cell phone today, the internal hardware is also the best there is. With Snapdragon 8 Gen2, considered the best smartphone processor, there are 12GB of DDR5X RAM with 4200MHz frequency. We have 256GB in the version I tested. Slot for two operator chips, 5G networks, bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 6, induction charging, everything you can imagine it counts.
We analyzed its performance in games and benchmarks, in games it ranked first in the 2023 ranking. That is, so far it was the most powerful smartphone we tested. He wrote it down, one more item to make the product more expensive.
Battery
The 5000mAh battery was put to the test, we have a circuit in seven different scenarios ranging from surfing the internet and social networks to heavy games. Simulating intense use, in this test the cell phones stay for 7h45min with the screen on, if they can handle it, of course. The Galaxy S23 Ultra not only lasted the entire period, but there was still 21% battery left. When compared to its predecessor, the S22 Ultra, it represents a 20% gain in autonomy. Finally, Samsung did a job worthy of a top of the line battery.
In 2023, Samsung sends a 45W charger in the box exclusively here in Brazil. The product that is purchased outside Brazil does not come with a charger.
cameras
Want to see something extraordinary in this smartphone, for me its strongest point, its cameras!
At the rear we have the first lens a 12MP ultrawide, the second lens is the main one with 200MP, the third lens is a 10MP telephoto lens with 10x optical zoom, finally we have another telephoto lens, with 10MP and 3x optical zoom. On the front, we have a 12MP sensor.
Let’s start talking regarding daytime photos, something that many cell phones already do masterfully. The S23 Ultra takes daytime photos perfectly, see some photos of the garden here at home.
Pictures of the cuscos too, Zuma always sleeping, Buddy always attentive to movement. The colors, the sharpness, the dynamic range, everything is perfect in my opinion.
night photos
A traditional photo I take is of SESI, I put side by side the photo of the S23 Ultra and the S22 Ultra, they are photos taken on different days, coincidence both days had rained. But notice how much light the S23 Ultra gave the photo, especially in areas where the S22 didn’t, like the tower in the background.
A few more night photos for you to see, in these three we can have the same view as the previous photo. With high luminosity, high sharpness standard and accurate color tones.
I took some objects to take pictures in dark places. The first two were well lit, you can see the details of the potted plant. The applied sharpening is impressive. The photo of the speaker was really dark, even so it is possible to see the speaker illuminated by the light of the box. The fabric also has its apparent texture.
Other photos I usually take are these two. Where the lampshade illuminating the wall reveals the work of HDR in not letting too much light reflect the light on the wall and not hiding objects that are being illuminated, such as the plant. The colors turned out great, it’s really what I was seeing.
In the photo of the piece of furniture, however, the lighting was exaggerated in my opinion, there is noise in darker areas, this would have been hidden if it had not been so exposed.
Zoom Photos
Selfies
Selfies follow the same pattern as the rear set, sharpness a little higher than normal, colors and white balance well suited and dynamic range on point. What I noticed in some cases is that the front is one of the points where we can see the most inconsistency in the night photos, it is still here where it seems to me that it is not as good as the rear camera, but I only say that in extreme cases of very low light .
In short, Samsung has done it. The S23 Ultra for me was the first smartphone that I can consider perfect in cameras, I hope that from now on we have other phones that seek this level/standard of quality.
What I didn’t like
Was there anything I didn’t like regarding the product? Yes, one thing bothers me and it’s my particularity that maybe it can be from other people too. His size.
Galaxy S23 Ultra Size
For daily use it is great. I talked regarding this in the Galaxy S22 Ultra review as well. I do a lot of outdoor activities, like biking for example, I always take my cell phone with me, it’s big to put in pockets. But it was meant to be big, I need to keep that in mind. I tested last year’s S22 Plus, I really liked the size, it seems more suitable for the tumultuous day-to-day.
Conclusion
The Galaxy S23 Ultra was to date the best Android smartphone I’ve ever used, it has the best screen, it has the best cameras, it has one of the best performances and design, not to mention the battery, which improved regarding 20% compared to the S22 Ultra . We have Android longevity, another important factor to consider when buying a new cell phone, even more an investment like this.
The SPen needs to get used to using it, but it helps a lot to take pictures away from the cell phone, for example. Dex is another feature that, when used frequently, the user will miss when he has a cell phone without it. The battery is a point that can be worked on by Samsung.
Worth to buy?
Congratulations Samsung, this cell phone borders on perfection, but at what price? Let’s analyze a little, the S22 Ultra arrived costing R$9,500, a year later it has the current price of R$5,700, there have already been offers of R$4,900. The S23 Ultra was launched at the same price. Currently costing R$ 8,550, with a few weeks since its launch in Brazil. You need to lower the value further to indicate the purchase, unless money is no problem for you.
My recommendation to buy it is when it drops from R$6,000. It may take time to happen, but this is the most appropriate amount to pay for it. You will likely see this price on offers in the second half. Don’t rush, Samsung smartphones tend to drop 30 to 50% in value in the first year.
My notes for the Galaxy S23 Ultra are:
- Cameras: 9,8
- Battery: 9,5
- Performance: 10
- Design and construction: 10
- Bodies: 10
- GENERAL RESULT: 9,9
With that note bordering on perfection, the S23 Ultra takes 1st place in the ranking of the best smartphones ever tested here at Oficina da Net.
| # | Cell phones | Dumb. | Bat. | Perf. | Design | Bodies | Use | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1° | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra | 9,8 | 9,5 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9,9 | R$ 7.750,00 |
| 2° | Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max | 9,8 | 8,0 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9,6 | R$ 7.498,00 |
| 3° | Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra | 9,8 | 7,5 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9,5 | R$ 5.499,00 |
| 4° | Motorola Edge 30 Ultra | 9,0 | 9,2 | 10 | 9,5 | 9,5 | 9,4 | R$ 4.859,00 |
| 5° | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 | 9,5 | 7,5 | 10 | 9,8 | 10 | 9,4 | R$ 8.998,00 |
Like my review, leave a comment please, I would love to hear your opinion.