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      Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Review: Is this Android better than an iPhone?

      Robert Cerff / 13-03-2023 / Tech

      If you’re looking for a smartphone that does everything bigger and better, the new Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is the one for you. It’s over the top in ways that’ll have you hooked!

      From its giant screen and souped-up camera to a record-breaking battery life and the latest Snapdragon chipset exclusively customised for Samsung, the Galaxy S23 is unlike any device on the market right now.

      Launched globally on 17 February, the top-of-the-range Galaxy S23 Ultra joins the Samsung Galaxy S23 and the more advanced Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus. Experts and consumers say this is the best Galaxy flagship ever, placing it as the gold standard and raising expectations sky-high for the upcoming Samsung foldable and next year’s Galaxy S24.

      It’s taking the high-end smartphone segment by storm, outperforming even the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max on certain benchmark tests. Let’s unpack this trailblazing new Galaxy flagship.

      Giant Display

      With boxy, sharp edges, the new flagship looks identical to the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. But don’t let that fool you because the hardware delivers a performance way above its predecessor. The gigantic 6.8-inch AMOLED screen is slightly bigger than competitor flagships like the 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max and Google Pixel 7 Pro.

      The screen is perfect for reading, gaming, photo editing and streaming videos. With a snappy refresh rate of 120Hz and a clear, colourful display, the Galaxy S23 Ultra will keep you engrossed no matter what you’re doing.

      The popular S Pen Stylus slots in at the bottom of the device and easily retracts, activating a pop-up menu with compatible apps like PenUp and Samsung Notes.

      It’s rated for IP68 water resistance, meaning it can be submerged in fresh water up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes.

      Biggest Camera Update 

      The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra sports a powerful quad-camera setup, headlined by a massive 200MP main shooter, representing the biggest camera upgrade in years for the Galaxy line and a big jump from last year’s 108MP main camera. There’s an option to lower the quality to 12MP or 50MP in the settings menu. Photos captured with the upgraded camera deliver incredible detail, contrast and colour. It shines the brightest in low-light conditions with an improved dynamic range and reduced noise.

      Further enhancing the main camera is a 12MP ultrawide lens and two 10MP telephoto lenses featuring 3x and 10x optical zoom and 100x AI-powered digital zoom. This is ideal for capturing special moments at sports events and concerts if you’re seated far from the action.

      On the front is a 12MP selfie snapper that expertly separates the subject from the background for selfies that pop. Images are sharp, colourful, detailed and accurate.

      Video recording specs see it jump from 24 frames per second (fps) on the previous generation to 30fps at 8K resolution. Shooting videos at night is a highlight as the phone produces clear, smooth and detailed scenes even in backlit conditions.

      Customised Chipset vs iPhone

      The new Galaxy S23 Ultra features the most powerful chip on an Android smartphone to date, and it's customised specifically for the tech giant. Samsung calls it the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy because it boasts additional optimisations beyond standard Qualcomm improvements. The new chipset also represents a complete move away from the lower-performance Exynos chip. This means the 2023 line-up only includes Snapdragon-powered devices in all markets, unlike previous generations, which had a mix of both. Performance-wise, it’s quick, power efficient and a multitasking powerhouse. You can play games while on a video call, export videos seamlessly or use your phone as a PC while running multiple apps without experiencing any lag or overheating.

      Popular YouTube channel PhoneBuff pitted the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra against the iPhone 14 Pro Max to determine the fastest smartphone right now. The tests comprised two rounds of opening several apps and games and checking RAM management. The results were astonishing. The flagship Galaxy beat the flagship iPhone by one second in the first round and tied in the second round. These results indicate the new Ultra may be the first-ever Android smartphone to match or outperform the iPhone.

      Longer-lasting Battery

      The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra packs a long-lasting 5000mAh battery with intelligent power-saving modes. Whether you’re a heavy or light user, you will enjoy its longevity, no matter how many hours a day you’re on it. Tests show heavy use of 12 hours a day snapping photos, recording videos, checking emails, browsing social media and streaming music drain a fully charged battery by around only 35%.

      Long-Term Android OS Upgrades

      The new Galaxy Ultra launches with the latest Android 13 and Samsung’s One UI 5.1 software. Samsung has committed to four generations of Android OS upgrades and five years of security updates, ensuring you can enjoy the device for several years without it feeling outdated.

      Verdict

      The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is for those who want a smartphone that has it all, from a giant screen, massive main camera and mind-bending zoom magnification to a ground-breaking new chipset and “never say die” battery. The best part is it doesn't miss a beat while performing all these tasks and is giving the flagship iPhone a run for its money!

      If you like what you see, keep your eye on Mondo for the latest deals on the new Galaxy S23 range from South Africa’s leading network providers. Conveniently compare prices and easily apply for a smartphone contract that ticks all your boxes!

      TECH NEWS

      Samsung’s 100 Megapixel Camera is Coming!

      It’s no secret that the camera has always been the smartphone’s strongest selling point. With the growing popularity of social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook, users have become photo-centric, constantly chasing after the best cameras to produce the best pictures to share with their followers. In fact, digital camera sales have taken a dip since the rise of the camera phone, which allows users to carry one device that performs many functions rather than purchasing a specific device for each of their needs. The first phone with a built-in camera was manufactured by Samsung in the year 2000. This digital camera could take up 20 photos at 350 000-pixels, or 0.35-megapixels, but you could only access your photos by connecting to a computer. By the year 2003, camera phones were becoming more popular with better specs and lower prices. In 2004, Sprint released a phone with a 1.3-megapixel camera that could capture images, share them wirelessly and even allowed you to print them. Finnish manufacturer Nokia jumped on the bandwagon in 2005 and released a 2 megapixel camera on their N90 model. Shortly after, the world was introduced to Sony Ericsson, whose aim was to steal the crown from Nokia. They adopted Sony’s Cybershot digital camera branding, which earned them first place in the camera phone market. The Sony Ericsson K800i was released in 2006 with a 3.2-megapixel camera that had auto focus, image stability and a Xenon flash. The baton was passed back to Samsung when they released the first ever 5-megapixel camera and then the 8 megapixel camera in 2008. The smartphone camera race continued, with Samsung appearing to be the winner with their release of the M8910 Pixon 12, which had a 12MP camera, in 2009. However, they were soon bested by Nokia’s N8 in 2010 and then the 16MP Sony Ericsson S006 that came at the end of 2010. Fast forward a few years and Samsung are at it again! To maintain their position in the market, the technology giant has decided to partner up with Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi to create the world’s first 108-megapixel camera. Current high-end smartphones typically host cameras with between 12 and 16-megapixel resolutions, so a 108 megapixel camera would be a massive improvement to the conventional smartphone camera. The Isocell Bright HMX is designed to shoot incredibly detailed photos and is said to be comparable to a top DSLR camera. You can expect to capture better low-lit images as this camera will merge pixels to absorb more light. In terms of video recording, no smartphone camera will have better capabilities than this one. It will be capable of shooting up to 6K resolution at 30 frames per second which is very impressive compared to the 4K resolution at 60 frames per second limit of other smartphones. It’s been predicted that Xiaomi will release a smartphone with a similar camera before Samsung does, and even though Samsung has announced that production on these camera lenses begun at the end of August, they’ve remained tight-lipped about when we’ll be seeing a device with the 108-megapixel camera on the shelves.

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      Samsung Galaxy A Series: Flagship Experiences on a Budget

      South Korean electronics manufacturer Samsung has blazed a trail in the local smartphone market with the launch of their mid-tier A series cell phones that give their more expensive flagship counterparts a run for their money. Most likely, this range was created in response to stiff competition in the mid-tier smartphone category from the likes of Chinese rivals Huawei and Xiaomi. The company launched the Galaxy A2 Core, A10, A20, A30, A50, A70 and the A80 in South Africa this year, with the A90 expected soon. The A Series is a welcome change in pace for the company’s mid-tier devices, as the range now offers you a premium look and feel at a lower cost, as well as upgrades to the internals to give these devices more power and features, such as triple-lens camera systems on selected models. Let’s take a quick look at each model in the Galaxy A range: Galaxy A2 Core A simple but powerful entry-level device, the Galaxy A2 Core features the Android Go operating system, which is designed to optimise performance through the device’s hardware. Android Go is a lite version of the OS but allows devices like the A2 Core to offer a smooth user experience at an affordable cost. The A2 Core also features 5 MP cameras on the rear and face of the device and can support an SD card of up to 512GB, complementing its 8GB or 16GB of onboard storage. This will allow the user to cram more music and pictures into the device. The A2 Core also comes fitted with a 5-inch display. Galaxy A10 & A20 The Galaxy A10 and Galaxy A20 smartphones have many similarities. While both come with the Android 9.0 operating system, one of the most distinct differences is the screen size, as the A10 features a 6.2-inch display, while the A20 features a slightly larger 6.4-inch AMOLED display. Both devices feature the same processor, with the A10 featuring 2GB of RAM and the A20 fitted with 3GB of RAM. Another major difference between the devices is that the A20 features a dual 13MP and 5MP rear camera, while the A10 offers a 13MP rear camera. The A20 offers an 8MP front camera versus the A10’s 5MP shooter. Both smartphones pack 32GB of internal storage. Galaxy A30 & A50 The A30 and A50 smartphones set a new benchmark for affordable smartphones in the mid-tier category. The A30 comes with 64GB of onboard storage, while the A50 offers a massive 128GB of storage. Both devices feature a gorgeous 6.4-inch AMOLED display, the Android 9.0 operating system, 4GB of RAM and all-day battery-life thanks to a colossal 4000 mAh battery, usually found in premium smartphones. The A50 smartphone features a triple rear camera setup with a 25MP, 8MP and 5MP cameras offering great wide screen shots, while the A30 features a dual 16MP and 5MP rear camera configuration. The A50 sports a powerful 25MP selfie camera and the A30 a 16MP front camera. Galaxy A70 & A80 Essentially competing in the premium smartphone segment, the A80 is set to become one of the most unique smartphones available on the South African market. The A80 will feature one of the first pop-up rotating camera modules, consisting of a powerful 48MP wide lens, 8MP ultra-wide lens and a Time of Flight (TOF) 3D camera to capture not only images from the rear but also for selfies. The device sports a 3700mAh battery and 128GB of onboard storage, with a 6.7-inch display. The Galaxy A70 features a slightly larger 4500mAh battery compared to the A80 but will run off the same processor and operating system – Android 9.0. The A70 smartphone features a triple camera module consisting of a 32MP lens, 8MP wide-angle lens and 5MP depth sensing lens with a 32MP selfie camera. Read the reviews: Galaxy A2 Core Galaxy A10 Galaxy A20

      Read More...