Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Review: A Dominant Android Phone

by Myriam Joire — Monday, February 13, 2023, 10:29 AM EDT

Page 3:
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Software Experience, Pricing And Review Conclusion
- Page 1: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: Qualcomm's Powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 And A Wild 200MP Camera Make This Android Phone Shine
- Page 2: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Audio Quality, Performance And Battery Life

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Software And User Experience

The Galaxy S23 Ultra runs Android 13 with Samsung's One UI 5.1 skin. Although we much prefer Google and Moto’s simple, lightweight, and close-to-stock Android user experience, it’s clear that One UI offers a comprehensive set of features that cater to a broader range of users. Our only real beef with Samsung's skin is the need to scroll horizontally to navigate the app tray, which just isn’t very intuitive.

Besides the launcher’s quirks, we're also not a huge fan of Samsung’s keyboard. Obviously, these are minor grievances that can easily be fixed by installing a third-party launcher and keyboard, such as Nova and Gboard, which are my personal favorites. As for the S23 Ultra's S-Pen, it’s pretty much identical to the S22 Ultra’s. Functionality is the same as well, so there’s nothing new to report there.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra with S-Pen

You can quickly take a note by simply removing the S-Pen from its slot and writing on the display, even when the phone is locked. The S-Pen can be used as a camera remote through a variety of button presses and gestures. Additionally, the S-Pen supports handwriting to text conversion, and lets you outline anything on the screen and paste it as a clip art into a note, which is both fun and practical.

Finally, we were pleasantly surprised by the lack of bloatware on my unlocked S23 Ultra review unit. Apart from Google and Samsung’s familiar apps, the only preinstalled app was Microsoft's OneDrive, which was easy to disable. Samsung's commitment to providing 4 years of OS updates and 5 years of security updates is another major bonus.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Pricing And Competition

You can pre-order the Galaxy S23 Ultra today, and it ships on Feb 17. Here in the US, it’s available for $1,199 from Samsung, Best Buy, and Amazon, plus all three carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon). Then again, you’ll probably pay less if you keep an eye on the various launch deals, trade-in offers, bring-one-get-one sales, and installment plans available from Samsung, its retail partners, and the carriers.

In terms of competition, consider the freshly minted OnePlus 11 5G ($699), which also packs a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, but it lacks wireless charging and is really more of a Galaxy S23+ rival. Then there’s Google’s fantastic Pixel 7 Pro ($899), and Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro ($999 and $1099). Finally, for those living abroad, the recent SnapDragon 8 Gen 2-equipped flagships from Moto, Xiaomi, Vivo, and RedMagic are contenders that one might take into consideration as well.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Final Analysis

On the surface, it’s easy to brush off the Galaxy S23 series as just a trio of evolutionary Samsung phones – a predictable and boring update to last year’s S22 series. The S23 Ultra, in particular, simply appears to be a revised S22 Ultra, with a speedy new SoC and a fancy new 200MP primary shooter. However, that would be a narrow-minded perspective, because those tweaks make the Galaxy S23 Ultra an even better phone.

Between its premium design, stunning display, top-notch cameras, broad 5G support, excellent audio, superb performance, and exceptional battery life, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is just a phenomenal flagship. And once you take into account the various discounts available for this handset, it becomes even harder to resist. The only real drawback, in our opinion, is Samsung's somewhat overbearing approach to the software experience.

If you’re coming from a Galaxy S22 Ultra – or even an S21 Ultra – you probably don’t need to upgrade, unless you’re a mobile photography enthusiast. But for those currently using an older Samsung flagship - like an S20 Ultra or Note 20 Ultra – the S23 Ultra is a very worthy upgrade. Ultimately, if you’re looking for a phone that offers everything but the kitchen sink, few other handsets on the market right now can match the new Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.