Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra gets a 200MP sensor, retains S Pen

Photo: Samsung

Samsung's brought the biggest camera upgrade to its flagship phone. The new Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra gets a new 200-megapixel sensor, which is roughly double the resolution of its predecessor. That big leap with megapixels won't mean you get the best quality on its own. Sensor size, speed, and image processing algorithms all play a role. Samsung has emphasized the artificial intelligence capabilities of the S23 series when it comes to improving its night photography and videography.

As with other larger sensors, Samsung employs pixel binning on its main sensor, which means you get 12-megapixel photos by default. You do have the option to shoot the full 200-megapixel resolution, which Samsung sees as a use case for those who want large prints of their photos. There's also a 50-megapixel mode if you wanted something in between.

Samsung made the selfie cameras identical for the S23 lineup with an improved 12-megapixel sensor. So, in the case of the Galaxy S23 Ultra, it gets a downgrade from the 40-megapixel sensor on the S22 Ultra. The company wants you to focus on AI improvements when it comes to object identification. So, it should be better at distinguishing people from their backgrounds.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra has the same zoom capabilities as its predecessor, offering an optical zoom at 3x or 10x magnification and up to a 100x digital zoom. Like its predecessor, it uses two 10-megapixel telephoto cameras to make this happen. This flagship phone can now also record 8K video at 30 frames per second (a boost from the S22 Ultra's 8K at 24fps).

 Photo: Samsung

Another change on the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is the new special version of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor. According to Samsung, this should offer faster performance, but that's something to be tested in real-life conditions. 

The S Pen is back on this phone, with improved text extraction features and support for Google's suite of apps. So, if you want to write things down instead of typing them out, you can do that here. The S Pen is also still a useful remote shutter for the default Camera app. 

Samsung hasn't increased the 5,000mAh battery on this phone. Instead, it focused on increasing the vapour chamber to improve heat management and battery efficiency. The S23 Ultra will be available in 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage options. You can get it in black, cream, lavender, and green. There are Samsung-exclusive colours in lime, graphite, red, and sky blue.

Graphic: Samsung 

This 6.8-inch phone is now protected by Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and supports an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz. Samsung boasts about the inclusion of recycled materials in the S23 Ultra's design. For the first time, it has ocean-bound plastics for some of the external components. 

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is now available for pre-order, with the phones coming to stores starting February 17. You can get it through Samsung directly or through carriers and other retailers. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is priced at $1,649.99 for the 256GB option, $1,889.99 for the 512GB one, and $2,209.99 for the 1TB Samsung exclusive option.

It's worth checking out Samsung's special trade-in and pre-order deals, which can get you discounts on other Samsung accessories and devices, a free Samsung Care+ plan, and an option to double your storage for free.

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