Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

Samsung's 2023 flagship is here to rule the Android market. But is it really enough of an upgrade?

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From £1,249 samsung.com

Is the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra the best Android phone you can lay your hands on in 2023? Spoiler alert: there's a high chance the answer is a resounding 'yes'.

However, that 'yes' does come with caveats. The new flagship just isn't all that different to its predecessor, the S22 Ultra. It's also more expensive year on year, making it really pricey (not Apple pricey, mind you). Clearly, those points might affect whether you consider buying an S23 model or not.

Plus ça change

The two biggest new features in the S23 Ultra are the all-new 200-megapixel main camera and inclusion of Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 platform. But that's not all: there are additional tweaks and changes too. The design, for example, has increased the curvature of the screen's edges, providing a greater flat surface area - particularly useful for S Pen stylus use right across the panel.

In addition to yet more recycled parts making up the device, the Galaxy S23 Ultra now comes in four colours: Phantom Black, Cream, Green, Lavender. Well, it's kind of eight if you include the Sky Blue, Lime, Red and Graphite options but, as those are only available direct from Samsung, you're less likely to see them around quite so much. Which is a bit of a shame.

Other than the colour options, however, it's business as usual. That's to say the Galaxy S23 Ultra looks just like its predecessor. Which some people might think is lazy. We think about it differently though: the flagship Galaxy has an iconic design, really. Even the S23 Plus and smaller S23 models now ape the Ultra's design language, making the trio a proper little family in terms of looks.