[Early Impressions] Galaxy S23 Ultra – Solid On All Fronts So Far

Samsung’s latest Galaxy S23 Ultra flagship phone is an impressive piece of mobile device that continues to challenge the boundaries of what we expect from a smartphone in 2023. With its sleek design, top-of-the-line features, and cutting-edge technology, it is no surprise that this device has been highly anticipated by tech enthusiasts and smartphone users alike.

The older S22 Ultra released last year had a clean and premium design that the S23 Ultra adopted to a tee, including the IP68 rating and near-identical dimension and weight (78.1 x 163.4 x 8.9mm, 234 grams). While some of my friends and family have commented that they wished the S23 Ultra looked a bit more distinguishable with a new design, I actually don’t mind seeing this design for another year. But I reckon Samsung will have to be more creative than this for their new S24 Ultra next year unless they are ready to be called lazy or unadventurous.

We got our hands on a beautiful Cream-coloured S23 Ultra but the phone is also available in three other colours – Phantom Black, Green, and Lavender. The front and back of the phone are covered in Gorilla Glass Victus 2, protected with an aluminum frame on all sides. When held in hand, it feels large and sturdy and the matte-looking surface at the back provides a scene free from stains and fingerprints, assuring owners of the phone’s handsome look when used without a casing.

The display screen of the Galaxy S23 Ultra is stunning. The phone boasts a massive 6.8-inch AMOLED screen with a resolution of 3088 x 1440 pixels. The colours are bright, vibrant, and accurate, and the screen is incredibly sharp, making it ideal for streaming videos, playing games, or browsing the web. The display also features a 120Hz refresh rate, which makes scrolling through apps and menus feel buttery smooth.

The camera on the Galaxy S23 Ultra is another standout feature. The device is equipped with a quad-camera setup, which includes a 200-megapixel primary camera (which is an impressive upgrade), a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera, a 10-megapixel periscope telephoto camera, and a 3D Time-of-Flight sensor. This setup allows users to take stunning photos in a variety of lighting conditions, and the camera’s impressive zoom capabilities make it possible to capture even the most distant subjects with clarity.

The phone also starts with 12GB RAM onward, powered by the powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy chip that promises speedy performance. From my day-to-day experience so far, the phone has consistently managed to impress. My older S22 Ultra, for example, struggled to run Genshin Impact at 60 FPS without the phone’s temperature sulking. But the S23 Ultra managed it without so much of a hiccup.

As far as the first impression goes, the S23 Ultra looked solid on all fronts but the real test has yet to begin. I’d love to talk more about the phone’s performance in other areas in more detail like its cameras or if it can handle the most demanding mobile games out there, how its battery life keeps up in various scenarios, and more. But I’ll need more time to do this ‘test drive’ and will return soon with my full review of this exciting Galaxy S23 Ultra phone.

If you are in Malaysia and have made up your mind about getting the phone, then head over here to find out more about the deals and offers you can get from Samsung when you pre-order the phone before February 23 this year. You could get an upgrade of twice the storage space for free when buying within this period. You don’t want to miss it. But otherwise, I’ll see you in the next article.