I published my in-depth evaluation of the Galaxy S23 Ultra two months ago. I stated at the time that this device was similar to “déjà vu with minor modifications.” I hope that wasn’t interpreted negatively because it wasn’t the intention. The hardware is nearly identical to the Galaxy S22 Ultra from a year ago, and the internal changes are your standard processor and camera enhancements, so it’s like déjà vu. Without paying serious attention, one could not believe that the Galaxy S23 Ultra is an update that is worthwhile. After using the product for the past two months, I can unequivocally state that you should get this phone.
You can truly see what you appreciate about a phone after two months, but perhaps more significant is what you dislike. It’s a very short list of things about this phone that I don’t like. And they are quite choosy. For instance, I wish the rear cameras didn’t cause it to shake while it sat flat on surfaces. The world is not over because of that. It can occasionally be difficult to hold. That is to be expected because the phone is rather large. Then what? The app drawer on the vanilla launcher has pagination. Nerd, get a third-party launcher!
You know, my problems with the equipment might not even be considered problems. You certainly get what you pay for with this gadget when it comes to the crucial things, including screen brightness and clarity, camera performance, battery life, and durability. And every item on the list is of the highest caliber. The huge ole battery will easily last two days with proper usage, the cameras are amazing, and I’ve fallen this thing way too many times on hard surfaces (gym flooring and my LVP flooring at home) with no indications of damage yet. The display is magnificent and may be one of the greatest ever put on a phone. I anticipated that it would take a substantial phone experience to tempt me away from my Pixel 7 Pro for a while.
The shutter speed of the camera is the single feature of the Pixel 7 Pro that I actually miss. There is the tiniest lag between pressing the shutter button on the S23 Ultra and starting to shoot. As a result, photographing moving objects like a dog or person moving quickly can get a little irritating. You might need to go to the Pro Picture mode and manually adjust the shutter speed to resolve the problem. However, this can result in darker pictures, so we need to strike a balance between proper exposure levels and quick shutter speeds. There is no way to fix the sluggish processor and shutter speeds if you are utilizing the 200MP preset. That setting generates a ton of files, so it seems ideal.
