Tech that: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

Available from Samsung, Amazon, John Lewis, Curry’s and more

RRP: From £1,249

What is it? The Galaxy S23 Ultra is Samsung’s yearly top-of-the-line smartphone with pretty much every feature a user could want.

Plus points

• Samsung’s design and build quality are still top notch and impressive. The phone is boxier than last year’s and fits nicer in the hand with a good amount of heft.
• The phone is more sustainable than last year’s with double the amount of recycled metal, glass and plastic used.
• Screens are where Samsung always shines. This year is no different. Colours are bight, the screen is sharp and gets very bright in direct sunlight.
• Last year’s processor was abysmal. This year Samsung has switched to using the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip and it does wonders for this phone in terms of speed and battery life alone. Samsung even worked with the manufacturer to optimise the chip for this device.
• I was able to easily get a full day out the battery of it with medium to heavy usage.
• As usual the cameras on this phone are exceptional. Photos come out punchy and crisp. There are also more camera modes than the average person would need including one that lets you take photos of 200 megapixels!
• Years of software updates means you’ll be able to use this phone well until 2027.

Nil points

• The S Pen stylus makes this phone unique and helps give it the Ultra moniker. I personally don’t find it very useful but for someone else it may be a killer feature.
• Whilst most other phones are offering super-fast charging, the S23 Ultra still charges at 45w speeds which isn’t terrible but could be much improved.
• As mentioned, this phone is boxy and huge. It’s a literal handful for people with small hands.
• The price will be limiting for a lot of people.

Rating: ✡✡✡✡✡

Verdict: For the majority of people the regular S23 and S23+ will be the best phone upgrade you’ve had in years but for those that want the biggest, best, feature-packed phone then the S23 Ultra is it.

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