Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: What do we know about the top 3 new features?

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is here, and brings a lot of cool new features. Here are the top three you’ll like to see.

The S23 Ultra was released last week and you’ve probably already seen a lot of news about it. At £1249 (starting) the price tag is fairly hefty, as most flagship phones come with a high price nowadays.

Despite the expense, what are that things that stand out the most? There are three major updates, namely the extraordinary 200MP camera sensor, its Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Chip, improved videography with 4K at 60 frames per second.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is the ultimate camera phone, boasting a 200 MP sensor, 100x zoom, and the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy. You can record 8K video clips at 30 FPS and enjoy seamless performance during intensive games, thanks to the enlarged vapour chamber (allowing for cooling).

Not to mention the 256GB base storage — if you pre-order from Samsung, it will double this up to 512GB for free.

The four colours of S23 Ultra phones with five cameras on each. — That’s a lot of cameras! (Image: Samsung)

Photography

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra’s 200MP camera is a standout feature, made even more impressive by the integration of Adaptive Pixel technology and powerful processing capabilities.

The phone offers versatility with multiple shooting modes, including a 12MP mode that uses 16:1 pixel binning to produce clearer images in low light. These features make the S23 Ultra a potential game-changer for photography enthusiasts.

The S23 Ultra offers a 50MP mode as a middle ground option that balances the noise reduction of pixel binning with high resolution detail. This mode is ideal for bright daylight shots, providing cropping potential and ample resolution.

The ISOCELL HP2 chip that powers the camera is packed with advanced technology to enhance still photography. Samsung has emphasised the sensor’s increased “full-well capacity,” providing greater flexibility for shooting in a variety of lighting conditions. Overall, the S23 Ultra promises an improved photography experience.

Image of a microchip — Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy. — Samsung partnered with Qualcomm to develop a special overclocked variant of the chip (Image: Samsung)

It’s processor

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is powered by the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, which offers a 34% increase in CPU, 41% in GPU, and 49% in NPU performance.

Samsung partnered with Qualcomm to develop a special overclocked variant of the chip called “Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy,” which is exclusive to Galaxy devices.

This variant may give the S23 Ultra a slight advantage over other Android flagships with the same chip.

Also, its good to know that Samsung has decided to only use the Snapdragon chip for all S23 models worldwide, instead of its in-house Exynos chips, ensuring uniform performance across all regions.

The S23 Ultra can make videos in 4K at 60 FPS or 8K at 30 FPS. — The S23 Ultra can make videos in 4K at 60 FPS or 8K at 30 FPS (Image: Samsung)

Making films

The 8K video mode on the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra has been improved when compared to its predecessor.

The S23 Ultra now features 8K at 30 FPS and a wider field of view, thanks to the powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor. And although 8K video requires a lot of storage, it does offer some benefits such as cropping potential in good light.

For most situations, the 4K/60p Super HDR mode is a more practical option. The main camera has a 2X wider correction angle for Optical Image Stabilization to reduce camera shakes. The device has improved its low-light video performance by tuning its image-processing algorithms to reduce noise, overexposure, and excessive colour saturation.

And the new Astro Hyperlapse mode lets you capture hyperlapse videos of the night sky.