Galaxy S23 Ultra Review: Not So Boring After All

With the rise of foldables, the new Galaxy S23 Ultra might not be the most exciting phone in Samsung’s lineup anymore. Especially this year, I mean - it essentially looks identical to last year's model & on paper - the list of noteworthy changes is pretty small. You might even call this phone boring and that’s probably fair based on first impressions, but here’s the thing - maybe you don’t need your phone to be exciting. Maybe you just want the most refined, reliable, feature-rich package that Samsung has to offer. Well, that’s exactly what you get with the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
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#galaxys23ultra #galaxys23 #samsung

[@Thao]

🤔 Cream or Graphite color, which one looks better to you?

[@ibitaRaptor]

They both look great, Its like the Yin and Yang of the S23 Ultra color scheme.

[@Reginaldoz]

Sky blue for me

[@Xavier-be2mi]

Out of the choice, Graphite, but I ordered the red.

[@rblythin]

I'd go cream. Watching on my beige fold 4 (same colour). On both, I feel it's the most subtle yet elegant colour. Needs to be seen in person to truly appreciate how good it looks!

[@FlubFlubber]

I have lavender color.

[@Chocolatechipwitches]

Coming from Note 9 to the S23 Ultra definitely feels like a major upgrade, especially with the photo and video quality. Can't wait to see what they will come after 4-5 years lol Aww, the baby is sooo cute 💕

[@Nwordplzplz]

Thanks for posting this. I'm upgrading to the S23 Ultra from my Galaxy Note 10+. I'll notice the upgrades as well.

[@kiranbabupk5937]

Same here..note 9 to s23 ultra...its a major major major upgrade...its sooo good

[@Chocolatechipwitches]

@Kiran Babu PK yes, I'm very happy with it. Also, the switch and the synchronisation from the Note 9 to the S23 Ultra were very fast and rather painless, lol Love it!

[@kiranbabupk5937]

@@Chocolatechipwitches yea...smart switch is awesome...

[@ChrisCarlos64]

Fellow Note 9 user here still. Congrats on your upgrade and I wish you the best with your new phone. I am thinking of squeezing one more year out of this baby, but we will see if it has other plans lol otherwise I may join you on the upgrade too 😂

[@greyhamlogan2255]

"Phones nowadays are more about refinement". Your reviews are excellent, you include your personal preferences which helps us to make an informed decision.

[@prettyugly]

Having both the S22 ultra S23 ultra , I feel that the S23 is samsung refining and improving what was an already great phone. Instead of creating features just for the sake of it, they have made what was great even better, and improved on what was not so great. I think more companies should do this, instead of creating features to justify spending outlandish amounts of money yearly, especially when the features feel rushed and feel like ideas which were not implemented fully.

[@jonpeach5851]

Can you confirm if the s23 ultra has this then thanks

[@FreeBrainful]

Samsung user celebrating something that Apple has been doing for 10 years

[@prettyugly]

@@jonpeach5851 has what, the improvements? Yes. It feels more refined for me. There isn't anything too spectacular and new, but you can feel the improvements from last year. Even the screen feels stronger and overall better.

[@prettyugly]

@@FreeBrainful and so?

[@mac8669]

It's still definitely not a worthy upgrade from the s22 ultra though

[@ragingchico9109]

Thank you for doing this review and walkthrough. Most of the big names are making the reviews feel like a hassle. I'm switching over from iPhone 13 Pro Max to the S23 Ultra and this video made me feel better for switching.

[@philipjeconiah4905]

Well that’s not a bad decision as really the only thing you’ll slightly lose is social media experience and video recording, asides those, good decision

[@DixieDawg71]

I'm thinking of doing the same. The things holding me back is my airtags and my apple watch.

[@Junispro31]

​​​@@philipjeconiah4905Samsung is focusing on partnerships with social media companies to improve their post images on their flagship

[@akeyleahriddle7477]

i made the switch from the 13 pro and i honestly cannot complain, on the s23s they made it super easy to transfer data from apple over to your new Samsung. Its been about 4 days and this honestly just feels like a glorified iphone at times. i did have to say goodbye to my apple watch. The price point and some of these newer features made me switch.

[@PARABOLA1966]

​@@philipjeconiah4905 Never been happier with with my, Samsung experience. Apple has always been, over-rated...

[@NeroRedgraveXIII]

For me here in Germany, the biggest improve is, that we finally have the Snapdragon Version.

[@enoughSaiduk]

I've ordered mine, I have the S21 Ultra, I've decided to trade mine in, and I chossen one of the special colours 'Sky Blue' Cant wait to recieve it. Excellent video. Keep it up.

[@YoRHa_SAIYAN]

Good choice 👍🏻

[@ygorc]

Great video, always an excellent review! Could share what is the app for your animated snow background? Ive seen animated lock screens but not animated home screen background... Thanks!

[@vaseemthakur3423]

Great review as usual. I would like to add that Spen is still underrated by many. It’s very useful while photo editing for masking feature when using snapseed. I jst love it.

[@maikaimakena9424]

I loved learning about the Standby battery 🔋 drain didn’t drain that much. I’m bored with the iPhone and want more feature. Can you please 🙏 do a what to expect when switching and common issues and how to move past them.

[@jaggrassmann]

I love your videos! Very informative. What Theme are you using. I want it. 😊

[@benhaze1010]

Another fantastic review. I am surprised that in my opinion (based on your pictures) this Samsung phone takes much better pictures than the Pixel7 Pro does which is usually being recognized as the top dog for this. I have a hard time accepting the premium pricing for flagship phones in Canada but when you travel the Ultra is so good at taking pictures that I feel you can leave behind the digital camera and not regret it doing so. Samsung UI and stylus are just bonus coming along to enjoy.

[@jonpeach5851]

The s22ultra camera ois rattles when you shake it side to side does the s23 ultra do that two thanks

[@SC2point0]

Hey Thao! Few things... 1. Dang, Ren is 6 months already?! 2. That muffin looked fantastic! 3. Shoutout Tori and JoJo! 4. Your Nike Blazer Lows are dope. 5. I was looking for Drake sitting on the edge of the CN Tower when you zoomed in lol. 6. Thanks for the great review as always, I think I might hold off until the Fold 5 or S24 Ultra.

[@acandmishra]

Thao your work is incredible , the efforts you take are clearly visible and the videos are genuinely helpful and knowledge imparting... keep doing the good stuff

[@FlyYouFools88]

I purchased it for the snapdragon upgrade, I think this is a huge turning point for Samsung and yes next year's redesign will be epic. They have aligned the s line to be consistent this year. Really looking forward next year's model as this phone is already 👌

[@Geris33red]

Great video, how do i get that amizing wallpaper?

[@zckom]

Didn't plan to upgrade at first but my old N20U is slowly dying on me. Traded it in for a great deal after the pre-order. Limited color choices for me, so I go with the cream color. To my surprise, it looks great to me. S23U is the first phone that I ever had to have at least 1 day battery. Years back, my N20U will heat up badly when I am using my camera. Last night, I tried to shoot some photos with night mode and moon shot. The phone didn't heat up at all. Just nice and cold.

[@eyitayoajagbe3585]

Hey Thao, how has the book 3 ultra kept up. Looking forward to seeing your review

[@pjz96]

Can't wait for it to be here Monday! These videos are holding me over.

[@brandipittman9084]

Best review I’ve seen so far!!☺️ I didn’t know about the call/text feature. I believe I’m really going to enjoy my new S23 ultra, especially since I’ve been with iPhone for at least 8-10 years. I currently have the iPhone 11, and I COULD NOT wait to upgrade. Now that I have the chance, I’m SO excited!!☺️😁

[@faithxlove1]

Hi Thao! Do you have any personal favorites or good recommendations for Galaxy s23 ultra cases? Thanks!

[@UzumakiPain.]

This phone camera on another level, currently no phone can compete with it..

[@DaniloAvenoso]

The 10x optical zoom is so amazing, I can't live without it!

[@drmarioschannel]

Does it have the Pixels call center hold feature? Thanks Thao!!

[@petepaxton5109]

Ok I just subscribed. Your vids are amazing, comfortable, and very professional. I tend to learn more about the latest devices here. I'll keep my Fold 4 for now because I really like the tablet experience but the S23 seems really solid.

[@gracious1143]

Always love your videos, super good and super detailed and tackle the aspects of Samsung phones and features which are left untouched and I really appreciate that. Thank you Thao, great review

[@erronaut]

What weather widget are you using? It's beautiful!

[@halfmanamazing549]

Great review. Where can I get your live wallpaper.

[@TaylorABell]

That black border and blueish gray color looks awesome!

[@damn0869]

How do you have an animated wallpaper??? I can only do that through lockscreen

[@tahleb1030]

So happy they added that call feature, that is the only reason i got a pixel. That is a big feature if u receive alot of spam calls. I think that should be a feature on all phones.

[@nekhafathima2718]

Can you do a video on which tab Samsung or iPad good for note taking for a student who needs good storage and writing and storage experience

[@izon9452]

is it better to take photos when Scene Optimiser is off? thank you

[@M3RS4C63]

I'm coming from a Note 10 plus and feels great. This is like a S Klass going through face lifts and evolution... just phenomenal.

[@TechReviewTom]

Oh yeah man the upgrade from a note 10 is a worth it upgrade.

[@laurachristinecottrell7613]

Nice video, I have this same phone but in Lavender though !!!

[@klby30]

Hi Thao, may I know which charging brick are you using to get those charging speeds that you mentioned? Thanks!

[@SabrE_XVII]

Hi Thao, what's the grey coloured phone you showed early on. I guess it's the S22 Ultra but whats the colour called. Its so cool OML

[@cdknightcapetown]

What a totally honest review, and we applaud you for that!

[@MyBleedingInk]

I have an S21 Ultra. Would you recommend upgrading? It would be nice to have the pen built in, instead of needing this bulky phone case just to have the pen handy. But is that enough of a reason to upgrade to the 23 Ultra in your opinion?

[@jimnikolako89]

Finally, saw many reviews you re the first to mention this simpliest thing but yet usefull if worth mentioning that s pen can take pictures at short distance, All they were showing was drawings and notes on screen , finally!!

[@mikenorman95]

What's that first game you were playing on there?

[@hiravparekh8695]

Where can I get that wallpaper

[@guddumagicboy]

Always loved ur videos ❣️ Could you please do a camera comparision between Note 20 ultra and S23 ultra Thanks ( Have a wonderful day with ur family 💖 )

[@extra4542]

I want them to get rid of the curved screens already. It makes getting a proper fitting tempered glass screen protector impossible unless you wanna pay $40-50 for a UV glue one. A flat screen is also better for drop durability

[@MJoe-fb9ps]

Also, cute kid we recently had a baby boy…man he keeps us busy but also he is so much fun. Being a dad is the greatest.

[@hollygatto3812]

I still have my N20U and it's still working well. I was planning on holding onto it for a long time since Samsung was "getting rid of" the Note series. I'm not a foldable phone fan. They are just too thick. I'm happy to hear your reviews on the S23U. I feel better about what my options are since it does have the Spen. I use it a lot in my Note. For now, I'll keep hanging onto the Note for a good while. Let's hope they don't get rid of the Spen. Lastly, I think the S23U is just a Note phone with a better camera IMO. Thoughts?

[@dcuffie1424]

Going to the S23 Ultra from my N20 Ultra is a crazy upgrade. The Snapdragon alone is worth it. You literally get the best of the Note 20 with an amazing Camera upgrade. This thing is fast and smooth like...its ridiculous. This is worth the upgrade.

[@dhavalvaghela8263]

hi worth upgrading from s20 fe ?

[@note9greenscreenpandemic354]

advice at the end hit me pretty hard, and I'm really looking for an upgrade right now !

[@DaniloAvenoso]

The speakers sound pretty weak on the S23u, is that correct?

[@femmec6644]

Love your reviews! Also, your little one is too cute for words!❤

[@monkeybarmonkeyman]

Just got my green one yesterday. What you might want to get out to us is a review of screen protectors/cases 🙂

[@brodooski]

Do we want 4k on our phones? Heck yes! The better question is do we need it also yes. Doesn't feel necessary to shoot in 4k or 8k if you can't actually view it in it's original resolution.

[@aalokadhikari9684]

WAIT TILL YEAR 2027 YOU WILL GET MUCH MORE THAN YOU HAVE EXPECTED !!! GOOD LUCK!

[@viz7551]

Any comments on how the phone camera performs in lower lighting conditions and moving subjects (ie kids).

[@itzivizcaino7364]

You are right 😃 I upgraded my note10+ to the s23 Ultra and it has been a wonderful experience, the only thing is missing for me, is the expandable memory 🤔

[@marcusturner5291]

Nice review keep up the good work Thao Huynh

[@janwillemdevries]

Very nice review! I noticed that it really has improved the battery and performance since last year. Thank you for the good information 😊

[@phancan158]

How can you set your wallpaper is living

[@phancan158]

How can you set snow on your homescreen

[@laurasolis2781]

Hello I’m considering to switch my iPhone 14 pro max for an S23 Ultra. Any thoughts? 😊

[@JacobKatzGooglePlus]

First time watching one of your videos. Great job...informative, succinct, and enjoyable.

[@gemsandlasers269]

I use the hover to translate funtion of the pen a lot actually. I read Swiss news in German, and often encounter words and phrases that I don't fully understand. The fastest way to translate is using the pen. Plenty of us dealing with foreign languages who enjoy this funtion I imagine!

[@sidz0001]

heyyy you got the best colors available! which do you recommend more?

[@jackienewton3432]

Hi Thao. I have the S22 Ultra. I was waiting for your review. Thanks for your helping decide to keep what I already have. So Samsung, please stop sending incentives to upgrade.

[@FlubFlubber]

The smartphones are on their ass. They can't bring major updates anymore because everything they can do with a smartphone, it's all already there. The only thing they can do is to fine-tune the camera a bit every year and make the smartphone a bit faster and bring Samsung 8K 30fps that works better than the 8K 24fps ;). The battery life is also much better with the S23 Ultra, my S22 Ultra was not that good at all. They're not big upgrades anymore, but I feel those little upgrades pretty well. Everything works so smooth now. You have to turn off the animations in the settings, then the phone will go faster, you will also notice if you do or have done this with your S22 Ultra.

[@bumkrilla5339]

Well you know if you look at the stats for samsung majority of the people upgrade to a new samsung 2-3 years and most of the time they buy the last year's model for half off pretty much people that traded in there last year's model for the new one

[@UnseenSpirit]

If money isn't a big deal for you then go for it. -Better chip -Better RAM -Better read and write speed -Smoother -More on screen time -Slightly quicker to charge -Less lag on the pen -Better speakers -Better heat management -Better finger print scanner -Better cameras for pics or videos (less noise, less saturation, better dynamic range, more stability) -Can play games at the highest settings and also give better fps -Slightly better screen although max nits are the same For me, as a gamer & someone into phone photography, the battery life & camera is great.

[@UteGirlz]

If it doesn't break then keep it for 4-5 years. They're touting the 4-5 years of software updates aren't they?

[@jackienewton3432]

@UteZ Thanks. I generally do hold on to my phones for a while. I just upgraded from a note 10 to the S22 Ultra Plus.

[@ivanpostnikov5517]

Great video Thao! Thanks!❤

[@johnhlychho]

Great review, keep up the good work! 👍

[@tyricehicks5944]

Great review!

[@BigJeffroeX438]

Thanks once again for some amazing content keep up the good work

[@JoseGomez-en4pg]

Thao Huynh: Do we really want 4k screens on our phones Me: Yes so we can watch movies on 4k

[@mtripathi]

A true android user. Love your videos ❤❤ especially love to see how you’ve set up your phone.

[@jeremiahmwasele4259]

Those Portrait Mode Photos are so good.

[@mafzchowdhury2438]

Lookin to get this!!

[@jaynebartlett8794]

Hi could you do a latest s23 ultra review like a look since it came out with the latest new updates

[@Antonis24]

Great review Thao. Unfortunately the issue of high percentage of blurry photos of moving subjects (kids, pets etc) still persists, even with the S23 Ultra. Seems like the various "capture speed" settings in Camera Assistant don't help the situation much either. A shame really!

[@lucasrosen8362]

Indeed the shutter lag I saw on my friend's S23+ is the reason I stay with my S21U. I rather get a small digital camera like the Canon R50 for essentially the same price, with a changeable telephoto lens added.

[@gandharva1000]

Saw so many reviews of 23 ultra .. this video looked refreshing..I’m impressed

[@vernonleewarren280]

Great job as usual!

[@tuts4140]

That baby is so cute. Also I’ve been rocking my note 10 plus, it’s been one of my favorite galaxy phones ever. They say “if it’s not broken don’t fix it”. This year I decided to upgrade and get the 23 ultra in lavender. However I can’t seem to let go of my note 10, I’m keeping it for business use.

[@kamill15]

What better s22ultra exynos vs s23plus???

[@amigatommy7]

Miss the charging on my 1plusbut the 2022 model I have lasts almost 2 days. Might upgrade if I'm feeling flush.

[@tonybailey89]

I was patiently waiting on your review along with some others and my Galaxy Note 10+ has performed valiantly over the past nearly 4 years...but I decided to order the 1tb Galaxy S23 Ultra! Excellent review as always and congrats on the beautiful little baby! 👐🏾 🖤

[@TOUCHDOWNSLAMDUNKHOMERUNGOAL]

Do you mind doing an s23 vs s22 video please

[@dude_from_hell5590]

What's the music player

[@damiagunbiade]

I do have the Galaxy S22 Ultra and just got One UI 5.1. I would love to have the Galaxy S23 Ultra but I think the Galaxy S22 Ultra is just as good for me right now and I can't afford the new phone. However if your using one If the much older devices this might be a great choice for you. I love how Samsung aren't just putting features to boast but they are refining what was great last year and just improving those features.

[@ayaatmehraj]

I was waiting for this video as hell. 🥰 Please review xiaomi flagship phones as well.

[@stevebeil9599]

Is that the new weather widget with animated weather?

[@cielodreu6218]

I cant decide what will I get iphone 14 promax or s23 ultra still confuse 😅

[@jomh832]

The problem with the google operation. System still sucks they haven’t been able to fix some of their app like for example maps and that why I change to an apple phone since I am a delivery driver I need the map, more consistently and accuracy

[@Howie_fish]

Mine ETA 2/13. Cream color. Can't wait 😁

[@_EP794]

hey, Thao, I need your help can you do a what's on my s23 ultra

[@perriconemdbeauty43]

Great video. I switch between the Pixel 7 Pro and Fold 4. And between the Watch 5 and Pixel Watch. I enjoy watching your videos. Your daughter is the cutest little princess ❤❤❤❤. Greetings from Germany

[@julienalexander6113]

That phone looks fresh to me and I'm hearing alot of good things about it to

[@kimsatran7313]

I love your review. Are you Vietnamese?

[@chrisfanous8249]

What colour was the s23 ultra the other one that wasn't white

[@Anon1991]

I’ve ordered the graphite one, switching from 8 years with iPhones

[@kimbridge5592]

Great video

[@maherosman5655]

Something wonderful and beautiful, thank you for this clarification 🥰🥰🥰👍👍👍🥰🥰🥰

[@vazquez7871]

Yo Thao ... Does it come with a pre installed screen protector ?

[@Thao]

No it doesn't

[@spajettycate]

I LOVE IT!!! Can't wait for my pre-order 🤩🤩🤩

[@iog510]

I love that Jojo and Tori performance! Glad you’re hip.

[@sugar-spice38]

New subscriber on deck 😁