SMARTPHONE FRENZY

Got the cash to splash on a sparkly stunner or a flashy foldable? Maybe you’d rather stick to a bargain blower? This year’s phone crop has something for everyone, and we’ve rounded up the best…

[ Words Basil Kronfli & Tom Morgan-Freelander ]

SAMSUNG GALAXY S23 ULTRA

The Galaxy S23 Ultra has alot to live up to. Not only did its predecessor pick up where the retired Galaxy Note left off, but it also packed some of the most capable cameras of any Android. What else was Samsung’s new hero model to do but continue to embrace the S Pen and double down on photography?

There haven’t been big visual changes, with the firm’s designers focusing on the more mainstream Galaxy S23 and S23+ (see p39) this year. But under the skin, a new 200MP main snapper promises even higher-quality shots regardless of lighting. Add in a custom-tuned version of the fastest mobile silicon currently doing the rounds and, on paper at least, the S23 Ultra does plenty to justify its high price.

Styling: sizeable

Even with curved glass that bends into the central metal frame, the S23 Ultra is still a big brute of a phone. Well, there are only so many ways to slim down while still making room for the integrated stylus. It’s big enough to want to use two-handed even without the S Pen, and at 234g there aren’t many non-folding phones that tip the scales further.

Samsung has mixed things up on the materials front, though, doubling the number of recycled components. This is also one of the first phones with Gorilla Glass Victus 2, which can survive a 1m drop straight onto concrete. The whole thing is IP68 water/dust-resistant, so it’ll also cope with a trip to the beach or an accidental dunking.

A fingerprint sensor sits underneath the display for biometric security. It’s quick, accurate, and placed high enough that you don’t need elastic thumbs.

Screen: sublime

Samsung makes some of the best phone screens around, so there’s no shock that its flagship model is so easy on the eyes. At 6.8in the S23 Ultra’s AMOLED panel is expansive, with a QHD+ resolution that ensures even tiny text looks pin-sharp, and an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate that makes routine scrolling look wonderfully smooth.

The curved display edges have a more subtle radius than they did on last year’s S22 Ultra, meaning there’s more flat surface area for S Pen doodles – and fewer distracting reflections.

Colours are a little on the vivid side but don’t stray too far from real life, and it does real justice to HDR10+ content, with near-infinite contrast. Brightness is also exceptional, hitting the same peak 1750 nits as its predecessor.

Performance: rapid

With no Exynos-equipped variants this time around, every S23 Ultra is powered by a Snapdragon processor. Qualcomm has turned up the wick at Samsung’s request, with higher clock speeds bringing epic performance.

It’s brilliantly responsive to taps and swipes, opens apps in a flash and multitasks like a dream. Split-screen apps using the S Pen were pretty much flawless in our tests, and games had no trouble running at high framerates even with the detail settings cranked.

Cameras: pixel-packed

It’s not the first 200MP cameraphone we’ve seen, but this one is first in line for Samsung’s homegrown HP2 sensor. As well as being able to take exceptionally detailed 200MP stills in good conditions, it uses 16-to-1 pixel binning for equally impressive low-light snaps.

The other rear lenses are unchanged, with a 12MP ultrawide and twin 10MP telephotos – one good for 3x optical zoom while the other delivers 10x and can pull off up to 100x digital zoom, albeit with diminishing returns as you add more magnification.

Focusing is exceptionally quick across all four lenses, which all deliver matching colour, contrast and exposure, but the clarity and detail on display from the main sensor is truly impressive.

Outdoors in good light, it can capture brickwork and facial features from a considerable distance without too much sharpening. Low-light snaps are stunning at times, with HDR working hard to expose bright neon signs while still preserving shadow detail.

The S23 Ultra cements Samsung’s position near the top of the tree for smartphone photography.

Stamina: plentiful

A more energy-efficient CPU helps the S23 Ultra comfortably stretch its 5000mAh battery to a full day away from the mains. Even under serious load, you can usually make it to the next morning before needing to top up. That’s a big improvement over the Exynos-powered S22 Ultra.

Samsung is still behind its rivals on charging speeds, though. Compared to the 120W abilities of Xiaomi, Motorola and others, a mere 45W over USB-C is pretty pedestrian. There’s no power brick in the box, so you’ll either need to have one kicking around already or buy one along with the phone.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra’s remit hasn’t changed, then: it’s still the very best of Samsung in a (non-folding) phone, with astonishing cameras and a productivity focus that few competitors can hope to match. It commands a high price as a result – but for sheer do-it-all ability, nothing else comes close.

from £1249 / go.stuff.tv/S23Ultra

TECH SPECS

● 6.8in 3088x1440 120Hz AMOLED

● Snapdragon 8 Gen 2

● 8/12GB RAM

● Android 13

● 256/512GB/1TB

● 200+10+10+12MP rear, 12MP front

● 5000mAh (USB-C, Qi)

● 163x78x8.9mm, 234g

STUFF SAYS Unrivalled productivity, superb photos, stellar performance: an incredible flagship ★★★★★

THE OTHER S23s

SAMSUNG GALAXY S23

With subtle styling changes and a similar set of cameras, the Galaxy S23 doesn’t look all that different from its predecessor. But a bigger battery, better CPU and brighter screen help streamline Samsung’s ‘affordable’ flagship.

It’s just as palm-friendly as the S22, only now it comfortably lasts all day. HDR videos look outstanding when the AMOLED panel hits its peak 1750 nits, and Samsung’s version of Android remains super-slick.

Daylight photo quality is still excellent, and clever processing means low-light performance is equally top tier. It’s not a giant leap forward, but the S23 still leads the mainstream pack.

from £849 / go.stuff.tv/S23

KEY SPECS

● 6.1in 2340x1080 AMOLED

● Snapdragon 8 Gen 2

● 50+12+ 10MP rear, 12MP front

● 3900mAh

● 146x71x7.6mm, 168g

STUFF SAYS ★★★★✩

The S23 plays it safe, but it’s the compact Android flagship to beat

SAMSUNG GALAXY S23+

Meet the Galaxy phone of choice for anyone who finds the regular S23 just a tad too small… but can’t justify the cash for the Ultra. The S23+ packs a bigger display than the vanilla model and has a larger, faster-charging battery.

Otherwise you’re looking at identical specs, which means a camera trio that’s capable in all lighting conditions, a powerful CPU and the latest version of the OneUI interface… plus a design that’s largely unchanged from last year, save the simplified rear camera arrangement.

We don’t think it justifies the price jump from the regular S23 when rivals offer more versatile cameras and better battery life.

from £1049 / go.stuff.tv/S23

KEY SPECS

● 6.6in 2340x1080 AMOLED