1,419 euros, no less. This is a price that closes the debates around the prospect of affording, or not, the new premium smartphone from Samsung. It will therefore be a “no” for the most part, both the price of the Galaxy S23 Ultra (in 256 GB) makes it inaccessible. Moreover, in an economic context where the least of our expenses are constrained by the effects of inflation… But as with a luxury car that you can never buy, it is not forbidden to make a little tour of the track with to discover what it has to offer. That’s what it did 20 minutes by testing the new terminal flat out.
200 megapixels on the counter
In addition to its power (with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor), the quality of its 6.8-inch Amoled screen, its resistance (IP68), its stylus (we tend to forget that one!), the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s biggest argument is the photo. Samsung dropped its bomb by shipping a 200 megapixel* sensor (the Samsung Isocell HP2). The manufacturer’s argument: “allow photographers to flush out details in an image that they would not see with the naked eye”. OK, but at this price, what can these 200 megapixels be used for on a daily basis?
First, the Galaxy S23 Ultra does not shoot natively in 200 megapixels (but in 12.5 megapixels). You must therefore activate the function manually if you want shoot in 200 megapixels. This produces an image with a definition of 16,320 x 12,240 pixels, and a file weighing between 30 and 40 MB! Beware of storage space… Indeed, it will be possible to choose a detail to crop without the image being (too) degraded.
But this influx of pixels on the sensor has other virtues. Among them, offering in unfavorable light conditions brighter images of 12.5 megapixels by default. On the sensor, 16 photosites (these small photoelectric cells that transform light into electricity) are combined into a single pixel). When the light is more plentiful, the S23 Ultra will this time pack four photosites into one pixel and produce stunning 50-megapixel images. It is the technology of pixel binning. There, no need to be an expert photographer to see the difference with the naked eye: the photos of the S23 Ultra are stunning.
Stunning zoom up to x100
Another advantage of this 200 megapixel sensor: store a maximum of information so that the photo taken is better analyzed and restored. This time, the S23 Ultra is running its algorithms and its on-board AI to play at the top of the class…
Additional advantage: facilitate focusing on a subject by using four adjacent photosites as reference points and no longer just one. Logical that on arrival, the photos are sharper, with more depth. Last advantage (and not least): boost the possibilities of the zoom of the smartphone. Optical up to x10 (where most competitors are up to x3), it is digital up to x100! This is not new to Samsung: from 2020, the Galaxy S20 Ultra already offered such a zoom. But the progress is immense, as we have seen.
Details invisible to the naked eye
Because if it is excellent in optics, the zoom of the S23 Ultra does not demerit in digital. You can easily zoom up to x30 without the image being degraded. If things get a little tougher afterwards, with increasingly smoother views, more visible pixels and large clusters of colors, there are still photos that can easily be saved.
What’s amazing is that the Galaxy S23 Ultra doesn’t suffer too many stabilization issues when zoomed in like this. It is almost possible to hold the smartphone with one hand and get a sharp image. It is thus surprising to go from ultra wide-angle to x100 zoom (see our video). We also quickly become aware of the incredible possibilities offered by the S23 Ultra… Until we can read a remote panel by zooming in, while it is indecipherable to the naked eye. The manufacturer knows how to make its four rear sensors work together to get the best out of it.
The best, what next?
So it will be easy to say that Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is the best Android smartphone available in the market. To say that investing in its purchase is justified is another. Because if you love photography to the point of being able to spend more than 1,400 euros for your passion, it is obviously towards a case and optics that you will turn to. At the same budget, you can currently buy a hybrid photo camera in kit form, such as the Nikon Z fc (with 16-50 and 50-250 mm lenses), and let your creativity express itself, without having to question the quality. of his pictures.
Still, the technical progress displayed by Samsung with its Galaxy S23 Ultra augurs new global improvements in the world of smartphone photography. The pressure on Apple, whose iPhone 15 is looming in a few months, has never been stronger.
*Galaxy S23 Ultra: 200mm wide-angle sensor (23mm equivalent; f/1.7) + 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle sensor (13mm; f/2.2) + 10-megapixel telephoto lens (230mm; f/4.0) ) + 10-megapixel telephoto lens (3x optical zoom, 69mm; f/2.4) + 12-megapixel front sensor (25mm; f/2.2).