The fully refreshed Galaxy S23 Ultra is now officially on sale with this device getting a faster Snapdragon processor, an improved 6.8-inch screen and an S Pen tucked inside its more eco-friendly shell. There’s also a major update to the rear camera system with the S23 Ultra now featuring a 200-megapixel lens that not only shoots pixel-packed images during the day but also much brighter photos when the sun goes down.
This rear snapper also gets improved image stabilisation and a new Astro mode lets users shoot stunning images of the stars.
As you can read in our full Galaxy S23 Ultra review we were left hugely impressed by Samsung’s latest upgrade but it appears the firm’s latest efforts can beat some of its biggest rivals.
According to the camera experts at DXOMARK, the S23 Ultra comes behind a swathe of other devices including Google’s Pixel 7 Pro, Apple’s iPhone 14 and the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra. However, perhaps the biggest shock is that the current leader of the camera crop is Huawei’s Mate 50 Pro.
Yes, this arch-enemy of Samsung is DXOMARK’s favourite smartphone for snapping photos.
According to the camera aficionados, the S23 Ulltar performed well for its consistent performance, good autofocus and strong telephoto function which offers 100X zoom. However, some loss of image detail in low light, shutter lag plus exposure and focus instabilities meant it didn’t get top marks.
In fact, the S23 Ultra currently sits in joint 10th place on DXOMARK’s leaderboard.
Although the Mate 50 Pro also suffered slight shutter lag, it’s been commended for high-quality images in all lighting conditions along with having excellent colour great images from the ultra-wide camera.
Although the Mate 50 Pro is the clear winner in the DXO test it still has the issue of no access to Android, Google apps or 5G.
That’s due to the current US ban which has been in place since 2019.
Here are the full top 10 cameras according to DXO Mark
Huawei Mate 50 Pro • DXO SCORE 149
Google Pixel 7 Pro • DXO SCORE 147
Honor Magic4 Ultimate • DXO SCORE 147
iPhone 14 Pro Max • DXO SCORE 146
iPhone 14 • DXO SCORE 146
Huawei P50 Pro • DXO SCORE 143
Apple iPhone 13 Pro • DXO SCORE 141
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max • DXO SCORE 141
Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra • DXO SCORE 141
Google Pixel 7 • DXO SCORE 140
Galaxy S23 Ultra • DXO SCORE 140