Galaxy S24 Ultra desperately needs a better camera: Galaxy S23 Ultra can no longer compete
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You could make the argument that the Galaxy S23 Ultra has been the most feature-rich, most “complete” flagship phone of 2023, and you won’t be wrong…
The Ultra ticks every box, and what’s even more impressive is how well it holds up against more recently released flagship phones at the end of the year - remember, the Galaxy S23 series came out in early 2023. That is with one exception, which (I feel) is the camera of this otherwise almost perfect flagship.
To be clear, I’m sure most people will be more than happy with the photos and videos coming out of the Galaxy S23 Ultra, and that’s because I’d also be happy with them… If Samsung’s flagship existed in isolation… But it doesn’t.
And it just so happens that quite literally weeks before the official unveiling of the much anticipated Galaxy S24 Ultra, we get another stark reminder of how “immature” the photography experience on the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s (and other last-gen, mainstream flagships like the iPhone 14 Pro) can be compared to the latest flagship challenger from China, called the Vivo X100 Pro.
I’m also throwing in my iPhone 15 Pro Max into this little “comparison”, as I want to explain exactly what makes the Galaxy S23 Ultra an “immature” camera, and why Samsung should work hard to turn it into a more authentic and balanced camera with the new Galaxy S24 Ultra.
I should start by saying that I didn’t take the samples comparing the Vivo X100 Pro and Galaxy S23 Ultra, since Vivo’s flagship hasn’t been released for the global market, and hence we haven’t gotten our hands on it… yet.
That being said, the image samples you’re looking at come from a trusted source with a great track record - YouTube blogger ЧЕСТНЫЙ БЛОГ (Chestniy Blog) who’s been reviewing and comparing smartphones for at least 12 years.
What also came in handy when going through this comparison is my basic understanding of the Russian language. Although, looking at these pictures, I doubt you’ll need to understand any language to see the overwhelming difference in quality between them.
I won’t go into a long rant about what Samsung gets wrong with the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s image processing (like I’ve done before), but it’s clear to see that we’re talking about lack of detail, lack of colors, overexposed highlights, and even bizarre artefacts like the green blob you see in the sky in the picture with the bridge.
Now, is this something new for the photos coming out of the Galaxy S23 Ultra? Not really. But as someone who’s had the phone since launch, I must say that I don’t remember the Galaxy S23 Ultra struggling to keep up with the competition this much, and I think I might have a hunch as to why that’s the case.
Usually, with camera comparisons like the ones we do all year long, and the ones I do myself with my iPhone 15 Pro Max, Galaxy S23 Ultra, and Pixel 8 Pro, one phone’s camera would perform better than another phone’s camera, and things would swing back and forth a little, and this would make it difficult to tell which phone has “the best overall”, as opposed to depending on your needs.
What’s particularly striking to me is that most of the pictures in the comparison (you can watch the full video here) go Vivo’s way no matter which camera was used to take the photo (with exception of a few Portrait mode shots taken with the zoom lenses).
Whether you’re shooting with the primary, zoom, or ultra-wide camera, the Vivo X100’s photo samples look sharper and handle dynamic range noticeably better than the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
However, it’s the 10x zoom photos that surprised me the most, since Vivo’s flagship has a 4.3x periscope camera vs Samsung’s 10x snapper. Clearly, Vivo is utilizing clever image processing, sensor-cropping, and (to my eye) even some AI trickery to make 10x zoom photos taken with the X100 Pro seem more “put together” than those taken with the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s 10x lens.
The green tint and artefacts seen in the Vivo X100 Pro comparison are present in the 1x photos I took with my Galaxy S23 Ultra too, while long-range zoom at night is where the S23 Ultra really struggles to maintain proper exposure and colors. Somewhat surprisingly, the iPhone’s 5x camera is sharper and much more accurate here.
Bear in mind that both phones were on their latest software update when the samples were taken - the zoom snaps are taken on the latest One UI 6 for the S23 Ultra and iOS 17.2 for the iPhone, which has done a good job at improving focus in zoom photos for the iPhone.
Overall, I’ve found the iPhone’s camera to be noticeably more reliable at night, with one exception being photos taken without Night mode, where the two are either on par or the Galaxy takes the slight lead (in pitch darkness). But then again, turning on Night mode is where the iPhone produces the cleanest, most accurate photos (even compared to the Pixel 8 Pro, in case you’re wondering).
The short (speculative) answer to this (speculative) question is “yes”. I absolutely believe Samsung can pull it off and turn the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s camera into a top contender once again, and here’s why…
Now, can the Galaxy S24 Ultra surpass the likes of the Vivo X100 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max in photography and videography? Chinese phones and this year’s Apple flagships have set a high bar but as I said… I’m 100% sure Samsung can jump over it (if it really wants to make it happen).
The Ultra ticks every box, and what’s even more impressive is how well it holds up against more recently released flagship phones at the end of the year - remember, the Galaxy S23 series came out in early 2023. That is with one exception, which (I feel) is the camera of this otherwise almost perfect flagship.
And it just so happens that quite literally weeks before the official unveiling of the much anticipated Galaxy S24 Ultra, we get another stark reminder of how “immature” the photography experience on the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s (and other last-gen, mainstream flagships like the iPhone 14 Pro) can be compared to the latest flagship challenger from China, called the Vivo X100 Pro.
- Galaxy S24 camera: our expectations and the rumors so far
Next-gen Vivo X100 Pro camera puts Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra on the spot: Can the new Galaxy S24 Ultra finally match China’s best camera phones in 2024?
I should start by saying that I didn’t take the samples comparing the Vivo X100 Pro and Galaxy S23 Ultra, since Vivo’s flagship hasn’t been released for the global market, and hence we haven’t gotten our hands on it… yet.
What also came in handy when going through this comparison is my basic understanding of the Russian language. Although, looking at these pictures, I doubt you’ll need to understand any language to see the overwhelming difference in quality between them.
I won’t go into a long rant about what Samsung gets wrong with the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s image processing (like I’ve done before), but it’s clear to see that we’re talking about lack of detail, lack of colors, overexposed highlights, and even bizarre artefacts like the green blob you see in the sky in the picture with the bridge.
Putting Samsung’s almost one-year-old flagship next to a next-gen camera phone like the Vivo X100 Pro makes it easier than ever to see how much catching up Samsung’s photography team needs to do with the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Next-gen zoom camera and AI in Vivo X100 Pro make Galaxy S23 Ultra camera seem dated: Can the Galaxy S24 Ultra turn things around for Samsung?
Usually, with camera comparisons like the ones we do all year long, and the ones I do myself with my iPhone 15 Pro Max, Galaxy S23 Ultra, and Pixel 8 Pro, one phone’s camera would perform better than another phone’s camera, and things would swing back and forth a little, and this would make it difficult to tell which phone has “the best overall”, as opposed to depending on your needs.
What’s particularly striking to me is that most of the pictures in the comparison (you can watch the full video here) go Vivo’s way no matter which camera was used to take the photo (with exception of a few Portrait mode shots taken with the zoom lenses).
Here, Vivo’s larger sensors across the board, class-leading HDR, and special Zeiss lens coating seem to pay off tremendously.
Whether you’re shooting with the primary, zoom, or ultra-wide camera, the Vivo X100’s photo samples look sharper and handle dynamic range noticeably better than the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
However, it’s the 10x zoom photos that surprised me the most, since Vivo’s flagship has a 4.3x periscope camera vs Samsung’s 10x snapper. Clearly, Vivo is utilizing clever image processing, sensor-cropping, and (to my eye) even some AI trickery to make 10x zoom photos taken with the X100 Pro seem more “put together” than those taken with the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s 10x lens.
My iPhone 15 Pro Max (also) takes cleaner photos than my Galaxy S23 Ultra (day or night)
Comparing photos taken with my Galaxy S23 Ultra and iPhone 15 Pro Max seem to show similar problems with Samsung’s image processing at night. These samples are taken with Night mode turned on.
Bear in mind that both phones were on their latest software update when the samples were taken - the zoom snaps are taken on the latest One UI 6 for the S23 Ultra and iOS 17.2 for the iPhone, which has done a good job at improving focus in zoom photos for the iPhone.
Overall, I’ve found the iPhone’s camera to be noticeably more reliable at night, with one exception being photos taken without Night mode, where the two are either on par or the Galaxy takes the slight lead (in pitch darkness). But then again, turning on Night mode is where the iPhone produces the cleanest, most accurate photos (even compared to the Pixel 8 Pro, in case you’re wondering).
Apple has seriously stepped up its Night mode game this year. The iPhone 15 Pro Max now leads the pack in a category that Google used to dominate (alongside Huawei). I guess the iPhone really does it “later but better” sometimes?
Can the Galaxy S24 Ultra bring Samsung’s camera game up to date, and (at least) match the likes of the iPhone 15 Pro and Vivo X100 Pro?
The short (speculative) answer to this (speculative) question is “yes”. I absolutely believe Samsung can pull it off and turn the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s camera into a top contender once again, and here’s why…
- The Galaxy S24 Ultra is expected to switch to a new primary camera sensor as opposed to the one Samsung’s been using over the past couple of years
- We also expect to see the departure of the 10x optical zoom snapper, which is to be replaced by a 5x zoom lens with a much larger aperture and sensor - this is exactly the kind of “mature” change I like to see from Samsung, since the 5x camera should be more than capable of taking great 10-15x zoom snaps with the help of sensor-cropping, while giving you a much more useful optical lens for general photography
- Last but not least, the big image processing change the Galaxy S24 Ultra desperately needs to bring should be aided and made possible by the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC - the brain of the camera; of course, it’s up to Samsung whether the necessary processing changes will arrive or not
Despite having the highest ceiling thanks to its comprehensive camera system, the Galaxy S23 Ultra struggles to catch up with the competition’s growing hardware and software expertise. But what better chance for Samsung to deliver a strong comeback and turn the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s camera into a more authentic and more practical shooter?
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