Compared to the Galaxy S22 Ultra, the S23 Ultra has a 200-megapixel camera and other improvements that enhance color, dynamic range, autofocus and low-light performance. 

Unless otherwise specified, the photos in this article were taken at the default 12-megapixel resolution because the 200-megapixel files are too large to display here. But you can still see the other aforementioned improvements, even at this lower resolution.

This photo taken with the Galaxy S23 Ultra is crisp and has great detail and shadowing. The color is punchy, but it looks a bit brighter then it did in real life. 

This photo of a pink flower has plenty of color.

This photo of baked goods in a bakery display case is another good example of how the Galaxy S23 Ultra emphasizes color.

My husband (pictured) liked this photo compared to a similar one I took on the Galaxy S22 Ultra because his beard and eyes look more colorful. But overall, he preferred the iPhone 14 Pro’s image because of its natural and accurate colors. You can check out that comparison in my review. 

This photo gets the job done, but the subject’s face looks washed out. The Galaxy S23 Ultra struggled a bit to get a good portrait in front of a large window — an environment that’s known to be challenging for photography.

This photo of my colleague Claire Reilly taken in CNET’s office is flattering and sharp, although she said it didn’t look natural. 

The Galaxy S23 Ultra did a good job of making the subject look crisp against the backdrop on this very chilly day in New York. But he also looks washed out.

One area where the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s camera excels is in low-light photography. This photo of my cat, Buddy, was taken in a very dark room with very little to no light, but the S23 Ultra still captured a good amount of detail. 

Here’s another example of the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s low-light photography skills. This photo isn’t super sharp, but it’s impressively colorful considering how dark it was in the restaurant. Similar shots taken on the iPhone 14 Pro and Pixel 7 Pro looked more noisy in comparison. 

This photo of the Chrysler Building in New York City is pretty impressive considering it was taken zoomed in at night. 

Another shot of the Chrysler Building, this time from farther away. It’s a good example of how the Galaxy S23 Ultra captures color in low-light images. 

This photo taken with the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s ultrawide camera is more colorful than those taken with the Pixel 7 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro. 

This photo of a preserved flower bouquet was taken using a 10x optical zoom on the Galaxy S23 Ultra. It’s a little grainy, but still acceptable. 

The Galaxy S23 Ultra has a 12-megapixel selfie camera, which Samsung says should be better at separating the subject from its background and sharpening fine details.

This photo certainly has plenty of color and detail, but in my testing I found the iPhone 14 Pro’s selfies provided the best balance of boldness, sharpness and natural color.

Check out our full review of the Galaxy S23 Ultra for more details.