Leaked Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra images could make it the best Android phone

It was close for a while, but these images could put the fight for the Android phone throne beyond doubt

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra wide view render
(Image credit: SmartPrix)

We're now less than a week away from the release of the Samsung Galaxy S23 range at the Galaxy Unpacked event. Rumours have been flying for months, giving us a fairly good look at what is sure to be one of the best phones of the year.

At the top of the range, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is the handset many are looking towards. Its predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra took the crown of best Android phone with relative ease, but the playing field looks much more competitive this time around.

Top handsets like the Google Pixel 7 Pro, the OnePlus 11 and the Vivo X90 Pro+ have seriously upped their shot-snapping game, with lenses from respected names in photography and AI-powered goodness inside. It's led many to question whether this is the year that Samsung may finally be toppled, leaving a new Android phone king to take the crown.

But another set of leaked images has just emerged from the S23 Ultra, which may quash that kind of talk once and for all. The snaps come courtesy of everyone's favourite Samsung insider, Ice Universe. In the tweet, Ice shared three images and said, "The photograph of S23U is enlarged by 8x and compared. 12MP,50MP,200MP."

The results from the 200MP sensor are simply staggering. The image is crisp and detailed with fantastic colour balance, and good definition in the shadows.

And if the camera on the S23 Ultra is this good, I don't think it has much to worry about. I've spent the last few months looking in-depth at all of the competitors and I genuinely believed that it might have been knocked off its perch this time around. But Samsung's effortless UI and operation was always going to be a strong pulling factor, and that, coupled with a camera that might just be the best of an incredible bunch, should allow it to hang onto the top spot for another year.

The Galaxy Unpacked event is set to take place on February 1st, 2023.

Sam Cross
Senior Staff Writer

Sam is an award-winning journalist with over six years of experience across print and digital media. As T3’s Senior Staff Writer, Sam covers everything from new phones and EVs to luxury watches and fragrances. Working across a range of different social media platforms alongside his written work, Sam is a familiar face for fans of T3. When he’s not reviewing snazzy products or hunting for stellar deals, Sam enjoys football, analog photography and writing music.