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
Staff Writer

Online news writer at T3.com, Sam has five years of experience in online and print journalism, with work featured in publications like Metro and Last Word on Sports. After years writing about music and football, Sam now turns his hand to bringing you news about new phones, smart home products, smart watches, laptops and TVs. Sam is a longtime fan and user of Apple products, including iPhones, MacBooks and Apple Watches.He’s also T3’s resident football expert, bringing you everything you need to know about the big games, including how to watch them. In his spare time, Sam is a keen guitarist, watch lover and (very) amateur golfer.