With the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra came a 200 Mpx photosensor, but is such an increase in definition necessary compared to the 108 Mpx of the Galaxy S22 Ultra? Answer in our photo comparison of these two modes that offer a lot of pixels.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra has a main photosensor with a maximum definition of 108 Mpx and Samsung is even stronger with its Galaxy S23 Ultra, whose main sensor definition can go up to 200 Mpx. To find out if this development was really useful, we compared the two high-end smartphones.
The 108 and 200 Mpx modes of the latest Samsung Galaxy in Ultra version
On the one hand we have a Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra with a 108-megapixel main sensor with wide-angle optics and autofocus, for an 85° field of view and f/1.8 aperture. Enough to produce 9,000 by 12,000 pixel shots for a weight ranging from 10 to 30 MB.
On the other hand, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra has a 200-megapixel main sensor with an 85° field of view and a slightly larger aperture of f/1.7. The recorded photos measure 12240 by 16320 pixels for a weight between 15 and 50 MB This model has obviously joined our guide to the best smartphones for photos.
The main advantage of a high definition sensor is not having photos with as many pixels as possible. The more megapixels put on a sensor, the more the photo sites are reduced in size, so less light is captured. The interest of these dimensions is above all to achieve what is called pixel binning : Pixels in photos are blended to capture more brightness while digital noise is reduced (ISO climb is lower).
Daytime photos at 108 Mpx vs. 200 Mpx
In 108 Mpx mode
In 200 Mpx mode
In this example, we realize what 200 Mpx can really contribute: during the day it manages to capture more light than the previous version, although it seems to manage strong exposures less. However, the stitching on my varsity jumper seems to be quite sharper than in 108MP mode.
In 108 Mpx mode
In 200 Mpx mode
Also in this exercise we see that the Galaxy S23 Ultra recovers much more detail in dark and backlit areas: we notice it with the store whose interior we can distinguish better. However, algorithmic processing is worse when it comes to highlighting text. The one in the shop window can be read more in the photo at 108 Mpx. Which isn’t necessarily an advantage: we feel like the photo processing isn’t completely natural.
The night shots of the Galaxy S23 Ultra vs the Galaxy S22 Ultra
In 108 Mpx mode
In 200 Mpx mode
In some night photos we see that the 200 Mpx sensor also recovers more details than the 108 Mpx sensor. This can be seen particularly well on this grid attached to a building. In addition, the texture of the wall is less noisy and the small barriers are less obscured. We also see the Galaxy S23 Ultra produce more than lens flare at the level of the lamppost and we will see that it can be much worse.
In 108 Mpx mode
In 200 Mpx mode
These two photos perfectly show the small defect of the 200 Mpx mode: the lens flare — or factor flare in French. They are those visual roughness that arise from light sources in a photo and produce rays that deteriorate visual quality. In fact, the Galaxy S23 Ultra doesn’t handle burst metering in HD mode quite as well as its predecessor. Actually, this is only the case when we do not touch the settings and do not choose a place to balance. In other situations where you control this, it works better than the Galaxy S22 Ultra.
If you pick up more light, we realize that this can also be detrimental to detail: in the photos below, we can barely see the grid on the left wall, which is not the case in the photo taken at 108 mpx. . HE lens flare they are always bigger, but we can see more details at the office level
Which of Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra or Galaxy S22 Ultra wins the battle for high-definition photos?
Finally, what to remember from this versus? In general, the 200 MP mode of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is better. Firstly, because it offers a really broader definition and this can be useful in certain situations. Get more details back thanks to better dynamic range management: dark and light places are more detailed. It offers this while producing less digital noise than its predecessor.
However, there is one situation where it performs worse than the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: in low light conditions and when it’s not being told where to focus. In these situations, it tends to adjust its brightness in the wrong place and produces lens flare. Fortunately, by helping him, we managed to produce better shots. The verdict is clear: the Galaxy S23 Ultra is better.
Finally, it must be remembered that these modes are reserved for those who want to go far in smartphone photography: for most uses, these very high definitions are not useful, unless you really want to clutter up your storage. In addition, modes with lower definitions allow you to take advantage of the pixel binningand therefore better overall photo quality for ease of use.
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