With the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra came a 200 Mpx photo sensor, but is such an increase in definition compared to the 108 Mpx of the Galaxy S22 Ultra necessary? Answer in our photo comparison of these two modes which offer a lot of pixels.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra has a main photo sensor 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 one side we have a Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra with a 108 megapixel main sensor with wide-angle and autofocus optics, for an 85° field of view and an f/1.8 aperture. Enough to produce shots of 9000 by 12000 pixels for a weight ranging from 10 to 30 MB.
On the other, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra features a 200-megapixel main sensor with an 85° field of view and a slightly larger f/1.7 aperture. 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 sensor with a high definition is not to have photos with the most pixels possible. The more megapixels are placed on a sensor, the more the size of the photosites is reduced, thereby capturing less light. The interest of these dimensions is above all to achieve what is called pixel binning : the pixels of the photos are merged to capture more brightness while reducing digital noise (the rise in ISO is lower).
Daytime photos in 108 Mpx vs in 200 Mpx
108 MP mode
200 MP mode
In this example, we realize what the 200 Mpx can really bring: during the day, it manages to capture more light than the previous version, although it seems to manage the strong exposures less well. However, it appears that the stitches of my college sweater have a definition significantly higher than the 108 Mpx mode.
108 MP mode
200 MP mode
Also on this exercise, we see that the Galaxy S23 Ultra recovers much more detail in dark areas and against the light: we notice it with the store whose interior we can better distinguish. However, the algorithmic processing is worse when it comes to highlighting text. That of the storefront is more readable in the photo in 108 Mpx. Which is not necessarily an advantage: we feel that the processing of the photo is not totally natural.
The night shots of the Galaxy S23 Ultra vs the Galaxy S22 Ultra
108 MP mode
200 MP 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 affixed to a building. Also, the texture of the wall is less noisy and the small barriers come out less darkened. We also see that the Galaxy S23 Ultra produces more than lens flares at the level of the lamppost and we will see that it can be much worse.
108 MP mode
200 MP mode
These two photos perfectly show the small defect of the 200 Mpx mode: the lens flares — or factor of flare in French. These are those visual asperities that appear from light sources in a photo and produce rays that deteriorate the visual quality. In fact, the Galaxy S23 Ultra doesn’t handle blast metering on high definition mode as well as its predecessor. In reality, this is only the case when we do not touch the settings and we do not choose a place to take stock. In other situations where you control this, it does better than the Galaxy S22 Ultra.
If it collects more light, we realize that this can also be to the detriment of the details: on the pictures below, we can hardly see the grid of the wall on the left, which is not the case in the photo taken in 108 Mpx. THE lens flares are always bigger, but we can see more details at the level of the offices
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? Overall, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra’s 200MP mode is better. First of all, because it offers a really larger definition and this can be useful in certain situations. It manages to recover more details thanks to better management of the dynamic range: dark and light places are more detailed. It offers this while producing less digital noise than its ancestor.
However, there is one situation where it does worse than the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: in low light conditions and when it’s not told where to focus. In these situations, it tends to adjust its brightness in the wrong place and produce lens flares. Fortunately, by helping him, we manage to produce better shots. The verdict is clear: the Galaxy S23 Ultra is better.
Finally, it must be agreed 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 saturate your storage. Also, the modes with lower definitions make it possible to take advantage of the pixel binningand thus a better overall photo quality for simple use.
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