Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Deals

Each February, Samsung introduces its next Galaxy S series. This year three models were unveiled; the S23 Ultra, S23+, and S23. Offering some of the best features across the smartphone market, the S23 Ultra is the top-of-the-line device from Samsung. As such, it’s also the most expensive. But with more than 13% of people shopping for the Galaxy S23 Ultra last week alone, there are plenty of great deals available for you, and we can help you find them! Read on to find out more.

Galaxy S23 Ultra Deals: How to Find The Best One for You

While it has a retail price of $1,199, wireless carriers offer deals that bring that price as low as $[199] for those that want to switch carriers and as low as $[399] for people preferring to stay with their existing carrier.

Not everyone is, of course, eligible for that price. There is plenty of “fine print” to untangle before you can determine what’s the best Galaxy S23 Ultra deal price that you’re eligible for. So, let’s begin to understand the elements determining how to find the best deal:

Are you willing to trade in your current smartphone?  

Major postpaid carriers typically provide you the best deals to customers who are willing to trade in their current smartphone. The newer and nicer the trade-in device, the better the deal on a new phone that is available to you. Like buying a new car … you get a discount on the new car when you trade in your old car… it’s the same process with wireless carriers. For example, if you currently have a Galaxy S22 to trade in, carriers are usually willing to give you the best deals on the Galaxy S23 Ultra, but if you have a Galaxy S9 to trade in, the deals you’d qualify for may be much less lucrative.   

What carrier do you have now, and are you willing to switch carriers?  

Verizon and T-Mobile generally offer their best Galaxy S23 Ultra deals for people willing to switch to them. AT&T is an exception in that they make their deals available to both new and current customers, but the axiom of “best deals being reserved for switchers” generally holds true in the American wireless industry. New customers bring much more incremental value to a carrier than existing customers who are simply upgrading their current phones, which means that carriers typically reserve their most aggressive phone deals for new customers

Are you willing to stay with your carrier (new or old) for at least 24 or 36 months?  

When carriers offer you their best deals on a new Galaxy S23 Ultra, they do so with the requirement that you will remain a customer for a period of time: 24 months for T-Mobile and 36 months for both AT&T and Verizon And, if the deal they’re offering you is an $800 discount (because you traded your old Galaxy S20, for example), they will not pay you in a lump sum at the beginning for your Galaxy S20. Instead, they spread the discount as 24 or 36 credits on your wireless bill each month over the life of the agreement, making it a de facto contract. 

As an example, if you bought the Galaxy S23 Ultra for $1,199 and AT&T offered you an $800 credit on your Galaxy S20 as a trade-in, then AT&T would charge you $1,199 - $800 or $399 spread over 36 months - $11.08 per month. AT&T would separately charge you for your monthly service plan, which can range from $65 to $85 depending on the plan you select (if you have more than one line on the account, the per-line monthly charge is typically much lower). If you decide to leave AT&T before the 36-month term ends, you have to pay back the balance of the discount they gave you on your Galaxy S20 (like a penalty). Verizon and T-Mobile take the same approach, so your experience will be highly similar with any of the big three carriers.

Are you willing to purchase a more expensive monthly service plan?

Finally, many carriers give you the best deal if you are willing to purchase a more expensive monthly service plan (or maybe, you’re already on one). Typically the step up in cost from going from a “cheaper plan” to a “premium plan” is $10 per month. So if the carrier offers you $800 off the Galaxy S23 Ultra spread over 36 months, AND the carrier requires you to buy a premium plan, then the actual discount on your new Galaxy is more like $540 (not $800).

While this can be frustrating and complicated, if you know how the process works, you can get a great deal on the phone you want. Believe it or not, there are as many as 10,000 unique deals on the Galaxy S23 Ultra, which combine all the factors we mentioned above. With that many options and combos to choose from, it can be challenging to figure out which one is for you. 

Don’t feel like having to do all this work to find your best deal? No problem! We scan thousands of deals daily to show you the best ones you qualify for. The best part? It’s 100% free to use. But if you’re not in the mood to try us out yet, the table below gives you a summary of the different discounts available on the Galaxy S23 Ultra based on the trade-in device you have. 

Galaxy S23 Ultra Trade-in Offers (Samsung)

We live in an iOS world, and if you’re an Apple user thinking of switching to Samsung, you’re still in luck: there are a ton of great deals for aspiring Samsung owners also! 

Galaxy S23 Ultra Trade-in Offers (Apple)

Galaxy S23 Ultra Deal Summary

Savvy buyers looking for a great deal on the S23 Ultra are in luck - shoppers with newer, higher-end trade-in devices can usually get up to $1,000 in trade-in credit if they’re willing to switch carriers! Discounts come in bill credits over 36 months, so if you have a newer trade-in device and are willing to switch carriers, subscribe to a premium plan, or both, that $1,000 credit over 3 years means you'll be paying $5.55 per month for this device over the life of the agreement. All major postpaid carriers are typically offering lucrative promotions on major devices that have come out in the last year, so check on what specific deals are available when you're ready to purchase using our Phone Navigator tool.

What Are the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Specs?

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra’s specs deserve the media hype. Let’s take it from the top.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra is 6.43 x 3.07 x 0.35," and it weighs 8.25 ounces or 234 g. It’s designed for durability and longevity from the get-go, as the glass front and back are made with Gorilla Glass Victus 2. It also features a lightweight but strong aluminum frame. Of course, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is IP68 dust and water-resistant down to 1.5 m.

The display is where the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s specifications start to take off. The screen is a dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a refresh rate of 120 Hz. With the native resolution at 1440 x 3088 pixels with 500 PPI density, images always look crisp, clear, and detailed, even in low-light environments. The screen itself is 6.8 inches in size, so there’s plenty of room to enjoy your favorite streaming shows on the Galaxy S23 Ultra. The always-on display makes whipping your phone out for a message quick and simple.

The phone runs on the Android 13 One UI 5.1 interface and operating system, which the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset uses to excellent effect. 

(Note that this is the same chipset that the S23+ has. Of course, the new line of Samsung phones has left its own Exynos chips behind.)

The octa-core CPU produces excellent power and 8GB RAM by default, although you can upgrade your version of the phone to enjoy 12GB RAM for even faster processing speed and app responsiveness.

You also have several storage options depending on your price limitations. The Galaxy S23 Ultra has 256 GB of internal storage space by default, but you can bump that up to 512 GB or even 1 TB of storage space if you desire.

The main cameras are also nothing to sneeze at. The front camera set produces pictures in 200-megapixel, 10-megapixel, or 12MP ultra-wide sensitivities depending on the rear camera you use, and each features various photo-taking functions and perks like telephoto lenses, Laser AF, and super steady video recording. LED flash, auto-HDR, and panoramic photo options round out these benefits. The cameras are adaptive, work with optical zoom controls, and are exceptional in every way.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra can also take video at 8K resolution at 24 or 30FPS. Even the selfie camera, which produces 12-megapixel photos, can record video at 4K resolution at 30 or 60 FPS. It’s easy to see that the Galaxy S23 Ultra is a photo lover's dream, and it's perfect for recording candid videos of yourself or your friends. The Ultra’s camera set rivals that of many other pricy phones.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra comes packed with other features and benefits, like ultra-wideband support, Samsung Pay functionality, and an under-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. The phone’s various tools can drain its large 5000 mAh battery, but you can charge it up quickly with a 45 W charger port for wired charging (or take advantage of wireless charging functionality if you so choose).

The Ultra reaches all major connectivity benchmarks and requirements, including having a USB-C port and Bluetooth connectivity. Additionally, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is available in many colors, like Phantom Black, Green, Cream, Lavender, and Graphite.

What Are Some Pros and Cons of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra?

There’s a lot to love about the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, such as its responsive screen, excellent camera set, and phenomenal extra features, ranging from the fingerprint sensor to the compass to the barometer. It’s also a highly durable phone; thanks to its external case and IP68 rating, it should withstand anything life can throw at it.

At the same time, it’s also quite expensive for the most fanatical phone lovers. The base version of this device is well over $1000. Meanwhile, you can get the S23+ for just $1000, only sacrificing a slightly smaller screen, a slightly smaller battery, and slightly fewer camera functions in the process.

In a way, the higher price of the Galaxy S23 Ultra reflects a slightly improved version of the base Galaxy S23 phone. It’s up to you to decide whether that price bump is worth the enhanced features and battery longevity.

What Is the Galaxy S23 Ultra Release Date and Price?

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra was released on February 17th, 2023, alongside the other versions of this phone line. The Galaxy S23 Ultra was released in three versions for three different prices:

• 8 GB of RAM + 256 GB of storage for $1199
• 12 GB of RAM + 256 GB of storage for $1299
• 12 GB of RAM + 512 GB of storage for $1399

Bottom Line

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is a pricey but very high-quality mobile device. If you’re a Samsung geek and can’t wait to get your hands on everything this phone has to offer, the base 8 GB RAM version might be worth your money. However, the S23+ and S23 are both good enough for folks on a budget who don’t mind having slightly smaller screens and batteries.

Sources:

Qualcomm Snapdragon Fastest Mobile Processors | Qualcomm

Is My Phone Waterproof? IP68, IPX8 Ratings Explained | CNET

How does a smartphone ‘read’ my fingerprint? | BBC Science Focus Magazine

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