Technologies

My First Day With the Galaxy S23 Ultra

Samsung’s latest high-end phone has a new camera that already shows promise.

This story is part of Samsung Event, CNET’s collection of news, tips and advice around Samsung’s most popular products.

Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra is all about the cameras. The tech giant spent a good chunk of Wednesday’s launch event flaunting how well its new cameras can capture more colorful photos and cinematic videos. Veteran movie director Ridley Scott even made an appearance in Samsung’s promotional clip.

I’ve only spent a day with the $1,200 ( 1,249, AU$1,949)Galaxy S23 Ultra so far, but some of the camera upgrades are already noticeable. Portraits taken in low light, for example, seem more vibrant and flattering.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra is one of three new phones Samsung announced, alongside the $800 ( 849, AU$1,349) Galaxy S23 and $1,000 ( 1,049, AU$1,649) Galaxy S23 Plus. The Galaxy S23 Ultra is Samsung’s first with a 200-megapixel main camera, but the company also made some significant under-the-hood changes that should improve dynamic range and video capture.

Here’s a look at what has stood out the most in my first 24 hours with Samsung’s new phone.

Galaxy S23 Ultra: Great low-light portraits

The Galaxy S23 Ultra has four cameras just like the Galaxy S22 Ultra, but the main sensor has an upgraded resolution of 200 megapixels instead of 108. There’s also a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera and two 10-megapixel telephoto lenses, one with 3x optical zoom and the other with 10x.

Behind-the-scenes upgrades to dynamic range should also result in more accuracy when capturing the light and dark areas in video recordings. But it seems like these improvements are noticeable in photography, too.

My biggest takeaway so far is the way the S23 Ultra takes flattering portraits in low light. The photo below of my colleague Claire Reilly was taken in a very dim podcast studio in CNET’s San Francisco office. It was her favorite of the bunch when compared to similar photos I took of her with the Pixel 7 Pro and Galaxy S22 Ultra.

She said the lighting and color in the S23 Ultra’s photo made her face look «radiant» and is comparable to the way she looks in CNET videos that she films on a Sony ZV-1 camera with a professional lighting setup. The Pixel 7 Pro’s photo, by comparison, made her skin tone look muddier. The sequence on her sweater also looks more colorful in the S23 Ultra’s photo than in pictures taken with the Galaxy S22 Ultra and Pixel 7 Pro. (Note: The Galaxy S23 Ultra photos below aren’t displayed at their full 200-megapixel resolution because of the large file sizes.)

The Galaxy S23 Ultra also excelled under mixed lighting and captured vibrant photos, as shown in the image below taken in CNET’s kitchen. But whether the photo is better than pictures taken on the Pixel 7 Pro or Galaxy S22 Ultra depends on your preference. For example, Claire said the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s bolder colors made the photo look less natural than the Pixel 7 Pro’s, despite the Pixel’s image having harsher contrast and more severe shadow lines in the face.

When it comes to selfies, Samsung says the phone should have better dynamic range and object segmentation. That means the camera should be smarter about separating the subject from the background, as well as distinguishing other fine elements like strands of hair. You can also access manual controls for the front camera in pro mode or take selfies with the Expert Raw app. Raw capture saves full, unretouched versions of images and should offer more flexibility when editing.

So far, I haven’t noticed a huge difference in selfie quality. In fact, I prefer the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s selfie over the S23 Ultra’s in the images below. That said, the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s selfie is much brighter than the Pixel 7 Pro’s photo. I also intentionally took this photo in challenging lighting conditions to see how it handles a mix of dim indoor lighting and natural light.

Keep in mind that these are just a few early camera examples. Our full review will have more photos and videos.

Galaxy S23 Ultra design: Just as big, and just as beautiful

The Galaxy S23 Ultra looks almost identical to the Galaxy S22 Ultra. It has the same boxy shape, which sets it apart from the regular Galaxy S23 and other Android phones. The only major aesthetic difference is its color; the Galaxy S23 lineup is available in cream, green, lavender and black, while its predecessor came in burgundy, green, white and black, in addition to a few Samsung-exclusive colors. I’ve been using the cream version so far, which looks sleek and eye-catching.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra has a 6.8-inch screen that seems just as bright and vibrant as its predecessor’s, although it’s a tad large for my taste. It’s too soon to tell how long the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s battery will last on a single charge, but my review unit dropped to roughly 90% around lunchtime after starting the day at 100%.

Overall, the Galaxy S23 Ultra seems promising, particularly for photographers and videographers, but I have to put it through more testing to know for sure. I’ll have more details on the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s camera, battery life and performance in our full review.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Monday, Oct. 27

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Oct. 27.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? I thought 8-Across was a bit of an odd one, since it was asking for a sound that has no universal spelling. If you need help, read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: «Soooo cute!» reactions
Answer: AWS

4A clue: ___ mode (battery-saving state)
Answer: SLEEP

6A clue: Afica’s largest capital city
Answer: CAIRO

7A clue: Bicker, bicker, bicker
Answer: ARGUE

8A clue: Close-mouthed sound of agreement
Answer: MMHMM

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Reason to suddenly bolt awake
Answer: ALARM

2D clue: Put on a scale
Answer: WEIGH

3D clue: kin-care product dispensed with a dropper
Answer: SERUM

4D clue: Total rip-off
Answer: SCAM

5D clue: «The Raven» or «The Road Not Taken»
Answer: POEM

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Oct. 27, #399

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Oct. 27, No. 399.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a tricky one. Hope you know your NBA history! If you’re struggling but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Help athletes learn.

Green group hint: Statistics.

Blue group hint: From Sin City.

Purple group hint: Not Queens, but…

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Coach.

Green group: Seen in a baseball scorebug.

Blue group: UNLV

Purple group: Home cities of the NBA’s Kings franchise, over time.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is coach. The four answers are drill, instruct, school and teach.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is seen in a baseball scorebug. The four answers are count, inning, outs and score.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is UNLV. The four answers are Las, Nevada, University and Vegas.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is home cities of the NBA’s Kings franchise, over time. The four answers are Cincinnati, Kansas City, Rochester and Sacramento.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Oct. 27, #869

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Oct. 27, No. 869.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle has a fun mix of topics today. They’re not too tough but if you need help you’re in the right place. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Reach out from a center point.

Green group hint: Barely.

Blue group hint: Decorative eats in a drink.

Purple group hint: Not two or three, but …