Best Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra plans in Australia (March 2023)

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra on yellow background with TechRadar deals text overlay

(Image credit: Future)

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Noteworthy deals
Best plans: our picks

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is now available to buy in Australia, and if you want a big-screen phone with a powerful camera, it certainly makes a compelling case. The S23 Ultra has arrived alongside the standard S23 and the S23 Plus, and they are all available with excellent deals attached thanks to Telstra, Optus, Vodafone and even Samsung itself.

The S23 Ultra’s price starts at AU$1,949 for the model with 256GB of storage, but you can also get 512GB for AU$2,249 or a massive 1TB for AU$2,649. There’s no 128GB version for the Ultra this year.

There’s no getting around the fact that the S23 Ultra is a mightily expensive phone, but buying outright might be an appealing option this year. That’s because we’ve found highly competitive deals, including from Samsung, which has a subscription service which lets you pay off the device in instalments over 18 months, with 0% interest – plus a AU$300 discount, but more details on that below.

If you do buy outright, be sure to check our guide to the best SIM-only plans for recommendations aside from Telstra, Optus and Vodafone – you can save some cash by opting for a smaller provider.

Noteworthy Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra deals

A number of mobile providers and outright retailers are offering competitive deals on the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra – be sure to check these out before signing a contract:

Samsung | save AU$300 when you buy with Samsung Subscription (opens in new tab)

Samsung offers a way to get the S23 Ultra, and pay it off over 18 months with 0% interest. It’s called Samsung Subscription, and not only can you pay it off in instalments, but you can also upgrade to the latest model for free after 12 months. You’ll also get AU$300 off when you buy the S23 Ultra via Samsung Subscription, so you can get it for AU$1,649 instead of AU$1,949. To be eligible for the subscription service, you’ll first need to sign up with Latitude Pay – it usually costs AU$10p/m, but this fee is waived if the Samsung Subscription is the only active plan on your Latitude account. Offer ends March 6, read the full terms and conditions before signing up.

• Samsung is also offering various bundle deals until March 6 – find more details on the Samsung Australia site (opens in new tab).

Optus | get a bonus Galaxy Watch 5 when you buy the Samsung Galaxy S23 on a plan, add a Watch plan + stick with Optus over 24 or 36 months (opens in new tab)

Optus is offering a bonus Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 when you purchase the S23 Ultra on a plan. There are some strings attached though – you’ll need to stick with Optus for either 24 or 36 months, and also stay connected to an Optus Watch plan, which costs AU$10 a month. Offer available until March 31, head to the Optus website for more details.

Best Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra plans: our picks

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra review angled laptop tea — (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

Best overall Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra plan

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (256GB) | 40GB data | 24 months | AU$126.20p/m (opens in new tab)

It may not be the cheapest, but we’d argue Vodafone has the best S23 Ultra plan overall because you can get AU$500 in bonus credit when you trade-in an older device. That extra credit comes on top of the value you could receive from the actual phone too, and it’ll be deducted incrementally off your monthly bill. Pairing the handset with Vodafone’s AU$45 Small plan (opens in new tab) will get you 40GB of data a month, and with device repayments thrown in you’ll be paying AU$126.20 each billing – excluding any trade-in credit you receive.

Total cost over 24 months is AU$3,028.80

Best premium Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra plan

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (512GB) | 40GB data | 24 months | AU$138.70p/m (opens in new tab)

If you want more storage for your S23 Ultra, you can snag the 512GB model from Vodafone for AU$138.70 a month. That price doesn’t include Vodafone’s trade-in offer, which will get you a AU$500 credit when you hand-in an older phone. Better yet, that credit is in addition to any value you might receive from trading in the older device itself. Match the S23 Ultra with Vodafone’s AU$45 Small plan (opens in new tab) and you’ll net 40GB of data for AU$138.70 a month. Keep in mind you’ll be able to pay less by handing in your older device.

Total cost over 24 months is AU$3,328.80

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra hands on front aps drawer leaves background — (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra at a glance: what you need to know

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra goes big in every way, and Samsung’s hoping one feature in particular will win you over – its 200MP main camera. That’s pretty incredible for a smartphone, and it’s a huge leap over the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, which came with a 108MP main lens.

The S23 Ultra is the only model in Samsung’s new series to get a truly upgraded camera system, as the regular S23 and S23 Plus are sporting an almost identical array as their S22 counterparts did last year – it’s only the camera’s software that’s been upgraded in the cheaper phones.

Each phone in the S23 family is sporting a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy processor. It’s a clunky name, but the CPU promises to be zippy, and Samsung says it’s up to 41% faster than the Galaxy S22. This is a level of power that you might not notice in day-to-day use, but it should mean enhanced 8K video capture, AI-assisted photography and, according to Samsung, ray-tracing in mobile games.

The S23 Ultra is the most feature-packed of Samsung’s new phones, but this handset is not for everyone. For a start, it’s a hefty device that could simply be too large for some people. It has a 6.8-inch screen (compared to 6.6 inches for the S23 Plus, and 6.1 inches for the standard S23) that’s made for productivity, photography and mobile gaming. The larger size also has the added benefit of allowing for a bigger battery – 5,000mAh to be exact.

From our early impressions, we think there’s a lot to love about the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, and it looks set to be a tough competitor against the other giants of the game, the iPhone 14 Pro Max and the Google Pixel 7 Pro – we’ll need a full review before we decide if it can rank among the best phones in Australia.

Jasmine Gearie is an ecommerce editor at TechRadar Australia, with a primary focus on helping readers cut through the jargon to find the best mobile and internet plans for their needs. She crunches the numbers to maintain dedicated guides to the latest phones, NBN and broadband plans of all types, and covers the important telco industry news. She also hunts down tech deals on laptops, phones, gaming consoles and more, so readers know where to buy the products they want for the cheapest prices.