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Samsung debuted its latest and greatest Android flagship Galaxy S23 Ultra earlier this month. As has been the case in the past, it is the most powerful and feature-rich Galaxy flagship you can get. It has everything that we expect from the lineup along with improvements to make the whole experience even better. It is the first Samsung smartphone to have a 200-megapixel camera which we have covered in detail as well.
In this particular article, we will talk about the first things you should do with your brand-new Galaxy S23 Ultra. These features will help you to use the flagship with the right settings enabled/disabled right away. So without further ado, let’s get started.
Check software updates
The Galaxy S23 Ultra is a premium flagship which means it gets priority treatment when it comes to software update rollout. There is a good chance by the time you are reading this, you have new updates waiting for you to download and install. You can check for software updates by visiting Settings > Software Update > Download and Install. Do make sure that you are connected to WiFi before downloading the update and that there is at least 50% battery before the installation.
Always on display customization
The Galaxy S23 Ultra comes with Always on Display but the best part is that it is fully customizable. You simply need to visit Settings > Lock screen and then tap the Always on Display option. This will give you plenty of functionalities that you can enable/disable and an option to choose from various visual elements. This way, you cannot only customize the way Always on Display works but also the way it looks.
Get a protective case
The Galaxy S23 Ultra is a super-expensive smartphone which means its repair cost will also be on the higher end. This is why we recommend heavily that you invest in a good protective case. After all, spending a few bucks on a good case can save you from the expenses running into hundreds of dollars. We have compiled some of the best Galaxy S23 Ultra cases that you can check out.
Get a charger
As you may know, Samsung does not ship Galaxy S23 Ultra with a charging adaptor in the box. You either have to use a charger that you already own or get a new one from the market. If you want to go for a new one, do make sure that it is capable of offering at least 45W charging speed. This is because it is the maximum fast charging speed supported by the flagship.
Power off menu
It has been a long time since Samsung has set pressing the right button to trigger Bixby out of the box. This can be annoying when you are not interested in the digital assistant and all you want to do is power off or reboot Galaxy S23 Ultra. You need to press and hold the button along with the volume-down key to get the power menu. This should be a long press as otherwise, it will take a screenshot.
Apart from your usual Power Off, Restart, and Emergency mode options, there is an additional option called Side key settings. This is what will let you disable Bixby and go to the power menu by simply pressing the side button. Another way to do this is to visit Settings > Advanced features > Side key > Press and hold > Power off menu
Navigation Gestures
Samsung’s OneUI has a preference for the traditional three-bot navigation system. It gives you dedicated buttons for accessing recent apps, going to the home screen, and going back but the modern navigation approach follows swipe gestures. If you are someone who loves to use gestures, you can switch to them by visiting Settings > Display > Navigation Bar > Gestures.
Remove app folders or apps from home screen
Your Galaxy S23 Ultra home screen may have a lot of apps and/or app folders that you might not want to be there. You can get rid of those by simply tapping and holding and dragging them to the trash icon you see on the screen. This simply removes those apps/app folders from the home screen and does not uninstall them.
Hide apps
As you will spend more time with your Galaxy S23 Ultra, you will go on to install more apps but you may not want some of them to be visible to everyone. This is why you should consider hiding such apps. This can be done easily by simply tapping and holding on the home screen and then choosing Settings > Hide apps. Now, all you need to do is to select apps you want to hide and that’s it.
Display resolution and refresh rate
The Galaxy S23 Ultra offers a display panel with Quad HD+ (3088 x 1440 pixels) resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. It means you can have the best of both worlds but the only issue is it can have a significant effect on the battery life. This is why may want to go for a lower resolution and refresh rate when not needed.
Visit Settings > Display > Screen Resolution and choose from your preferred resolution: WQHD+ (3088 x 1440), FHD+ (2316 x 1080), and HD+ (1544 x 720). As for refresh rate, you can choose Dynamic by visiting Settings > Display > Motion Smoothness. This is the setting that automatically adjusts the refresh rate based on the content you see on the panel.
Home screen customization
We know that Android smartphones are all about customization and the Galaxy S23 Ultra is no different. Tap and hold on empty space anywhere on the home screen to access settings for changing wallpaper, themes, widgets, home screen grid, folder grid, and more.
You can visit Settings > Wallpaper and style > Color Palette and turn on the toggle. This will automatically pick colors from your wallpaper and apply them to the rest of the visual elements of the software experience.
One-handed mode
There is no doubt that the Galaxy S23 Ultra is a huge device, so much so it can get difficult to use it with just one hand. This becomes even more evident when you have to reach the top corners of the device. This is where one-handed mode comes to the rescue as it shrinks everything that is visible on the screen for more convenient usage.
You need to enable it by visiting Settings > Advanced features > One-handed mode. Turn on the toggle and also enable gesture support. You can then trigger it anytime by swiping down in the center of the bottom edge of the screen.
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