Samsung has finally launched its first flagship smartphones of 2023. The much-rumored Galaxy S23 series is now official. As expected, the Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23+, and Galaxy S23 Ultra have arrived with several decent upgrades. Samsung has also made some design changes to refresh the look and feel.
Much has already been leaked about the new lineup, so there's not much that's going to surprise you. Samsung is playing up the sustainability element here, as it has increased its use of recycled materials. The Galaxy S23 series is particularly exciting for Snapdragon fans as there's no Exynos variant this time.
Galaxy S23 Ultra is the flagship to beat in 2023
It goes without saying that the Galaxy S23 Ultra is a solid contender to become one of the best Samsung phones yet. The reincaration of the Galaxy Note continues with this model. The boxy design has been further accentuated with straighter lines that also increase the flat surface area on the otherwise curved display panel. You'll notice that the Contour Cut design is no longer present. Samsung has opted for a clean and linear design that highlights the individual camera cutouts.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra measures 78.1 X 163.4 X 8.9mm and weighs 234g. It features a 6.8-inch Quad HD+ Super AMOLED display with a 1-120Hz variable refresh rate and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 for superior durability. You'll find the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 under the hood with up to 12GB of RAM and 1TB of internal storage. The Snapdragon chipset is being used globally as Samsung made an Exynos variant. A 5,000mAh battery keeps the lights on with support for 45W charging.
Samsung always provides its best cameras with the Ultra model and it's the same story this year. The Galaxy S23 Ultra is Samsung's first smartphone with a 200-megapixel primary sensor. That's in addition to a 12-megapixel ultra-wide, 10-megapixel telephoto with OIS and 3x optical zoom as well as a secondary 10-megapixel telephoto with OIS and 10x optical and 100x Space Zoom. A new 12-megapixel selfie camera can also be found on the front.
The company has made many improvements to the camera software to deliver incredible results in low-light photography. Pro-grade Nightography, as Samsung calls it, provides improved bokeh effects for Night Portraits taken with the selfie camera. The Adaptive VDIS significantly improves night video recordings and AI-assisted noise reduction helps low-light images be crisper. The new Astro Hyperlapse mode can be used to capture star movements and trails with the 300x setting in the Hyperlapse mode. Samsung has also made it possible to capture 50-megapixel images using the Expert Raw app.
The S Pen has been retained for the Galaxy S23 Ultra. It can be stored inside the device, much like the Galaxy S22 Ultra. All of the S Pen features that you know and love are present on the latest device. It runs Android 13 out of the box with One UI 5.1 which brings several new features, such as the ability to co-edit Samsung Notes when on a video call.
Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23+ are solid flagships
As we've seen in the past, both of these devices have more similarities than differences. The Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23+ feature a 6.1-inch and 6.6-inch flat Super AMOLED display respectively with a Full HD+ resolution and 48-120Hz variable refresh rate. The latest Gorilla Glass Victus 2 offers best-in-class protection for the panel. They measure and weigh 70.9 x 146.3 x 7.6mm, 168g and 76.2 x 157.8 x 7.6mm, 196g respectively.
These devices will be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset globally with 8GB of RAM and 128/256/512GB internal storage. The Galaxy S23+ will only be available with 256/512GB storage. Other specs include an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, an IP68 water and dust resistance rating, Bluetooth 5.3, 5G, 10W wireless charging and eSIM support. Both run on Android 13 with One UI 5.1.
The camera setup is also similar. There's a 50-megapixel primary sensor with optical image stabilization in addition to a 12-megapixel ultra-wide and 10-megapixel telephoto sensor with 3x optical zoom. There's support for 8K video recording at 30fps. A new 12-megapixel f/2.2 selfie camera is onboard as well.
Both models have larger batteries than their predecessors. The Galaxy S23 gets a 3,900mAh battery with 25W charging while the Galaxy S23+ gets a 4,700mAh battery with 45W charging. The design is quite similar across the entire lineup. Samsung has removed the Contour Cut design of previous models for a more linear and sleek look. These devices will be available in Phantom Black, Cream, Green, and Lavender colors.
The entire Galaxy S23 series will receive four years of Android OS upgrades and five years of security updates. Samsung has made the Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23+ and the Galaxy S23 Ultra available for pre-order starting today. They will be released on February 17. Prices start at $799.
