Samsung’s annual Unpacked event has just finished up and we’ve finally been introduced to their brand new Galaxy S23 line of devices. These new handsets can be seen as more of an iterative update over their S22 predecessors but there are still some nice new features and notable upgrades, especially (and unsurprisingly) in the Ultra model in particular. Below is all you need to know about the new Samsung Galaxy S23, S23+ and S23 Ultra.
Samsung Galaxy S23
Starting with the ‘entry-level’ device in the new series, the Galaxy S23 is more of an evolution than a major significant update over last year’s S22 handset. Below are the key specs for the device:
Display:
- 6.1″ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels.
Processor:
- Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
Memory:
- 8GB RAM with 128GB storage, 8GB RAM with 256GB storage or 8GB RAM with 512GB storage
Camera:
- 50MP primary camera, 12MP ultra-wide camera, and 10MP telephoto camera
- 12MP Selfie camera
Battery:
- 3900mAh battery with 25W fast charging, 15W wireless charging and 4.5W reverse wireless charging
Other Features:
- IP68 water and dust resistance
- In-display fingerprint sensor
- 5G connectivity
- Android 13 with One UI 5.1
Samsung Galaxy S23+
Moving on to its bigger sibling, the S23+ is very similar to the S23 but packs a larger display and, if rumours are to be believed, this might be the last time we see the ‘Plus’ model variant with next year’s Galaxy S24 series expected to drop the Plus model offering. Rumours aside, lets look at the key specs for this year’s Galaxy S23+:
Display:
- 6.6″ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels.
Processor:
- Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
Memory:
- 8GB RAM with 256GB storage or 8GB RAM with 512GB storage
Camera:
- 50MP primary camera, 12MP ultra-wide camera, and 10MP telephoto camera
- 12MP Selfie camera
Battery:
- 4700mAh battery with 45W fast charging, 15W wireless charging and 4.5W reverse wireless charging
Other Features:
- IP68 water and dust resistance
- In-display fingerprint sensor
- 5G connectivity
- Android 13 with One UI 5.1
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Finally, we move onto the Flagship model in the new series, the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Packing the latest and greatest in Samsung’s smartphone technology, this really is a powerhouse of a handset and is sure to impress anyone who decides to go all in and splash out on the Ultra model.
Display:
- 6.8″ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display (Gorilla Glass Victus 2) with a resolution of 3088 x 1440 pixels and 1750 nits peak brightness.
Processor:
- Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
Memory:
- 8GB RAM and 256GB storage, 12GB RAM and 256GB storage, 12 GB RAM and 512GB storage or 12GB RAM and 1TB storage
Camera:
- 200MP primary camera, 12MP ultra-wide camera, 10MP 3x telephoto camera and 10MP 10x telephoto camera
- 12MP Selfie camera
Battery:
- 5000mAh battery with 45W fast charging, 15W wireless charging and 4.5W reverse wireless charging
Other Features:
- IP68 water and dust resistance
- In-display fingerprint sensor
- 5G connectivity
- Android 13 with One UI 5.1
Camera Features
Now, as expected, it’s the S23 Ultra’s camera that sees the biggest upgrade from last year’s model with a new, enormous 200mp main sensor, up from the S22 Ultra’s 108MP sensor. The focusing and clarity on shots from this main sensor showed impressive levels of detail, even when cropping in, so you should be able to tweak an image’s composition after taking it without loosing too much detail if you’re heavily cropping it.
This improved sensor was also showcased to have significantly improved low light photography or ‘nightography’. The 200mp sensor combines 16 pixels into one larger pixel, which should help with capturing much more light in low light environments.
Photos of friends and family will also benefit when it comes to night shots with improved bokeh effects in ‘Night Portrait’ mode.
To take on Google’s impressive Astrophotography credentials in their Pixel line up, Samsung is pushing the advancements in their own ‘Astro Higherlapse’ feature which will let you capture star trails and star movements in hyperlapse mode, once the handset is in a tripod. This is similar to Pixel’s own astrophotography mode only being accessible once the phone is completely stationary or in a tripod.
Finally, night videos should be clearer with less blur with the introduction of Samsung’s new ‘Adaptive VDIS’ tech which analyses and subdivides movement in low light video along with recognising lighting conditions in the shot also to help stabilise the video.
OIS capabilities in the new camera set up have also been improved with a 2x wider OIS angle over the S22 Ultra which, again, should help with video stabilisation and clearer shots as well.
8K video makes a return (although we’d be interested to see who actually shoots their videos in this ridiculously high resolution) but you can now shoot at 30fps, over previous version’s 24fps cap. The angle, when shooting 8K video, has also been increased to 80 degrees, along with a bigger pixel size for more cinematic looking footage.
The 12MP Selfie camera is a significant step down from the S22 Ultra’s 40MP sensor but, to try and soften the blow, Samsung announced that the sensor now supports Super HDR at 60fps so colour and light balance should be improved when recording video with the front facing camera.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Series Pricing & Availability
The Galaxy S23 Series will be available in four colour options: Green, Lavender, Cream and Phantom Black and is available to pre-order from today.
Starting on February 17, 2023, Galaxy S23 Ultra, Galaxy S23+ and Galaxy S23 will be widely available in operators, retailers and on samsung.com.
For customers who pre-order the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and S23+ from Samsung.com, Samsung will offer double the storage to 512GB for the price of 256GB. The same goes for anyone looking to pre-order the S23 also with 128GB models being bumped up to 256GB model for free. If you’re looking to nab this offer, you need to act fast as pre-orders must be made by the 16th February.
You can learn more about the new handsets here. www.samsung.com/ie/smartphones/galaxy-s23/buy/
Here’s a pricing breakdown for each of the models and their storage options:
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra:
- 256GB, €1,459
- 512GB, €1,639
- 1TB, €1,879
Samsung Galaxy S23+:
- 256GB, €1,249
- 512GB, €1,359
Samsung Galaxy S23:
- 128GB, €999
- 256GB, €1,059
Keep an eye on our site for our full review of the Galaxy S23 Ultra coming soon.
