Faster and more expensive – we have the Samsung Galaxy S23 in our hands
It is slowly becoming a tradition that the South Korean mammoth, Samsung, presents at least three new devices at the Unpacked presentation at the beginning of the year, because in the four years since the presentation of the S10 phones, newer and newer series have arrived in trios. This year is no different, the manufacturer brought three new phones to Unpacked on February 1: Samsung Galaxy S23, Samsung Galaxy S23+ and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.
From left to right: S23, S23+, S23 Ultra. [+]
For those who regularly followed the rumors and news regarding the new top Samsung mobile phones, the presentation should not have caused much surprise. The design has changed just enough to make it more comfortable to hold the phones, this mostly affects the absolute top model Ultra, because the display is less curved and the frame is more square in this year’s model. Regardless, with its 163.4 x 78.1 x 8.9 millimeters, we are still talking about a monster, but it sits more stable in the hand with its 234 grams.
The S23 Ultra and last year’s S22 Ultra side by side. The S23 Ultra can be seen on the left in the first two pictures, and on the right in the third picture. [+]
The display remained the 6.8” QHD AMOLED 2X, and the S-Pen, which can be pulled out from the lower left corner of the housing, remained, and all of its functions continued to move to the new model. The luminance density of the display promises a maximum of 1750 nits this year, but a minor novelty in the entire S23 series is that the display can adjust the contrast and colors on the display in three levels, adjusted to the ambient light and the time of day, for the best visibility and eye care.
Samsung Galaxy S23 [+]
Although the Galaxy S23 Ultra is now less curved, those who need a completely flat display still have to choose between the base model and the Plus version. The Galaxy S23 kept the 6.1-inch diagonal, and the Galaxy S23+ 6.6 inches. All models feature AMOLED 2X panels, a 120 Hz update and a fingerprint reader integrated into the display, as well as a front camera with a hole in the center of the display and the new Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection. However, the resolution is lower than in the case of the Ultra, as only 1080 x 2340 pixels work here. The selfie camera of this year’s models uniformly uses a 12 MP sensor (f/2.2, 80-degree viewing angle), which promises great textures and sharpness with Samsung’s improved night and portrait modes, plus the new camera enables HDR at a maximum speed of 60 frames per second. -recording of contents. According to Samsung, the new image processing algorithm recognizes several things separately, including, for example, eyes, skin, and hair, thus returning a more realistic image of the user in photographs.
Samsung Galaxy S23+ [+]
There are no spectacular changes on either side, the SIM card can be pushed in from the bottom, the USB-C connector has also moved to the bottom, the power and volume control buttons are found on the right edge and that’s it. In the Ultra, we can slide the S-Pen out next to the USB-C, just like last year. There are already some changes on the back panel, the camera island integrated with the aluminum frame has disappeared from the basic models, instead all three lenses stand out separately from the back panel. Just enough so that the devices will wobble when placed on the table without the case, but the image recorders will have a more pronounced appearance when looking at them.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra [+]
The back panel is made of glass – in four colors: phantom black, cream (white), green and lavender – Qi charging and recharging are still available, and the wired charging speeds remain (25 watts for the basic model, 45 watts for the Plus and Ultra ), but the box still doesn’t come with a wall adapter or earphones, or any accessories other than the USB-C cable and SIM tray opening pin.
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However, there are new accessories that Samsung has developed, and these are different cases with a new, unique connector. The point is that you can snap the accessories into the notch on the back of the case, which, based on what we’ve seen so far, range from a ring that helps hold the phone to a tripod to a camera grip equipped with a wireless shutter button.
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These accessories can be used between all members of the series, the connector is uniform, so you only need a case with a socket and you can wrap the various accessories to the user’s liking. In addition to the phones, Samsung also plans to sell these accessories in Hungary, but we do not yet know the prices for them.
The accessory offering a camera grip and tripod with a removable flasher. [+]
We also show on video how the new supplementary system works:
But back to the cameras! The base model and Galaxy S23+ still use a 50MP main camera (f/1.8), a 12MP ultra-wide (f/2.2, 120-degree field of view) and a 10MP telephoto camera (3X zoom, f /2.4), the Ultra also supplements this with a 10 MP (f/4.9) camera capable of 10x zoom, and instead of the 50 MP main camera sensor, a new 200 MP (f/ 1.7) uses an imager. According to Samsung, with their updated software algorithms, night images will be clearer and brighter, even in portrait mode. Ultra overcomes this by taking the 200 MP image through two 4:1 binnings, resulting in a large pixel from 16 pixels, keeping all the data. By default, you can shoot 12.5 MP images with the Ultra, but 50 MP recording and even 200 MP are optional. With the new sensor, 8K video recording is also available at 30 frames per second.
The cameras of the Galaxy S23s. [+]
The video stabilization has also been renewed, according to Samsung, the algorithm analyzes movement and ambient lights more intelligently, recognizes light sources more accurately, and uses this data in summary when stabilizing the image. For this, the Ultra has some extra hardware help, the OIS moves at a larger angle (3 degrees instead of 1.5). This may help the new “Astro-hyperlapse” mode, the movement of the stars can be recorded with a phone placed on a tripod. The Expert RAW application has also remained, in which you can now take photos with a resolution of 50 MP with all models, and a new astrophoto mode and multi-exposure have also arrived for Expert RAW. We drive all this?
The Galaxy S23 Ultra in the company of two Galaxy S23+. [+]
THE Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy system chip. This year, Europe will also get a snapdragon version of the Galaxy S-series, not an Exynos chip, and at least 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage in the basic S23, 256 GB in the S23+ and S23 Ultra models. The operating memory can be upgraded up to 12 GB, the storage up to 1 TB. It has not yet been revealed whether the new SoC is produced by Samsung or TSMC, and we will have to wait for the results of the synthetic tests until the test. In the same way, there are question marks around the type of RAM and storage space, according to previous information there is a difference between the models, but we have to wait until the test devices arrive to prove this. It is certain, however, that the S23 (3900 mAh) and S23+ (4700 mAh) were equipped with larger batteries, while the S23 Ultra kept the 5000 mAh battery, and if the new SoC is really more economical as promised, better operating time is expected.
Connectors and buttons on phones. [+]
All three phones come with the Android 13-based One UI 5.1 system, and Samsung promises four major version updates and one more, for a total of five years of security support for the phones. One UI 5.1 has routines, customizable settings, the Samsung Knox line of defense, an updated Samsung Notes app, Windows PC connectivity, and of course DeX. Wireless connections cover all domestic 5G and 4G bands, there is also Wi-Fi 6E, NFC, UWB, and Bluetooth 5.3.
The base model is also comfortably compact this year. [+]
It is almost essential that these devices enjoy IP68 protection, which means that if they are exposed to water for a short time, they will not do much damage. Regarding the design of the housing, it is new that instead of 6 internal components in this year’s models, the manufacturer uses materials from recycled sources in 12 internal and external components (e.g. glasses, SIM tray, buttons, speaker), and the packaging is made of 100% recycled paper .
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The cheapest model this year will be the 8/128 GB version of the Galaxy S23, so you have to pay HUF 409,990 at the checkout, the 8/256 GB version already costs HUF 439,990. The prices of the Galaxy S23+ with the 8/256 GB model start at HUF 524,990, and the 8/512 GB version will cost HUF 574,990 in Hungary. The Galaxy S23 Ultra will be available in three packages, the 8/256 GB version will cost HUF 609,990, the 12/512 GB version will cost HUF 689,990 and the 12 GB / 1 TB model will cost HUF 789,990. Samsung will open pre-orders on the day of the presentation, that is, from February 1, and those who order the device from the manufacturer until February 17 will receive a model with double the storage space of their choice, if this is possible. In addition, the manufacturer undertakes to refurbish older phones for those who purchase the new device, for details on this, please refer to the press release:
“As part of its sustainability efforts, Samsung is launching the ReGalaxy program, which focuses on repairing and updating existing devices. For all those who purchase one of the Galaxy S23 devices, Samsung provides a gross amount of HUF 100,000 for the free renovation of the previous Galaxy S10 S20, S21, S22 or Note20 devices sold by Samsung Hungary. In the ReGalaxy program, February 1, 2023 and March 31, 2023 customers can participate in, during which Galaxy S10, S20, S21 and S22 or Note20 device owners can upload the device number and IMEI identifier to the Samsung Members application after purchase. After that, Samsung employees will pick up the previous devices at the device owner’s home or at a Samsung specialist store, and at the same time, the device owner can accept the repair offer via e-mail. After the repair, the device will be returned by Samsung using one of the collection methods listed earlier. With this program, older smartphones can be given a new lease of life, either with another family member or integrated into the ecosystem of a smart home.”
The samples will arrive to us soon, so we plan to deliver the test before the start of sales.
