Samsung has unveiled its new premium S23 smartphone range to bring the ultimate smartphone experience to consumers. The new models offer something to suit every customer, from the flagship S23 Ultra to the premium S23+ and the standard S23.
The new era of Galaxy devices lets consumers explore their creativity through its upgraded Nightography cameras; offers ultra-fast speeds thanks to a custom Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chip; has extended battery life across the range; and there’s a built-in S-Pen for the S23 Ultra.
Most efficient chipset
Qualcomm, in partnership with Samsung, worked together to customise its new chipset — the most powerful and efficient chip on a Samsung Galaxy smartphone, and currently the fastest Snapdragon chip on the market.
Its premium performance paves the way for the future of mobile gaming thanks to enhanced graphics that are 40% faster than the S22 Ultra, and its neural processing unit is optimised by 40% from before.
It also supports real-time ray tracing for more realistic renders, so you can see light and shadow. The Ultra is equipped with Samsung’s vapour chamber to ensure that you can play games for hours on end without worrying about the device overheating.
A whopping 200MP camera bump
The top of the range S23 Ultra pushes boundaries with a Galaxy first — a 200MP Adaptive Pixel sensor to capture images with precision. This is done by using pixel binning to support multiple levels of high-resolution processing at once.
The new 200MP wide lens is joined by a 12MP ultra-wide, 2x 10MP dual pixel telephoto with varying zoom, and a 12MP selfie-cam.
Enhanced Nightography includes an AI object-aware engine that can differentiate multiple layers on an image, such as glasses, facial hair or curly hair, which appears clearer on images than previously.
Its ground-breaking AI optimises photos and videos in low-light conditions, making them sharper while actively removing noise. Improved stabilisation with 2x wider OIS means improved videos when compared to its predecessor.
The S23 range across all devices introduces a fast autofocus and its first Super HDR selfie camera, taking it from 30fps to 60fps, for improved front-facing images and videos.
The Expert RAW app will allow users to shoot directly from the app, a Galaxy exclusive, enabling DSLR-like image shooting and editing in RAW or JPEG, without worrying about carrying bulky gear.
All videos shot on the S23 range benefit from a double optical image stabiliser angle in all directions; recording in 8K at 30fps; and 360-degree audio, supported by the Galaxy Buds2 Pro.
S23 Ultra – the all-rounder
The Ultra comes with a built-in S-Pen to combine productivity, performance, and creativity. It is suited for any task at hand, from note-taking to doodling, annotating, and being productive on-the-go.
It has a 6.8-inch AMOLED display made with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, with a 3088 x 1440 resolution. It supports a super smooth 120Hz refresh rate, going from 1 all the way up to 120Hz.
The intelligent display also has a new vision booster feature that adapts the screen brightness based on the environment, with three different levels.
It is powered by 12GB of RAM; 256GB of storage that goes up to 1TB; features Bluetooth 5.3; WiFi 6E and Ultra-Wide Band connectivity. It has a 5000mAh battery with super-fast charging, fast wireless charging, and wireless power share.
https://www.samsung.com/za/smartphones/galaxy-s23-ultra/buy/
Introducing the S23+ and S23
Available alongside the Ultra is the S23+ and S23, for those who don’t need all the bells and whistles on a smartphone. The most noticeable improvement is the redesigned cameras: it no longer has a bump.
The minimalist looking S23+ and S23 now resemble the Ultra more thanks to its design, plus it’s powered by the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset, making it excellent value for consumers.
The cameras are identical, featuring a 50MP wide; 12MP ultra-wide; and 10MP telephoto. The selfie-cam is bumped up to 12MP with the Super HDR selfie mode; and the enhanced Nightography mentioned earlier.
Customers can choose between the large 6.6-inch S23+ or smaller 6.1-inch S23. Both have the same AMOLED FHD display with a 2340×1080 resolution, and 120Hz refresh rate (48-120Hz). Both models now have a peak brightness of 1750 nits and brightness is adapted through a vision booster, as mentioned on the Ultra.
Both handsets are powered by 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage with the S23+ offering a 512GB option; Bluetooth 5.3 and WiFi 6E.
It also received a bigger battery this year, with the S23+ sporting a 4700mAh battery and the S23 a 3900mAh battery. It supports fast wireless charging, super-fast charging, and wireless power share.
The S23 range runs on Android 13 and Samsung’s One UI 5.1. The company promises a guaranteed four generations of Android upgrades and five years of security updates.
For the first time, the whole range will be available in the same colours: phantom black, green, cream and lavender.
The S23 range is currently open for pre-order and will be available on 17 February starting at R20 995 for the S23, R23 499 for the S23+ and R30 999 for the Ultra.
Pre-order the new Galaxy S23, S23+ | Price & Deals | Samsung South Africa