As is traditional, Samsung opens the ban on TOP-range mobiles every year and, this 2023, it is the turn of the presentation of the Galaxy S23. As is also tradition, we have been seeing leaks of the new Galaxy for weeks and we knew practically everything before the official event.
But hey, leaving leaks aside, let’s go with the official ‘little things’ because the South Korean company has just presented its arsenal in the premium range for this year (to which must be added the folding ones that should see light in August).
In addition to mobile phones, they have also presented a lot of laptops belonging to the Book 3 family, which are very interesting because they allow a fairly complete integration with these S23s and, as if that were not enough, a few days ago we were able to tinker with the phones.
In my impressions of the Galaxy S23 Ultra I tell you my feelings after an hour with the device (the truth is that the new screen design is noticeable) and my partner Ana has been able to test the S23 and S23+.
I recommend that you take a look at our impressions, but now we come to what concerns us, which is know in depth, and officially, the new Galaxy S23.
Everything you need to know about the Samsung Galaxy S23:
Technical sheet and characteristics of the Samsung Galaxy S23, S23+ and S23 Ultra
Galaxy S23Galaxy S23+Galaxy S23 UltraPantallaPanel Dynamic AMOLED 2X de 6,1″
Resolution of 2,340 x 1,080 px
120 Hz refresh
Always-on Display
Gorilla Glass Victus 2Panel Dynamic AMOLED 2X de 6,6″
Resolution of 2,340 x 1,080 px
120 Hz refresh
Always-on Display
Gorilla Glass Victus 2Panel Dynamic AMOLED 2X de 6,8″
Resolution of 3,088 x 1,440 px
120 Hz refresh
Always-on Display
Gorilla Glass 2
curved finish
Maximum brightness of 1,750 nits Processor Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
1 core and 3.2 GHz
2 núcleos a 2,8 Ghz Cortex-A715
2 núcleos a 2,8 GHz Cortex-A710
2 GHz Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 with 3 cores
1 core and 3.2 GHz
2 núcleos a 2,8 Ghz Cortex-A715
2 núcleos a 2,8 GHz Cortex-A710
2 GHz Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 with 3 cores
1 core and 3.2 GHz
2 núcleos a 2,8 Ghz Cortex-A715
2 núcleos a 2,8 GHz Cortex-A710
3 cores at 2 GHzGPUAdreno 740Adreno 740Adreno 740RAM memory8 GB8 GB8 0 12 GBAlmacenamiento128 GB UFS 3.1
256 GB UFS 4256 GB or 512 GB UFS 4256, 512 GB or 1 TB UFS 4Main camerasMain 50 Mpx f/1.8, 1/1.56″ sensor, OIS
12 Mpx f/2.2 wide-angle lens, 1/2.55″ sensor.
10 Mpx f/2.4 telephoto, 1/3.94″ sensor, 3x opticalMain 50 Mpx f/1.8, 1/1.56″ sensor, OIS
12 Mpx f/2.2 wide-angle lens, 1/2.55″ sensor.
10 Mpx f/2.4 telephoto, 1/3.94″ sensor, 3x optical 200 Mpx f/1.7 main, 1/1.3″ sensor, OIS, laser focus
12 Mpx f/2.2 wide-angle lens, 1/2.55″ sensor.
10 Mpx f/2.4 telephoto, 1/3.52″ sensor, OIS, 3x optical
10 Mpx f/4.9 telephoto, 1/3.52″ sensor, OIS, 10x optical Front camera 12 Mpx Dual Pixel
f/2.212 Mpx Dual Pixel
f/2.212 Mpx Dual Pixel
f/2.2 Battery 3.900 mAh
25 W per stall charging
10 W4,700 mAh wireless charging
45 W per stall charging
10 W 5,000 mAh wireless charging
45 W per stall charging
Wireless load of 10 OSAndroid 13 + OneUI 5.1Android 13 + OneUI 5.1Android 13 + OneUI 5.1ConnectividadWifi 6E
Bluetooth 5.3
GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO
NFCWifi 6E
Bluetooth 5.3
GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO
NFCWifi 6E
Bluetooth 5.3
GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO
NFCDimensiones y peso146,3 x 70,9 x 7,6 mm
167 gramos157,8 x 76,2 x 7,6 mm
195 gramos163,4 x 78,1 x 8,9 mm
233 gramsExtrasIP68 protection
“Armor aluminum” body IP68 protection
“Armor aluminum” body IP68 protection
“Armor aluminum” body Price—
Most uniform design between the three and an S23 Ultra with “flat-curved screen”
At the design level, Samsung continues to bet on two different lines. On the one hand, there are the S23 and S23+ with a front with rounded corners, but with a flat screen. On the other hand we find the S23 Ultra that has sharper corners, but a curved screen.
Now I will enter the screen, but this year we have a more homogeneous rear between the three devicessince the photographic module of the S23 and S23+ has been removed to make them more similar to their older brother.
Thus, the different cameras appear individually. The back is still made of glass with a matte finish on all three models and the frames are made of aluminum with an ‘Armor aluminum’ body. This means that it has an internal aluminum structure that makes it more resistant to shocks and damage.
Also, all three are IP68 certifieda classic in high-end Samsung at this point, and screen with the second generation of Gorilla Glass Victus.
Speaking of the screen, I have already commented that the S23 and S23+ have a flat finish in 6.1 and 6.6″ panels respectively, both with Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel with a maximum of 120 Hz and FullHD + resolution.
The S23 Ultra continues to bet on the curvature of the sidesbut from Samsung they told us that increases the flat surface of the screensomething that we were able to verify in our impressions, and also this level rises a bit compared to its brothers.
The screen is LTPO with a refresh rate of 1 to 120 Hzthe resolution increases to QHD +, it has a diagonal of 6.8 “and a higher brightness has been introduced than in the previous generation, with a peak of 1,750 nits.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor for everyone and higher capacity batteries
If we go inside, Samsung finally forgets about its own chips to offer a superior experience at the performance level. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 that we saw a few months ago in Hawaii is the protagonist along with configurations of 8 GB of RAM for the S23 and S23+, as well as 8 or 12 GB for the S23 Ultra.
As for software, we have Android 13 with the latest Samsung layer and full connectivity with its Galaxy Book 3 to transfer files and even control the phone with the laptop’s keyboard and mouse, and the battery has also grown a bit, as less in the S23 and S23+.
Now, these two now have 3,900 mAh and 4,700 mAh, 200 mAh more in both cases with respect to the S22, while the S23 Ultra stays at 5,000 mAh. All three have 10W wireless charging and wired charging is 25W for the S23 and 45W for the S23+ and S23 Ultra.
A photographic experience that goes up a notch and megapixels in the S23 Ultra
But hey, let’s go to the photographic section, which is, in the end, one of the hallmarks of the premium range and where Samsung puts a lot of effort every year.
You have already seen the characteristics of the cameras in the specifications table and, although at the megapixel and telephoto level things do not change much compared to last year in the S23 and S23+, there are certain improvements.
For example, the new ISP allows to reduce the night noiseas well as provide a much more efficient video stabilizer which allows us to correct 3 degrees compared to 1.5 degrees last year. It has four times more dynamic range in video and, in addition, we will be able to record at 8K30 with less cropping than in the previous generation.
The biggest news comes from the S23 Ultra with its new 200 megapixel sensor. We have already seen sensors with this huge number of pixels -in the Motorola Edge 30 Ultra or in the Xiaomi 12T Pro-, but here we have the new HP2 sensor from Samsung.
It is quite interesting because it has a pixel size of 0.6 microns, the same as the 108 megapixels of the S22 Ultra, but with Tetra2Pixel technology that allows them to be grouped to take photos in 50 megapixels with a pixel of 1.2 microns or in 12.5 megapixels with 2.4 micron pixels.
Work has been done to improve focus and shutter time to be able to take 200-megapixel photographs, but in the end we will almost always end up using the 12.5-megapixel automatic mode or the ExpertRAW mode, which improves a little in this new generation.
To get started, It will let us take RAW photos at 50 megapixels when before it was limited to 12 megapixels and this RAW mode can also be used on the front camera, which still has 12 megapixels on all three models, but with Dual Pixel technology to make good portraits in low light.
Of course, we still have a very powerful telephoto with an optical 10x in the case of the Ultra that can reach a digital 100x. We’ll see how this generation fare, as last year we were surprised by how well Samsung handled digital zoom in final processing.
As for modes, it has a multi-exposure mode and astrophotography with a digital map of the sky to be able to take photos of exactly what we want… as long as we have a tripod, of course. There are many options and there is a desire to try it in the analysis.
Launch, price and colors of the Galaxy S23
Given the characteristics of the Samsung Galaxy S23, it is time to know two important facts: launch and price.
You won’t have to wait long to buy the new devices, since They will go on sale on February 17. at the following price:
Galaxy S23 from 959 euros Galaxy S23+ from 1,209 euros Galaxy S23 Ultra from 1,409 euros
Regarding the colors, the three models will be available in black, cream, olive green and lavender. In addition, Samsung continues with its policy of using more and more recycled material and confirmed to us that the box and the security film on the screen are made of recycled paper.
The glass parts have a percentage of recycled glass, the aluminum is also recycled, and the plastic of both the speakers and the keys is also recycled. Definitely a good initiative.
