Samsung finally showed off its newest flagship phone, the Galaxy S23 series, in February of this year, and it will be on sale soon.
The outside of the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23+ has changed a lot, but the inside hasn’t changed as much. On the other hand, the S23 Ultra doesn’t look all that different, but its 200 MP main camera is better. All three phones come with the Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset, so that’s not a surprise.
Are you considering buying an S23? Here’s what you need to know.
Also, check Samsung Galaxy Z 4 Flip
When does the Samsung Galaxy S23 go on sale?
At a Galaxy Unpacked event on February 1, Samsung officially showed off its three new S23 phones: the S23, the S23+, and the S23 Ultra. However, that doesn’t mean the phones are on sale yet.
The reservation period for any of the three phones started on February 1, but they didn’t go on sale or start shipping until February 17 in Spain and the US (in Latin America, They arrived this March 3).
In 2020, Samsung released the FE (Fan Edition) models, which are basically a toned-down version of the standard Model S. For now, their release dates are more random, but they always come out a few months after the other models.
We thought the Samsung Galaxy S22 FE might come out right after the S23 series, but that hasn’t happened, and now there are rumors that it might have been canceled.
How much does the Samsung Galaxy S23 cost?
Samsung announced the prices of its new S23 series on the day it showed it off.
First of all, the standard S23 comes in two different styles:
- Galaxy S23 (128 GB): €959; not sold in Mexico; $799 USD
- Galaxy S23 (256 GB): €1,019 / MXN$23,999 / US$899
The S23+, on the other hand, has more space:
- Galaxy S23+ (256 GB): €1,209 / MXN$25,999 / US$999
- Galaxy S23+ (512 GB): €1,329 (offer), MXN$25,999, or $1,099
Lastly, the Ultra model gives you an extra 1TB of storage space:
- Galaxy S23 Ultra (256 GB): €1,409 / MXN$30,999 / US$1,199
- Galaxy S23 Ultra (512 GB): €1,589 (offer price), MXN$30,999, or US$1,379
- Galaxy S23 Ultra (1TB): €1,829 / MXN$35,999 / US$1,619
All of Samsung’s Galaxy S23 models have higher starting prices than last year’s Galaxy S22 models: £80 for the S23 and £100 for the Plus and Ultra.
It makes more sense for the two more expensive models, which have 256 GB of base storage, but the standard S23 is much more expensive than its predecessor even though it has the same amount of storage.
Don’t miss our article about where to buy the Galaxy S23 to learn more about how to get the new line of smartphones when they come out.
What features and specifications do the Samsung Galaxy S23 have?
Three new phones from Samsung have been released. To keep things simple, we’ll talk about them one by one, focusing on what’s new, what’s cool, and what makes them different from the other models.
Galaxy S23
Let’s start with the basic S23, which is the least expensive phone in the line.
You may have noticed right away that this phone looks very different from the S22 from last year. The company has stopped using the curved camera module it had used for the last two generations.
Now, we see a simple set of three lenses and a flash on the back of the phone. This design is clearly based on the Ultra model from last year.
Also, the colors have been changed. All three S23 models now come in the same four colors: black, beige, green, and purple. Samsung’s online store is likely to have a few more exclusive colors, but we don’t know what they are yet. It also doesn’t look like there will be anything like the Bespoke option on the Galaxy Z Flip 4.
Even though the design has changed a lot, the standard S23 is almost the same size and weight as last year’s model and has the same 6.1-inch screen. It’s a little bit tougher than before, though, because it comes with Gorilla Glass Victus 2, the toughest new glass for phones. The phone’s overall IP68 rating for resistance to water and dust hasn’t changed, though.
The screen is almost the same as it was last year. It’s still a 120Hz AMOLED panel with the same brightness and a 23401080 resolution.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip is used everywhere in the world. This is one of the most interesting changes this year. In the past, Samsung used Qualcomm chips in the United States and some other places, while its own Exynos processors were used in Europe.
Even more interesting is that it is a modified version of the 8 Gen 2 and is called the “Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy.” At the moment, neither company has said exactly what has changed in this edition.
But early leaked Geekbench results show that the main core clock speed is 3.36 GHz, which is faster than the 3.2 GHz that the 8 Gen 2 is supposed to run at, so it should technically run a bit faster. phones that compete with it.
It comes with 8 GB of RAM as standard and has the same storage options as last year: 128 GB or 256 GB.
The total capacity of the battery has gone up a little bit since last year, from 3,700mAh to 3,900mAh. Charging stays the same, with 25W wired charging speeds and basic Qi wireless charging.
When it comes to the camera, Samsung hasn’t changed much either. It still has a 50 MP main camera, a 12 MP ultra-wide angle lens, and a 10 MP telephoto lens, just like the S22. On the other side, the only big change is that the selfie camera went from 10 MP to 12 MP.
Even though there haven’t been many changes to the camera’s hardware, Samsung has promised a lot of software improvements, especially for low-light photography. This should improve the camera’s overall performance, but probably not by a lot.
Android 13 and One UI 5.1 are already on the S23 and the other three models, which is not a big surprise. Samsung still says that it will update the core operating system for four years and add security patches for a fifth year.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Specifications:
- 6.1″ AMOLED display (120Hz, FHD+)
- Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
- 8GB RAM
- 128GB / 256GB storage
- 3,900 mAh battery
- 25W wired charging
- 15W wireless charging
- Rear camera:
- 50 MP main camera (f/1.8, OIS)
- 12 MP ultra-wide angle camera (f/2.2)
- 10 MP telephoto camera (f/2.4, OIS, 3x zoom)
- 12 MP front camera (f/2.2)
- 5G
- IP68
- Gorilla Glass Victus 2
- Android 13 with One UI 5.1
Galaxy S23
The next stop is S23+. It’s very similar to the regular S23, and like the standard S23, the S22+ from last year hasn’t changed much.
The colors and shapes are the same as on the S23, and the design is mostly the same. The main difference is that it’s a little bit bigger and has a 6.6-inch screen. Other than that, it has the same specs as its smaller brother. The chipset and RAM are the same, but the S23+ has more storage. It starts with 256GB, which is twice as much as the cheapest phone, and you can add up to 512GB.
It also has a bigger battery (4,700 mAh vs. 4,500 mAh on the S22+) and faster wired charging (45W vs. 30W on the standard S23).
Samsung Galaxy S23 Specifications:
- 6.6″ AMOLED display (120Hz, FHD)
- Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
- 8GB RAM
- 256GB / 512GB storage
- 4,700mAh battery
- 45W wired charging
- 15W wireless charging
- Rear camera
- 50 MP main camera (f/1.8, OIS)
- 12 MP ultra-wide angle camera (f/2.2)
- 10 MP telephoto camera (f/2.4, OIS, 3x zoom)
- 12 MP front camera (f/2.2)
- 5G
- IP68
- Gorilla Glass Victus 2
- Android 13 with One UI 5.1
Galaxy S23 Ultra
The Ultra is again the biggest and most powerful phone in the line. The design of this phone is the same as the rest of the line, unlike the S22 Ultra from last year. However, that’s because the Ultra hasn’t changed.
It has the biggest screen, at 6.8 inches, and the only panel with a dynamic refresh rate that can change from 1Hz to 120Hz.
It’s also the only one of the three that has a slightly curved screen that works with the S Pen stylus that comes with it and snaps right into the phone. A small change has been made to the way it looks. No matter which model you buy, the phone is always black. Only the tip is the same color as the phone.
It has the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset as the S23+. The base storage options are the same, but a third model with 1TB of space has been added. In some places, only the Samsung store will sell the 1TB model.
It also has the series’ biggest battery at 5,000mAh, the same as the S22 Ultra, and the same 45W wired charging and 15W wireless charging as the S23+.
Last but not least, the Ultra really shines when it comes to its camera. The biggest change is the main camera on the back, which is a 200 MP monster that uses Samsung’s new ISOCELL HP2 sensor.
It has a large 1/1.3-inch sensor, better HDR, better focusing in low light, and Tetra2pixel technology, which lets the phone use different levels of pixelation depending on the lighting.
“In low-light environments, the sensor transforms into a 50 MP / 1.2 μm or 12.5 MP / 2.4 μm image sensor by stitching four to 16 neighboring pixels together. For fuller 8K video, at approximately 33 MP, the HP2 switches to 50 MP / 1.2 μm mode to minimize cropping and capture more of the scene. Shooting 8K at 30 frames per second (fps), a wide field of view coupled with a larger pixel size can produce sharp, cinematic videos.”
__samsung
The S23 Ultra has the same ultra-wide, 3x zoom, and 10x zoom cameras as its predecessor. This means that the two telephoto lenses have 10 MP and the ultra-wide lens has 12 MP.
The S23 Ultra has the same ultra-wide, 3x zoom, and 10x zoom cameras as its predecessor. This means that the two telephoto lenses have 10 MP and the ultra-wide lens has 12 MP.
The Ultra also has the same 12 MP front-facing camera as the other two models, which might seem like a step back from the 40 MP sensor that was used before.
Obviously, the resolution isn’t everything, so even though the Ultra has fewer MPs, it could still take better selfies. We’ll look into it when we can look at the phone ourselves.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra specifications:
- 6.8″ AMOLED display (1-120Hz, FHD)
- Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
- 8GB RAM
- 256GB / 512GB / 1TB storage
- 5,000mAh battery
- 45W wired charging
- 15W wireless charging
- Rear camera
- 200 MP main camera (f/1.7, OIS)
- 12 MP ultra-wide angle camera (f/2.2)
- 10 MP telephoto camera (f/2.4, OIS, 3x zoom)
- 10 MP telephoto camera (f/4.9, OIS, 10x zoom)
- 12 MP front camera (f/2.2)
- 5G
- IP68
- Gorilla Glass Victus 2
- Android 13 with One UI 5.1
All you need to know about the Samsung Galaxy S23 series is in this article. If you can’t wait until it goes on sale officially, check out our list of the best Samsung Galaxy phones right now.
