Samsung announces the Galaxy S23, S23+ and S23 Ultra. Low pre-order price in the UK with double storage. VIDEO

It’s official! Samsung’s new flagships, which make up the Galaxy S23 series, have been officially unveiled and to no one’s surprise, they’re exactly what we expected them to be. And in 2023, leaks have left very few details hidden, from hardware specs to the design of the new models. In what follows we’ll talk about the Galaxy S23, S23+ and S23 Ultra, the new features they bring and the price at which they’ll be available in the UK.

Galaxy S23 Ultra looks familiar, but gets the biggest camera upgrade yet

We’ll start with the Galaxy S23 Ultra, as this is the model that gets both the smallest and biggest changes. The small changes are to the exterior, as the Galaxy S23 Ultra looks almost identical to last year’s Galaxy S22 Ultra. The phone benefits from the same overall shape, but has slightly larger lens cameras and metal rings, different enough to not be compatible with last year’s cases. Overall dimensions and weight are similar, we still have an S-Pen stylus, and the edges seem to be less rounded. This is more noticeable when you pick up the phone in your hand. The screen also seems less curved at the edges.

In terms of hardware specs, we once again have a 6.8″ QHD resolution screen, but that comes factory set to Full HD at 120Hz. The phone comes in 256, 512 and 1TB storage configurations, with 8GB RAM in the base model and 12GB in the higher variants. There’s also a virtual RAM option for those who need more. The battery remains at 5,000 mAh with charging at 45W and fast wireless charging, probably at 15W, as Samsung doesn’t specify the exact value.

The only real news, however, is in the processor, which is now a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 “for Samsung” model, a dedicated version of the Galaxy S23 series that climbs to higher boost frequencies. This year, we’re not seeing S23 models with Exynos, which could be good news for some fans. The other big changes come in the camera department. On the front we get a new 12-megapixel camera with improved night mode, and on the back the only new camera is the main one, with a 200-megapixel f/1.7 sensor. The other cameras remain 12 megapixels for ultra-wide and 10 megapixels for 3- and 10-fold optical zoom.

Galaxy S23 Ultra specifications

• Display: 6.8-inch QHD+ , Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display, 120Hz (1~120 Hz)
• Dimensions: 78.1 X 163.4 X 8.9mm
• Weight: 234g
• Rooms: 12MP Ultra-Wide Camera f/2.2, 200 MP Wide Camera f/1.7, 10MP Telephoto Camera 3x Optical Zoom f/2.4, 10MP Telephoto Camera 10x Optical Zoom, f/4.9
• Front Camera: 12MP Front Camera f/2.2,
• ProcessorSnapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy
• RAM: 8/12GB
• Storage: 256/512 GB, 1TB
• Battery: 5,000 mAh, fast charging 45W wired, 15W wireless
• Operating system: Android 13, One UI 5.1
• Network and Connectivity: 5G/LTE, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
• Security: ultrasonic fingerprint sensor in the screen
• Other: IP68 water resistance, S-Pen stylus

Galaxy S23 and S23+ come with bigger batteries and the same Qualcomm processor as the Ultra

When it comes to the Galaxy S23 and 23+, we can conclude at first glance that only the camera module has been changed, being brought in line with the Ultra variant. Otherwise, the two models are equipped with many similar components as the S22 series. Both have Full HD flat screens at 120 Hz, with diagonals of 6.1 and 6.6″ respectively. The internal configuration is based on the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy, but with 8 GB RAM. The small model comes with 128 or 256 GB storage, and the plus variant with 256 or 512 GB.

One upgrade that might be noticeable in long-term use is in the batteries, each getting an extra 200 mAh: 3,900 on the S23 with 25W charging and 4,700 on the S23+ with 45W charging. These also get wireless charging. The camera systems don’t seem to be getting an upgrade this year: 50 megapixel main, 12 megapixel ultra-wide and 10 megapixel 3x optical zoom. Only the new 12-megapixel front camera is really new.

Galaxy S23/S23+ specifications

• Display: 6.1/6.6-inch FHD+, Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display, 120Hz (48~120Hz)
• Dimensions: 70.9 x 146.3 x 7.6mm (S23) / 76.2 x 157.8 x 7.6mm (S23+),
• Weight: 168g/196g
• Cameras: 12MP Ultra-Wide Camera f/2.2, 50 MP Wide Camera f/1.8, 10MP Telephoto Camera 3x Optical Zoom, f/2.4
• Front Camera: 12MP Front Camera, f/2.2
• Processor: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy
• RAM: 8 FB
• Stpcare: 128/256GB (S23) / 256/512GB (S23+)
• Battery: 3,900mAh fast charge 25W (S23) / 4,700mAh fast charge 45W (S23+)
• Operating system: Android 13, One UI 5.1
• Network and Connectivity: 5G/LTE, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth v 5.3
• Security: ultrasonic fingerprint sensor in the screen
• Other: IP68 water resistance, S-Pen stylus

Samsung promises shooting and filming improvements on all models

Samsung also talked a bit about the fact that all three models are built with Gorilla Glass Victus 2, Corning’s most shock and scratch resistant glass, and many plastic and glass components are made from recycled materials. Even the phones’ packaging is made from 100% recycled paper. The processor is also better cooled than in the past, so we should see better sustained performance in complex tasks, especially gaming, and a number of new features have been announced for the cameras and video.

Details remain to be worked out when we get the phones to test, but we can mention better night photography on all models, better night shooting, dedicated mode for starry sky shots, better stabilisation on video via Adaptive VDIS technology and better optical stabilisation. Incidentally, the 200-megapixel camera will combine up to 16 pixels for sharper and brighter photos on the S23 Ultra and will also help with more precise focusing. The S23 and S23+ models get RAW photography at 50 megapixels in the Expert RAW app.

On pre-order, S23 models will ship with dual storage at standard price

What’s certain is that the Galaxy S23 models are still a refinement of Samsung flagships and not a real step forward in most respects. They’re not made to be a major upgrade for those who already have the S22 or even the S21, perhaps those with the S20 and Note20 might feel a major jump in the camera and battery life chapters, if not performance in normal use.

The phones go up for pre-order from now, February 1, 8pm, with prices starting at 4,699 lei for the 128GB Galaxy S23, 5,949 for the 256GB Galaxy S23+ and 6,949 for the 256GB Galaxy S23 Ultra. Those who pre-order between 1 and 16 February, however, also get a few perks such as a 500 lei discount voucher, double the storage of the chosen variant (so the base models won’t be available initially) and even a trade-in option to further reduce the price of the phones in exchange for the old phone.