After weeks of teasing and leaks, Samsung’s latest flagship phones—the Samsung Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23+ and Galaxy S23 Ultra—became official at today’s Samsung Unpacked event.
During the Samsung Unpacked event, the new Galaxy S23 smartphone series was introduced.
Samsung
The three new Samsung Galaxy S series phones each offer a different-size display, with a different level of technology built-in.
All three phones are now powered by the enhanced Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, use a Gorilla Glass Victis 2 covered display and are housed within an armor aluminum casing for extra durability. Each is also rated IP68 for water and dirt resistance.
The phones offer an all-day battery life, along with wired and wireless charging options. All three models are being offered in your choice of colors, including phantom black, cream, green or lavender.
Here’s a closer look at each new Samsung Galaxy S series smartphones and details about the pre-order deals currently available from Best Buy and Samsung.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Processor: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 | Display: 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O QHD+ | Refresh rate: 120Hz adaptive | Maximum display brightness: 1,750 nits | RAM: 8GB or 12GB | Storage: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | Rear cameras: 200 megapixels (wide), 12 megapixels (ultra-wide), 10 megapixels (telephoto with 3x optical zoom), 10 megapixels (telephoto with 10x optional zoom) | Front camera: 12 megapixels
The new Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra sits at the top of Samsung’s lineup. Packed with the most powerful components in the Galaxy series, the Galaxy S23 Ultra targets those who value the best components paired with a professional-grade imaging array. The Galaxy S23 Ultra builds on the same core tech built into the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23+, but it kicks a handful of important features up a notch. Available in phantom black, cream, green, or lavender (and in lime, graphite, sky blue or fire red), the Galaxy S23 Ultra offers a large, 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O QHD+ display with a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate. For extra detail and clarity, the screen provides 500 pixels-per-inch, with a brightness level up to 1,750 nits.
The camera setup built into the Galaxy S23 Ultra is nothing short of spectacular. On specs alone, the Galaxy S23 Ultra leaves the latest Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max in the dust with a main, rear-facing camera that offers an incredible 200-megapixel, f/1.7 wide-angle camera with laser auto focus. Accompanying this camera is an ultra-wide-angle, 12-megapixel, f/2.2 camera; a 10-megapixel, f/2.4 telephone lens camera and a 10-megapixel, f/4.9 lens camera. This camera setup allows for a 3x or 10x optical zoom and up to a 100x space zoom. The front-facing camera offers a 12-megapixel, f/2.2 camera—perfect for taking high-definition selfies or looking great during video calls. The rear-facing cameras are able to capture up to 8K video at 30 fps, 4K video at up to 60 fps, 1080p video at up to 120 fps or super slow-motion video at up to 960 fps.
What’s more, this phone comes with the pro photo editing capabilities built into Adobe Lightroom preinstalled—which is now the default photo editor for photos taken with Samsung’s free Expert RAW app. This tool includes advanced photography features, like astrophotography and multi-exposure, for example. With RAW images, you get pixel-level control so every detail of an image can be enhanced quickly and precisely using Adobe Lightroom.
The phone itself measures 6.4 x 3.1 x 0.4 inches, the same as its predecessor the Galaxy S22 Ultra. But the Galaxy S23 Ultra adds 0.2 ounces to its weight, coming in at 8.3 ounces. It has an all-day battery life, with wired or Qi wireless fast charging. This phone also comes with a built in S Pen stylus for creating handwritten notes, precise drawings using compatible apps
Samsung Galaxy S23+
Processor: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 | Display: 6.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O FHD+ | Refresh rate: 120Hz adaptive | Maximum display brightness: 1,750 nits | RAM: 8GB | Storage: 256GB, 512GB | Rear cameras: 50 megapixels (wide), 12 megapixels (ultra-wide), 10 megapixels (telephoto with 3x optical zoom) | Digital zoom: 30x | Front camera: 12 megapixels
Positioned in the middle of the new Galaxy S series lineup, the Samsung Galaxy S23+ makes its mark by having a slightly larger display and more than the baseline S23, but it’s not quite as tricked out as the pricier S23 Ultra. It has a 6.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O FHD+ display with an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate, 393 pixels-per-inch and up to 1,750 nit brightness.
The Galaxy S23+ comes with either 256GB or 512GB of storage. It uses the same front- and rear-facing camera setup as the smaller Galaxy S23. This model is a bit larger and heavier—it measures 6.2 x 3 x 0.3 inches and weighs 6.9 ounces.
Samsung Galaxy S23
Processor: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 | Display: 6.1-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O FHD+ | Refresh rate: 120Hz adaptive | Maximum display brightness: 1,750 nits | RAM: 8GB | Storage: 128GB, 256GB | Rear cameras: 50 megapixels (wide), 12 megapixels (ultra-wide), 10 megapixels (telephoto with 3x optical zoom) | Digital zoom: Up to 30x | Front camera: 12 megapixels
The Samsung Galaxy S23 is the smallest, lightest and least expensive variant of Samsung’s flagship series. It has a 6.1-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x Infinity-O FHD+ (2,200 x 1,080) display with a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate. The screen offers a 425 pixels-per-inch resolution with a brightness up to 1,750 nits. On the back of the phone, the main camera offers a 50-megapixel, f/1.8 wide angle field-of-view. There’s also a 12-megapixel, f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle camera and a 10-megapixel, f/2.4 telephoto camera. All three cameras offer up to 3x optical and up to 30x space zoom. This translates to be able to capture 8K video at up to 30 fps, 4K video at up to 60 fps or 1080p video at up to 120 fps. The cameras can also capture super slow-motion video at a whopping 960 fps, plus offer Super HDR and newly upgraded nightography, along with other photo and video features.
The Samsung Galaxy S23 comes bundled with 8GB of RAM and your choice of 128GB or 256GB of storage. For security, you also get both a finger-print scanner and face recognition. The phone measures 5.8 x 2.8 x 0.3 inches and weighs 5.9 ounces
Samsung also announced its latest Samsung Galaxy Book3 line-up. All three new laptops are now available for pre-order from Samsung.
Pricing and release date
Australian users will be able to pre-order all three models from today, while in store pick up begins on February 17.
Galaxy S23 Ultra pricing starts from $1,949
Galaxy S21+ starts from $1,649.
Galaxy S23 starts at $1,349.
This story was first published on forbes.com