Last night was the conference Galaxy Unpacked 2023 from Samsung, in person for the first time since the start of the pandemic. The brand unveiled its new range of smartphones and laptops.
On the smartphone side, the new features announced at the conference Galaxy Unpacked 2023 are relatively minor, and as proof: Samsung highlights the fact of having aligned the camera lenses vertically… The new Galaxy S23 series is made up of the S23, equipped with a 6.1-inch screen, the S23+, which at 6.6 inches and finally the S23 Ultra, with a diagonal of 6.8 inches. We stay on an Amoled panel refreshed at 120 Hz, Full HD + (1,080 x 2,340 pixels) for the S23 and S23 + or WQHD + (1,440 x 3,088 pixels) for the S23 Ultra, protected by the new Gorilla Glass Victus 2.
The big news is the main camera sensor of the S23 Ultra, which increases to 200 megapixels. By default, the camera will use the technique of pixel binning to capture higher quality photos in 12 or 50 megapixels. Samsung is also announcing changes to the artificial intelligence (AI) that processes images, which should improve their quality.
A “custom” Snapdragon processor
It is accompanied by a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, a 10-megapixel telephoto lens and a 10-megapixel periscopic telephoto lens. On the S23 and S23+, there is a new 50-megapixel sensor that promises better image quality. Their triple photo module also incorporates a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle and a 10-megapixel telephoto lens. All models incorporate improved autofocus and a selfie camera that increases to 12 megapixels.
Contrary to its habit, Samsung will not use an Exynos in-house processor in Europe. The Galaxy S23s incorporate a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy SoC, Qualcomm’s latest slightly overclocked processor (the main core gains 0.1 GHz to go to 3.3 GHz). It will be accompanied by 8 to 12 GB of RAM with 128 GB to 1 TB of storage, depending on the model. The batteries of the S23 and S23+ are slightly larger than their predecessors, at 3,900 mAh and 4,700 mAh respectively, while the S23 Ultra keeps the 5,000 mAh of the S22 Ultra, but benefits from optimizations for better autonomy.
Smartphones start at 959 euros for the Galaxy S23, 1,219 euros for the S23+ and 1,419 euros for the S23 Ultra, which comes with an integrated S Pen stylus. Pre-orders are already open, with an expected delivery date of February 17.
High-end laptops
Alongside, Samsung also unveiled its new Galaxy Book3 laptops. The range begins with the top model, the Galaxy Book3 Ultra. It will be offered from 3,499 euros. At this price, it has a 16-inch 3K (2,880 x 1,800 pixels) Amoled display with a 120Hz refresh rate. It comes in two versions, one equipped with an Intel Core i9 processor and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 graphics card, and the second, an Intel Core i7 processor accompanied by an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 card.
Samung also offers a Galaxy Book3 Pro, available from 1,899 euros in 14 and 16-inch versions, and a Galaxy Book3 Pro 360, available at 2,099 euros in 16-inch version only, with the same screen as the Ultra version. The 360 model is a 2-in-1 whose screen can fully rotate to fold behind the keyboard. They are equipped with the Intel Core i7-1260P processor with 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage.
Finally, Samsung offers a more affordable version with the Galaxy Book3 360, sold from 1,399 euros. It is offered in 13.3-inch and 15.6-inch versions, with 8 to 16 GB of RAM and 256 to 512 GB of storage, accompanied by an Intel Core i5-1340P or Intel Core i7-1260P processor. The different models will be available from February 17th.
