The Samsung Galaxy S23s are official, here’s our hands-on
That’s it, it’s official, Samsung has announced the Galaxy S23, S23+ and S23 Ultra. We were lucky enough to hold them in hand, here’s what we think!
After rumours, we come to confirmations due to that February 1, 2023 Samsung brand new just announced Samsung Galaxy S23, S23+ and S23 Ultra. These three new models represent the Korean firm’s premium and flagship smartphones for this year.
In the leaks, we have discovered that the S23 series the S22 Series followed with a design that slowly but surely evolved. Does not leave the picture as it remains the roots of war in the premium smartphone segment but above all, it is a great first, all S23 in the world will offer the same SoCsthat of Qualcomm.
@journaldugeek We tested the Samsung Galaxy S23! #samsung #galaxys23 #galaxys23ultra #smartphone #tech #journaldugeek
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The Samsung Galaxy S23 and S23+ represents the heart of the range and is clearly aimed at the general public, always looking for the best possible quality-price ratio. And when at Galaxy S23 Ultrawith his S-Yellow, it is clearly aimed at the most tech-savvy and those looking for the best in photography from the Korean manufacturer. Speaking of pictures, we really appreciate the integration of the picture unit into the chassis throughout the range. Last year, only the S22 Ultra was entitled to it.
A design that changes
If the design is slowly evolving as we said above, the S23 and S23+ still offer a flat screen while the S23 Ultra offers a curved screen (it’s a bit lower than the S22 Ultra). On the other hand, all S23s offer a glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2) and a reinforced aluminum surround, which was not the case last year with the S22 and S22+. On the S Pen side, it hasn’t changed much and we’ve seen line prediction technologies for better latency and a more natural experience. Note that the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s S Pen is not the same, physically, as the S22 Ultra’s.
As for the screen itself, there are no surprises as the S23 Series has a Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen with Full HD+ definition for the S23 and S23+, while the S23 Ultra will offer Quad HD+ definition. Of course, all three smartphones have a refresh rate of 120Hz (48-120Hz for the S23/S23+ and 1-120Hz on the S23 Ultra) and they are all HDR10+ certified. The fingerprint sensor remains under the screen and is still of the ultrasonic type.
The Galaxy S23 Series offers you AKG stereo speakers and Dolby Atmos support of course. For handling itself, we’re familiar with the S23 and S23+. And as always, the S23 Ultra will remain a large smartphone and may be too big for some.
Qualcomm, chosen partner
And as we said above, for the first time ever, all Galaxy S23s in the world will have Qualcomm’s SoC, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. Step out of Samsung’s Exynos SoCs and that’s not a bad thing because Qualcomm has widened the gap internally a few years to compete this year with Apple’s A16 Bionic. From our quick start, while waiting for a real test, we did not notice any particular problems. It should also be noted that this is a Samsung-specific Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. According to the Korean manufacturer, it is not the same as other competing smartphones.
The technical characteristics of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Series
Here are all the technical characteristics :
| Galaxy S23 | Galaxy S23+ | Galaxy S23 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | – 6.1-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X – Flat screen in 20:9 format – Full HD+ definition – HDR10+ – 48-120Hz – 240Hz Touch Sensor – Gorilla Glass Victus 2 – Punch in the middle |
– 6.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X – Flat screen in 20:9 format – Full HD+ definition – HDR10+ – 48-120Hz – 240Hz Touch Sensor – Gorilla Glass Victus 2 – Punch in the middle |
– 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X – Edge curved display in 20:9 format – Definition of WQHD+ – HDR10+ – 1-120Hz – 240Hz Touch Sensor – Gorilla Glass Victus 2 – Punch in the middle |
| Design | – Reinforced aluminum surround – Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the back – IP68 |
– Reinforced aluminum surround – Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the back – IP68 |
– Reinforced aluminum surround – Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the back – IP68 – Storage space for S Pen |
| SoCs and GPUs | – Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 – Adreno 740 GPU |
– Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 – Adreno 740 GPU |
– Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 – Adreno 740 GPU |
| memory | – 8GB RAM – 128GB or 256GB of storage – No Micro-SD port |
– 8GB RAM – 256GB or 512GB of storage – No Micro-SD port |
– 12GB RAM – 256GB, 512GB or 1TB of storage – No Micro-SD port |
| Colors | – 4 colors: Cream, Black, Green and Lavender | – 4 colors: Cream, Black, Green and Lavender | – Phantom Black – Phantom Silver |
| Camera | – 50 MP main sensor – Aperture f/1.8 and Optical Stabilization – 10 MP 3x telephoto sensor – F/2.4 Aperture and Optical Stabilization – 12 MP ultra wide-angle sensor – FoV 120° and Aperture F/2.2 – Dual Pixel autofocus on all cameras – Auto HDR picture – 8K video capture at 30fps – Single-shot mode – 12 MP front sensor |
– 50 MP main sensor – Aperture f/1.8 and Optical Stabilization – 10 MP 3x telephoto sensor – F/2.4 Aperture and Optical Stabilization – 12 MP ultra wide-angle sensor – FoV 120° and Aperture F/2.2 – Dual Pixel autofocus on all cameras – Auto HDR picture – 8K video capture at 30fps – Single-shot mode – 12 MP front sensor |
– 200 MP main sensor – Output in 12 MP, 50MP or 200MP – Aperture f/1.7, Optical Stabilization and Phase Detection Autofocus – 10 MP 3x telephoto sensor n°1 – Aperture of F/2.4, Optical Stabilization and Dual Pixel Autofocus – 10 MP 10x telephoto sensor n°2 – Aperture of F/4.9, Optical Stabilization and Dual Pixel Autofocus – 12 MP ultra wide-angle sensor – 120° FoV, F/2.2 Aperture and Dual Pixel Autofocus – Auto HDR picture – 8K video capture at 30fps – Single-shot mode – 12 MP front sensor |
| Audio | – AKG stereo speakers – Dolby Atmos – no 3.5mm jack |
– AKG stereo speakers – Dolby Atmos – no 3.5mm jack |
– AKG stereo speakers – Dolby Atmos – no 3.5mm jack |
| Battery | – 3900mAh – Super Fast Charging 25W – USB-C port – Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 – Wireless Powershare |
– 4700mAh – Super Fast Charging 45W – USB-C port – Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 – Wireless Powershare |
– 5000mAh – Super Fast Charging 45W – USB-C port – Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 – Wireless Powershare |
| Connectivity | – Ultrasonic fingerprint reader under the screen -Bluetooth 5.3 – Wi-Fi 6E – 2x nano-SIM – 5G sub-6 |
– Ultrasonic fingerprint reader under the screen -Bluetooth 5.3 – Wi-Fi 6E – 2x nano-SIM – 5G sub-6 |
– Ultrasonic fingerprint reader under the screen -Bluetooth 5.3 – Wi-Fi 6E – Ultra Wide Band – 2x nano-SIM – 5G sub-6 – S Pen holder |
| Software | – Android 13 – A UI 5.1 – Samsung DeX |
– Android 13 – A UI 5.1 – Samsung DeX |
– Android 13 – A UI 5.1 – Samsung DeX |
| Height and weight | – 146.3 x 70.9 x 7.6mm – 168g |
– 157.8 x 76.2 x 7.6mm – 196g |
– 163.4 x 78.1 x 8.9mm – 234g |
| Price | – S23 128GB: €959 – S23 256GB: €1019 |
– S23+ 256GB: €1,219 – S23+ 512GB: €1339 |
– S23 Ultra 256GB / 8GB: €1,419 – S23 Ultra 512GB / 12GB: €1,599 – S23 Ultra 1TB / 12GB: 1839 € |
| date of existence | – February 17, 2022 (pre-order from 02/01 to 02/16) | – February 17, 2022 (pre-order from 02/01 to 02/16) | – February 17, 2022 (pre-order from 02/01 to 02/16) |
photos and videos
In the picture, for the technical characteristics, it is in itself an evolution because the main novelty of the Galaxy S23 compared to the Galaxy S22, it is the change of the sensor of the main camera. In the 23 and S23+, we now switch to a main camera with a 50 Megapixel sensor while in the S23 Ultra, we switch to a main sensor of 200 Megapixels, which will allow you to take pictures of 12 Megapixels, 50 Megapixels or 200 Megapixels if needed. All these formats are available in both RAW and Pro Mode. We also see the same zoom levels including 10x optical and Space Zoom 100x on the S23 Ultra. Of course, we haven’t tested the image part yet and can’t wait to try it out.
Prices and Availability
The new ones Samsung Galaxy S23 Series will be officially available from February 17. And from now and until their availability, we can pre-order one of the three S23 and will be offered the doubling of its storage space and a recovery bonus of 150 euros. Count from 959 euros for the S23, 1219 euros for the S23+ and 1419 euros for the S23 Ultra. Yes, it is 100/150 euros more expensive this year.
Galaxy S23 8/128 GB at the best price
Base price: €959
Galaxy S23+ 8/256 GB at the best price
Base price: €1,219
Galaxy S23 Ultra 8/256 GB at the best price
Base price: €1,419
