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Galaxy Unpacked: Samsung showcases impressive new S23 range [VIDEOS]
The Galaxy devices were launched on Wednesday in San Francisco, California, under the theme “Wooow is Coming”.
The new Samsung Galaxy S23. Image: Samsung.com
Tech giant Samsung unveiled its Galaxy range, the S23, S23+ and the S23 Ultra boasting a 200MP camera.
Last year, the Galaxy S Series took a huge leap forward – the S22 Ultra merged with the Note series’ with the’ pro-grade camera and performance of the S Series.
Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event
The Galaxy devices were launched on Wednesday in San Francisco, California, under the theme ‘Wooow is Coming‘.
Samsung said the S23 goes further than the S22 with an unrivalled camera, ultimate gaming and enhanced speed.
WATCH: Wooow is Coming
Justin Hume, Samsung’s Vice President of Mobile said the Galaxy S23 Ultra is in a class of its own.
“The S23 Ultra stands out with a 200MP camera. This is double what we announced last year…It is a photographer’s delight.”
“The new Galaxy S series offers the ultimate premium smartphone experience designed for today and beyond.”
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Display
The Galaxy S23 Ultra boasts a 6.8-inch edge display which reflects the legacy of the Galaxy Ultra series.
The device has a newly shaped curvature on the display’s edge, which creates a large flat surface area when compared to the S22 Ultra.
The contour-cut housing around the camera has been removed for a cleaner and leaner look across all models.
The S23 Ultra is the first smartphone to incorporate Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 glass, which offers more durability for long-term use, and contains an average of 22% pre-consumer recycled materials.
Cameras
Samsung said it took the S23’s Nightography capabilities one step further to allow users to take photos even in a low-light environment.
The S23 Ultra boasts a 200MP sensor to create bright and detailed shots in the dark of night. It’s the company’s first-ever 200MP sensor upgraded from the 108MP on the Galaxy S22 Ultra.
This means users will be able to print canvas-sized images.
Adaptive Pixel Sensor
Samsung’s new Adaptive Pixel Sensor on the S23 Ultra combines 16 pixels into one larger pixel to improve lighting.
Samsung said it has also improved the image stabilisation technology when Adaptive VDIS which analyses and sub-divides movements and recognises lighting conditions to stabilise video.
WATCH: A photographer’s delight
Another new feature is Astro Hyperlapse, allowing users to take clips by selecting the 300x setting in Hyperlapse mode, without the need for any special equipment.
The S23 Ultra also boasts 8K video recording at 30FPS with a wider angle from 57 to 80 degrees and a bigger pixel size.
Selfie cameras for all three models now have a resolution of 12MP; this is an upgrade from the S22 and the S22 Plus’ 10MP.
The selfie camera also features Super HDR with 60FPS.
Performance and batter
The Galaxy S23 features the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon processor called Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 mobile platform for Galaxy.
Moreover, the Ultra boasts a huge 5 000mAh battery capacity – perfect for those long gaming sessions during hours and hours of load shedding.
Software
The S23 ships with the new One UI 5.1 with Modes and Routines feature.
Routines can trigger a sequence of actions on your device based on your activities and the new Modes option.
This lets you create customised settings for different parts of your life, such as sleep, exercise, driving, work and relaxation.
Collaboration
Samsung said it has collaborated with Google in order for Galaxy users to be even more connected to people and products in personal and professional settings.
During video calls, the S23 Ultra leverages the power of Google Meet with Samsung Notes and S-Pen to let users co-edit documents in Samsung Notes.
Privacy and Security
The S23 series is protected by Samsung Knox which provides end-to-end protection throughout the S23 series’ entire life cycle, from the chip and software all the way up to the apps.
Samsung promises to provide five years of security updates and four generations of One UI Android OS upgrades.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus and S23
Both the Galaxy S23 Plus and S23 maintain flat displays as 6.6 inches and 6.1 inch
The Expert Raw app that Samsung introduced last year on the S22 series has also been upgraded on the S23, which allows users to shoot at 50MP mode compared to 12MP on the S22 series.
Expert Raw gives photographers access to the uncompressed data of an image straight from the camera sensor.
Battery
Samsung has also increased the battery capacity of the S23 and S23 Plus by 200mAh.
The S23 boasts a 3 900mAh battery while the S23 Plus features a 4 700mAh battery.
Gaming
Samsung ensured the S23 display is readable in various ambient lighting conditions with the advanced Vision Booster feature.
The S23 series now automatically adjusts and enhances colour and contrast at three different ambient lighting conditions throughout the day.
Design and Colours
Samsung said the new Galaxy S23 series has more recycled materials compared to the S22 Ultra, including recycled aluminium, glass and plastics sourced from discarded fishing nets, water barrels and PET bottles.
“We hope that our use of recycled fishing nets in the Galaxy S23 series could prevent more than 15 tons from entering the world’s oceans by the end of 2023.”
All three models come in four colours: Phantom Black, Cream, Green and Lavender.
Pricing and availability
Starting on 24 February 2023, the Galaxy S23 Ultra, Galaxy S23+ and Galaxy S23 will be available countrywide at network carriers, online retailers and Unlocked by Samsung versions on Samsung.com.
Pre-order the Samsung Galaxy S23 series and get an upgraded memory size of 512GB HMV (High-Memory Variant) plus a Galaxy Tab S6 Lite Wi-Fi (SM-P613) when you purchase the 256GB.
The offer is valid between 2 February to 6 March 2023.
Trade-in offers
The R10 000 trade-in offer allows customers to save a fair portion of the cost provided the device they want to trade in is up to standard.
This offer includes the discounted Samsung Care Plus offer once-off fee of R499 across Galaxy S23 Ultra, S23+ & S23.
Applicable from 02 February to 30 April 2023.
The recommended retail price for Galaxy S23 Ultra is R31 999, Galaxy S23 Plus is R23 999 and Galaxy S23 is R21 999.
Samsung also introduced its new premium line-up of Galaxy Book3 PC’s.
NOW READ: Galaxy Unpacked: Samsung released four robust Book3 devices
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