Samsung has just announced its latest line up of smartphones, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Series.
The series consists of three models: the Samsung S23, S23 Plus, and S23 Ultra.
Each model offers its own unique set of features, making the series suitable for a wide range of consumers. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is the center of attention, thanks to its big camera improvement and other enhancements.
But the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus have also seen their own share of changes. In this article we’ll have a look at what these new devices have to offer.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Series: Design
The Galaxy S23 Ultra looks a lot like last year’s Ultra and so do the standard and Plus models. Whereas previous Samsung flagships have had slightly different designs, Samsung appears to be going for uniformity here, with the S23 and S23 Plus both featuring an Ultra-style layout for their rear cameras.
The lenses are stacked in a vertical column with no camera array blending into the side frame. Instead, the lenses stick out directly from the back of the phone.
The Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus, like their predecessors, have flat displays with curved side rails. The Galaxy S23 Ultra has a flatter surface area than its predecessor, the Galaxy S22 Ultra, thanks to a more gradual curve designed to make it easier to use the model’s included S Pen.
Color options have also stayed consistent, with all three Galaxy S23 offerings available in the same color hues as last year, Phantom Black, Cream, Green and Lavender.
If you decide to order your S23 directly from Samsung, you get to pick from four more color options, Lime, Graphite, Sky Blue, and Red.
Samsung says the Galaxy S23 phones are using Corning’s new Gorilla Glass Victus 2, making them the first to offer the more durable material.
Samsung also touts the environmentally friendly design of this year’s phones, with each model containing an average of 22% recycled materials.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Series: Display
On the display front, you’ll find the same sizes as you did with the Galaxy S22 lineup, a 6.1-inch entry-level model, a 6.6-inch Plus version and a 6.8-inch screen on the Ultra.
All three phones can scale up to 120Hz refresh rates when you need smoother scrolling or are playing graphically-intensive games. Only the Galaxy S23 Ultra can scale all the way down to 1Hz when the action is more static, as a way to conserve power.
The Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus have a minimum refresh rate of 48Hz.
The only change to the displays is a brightness boost, and it only applies to the Galaxy S23. That Galaxy S23’s screen now offers a peak brightness of 1,750 nits, which matches what you get from the Galaxy S23 Plus and S23 Ultra.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Series: Cameras
The theme of consistency also continues on this front, with the only big camera change being seen with the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. The S23 Ultra now gets a 200MP sensor, an upgrade from it’s predecessor’s 108MP.
The new sensor allows you to shoot an image at 200MP and then crop in without sacrificing much in the way of detail. You can also combine pixels at different resolutions, binning 16 pixels into 1 to produce a 12.5MP photo that boosts the brightness.
The other rear cameras on the Galaxy S23 Ultra, a 12MP ultrawide camera and two 10MP telephoto lenses — remain unchanged from the Galaxy S22 Ultra.
Samsung made no changes to the camera hardware for the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus, with both phones relying on a 50MP main camera, a 12MP ultrawide shooter, and a lone 10MP telephoto lens that handles 3x optical/30x digital zooms.
We instead see changes in the photo software side of things on the Galaxy S23. The phones include an Expert RAW app that lets you edit images in either RAW or JPEG, essentially turning your camera phone into a DSLR.
Astrophoto settings promise better, clearer images of the night sky. Night photos should be better all around thanks to an AI-powered image signal processing (ISP) algorithm that’s designed to boost details and color.
All three Galaxy S23 models get a new front camera, the same front 12MP camera. While that’s a megapixel boost for both the Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus, it’s a bit of a downgrade from the 40MP front shooter on the Galaxy S22 Ultra.
But Samsung added fast autofocus, Super HDR capabilities and the ability to capture 4K video at 60 frames per second with the front camera.
Speaking of video capture, you’ll be able to shoot 8K video at 30fps on all the Galaxy S23 models. The Galaxy S23 Ultra also doubles optical image stabilization angles to reduce blurs in videos.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Series: Performance
Apart from cameras, the biggest change you’ll see in the Galaxy S23 lineup is the new customized Qualcomm silicon powering all three devices.
Dubbed the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy, this chipset benefits from a higher clock speed than normal. It can reach 3.36GHz, compared to the regular Snapdragon 8 Gen 2’s top speed of 3.2GHz. The result should be faster performance.
You’ll find 5G connectivity on board the Galaxy S23, with the phone able to connect to both sub-6Ghz and mmWave-based networks. On the wireless front, you’ll find Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 support for speedy and sturdy connections to the internet or peripheral devices.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Line-up: Battery Life & Charging
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset promises better power efficiency than its predecessors, and this will most likely help Samsung’s new phones last longer on a charge.
And so will bigger batteries, at least in the case of the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus.
Both phones see a 200 mAh bump in the size of their power packs from last year’s models. That gives the Galaxy S23 a 3,900 mAh cell and the Galaxy S23 Plus a 4,700 mAh battery. The Galaxy S23 Ultra keeps the same 5,000 mAh power pack as its predecessor.
Charging speeds haven’t changed, either. You can charge the Galaxy S23 at 25W, while the Galaxy S23 Plus and S23 Ultra support faster 45W wired charging.
Of course, you’ll need to supply your own charger, as one won’t come in the box with any Galaxy S23 model.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Line-up: Software
The new Samsung phones will ship with Android 13 out the box and their new version of Samsung’s One UI interface, One UI 5.1.
Bixby adopts the Call Screen features Google has added to its Pixel phones, letting you use the phone’s built-in assistant to screen calls.
Like the Galaxy S22 Ultra, the S23 Ultra ships with an included S Pen, with Samsung touting that this time around, more apps than ever will support the stylus’ handwriting-to-text feature, letting you doodle instead of type in more places.
Pricing and Availability in Kenya
If you’re planning on getting your hands on the new Samsung phones, here’s what you’ll have to pay:
- Galaxy S23 Ultra 512GB at Ksh.209,999
- Galaxy S23 Ultra 256GB at Ksh.195,999.
- Galaxy S23+ 256GB at Ksh154,999
- Galaxy S23 256GB at Ksh.135,999
Pre-orders start from the 2nd to 28th February 2023 and all phones will be available at Samsung authorized dealer stores including Safaricom from 1st March 2023.
Summary Specs
| Galaxy S23 | Galaxy S23 Plus | Galaxy S23 Ultra | |
| Starting price | Ksh.135,999 | Ksh.154,999 | Ksh.195,999(256GB), Ksh.209,999(512GB) |
| Display size and resolution | 6.1-inch Dynamic AMOLED, FHD+ Flat Screen, 425ppi | 6.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED, FHD+ Flat Screen, 393ppi | 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED, QHD+ Edge Screen, 500ppi |
| Display brightness, refresh rate | 1,750nit, 120Hz Adaptive Refresh Rate | 1,750nit, 120Hz Adaptive Refresh Rate | 1,750nit, 120Hz Adaptive Refresh Rate |
| Processor | Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy | Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy | Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy |
| RAM | 8GB | 8GB | 8GB, 12GB |
| Storage | 128GB, 256GB | 256GB, 512GB | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| Rear cameras | 50MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP telephoto (3x optical zoom, 30x Space zoom) | 50MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP telephoto (3x optical zoom, 30x Space zoom) | 200MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP telephoto (3x optical zoom), 10MP telephoto (10x optical zoom, 100x Space zoom) |
| Video | 8K at 30fps, 4K at 60fps and Full HD at 120fps | 8K at 30fps, 4K at 60fps and Full HD at 120fps | 8K at 30fps, 4K at 60fps and Full HD at 120fps |
| Front camera | 12MP, 4K video at 60 fps | 12MP, 4K video at 60 fps | 12MP, 4K video at 60 fps |
| Battery size | 3,900 mAh | 4,700 mAh | 5,000 mAh |
| Charging speed | 25W | 45W | 45W |
| Size | 2.79 x 5.76 x 0.3 inches | 3 x 6.21 x 0.3 inches | 3.07 x 6.43 x 0.35 inches |
| Weight | 5.93 ounces | 6.91 ounces | 8.25 ounces |
| Colors | Phantom Black, Cream, Green, Lavender | Phantom Black, Cream, Green, Lavender | Phantom Black, Cream, Green, Lavender |
