The new Galaxy S23 smartphones can hardly be distinguished from their predecessors. Instead of tempting with many innovations, Samsung is sending improved models into the race against the iPhones. The Ultra version is particularly exciting, with its main camera now having a whopping 200 megapixels.
You don’t have to reinvent what’s good, it’s fine to make it even better. Samsung has consistently implemented the motto and presents its new Galaxy S 23 trio more or less in the design of the previous year. The only thing that is striking is that the standard model and the Galaxy S23 no longer have a camera base. As with the Ultra version, the lenses are now only separated from the back with metal rings. Samsung has actually only improved the performance in all areas. The big exception is the flagship, whose main camera now takes pictures with 200 megapixels (MP).
While the back of the IP68 water and dust resistant Galaxy S23 Ultra has remained the same, its huge 6.8-inch AMOLED display now has less curved sides and thus a larger usable area. The screen offers an adaptive refresh rate of 1 to 120 Hertz (Hz), the resolution is QHD (3,088 x 1,440 pixels).
All three new S23 cars are powered by a second-generation Snapdragon 8, which the manufacturer Qualcomm specially adapted for Samsung. The chip has either 8 or 12 gigabytes (GB) on the Ultra. Its flash memory is 256 or 512 GB. As before, the battery of the largest Galaxy S23 has a capacity of 5000 milliampere hours (mAh).
In the S23 Ultra, the new 200MP f/1.7 optically stabilized (OIS) main camera is complemented by a 12MP f/2.2 ultra wide-angle camera and two 10MP telephoto cameras. One lens offers 10x optical magnification at f/4.9, the other achieves 3x optical magnification at the larger f/2.4 aperture. The front camera of the device is 12 MP with f/2.2 aperture.
Apparently nothing has changed with the integrated S Pen, which made the predecessor the unofficial successor to the Galaxy Note. In any case, Samsung has not provided any relevant information.
The Galaxy S23 and the Galaxy S23, like their predecessors, are largely identical in construction and, like the Ultra, have IP68 protection. As usual, the AMOLED screen of the standard model is 6.1 inches, while that of the S23 is 6.6 inches. The resolution is FHD (2,340 x 1,080 pixels), the adaptive refresh rate ranges from 10 to 120 Hz.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen. 2 can access 8 GB of RAM on both devices. The Galaxy S23 comes in variants with 128 or 256 GB of RAM, the S23 with 256 or 512 GB. The batteries hold 3900 or 4700 mAh.
The rear camera equipment of the two smaller 23s has not changed on paper, only the selfie camera corresponds to that of the S23 Ultra. Its main camera (OIS) has a resolution of 50 MP and an aperture of f/1.8. In addition, they each have a 10 MP telephoto camera (OIS/f/2.4) with triple magnification and an ultra-wide-angle snap with 12 MP and aperture f/2.2.
Nevertheless, the Galaxy S23 and S23 should also offer improved night shots than their predecessors thanks to the more powerful chip. However, the Ultra also has a clear advantage here, because its 200 MP camera makes it possible, among other things, to combine not just four, but 16 pixels into one large pixel. This should significantly improve the light output.
Four combined pixels are said to enable faster and more accurate autofocus, and all models are now capable of 8K video at 30 frames per second. The front camera of the S23 series is HDR-capable and can record videos at up to 60 frames per second (fps).
The prices have changed significantly, the Galaxy S23 smartphones are more expensive than their predecessors. One of the reasons for this is that Samsung has eliminated versions with smaller flash memory.
The standard model with 128 GB costs around 950 euros – 100 euros more than in 2022. With 256 GB you have to shell out almost 1010 euros. The Galaxy S23 is no longer available with 128 GB, the cheapest version with 256 GB is around 1200 euros, with 512 GB 1320 euros. 128 GB is no longer available with the Ultra either, devices with 256 or 512 GB cost just under 1400 or 1580 euros.
