Everything Samsung Announced At The February 2023 Unpacked Event
Samsung’s first mobile event of 2023 has wrapped and we’re left with three new phones and a whole range of Galaxy Books. Safe to say, the February 2023 Galaxy Unpacked was jam-packed.
We’re compiling everything you need to know about each product announcement, along with the details on every preorder deal currently available. So let’s dive into it.
Galaxy S23 Ultra: What You Need To Know
Samsung’s newest premium flagship is the Galaxy S23 Ultra and it’s the second year that the top-of-the-line Galaxy S is doing double duty. With an embedded S-Pen, hefty array of cameras and a large 6.8-inch display, it also fully embodies the spirit of the Galaxy Note.
Color selection
It’s still starting at $1,199.99 but there is more diversity in color selections this year. The S23 Ultra comes in Lavender, Green, Cream, and Phantom black.
Durability
The Galaxy S23 Ultra is a premium large smartphone crafted from aluminum and glass, and specifically, this will be part of Samsung's phone line using Corning's Gorilla Glass Victus 2, a leader when it comes to glass covers for mobile devices. The Armor Aluminum construction will minimize any durability concerns to the front and back of the phone.
Display features
The 6.8-inch display on the front is a QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2x with a wide ranging refresh rate that tops out at 120Hz. AMOLED stands for Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diodes, and basically refers to the OLED technology used to light up your phone screen.
The smartphone scales as low as 1Hz for energy savings, but is designed for the visuals be buttery smooth. In my hands-on time with the S23 Ultra, the colors popped with a lot of vibrancy and watching the trailer for The Mandalorian was a delight.
Camera changes
Rather than stick with a 40-megapixel selfie camera at the top in a pinhole, Samsung is swapping in a 12-megapixel ultra wide lens that uses a larger sensor. In our opinion it is a step down, but during testing it wasn't bad. This is the same selfie lens as on the S23 and S23+ as well.
Powering the S23 Ultra is 12GB of RAM with the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy. It’s a faster chip, and a more efficient one that should allow you to run more intense tasks without noticing the phone getting overly hot or a massive drop in battery. It was fast enough for multitasking, jotting down notes with the S-Pen, and a few other tasks I ran in through during my hands-on testing. It will be running Android 13 with Samsung’s new One UX 5.1 on-top out of the box.
All of this might sound great, but the truly exciting feature is one destined for photographers. The main lens on the rear of the S23 Ultra is a 200-megapixel sensor, which is massive for a smartphone. It captures images at a full 200-megapixels, but can also use nano-binning technologies to merge every 16 pixels into one. Similar tech was on the S22 Ultra with a 100-megapixel sensor and we expect it should perform just as well, so that the S23 Ultra can save space but still deliver an image packed with details.
This main lens will be the primary shooter, but you’re also left with three other versatile lenses. A 12-megapixel ultra wide camera and dual 10-megapixel telephoto lenses round out the imaging powers.
Preorder details
Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra is shaping up to be a zippy smartphone with a great camera and all the capabilities of the S-Pen. It’s up for preorder now starting at $1,199.99, but there are some deals.
If you preorder by Feb. 17, Samsung will double your storage for free and provide an $100 instant credit, and by using our links on SI Showcase, you can get an additional $50 credit which brings the total to $150 in instant credit. Additionally, you can save by trading in an eligible smartphone.
Galaxy S23 and S23+: What You Need To Know
While the S23 Ultra really aims to impress with a 200-megapixel camera, the Galaxy S23 and S23+ are more refined. For starters, they now look more like the flagship Ultra with a nearly identical design. The 6.1-inch and 6.6-inch smartphones are also built using Armor Aluminum and Corning's Gorilla Glass Victus 2—they feel great in the hand, especially the smaller S23.
Style updates
Rather than having a physical camera bump, these feature a mostly-flat back with the three cameras that just slightly stick out. It looks sleek, as you can see in the photos above, and it creates a more uniform Galaxy S family. The S23 and S23+ come in the same Lavender, Green, Cream and Phantom Black as well.
Display features
The 6.1-inch and 6.6-inch displays are both Full HD Dynamic AMOLED panels which deliver vibrant colors and deep contrast points. They also get plenty bright for easy use in direct sunlight or under bright fluorescent lights. One difference between these two and the Ultra would be that the displays are flat, and don’t curve down the sides. They also sport the same 12-megapixel selfie camera.
Camera changes
Samsung didn’t make major changes to the camera hardware this year, but did include a newer processor which features better AI to capture the best shots. The Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23+ come with a 50-megapixel wide camera, a 12-megapixel ultra wide camera and a 10-megapixel telephoto lens.
Just like the S23 Ultra, that same Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy is powering the Android 13 and Samsung One UX 5.1 user interface. It felt plenty fast in my hands-on testing, and you shouldn’t see these devices buckle even with a slew of applications open and intense tasks like gaming. The efficiencies should stretch the 3,700mAh battery in the S23 and 4,000mAh battery in the S23+ longer for all-day use as well.
Preorder details
At just $799.99 for the Galaxy S23 and $999.99 for the Galaxy S23+, these both stand as excellent Android smartphones that will offer a swift experience with versatile cameras. Sure, it isn’t a wild departure over the S22 and S22+, but for folks with older phones or those who want a fresh model in a popping new color, you’ll find the experience here to be great.
If you preorder by Feb. 16, Samsung will double the storage for free and provide up to a $100 instant credit. Once again, you can use our links to get an additional $50 credit which is more than enough for a case to compliment your new smartphone.
- Samsung Galaxy S23 (Starting at $799.99 at Samsung)
- Samsung Galaxy S23+ (Starting at $999.99 at Samsung)
Galaxy Book 3 Ultra: What You Need To Know
Galaxy Unpacked wasn’t just about phones--Samsung also showed off new laptops. The Galaxy Book 3 Ultra is destined for creatives who want a big, immersive screen with a portable experience that doesn’t compromise on power. It’ll also compete directly with Apple’s 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro.
With a starting price of $2,399.99, the Book 3 Ultra (like the S23 Ultra) is a premium laptop.
Display
It starts with a 16-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x display that boasts a 2880 x 1800 resolution and is set in a 16:10 ratio. The latter means that the screen is wider and will allow you to see more without scrolling.
Processor
Powering the Book 3 Ultra is Windows 12 along with some custom Samsung experiences. For instance, a paired Galaxy smartphone can take calls or send messages on the laptop.
It’s powered by either a 13th Gen Intel Core i7 or i9 processor with up to 32GB of RAM. For creative tasks like video editing, photo edits or 3D animation, it comes with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 or 4070 graphics card.
Portability
At 16-inches, the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra is pretty sizable but it weighs in at only 3.9-pounds. It also boasts a bunch of ports including a USB-A one. The latter is certainly a surprise.
Preorder details
It’s certainly costly, but it does scream like a unique experience with plenty of power. Samsung is taking preorders now and by using our links you’ll score a RAM upgrade (16GB to 32GB) and a $50 instant credit.
Galaxy Book 3 Pro: What You Need To Know
If you’re looking to spend a little less or don’t necessarily need a top-of-the-line laptop, the upgraded Galaxy Book 3 Pro is worth a consideration.
Display
This model offers a 14-inch or 16-inch size, and here’s the kicker: the display here is an excellent Dynamic AMOLED 2x in that same 16:10 ratio. It’s a 3K 2880 x 1800 resolution as well. This should be great for really any task, be it word processing or video editing.
Processor
It can be configured with a 13th Gen Intel Core i5 or i7 processor, and with 8GB, 16GB or 32GB of RAM as well. There is no dedicated graphics card here though--the Book 3 Pro gets Intel Iris X graphics. You’ll also get these out of the box with the same Samsung customizations to Windows.
Preorder details
Just like with the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra, Samsung will double the RAM and with our links you’ll get up to a $150 instant credit.
Additionally, Samsung is introducing the Galaxy Book 3 360 Pro which you can flip the screen around on. This sports a 16-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x display and is powered by up to a 13th Gen Intel processor.
Prices are accurate and items in stock at time of publishing.
