Finally found a new high-end smartphone

After months of various rumors, Samsung has finally launched its new series of high-end Galaxy S23 smartphones. Let’s find them together.

This is a normal gathering at the beginning of this year. Samsung gave us a promise earlier today to find, finally, the new Galaxy S23, S23+ and S23 Ultra. Smartphones, we will see, in continuation of the excellent S22, S22 + and S22 Ultra which however bring a big novelty: they are animated by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip and no longer by the self-designed Exynos model.

The display of the Galaxy S23 Ultra is impressive

Let’s start with the best (have them?) in Samsung’s new family of phones. Just like its predecessor Galaxy S22 Ultra, this new model really stands out from its younger siblings. It’s more like the unnamed Galaxy Note. Blame it on the stylus, the S Pen, which is housed directly on the chassis, of course. But also a certain excess weight that will please those looking for gigantism in their smartphone.

This year, Samsung pushed the wall and gave the Galaxy S23 Ultra a more impressive screen than last year. We stick with the 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel featuring QHD+ definition (3088 x 1440 pixels, variable frequency up to 120 Hz). But this one is flatter than the previous generation, and the edges are slightly thinner.

Still with holes in it, the screen houses a 12-megapixel (ƒ2.2) photo module, which is capable of recording in 4K at 60 frames per second.

We wrote above, this high-end cellphone is powered by the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip from Qualcomm. Samsung also steals the attention of Xiaomi, which usually shows off the latest chips from the American manufacturer. Thorough tests will tell us whether these changes are pleasant, both in terms of performance and smartphone autonomy. By the way, we will always find a 5000 mAh battery inside the phone, rechargeable at 45 W (no charger included).

Lastly for photos, Samsung draws heavy artillery. Expectedly, the S23 Ultra is equipped with a 200-megapixel wide-angle photo sensor (1/1.3″; ƒ/1.7), a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle (1/2.55″; ƒ/ 2.2) and two telephoto lenses. The first offers 3x magnification (70 mm, 10 megapixels) and the second, periscopic, allows 10x zoom (230 mm, 10 megapixels).

We also expect that Samsung will increase the prices of its phones this year. The Galaxy S23 Ultra will start at auction for €1,419 (8+256GB), and can be configured with 12+512GB (€1,599) or 12+1TB (€1,839). It costs €160 more than the S22 Ultra, except that this time Samsung offers 256GB of base storage, compared to last year’s 128GB.

The Galaxy S23 and S23+ evolve at the margins

It’s going to be something of a disappointment finding the S23 and S23+ after the big chunk of the S23 Ultra is over. It must be said: the difference between this new model and the previous model is quite small.

However, in terms of design, there is a slight difference in the photo block. Samsung put the S22 island in a cupboard to leave the three sensors of its new phone free. What makes the design of the S23 more similar to the Ultra model. However, technically, South Korea’s streak is hot and cold.

To stay in the picture, we regret that no effort was made this year. We did find the exact same configuration on the S23 and S23+ as on last year’s S22 and S22+. That’s a trio consisting of a 50 megapixel wide angle (1/1.56″; ƒ/1.8), a 12 megapixel ultra wide angle (1/2.55″; ƒ/2.2) and a 10 megapixel telephoto lens (3x zoom; 1/3.94″ ;ƒ/2,4).

On the front, the Galaxy S23 and S23+ have 6.1 and 6.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X panels, both featuring resolutions of 2,340 x 1,080 pixels (422 and 390 dpi respectively). We achieved a scan frequency of 120 Hz on both models, and we kept the center punch housing the 12 megapixel camera.

Under the hood, it’s once again the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 that has to prove itself. A high-end chip, which takes over from the Exynos processor that struggled to convince in previous editions.