South Korean smartphone maker, Samsung, unveiled the latest version of its Galaxy series, S23, at an event on Thursday.
The S23 series boasts a better gaming experience, stronger batteries, and high-quality cameras.
Gadgets Africa reports that the new series comprises three versions; the basic S23, the S23+, and the S23 Ultra, all of which are currently available for preorder. The S23 and S23+ start at $799 (about N368000) and $1,000 (approximately N460000), respectively. The Ultra is priced at $1,200. (about N553000).
The Galaxy S23 Ultra has five cameras: a 12 MP selfie camera, a 12 MP ultra-wide camera, a 200 MP wide-angle camera, a 10 MP telephoto camera with 10x optical zoom, and a secondary 10 MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom. Samsung said that the cameras would improve the overall image.
“Low light selfies are AI-enhanced for crisp detail and accurate colour. Depth mapping enables faster focusing for selfies. And portraits at night are clearly defined thanks to AI-detected depth analysis,” Samsung said of images produced by the Ultra in its unveiling blog post.
Samsung also unveiled “nightography,” which takes photographs in low-light conditions. The Ultra also includes a new video capability called “astro-hyperlapse,” which allows users to take time-lapsed motion shots without the need for any additional equipment.
The 12MP selfie cameras on the Galaxy S23 and S23+ are an increase from the 10MP selfie cameras on the Galaxy S22 and S22+. According to Samsung, this allows the phones to take significantly brighter, clearer low-light selfies and movies. They also include Expert RAW, which, according to the firm, offers multiple exposures at 50 MP for high-resolution pictures with dynamic range.
Samsung emphasized the phones’ increased gaming capabilities in the introduction video, boasting not only their extended battery life but also their “super smooth 120 Hz display.” The S23 Ultra is powered by a massive 5,000 mAh, or milliampere-hour, battery. The batteries of the S23 Plus and S23 are 4,700 mAh and 3,900 mAh, respectively.
“Galaxy S23 Ultra offers the highest resolution yet on a Galaxy smartphone at 200MP, compared to S22 Ultra’s 108MP. With the same 5000mAh (typical) battery as S22 Ultra, Galaxy S23 Ultra delivers up to roughly 26 hours of video playback and more efficient performance thanks to improved processing power,” Samsung said.
“In addition to the super smooth 120Hz display, Galaxy S23 and S23+ are equipped with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy that optimizes load times and power use,” Samsung said of why the phone is great for games.
Lavender, Cream, Phantom Black, and Green are the colors available for the Galaxy S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra. Lime and Graphite are limited-edition colors available only at Samsung.com.
All three new phones provide a variety of storage options. Their capacities, however, range slightly, with the Ultra going up to one terabyte.
The Galaxy S23 is available in 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB capacities. The Galaxy S23+ comes in only 256GB and 512GB capacities. The Galaxy S23 Ultra comes in 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB capacities.
Yesterday, Samsung also announced its new Galaxy Book 3 laptop series. They include a third Ultra model with a 16-inch AMOLED display and two versions of the Samsung Galaxy Book2.
The phone manufacturer launched these new items just a day after reporting its largest quarterly losses since the third quarter of 2014.
“The firm reported an operating profit of 4.31 trillion won ($3.4 billion), down 69% from the same period last year,” according to CNBC. Samsung stated that “weak demand for mid- to low-end smartphones and memory chips hampered its performance.”
Samsung will showcase its foldable phone portfolio later this year. On February 17th, all of the phones will be available.