The worst-kept secret of the tech world is officially out: Samsung has followed the naming conventions it has kept yearly since 2010, and introduced the Galaxy S23 range, featuring three phones.
The phones are available in four colourways: Green, Cream, Lavender, and Phantom Black.
In addition, the Ultra comes in four colourways exclusive to the Samsung online store: Lime, Sky Blue, Graphite, and Red, while the S23 and Plus comes with Lime, and Graphite options – also through the official store.
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ULTRA FEATURES
The flagship S23 Ultra is where Samsung is focusing this year, with the two lower-end models not a huge leap from the S22 — much like Apple’s approach to its iPhone 14.
The Ultra features a 6.8-inch FHD panel made of Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, with a 120Hz refresh rate.
Where it really stands out from other smartphones is in its impressive 200MP main camera (more on that below), which sits alongside a 12MP ultrawide camera, a 10MP periscope telephoto camera, and a 12MP selfie camera.
The Ultra has storage options of 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB, a 5,000-mAh battery with 45W fast-charging, and comes with the ever-handy S-Pen, which moves the Ultra into the realms of the Tab.
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200MP CAMERA
The star of the launch is undoubtedly the 200MP camera, made possible by Samsung’s new ISOCELL HP2 camera sensor – which was announced two weeks out from today’s launch.
Samsung has packed 200 million 0.6-micrometer (μm) pixels in a 1/1.3” optical format, the size used in top end 108MP smartphone cameras – meaning the extra oomph doesn’t result in a bigger camera bump.
The hero of the HP2 is Samsung’s own pixel-binning technology, Tetra2pixel, which simulates different pixel sizes to accommodate varying lighting levels.
Samsung explains: “When in low-lit environments, the sensor transforms either into a 1.2μm 50MP or 2.4μm 12.5MP image sensor by binding four to 16 neighboring pixels. For fuller 8K video, approximately at 33MP, the HP2 switches to 1.2μm 50MP mode to minimize cropping and capture more of the scene. Filming 8K at 30 frames-per-second (fps), a wide field of view along with bigger pixel size can produce sharp cinematic videos.”
Samsung has also introduced its Dual Vertical Transfer Gate (D-VTG) technology, which sharpens pictures washed out by the light.
“In a photo diode within each pixel, a voltage transfer gate is placed on the bottom to transport electrons from the pixels to the logic layer,” the company explains.
“With high precision, D-VTG adds a second transfer gate in the pixel, boosting the pixel’s full-well capacity by more than 33 percent. With more electrons stored and efficient signal transfers, this method can reduce overexposure and enhance color reproduction, especially in bright light conditions.”
The Smart-ISO Pro merges different levels of ISO readouts from a single exposure, allowing the camera to take 12.5MP images and 4K at 60fps video in HDR.
THREE MODELS
The entry level S23 has a 6.1-inch display, the Plus a 6.6-inch display, and the Ultra a 6.8-inch display.
As for cameras, the S23 and S23 Plus house the same cameras as the current S22 models, with a 50MP main camera, a 12MP ultrawide lens, and a 10MP zoom lens (x3), plus a 12MP selfie camera.
The software has been given a boost across all models, with hyper-lapse photography, and multi-frame exposure pushing the quality of videos and stills past the technological specifications. Both models offer up to 8K video recording at 30fps.
All three are to be equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, which promises a 40 per cent CPU, NPU, and graphic boost, plus 8GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage.
The base-level phone sports a 3,900mAh battery with 25W fast charging, and 10W wireless charging, while the Plus has a 4,700mAh battery with 45W fast charging, and 10W wireless charging.
The S23 has 128GB and 256GB storage options, while the Plus offers 256GB and 512GB.
PRICING
The Ultra begins at $1,949, the Plus at $1,649, and the standard at $1,349.
Pre-orders are open this morning, with phones shipping from February 6. 
