Samsung debuts Galaxy S23 family with desktop-level gaming performance

Samsung Electronics unveiled the Samsung Galaxy S23 family with enough processing power to beat some desktop gaming computers.

The smartphones include the Galaxy Ultra, Galaxy S23+, and Galaxy S23, ranging in price from $800 to $2,000.

The Samsung Galaxy’s camera raises the bar on taking pictures, as it uses AI to capture cinematic Nightography videos. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy offers future-ready mobile
gaming experiences with the world’s fastest mobile graphics, Samsung said.

“This is our most advance piece of mobile technology yet,” said Drew Blackard, vice president of mobile product management at Samsung Electronics America, in a press briefing.

The high-end model, the Galaxy S23 Ultra, has an embedded S Pen2 to enable productivity, notetaking, hobbies and more. Blackard said the design balances technology and Samsung’s sustainability commitment with more recycled materials than any other Samsung Galaxy smartphone.

“The most impactful technology is measured, not just by what it enables for people today, but also how it contributes to a better future,” said TM Roh, president and head of mobile experience business at Samsung Electronics, in a statement. “Galaxy S23 Ultra and the entire Galaxy S series lineup are the new standard-bearers of a trustworthy premium smartphone experience. We’re redefining peak performance by merging power and lasting innovation in devices that have less environmental impact.”

Blackard said that, on average, people are using multiple devices together more often. About 83% of consumers now own more than two devices.

Premium performance gaming

For creators and gamers alike, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy enables top performance while Galaxy S23 Ultra’s 5,000mAh battery lasts more than 20% longer.

The graphics performance is faster by more than 40% and its AI performance is also optimized by more than 40% to balance performance and power for photography, videography, low-latency gaming and more.

Galaxy S23 Ultra can support real-time ray tracing as it comes to the mobile gaming mainstream. Users will see noticeably more lifelike renderings of scenes, thanks to technology that simulates and tracks every ray of light. Plus, Samsung Galaxy’s vapor cooling chamber, now bigger and on every Galaxy S23 series model, ensures immersing in a gaming marathon won’t overheat your device.

All this power underpins Galaxy S23 Ultra’s expansive 6.8-inch edge display with a reduced curvature
to create a larger and flatter surface area. The Galaxy Ultra’s screen has a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate. It is a dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O QHD+ screen. It has 500 ppi and 1,750nits.

Samsung Galaxy’s enhanced comfort feature allows users to adjust color tones and contrast levels, lessening eye strain from screen time at night. Vision booster now adjusts at three levels of lighting instead of two to combat brightness and glare in daylight.

“One of the places you’ll really see this make a difference is with gaming,” Blackard said. “The Galaxy S23 Ultra offers significantly faster and smoother gaming performance particularly with processor intensive gains. True to expectations the screen is an experience in and of itself. On Galaxy S23 Ultra, users get big and beautiful QHD-plus 6.8 inch edge screen equipped with advanced vision booster.”

He added, “Advanced vision booster now works in stages automatically adjusting enhancing color and contrast gradually throughout the day by dynamically mapping the right tone of your image and adapting it to your environment. That goes for bedtime, as consumers spend an average of 15 minutes on their phone before they go to sleep each night.”

A better camera for day or night

Galaxy S23 Ultra makes it easier for any level of photographer to capture better photos. It offers improved Nightography capabilities so the Galaxy S series optimizes photos and videos in a wide range of ambient conditions.

Filming a favorite song at a concert, snapping a selfie at the aquarium or grabbing a group shot of friends at dinner — users can get sharper images and videos. Visual noise that usually ruins low-light images is corrected by a new AI-powered image signal processing (ISP) algorithm that enhances object details and color tone.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra boasts a new 200MP Adaptive Pixel sensor that captures moments, using pixel binning to support multiple levels of high-resolution processing at once. For selfies, it has fast autofocus and a Super HDR selfie camera, jumping from 30fps to 60fps, for noticeably better front-facing images and videos.

The Expert RAW app, available exclusively through Samsung Galaxy, enables DSLR-style image shooting and editing in RAW and JPEG. Users can experiment with multiple exposures photo art or capture a clear view of the Milky Way with Astrophoto settings either within Samsung’s Camera app or Expert RAW app.
Meanwhile, the new zoom capabilities on Galaxy Watch5 series’ Camera Controller app empower users
to capture a shot right from their wrist.

It can record videos with enhanced 8K video at 30 frames per second with a wider angle. And it uses object-based AI to analyze each detail in the frame, even down to minute facial features such as hair and eyes, to carefully reflect a person’s dynamic characteristics.

The new 360 Audio Recording feature on Galaxy Buds2 Pro creates multi-dimensional sound. The camera’s contour housing has been removed.

Sustainability focus

The Galaxy S23 series has more recycled materials than the Galaxy S22 series, including pre-consumer recycled aluminum and recycled glass, and post-consumer recycled plastics sourced from discarded fishing nets, water barrels and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles.

The new S series is the first to market with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, adding heightened durability for
long-term use and designed with an average of 22% pre-consumer recycled content.

Plus, every Galaxy S23 smartphone comes in a redesigned packaging box made with 100% recycled paper. Galaxy S23 series is UL ECOLOGO certified, meaning that the product has been certified for reduced environmental impact.

“Increasingly, consumers want to know that the products that they carry enable them to make a positive impact on the world. No longer can we talk about innovation at the cost of sustainability,” Blackard said. “For nearly two years, the sustainability journey has been guided by our Galaxy for the Planet vision. And we’re well on our way to achieving our 2025 goals. We’re moving towards using recycled materials and all devices across our product lineup are using more recycled materials and more kinds of recycled materials.”

Security and privacy

Secure and private experiences are the foundation of the Galaxy S23 series. The smartphone comes with Samsung’s end-to-end Samsung Knox protection, which has received more government and industry certifications than any other mobile device, platform, or solution on the market.

The Security and Privacy Dashboard on Samsung Galaxy gives users a clear view of who has access to their data and how it’s being used. It’s easy to see if personal data is at risk and receive simple prompts to change settings for a more secure experience. Users can also decide exactly which applications get access to their data and how it can be used.

For an added layer of security, Knox Vault, which was first introduced on the Galaxy S21 series, protects critical information on the Galaxy S23 series by isolating it from the rest of the device, including the OS,
for added protection against vulnerabilities.

“All Samsung devices are protected from the chip up with security built right into the hardware, as well as integrated throughout the software,” said Blackard. “Plus, Galaxy users get enhanced security features like maintenance mode that limits access to your personal data when your phone is being repaired. Streamline privacy and security level controls so you can see security status and potential fixes at a glance. When you’re ready to share files, AI analysis proactively flags potentially sensitive information and suggests secure sharing options like private share.”

Samsung also has a series of tablets, watches and PCs that are part of the Galaxy family. The Samsung Galaxy Book3 Ultra will also be debuting today. It has a 13th Gen Intel Core i7 or i9 processor with the Nvidia Geforce RTX 4070 graphics processing unit. It uses a dynamic AMOLED display.

Availability and offers

Pre-orders for the Galaxy S23 series begin today, February 1, 2023 through February 16, 2023. Consumers who pre-order a Galaxy S23 device are eligible for a free storage upgrade. In addition to a free upgrade to the next storage tier, customers who pre-order and purchase on Samsung.com are eligible to receive a Samsung Credit up to $100.

The new Galaxy S23 series will be available starting on February 17, 2023 on Samsung.com, Samsung Experience Store, and at major carriers and retailers. The full lineup comes in four nature-inspired matte
hues: Phantom Black, Cream, Green and Lavender. Consumers who purchase their device online at Samsung.com can also access exclusive colors: Lime, Graphite, Sky Blue, and Red.

Galaxy S23 Ultra will start at $2,000 with storage capacity options of 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. Galaxy S23+ will start at $1,000 with 256 GB and 512 GB storage options. Galaxy S23 will start at $800 in 128GB and 256GB variants.

For a limited time, if you switch to Verizon or upgrade your existing phone, you get a Samsung Galaxy S23 or $800 off any Samsung Galaxy S23 series phone with select trade-in on qualified 5G Unlimited plans. And, get a free Galaxy Watch5 and Galaxy Tab S7 FE 5G with purchase. Switchers also get a $200 Verizon eCard after they sign up.