- The Galaxy S23 Ultra has a 200MP camera
- Pre-order before 23 February and get a storage upgrade
Samsung Electronics recently revealed the Galaxy S23 series of devices: the Galaxy S23 Ultra, Galaxy S23+, and Galaxy S23 along with pre-order prices and promotions for Malaysia, although no release date has been announced.
Best one out of three
All three devices in the series are built on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 mobile platform which means the Galaxy S23 series has the best silicone Qualcomm has to offer and is an improvement over the Galaxy S22 series.
However, just like with the Galaxy S22 series, the Ultra model gets the top-shelf toys and technology, namely the 200MP Adaptive Pixel sensor (in addition to three other rear cameras) with doubled optical image stabiliser (OIS), a 6.8-inch display that adapts better to different lighting conditions and user preferences, and it supports raytracing. All while still sporting a 5000mAh battery and the S Pen, of course.
Nevertheless, the other two Galaxy S23 series devices have a 50MP main camera (in addition to two other rear cameras). They also have smaller batteries. The S23 has a 3,900mAh battery while the S23+ has a 4,700mAh battery.
All three devices can take photos in RAW formats with extra editing features such as multiple exposure and astrophotography. The front camera is also said to have faster focusing and 60FPS recording.
In an unexpected move, the 6.6-inch Galaxy S23+ and 6.1-inch Galaxy S23 now look more in line with the S23 Ultra instead of the other way around as it loses the contoured housing that made its three cameras look like a traffic light.
With the planet in mind
Samsung has increased its use of recycled materials from six internal components in Galaxy S22 Ultra to 12 internal and external components in Galaxy S23 Ultra.
The Galaxy S23 series also has a wider variety of recycled materials than any other Galaxy smartphone, including pre-consumer recycled aluminium and glass, and post-consumer recycled plastics sourced from discarded fishing nets, PET bottles, and water barrels.
It also features Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 which consists of 22% pre-consumer recycled content on average. Plus, every Galaxy S23 smartphone comes in a redesigned packaging box with 100% recycled paper.
Samsung also promises that the Galaxy S23 series devices will support four generations of OS upgrades and five years of security updates. Users can also keep their devices running through programs such as Samsung Care+, a support service for accidental damages, repairs and more.
Price and availability
The Galaxy S23 series comes in four colours: Phantom Black, Cream, Green, and Lavender. The Galaxy S23 has a starting price of US$896 (RM3,899), the S23+ starts at US$1,080 (RM4,699) and the S23 Ultra starts at US$1,310 (RM5,699).
Both the Galaxy S23 and S23+ come with 8GB of RAM and two options of storage: 128GB or 256GB for the S23, and 256GB or 512GB for the S23+.
Not to be outdone, the S23 Ultra comes with 12 GB of RAM and three storage options: 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB.
However, those who preorder the devices before 23 February, will not only get a free storage upgrade for their device but could also purchase selected Samsung Accessories at a 30% discount and get an additional RM600 for trade-ins.
Additionally, pre-orders at Samsung Malaysia’s official website will get an RM400 e-voucher and pre-orders at Samsung Experience Stores and Samsung Authorised Partners will get Samsung Accessories worth up to RM458.
No release date was announced.
(RM1 = US$0.230)