The first big smartphone news of 2023 is here. On February 1st, Samsung held its big Unpacked event, where the brand revealed its new series of Galaxy S23 smartphones. But that wasn't all; Samsung also announced its new series of Galaxy Book3 laptops. All the tech products revealed at the event are available for preorder right now.
Here's a recap of what you need to know from the Samsung Unpacked 2023 event.
Galaxy S23 Ultra
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is the company's new "best of the best" flagship smartphone. It has the biggest and brightest display of the line, the biggest battery, the best camera system and it comes with an embedded S Pen stylus for note-taking.
The standout feature with the newest Galaxy S23 Ultra is its 200-megapixel image sensor; it's the biggest sensor that Samsung has ever put in a smartphone, and almost double the resolution of the 108-megapixel sensor in last year's Galaxy S22 Ultra. The S23 Ultra starts at $1,200.
Specs:
- Display: 6.8" Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O QHD+ (120Hz refresh rate)
- Cameras (rear): 200MP (wide); 12MP (ultra-wide); 10MP (telephoto)
- Battery: 5,000mAh
- Storage: 256GB base; up to 1TB
Galaxy S23
The Samsung Galaxy S23 is the smallest and most affordable of the company's three new flagship smartphones. It has the same triple rear camera system as the Ultra above, except the main camera has a 50-megapixel sensor, instead of the Ultra's 200-megapixel one. The Galaxy S23 also has an improved selfie camera compared to last year's Galaxy S22; it's now 12 megapixels instead of 10. The S23 starts at $800.
Specs:
- Display: 6.1" Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O QHD+ (120Hz refresh rate)
- Cameras (rear): 50MP (wide); 12MP (ultra-wide); 10MP (telephoto)
- Battery: 3,900mAh
- Storage: 128GB (base); up to 256GB
Galaxy S23 Plus
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus is essentially a bigger version of the Galaxy S23 (but it's still not as big as the Ultra). Compared to the Galaxy S23, the "Plus" version has a bigger display (6.6-inch vs 6.1-inch), a bigger battery (4,700mAh vs 3,900mAh), and comes with double the base storage. The camera systems are the exact same as the Galaxy S23.
The other noteworthy thing is that, for the first time, Samsung's non-Ultra smartphones are available in the exact same colors. The S23 Plus starts at $1,000.
Specs:
- Display: 6.6" Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O QHD+ (120Hz refresh rate)
- Cameras (rear): 50MP (wide); 12MP (ultra-wide); 10MP (telephoto)
- Battery: 4,700mAh
- Storage: 256GB (base); up to 512GB
Galaxy Book3 Pro Series (14", 16" and 360)
Samsung announced the direct successor to last year's Galaxy Book2 Pro series of laptops. The all-new Galaxy Book3 Pro series consists of four different laptops: there are 14-inch and 16-inch versions of the Galaxy Book3 Pro, which are the company's ultra-thin clamshell-style laptops; there's the Galaxy Book3 Pro 360, the new two-in-one convertible laptop with a 16-inch touchscreen display and the S Pen stylus. And there's the super powerful Galaxy Book3 Pro Ultra (more on that below).
All these laptops come with Intel's 13th-generation processors, more memory and faster charging than their predecessors. The Galaxy Book3 Pro Series starts at $1,500. The laptops will be available February 17th.
Specs:
- Operating system: Windows 11
- CPU: 13th Gen Intel Core processors
- GPU: Intel Iris Xe Graphics
- Storage: 256GB (base), up to 1TB SSD
- Weight: 2.43 pounds (14"); 3.4 pounds (16"); 3.7 pounds (360)
Galaxy Book3 Pro Ultra
The Galaxy Book3 Pro Ultra is the most high-end laptop in Samsung's new Galaxy Book3 Pro series — and it's essentially a direct competitor to Apple's MacBook Pros. It's a clamshell-style laptop that's essentially a beefed-up version of the 16-inch Galaxy Book3 Pro.
The Ultra features a 13th-generation Intel Core i9 processor, which Samsung claims makes it its "fastest Galaxy Book to date." It also has improved graphics, more memory, more storage and faster changing capabilities; according to the brand, it's able to achieve a 55 percent charge in just 30 minutes. The Galaxy Book3 Pro Ultra starts at $2,400. It will be available February 17th.
Specs:
- Operating system: Windows 11
- CPU: 13th Gen Intel Core processors
- GPU: Intel Iris Xe Graphics
- Storage: 512GB (base), up to 1TB SSD (plus expansion slot)
- Weight: 3.9 pounds
