On February 1st, 2023, Samsung will host its first Unpacked event of the year, with the Galaxy S23 family likely to be the focus. There have been hints at even more information, like better cameras and faster processing speeds.
Do we expect a radical change to this year’s crop of smartphones, or merely a mild facelift? Here’s a preview of what to expect from Samsung’s San Francisco presentation.
Samsung’s Latest Galaxy Phone, the Ultra S23
In contrast to the Galaxy S22 Ultra, whose main selling point was its Note-like pen feature, the S23 Ultra’s selling point may be its camera. Samsung added fuel to the discussion by unveiling a sensor that could fit the bill, bolstering rumours that the top-tier S23 model will feature a 200-megapixel main camera, as had been previously suggested by leaker Ice Universe and others.
The ISOCELL HP2 boasts impressive low-light performance alongside the ability to record 8K video at 30 frames per second. In well-lit situations, it could potentially record truer colours. The front-facing camera could also see an upgrade, possibly to 12MP.
It should come as no surprise that Samsung plans to increase the S23 family’s processing power by integrating Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip. Hardware-accelerated ray tracing allows for more realistic lighting in games, and it’s said to be faster than Gen 1 by more than 25 percent.
Even AI processing could potentially increase by a factor of four. According to Qualcomm, the energy efficiency of Gen 2 is improved by as much as 40%, and in addition to WiFi 7 networking, you may also have access to emergency satellite communication.
The location of the chip itself may, however, come as the biggest surprise of all. Rather than using its own Exynos chips in regions like Asia and Europe, well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims Samsung will use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 to power the Galaxy S23 everywhere.
Samsung’s Exynos-based Galaxy phones have taken a lot of flak for being slower and having shorter battery lives compared to Snapdragon-based models, but that may not be an issue this time around.
Even if there are no other major shifts, that is not necessarily a bad thing. The Galaxy S23 Ultra, as depicted in a series of leaks on Nieuwe Mobiel, will reportedly feature a flatter design than its predecessor, in response to criticisms of the rounded corners of the 6.8-inch screen on the current model.
Still included are the S-Pen, up to 12GB of RAM, a 12MP ultra-wide camera, and dual 10MP telephoto lenses. You might be able to get a 1TB storage option, though, so you might not have to worry as much about that 8K video eating up all your space.
The New Galaxy S23 and S23+
While less of a change is expected for Samsung’s mainstream smartphones, there may be some welcome enhancements. A slightly larger battery could join the rumoured arrival of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and the 12MP front camera. If you don’t want to pay extra money just to store a large media collection, the phones could come with 256GB of storage by default.
If not, the Galaxy S22 lineup will likely stick with the same 6.1- and 6.6-inch screens, 50-megapixel primary camera, 12-megapixel ultra-wide, and single 10-megapixel telephoto that we’re used to seeing. There is hope that the prominent camera bump on the S21 and S22 will be gone if the leaked images of the devices’ camera array are any indication.
Galaxy Book 3 Ultra (Samsung’s New Ultra-Slim Galaxy Book)
Samsung’s Unpacked events are rarely limited to the introduction of new phones alone, and rumours suggest a high-end laptop will also be featured. The company’s pre-order page alludes to a new Galaxy Book line, and a blog post by the company’s mobile experience president, TM Roh, clarifies that Ultra products will be available in “more device categories” than just phones. As such, an Ultrabook can be anticipated.
If the news from The Tech Outlook is to be believed, that new product is the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra. While the specifics of what this laptop will provide remain unclear, Samsung Display has announced that its premium Galaxy Book line will include OLED displays with integrated touch functionality, just like modern smartphones.
A regular Galaxy Book 3 Pro and a 360-degree convertible Galaxy Book 3 Pro with support for the S Pen are also expected to launch at the same time as the Ultra. We anticipate enhanced functionality, along with optional features such as pen input and cutting-edge display technology (this is Samsung, after all).
Galaxy Tabs and Galaxy Buds, both new and unannounced, are the X-factors
Unpacked product announcements have been relatively quiet, and some rumours have even cast doubt on the veracity of upcoming releases. According to Elec sources, Samsung has delayed the release of the Galaxy Tab S9 family, likely due to economic uncertainty and weak sales of the Tab S8 series. The Tab S8 debuted in early 2022, whereas the S7 did in the summer of 2020, indicating that the company typically takes its sweet time between tablet revisions compared to its smartphone counterparts.
New earbuds are also not something you should count on. Samsung released the original Galaxy Buds 2 in the summer of 2021, followed by the upgraded Buds 2 Pro in 2022. No one is demanding that Samsung improve its line of in-ear headphones and earbuds beyond the mediocre Galaxy Buds Live.
Additional products will most likely be shown at subsequent Samsung events. Don’t get your hopes up for new Galaxy Z foldables, Galaxy A budget phones, or Galaxy Watch timepieces so soon into the new year.
