New Samsung Galaxy S23

Tae Moon Roh. © Samsung.

At the start of each year, Samsung revamps its high-end Android phones. As usual, the series comes in three models: the 6.1-inch Galaxy S23, the 6.6-inch S23 Plus, and the 6.8-inch S23 Ultra. What sets this new generation apart is Samsung’s new policy on processors. Previously, Galaxy S series phones in different countries came with different processors. Typically, phones sold in the United States, China, Japan and Latin America were equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon chips, while Europe and other parts of the world got Samsung Exynos chips. But the Exynos chip doesn’t perform as well as the Qualcomm chip, and this irked fans who felt they were getting a lesser phone than the ones available elsewhere.

The S23 marks a turning point. Samsung listened to its customers with the decision that the Samsung chip won’t be installed on any high-end device — the Exynos is now limited to mid-range models. All S23 models this year feature the latest generation Qualcomm chips, “Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy”, which have a slightly higher clock speed (3.36GHz) compared to the 8 Gen 2 standard’s speed (3.2GHz).

Follows that the base model is cheaper, with 128GB of base storage, no ultra-wideband (UWB) support and 25W wired charging, whereas the S23 Plus and Ultra offer 256GB as standard and 45W charging. The Ultra model can be pushed up to 12GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. The phones can be pre-ordered today and will be available from all major carriers and electronics stores on February 17. Prices, which aren’t showing signs of inflation, remain identical to those of the S22 generation: 1,100 CAD for the S23, 1,400 CAD for the S23 Plus and 1,650 CAD for the S23 Ultra.

⇨ Ars Technica, Ron Amadeo, “Samsung Galaxy S23 is official, with special-edition Qualcomm chip.”

2023-02-01