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Irish Mirror

Lifestyle

Mark Kavanagh

Everything you need to know about Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

Samsung Galaxy Laptops Qualcomm

For the first time ever, all of Samsung's new flagship phones for 2023 feature an exclusive chipset that will be included in every market in the world.

That was one of the biggest stories from Samsung's first Unpacked event of the year, which saw saw the tech giant launch three new smartphones and four new laptops.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra's astonishing 200MPO camera was one of the other big talking points but we also learned when we can get our hands on these shiny new devices and how much they will cost. And they are not cheap...

The brains behind the Galaxy S23 series

Samsung has revealed its new flagship smartphones are all powered by an exclusive chip.

Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy has been specially designed for these devices with chip-manufacturer Qualcomm claiming that this is "the fastest Snapdragon ever."

All Galaxy S23 series owners should see big performance gains, especially those who love gaming on their smartphone.

Other features powered by Qualcomm's processor include faster 5G data speeds, smarter AI plus improved Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.

And the chip should improve battery efficincy on the three devices.

Unlike recent years, Samsung and Qualcomm have confirmed that every model of S23 will get this chip no matter which country you buy it in.

In previous years, the S series devices in some regions got a Snapdragon processor whilst others – including Ireland – received Exynos chips inside their handsets.

Galaxy S23 Ultra

The highest-end Galaxy S23 Ultra includes a massive 200MP camera upgrade.

This most premium of handsets can now take rich and detailed photos of the night sky thanks to its pro-grade high resolution camera.

The shiny new device – which comes in four colours – features an Astro Hyerlapse mode to capture stunning shots of the stars.

The company also promises that its rear snapper is so pin-sharp that you’ll be able to turn your favourite family portraits into canvas-sized prints for your walls.

Budding filmmakers can also shoot impressive videos in stunning 8K (at 30fps) with clever Super Quad Pixel tech delivering optical image stabilisation (OIS) that should ensure footage looks silky smooth.

The video clips this year will benefit from a wider angle and the bigger pixel size.

And lowlight photos get a boost thanks to a new Adaptive Pixel Sensor (processes 16 pixels into one larger pixel) and an enhanced Night Mode.

Other features include improved durability, a large capacity 5000mAh battery, the S Pen stylus which I love and a stunning 6.8in AMOLED screen that helps reduce eye strain.

The gently curved display features a slightly larger flat surface for improved viewing.

Samsung’s displays are generally the sharpest, brightest and most colourful in the Android world.

The screen is the first to be protected by the new Gorilla Glass Victus 2.

And don't forget the most unique S23 Ultra of all – there is an S Pen tucked inside so owners can make notes quickly and efficiently.

The S Pen is so unique that no other Android flagship smartphone has one.

Galaxy S23 Plus and Galaxy S23

The S23 Ultra is launching alongside the new Galaxy S23 and a larger Galaxy S23 Plus.

These phones feature designs that are more eco-friendly with the company producing some of the parts using discarded fishing nets and plastic bottles.

It hopes to rid the oceans of 15 tonnes of plastic this year with this approach to building its devices.

There are bigger batteries in both the standard S23 and larger S23 Plus.

The latter has a flat 6.6in screen and a 4400mAh battery, while the S23 sports a 3900 mAh battery and a flat 6.1in display.

These devices can shoot in the new Expert RAW format using the 50MP Pro mode.

And they have their own clever Astro Photo mode that captures multiple exposures and combines them for detailed pics of the night-time skies.

Selfie cameras

All three phones have improved 12MP selfie cameras.

These updated lenses offers improved bokeh effects and Super HDR (High Dynamic Range) to boost those close-up images of your face.

Other features

The phones all run One UI 5.1, the latest Samsung skin, on top of Android 13.

The firm also promises immersive 360-degree audio when the phones are paired with Samsung’s awesome Galaxy Buds 2 Pro earphones.

And they all have the firm’s new Modes & Routines feature which allows you to apply different modes such as Sleep mode that will sync across all your Samsung devices seamlessly.

The colours available are black, cream, green and lavender.

Galaxy S23 series pricing

Galaxy S23 Ultra RRP: 256GB, €1,459; 512GB, €1,639; 1TB, €1,879

Galaxy S23+ RRP: 256GB, €1,249; 512GB, €1,359

Galaxy S23 RRP: 128GB, €999; 256GB, €1,059

All go on sale February 17.

Galaxy Book 3 series laptops

Along with its new smartphones, Samsung also launched a new range of top-end premium laptops, the Galaxy Book 3 series.

The line-up includes the company’s slimmest and lightest laptop ever, Galaxy Book 3 Pro, a 14in notebook that weighs just 1.17kg.

It’s a clamshell style laptop that also comes in a larger 16in model.

There’s also a 2-in-1 convertible laptop, Galaxy Book Pro 360.

And the firm has introduced its first ever Ultra model – Galaxy Book 3 Ultra which includes an NVIDIA RTX 4070 graphics card for gamers and creators who need the best graphics performance.

It sports a 3K AMOLED display with an extra smooth 120Hz refresh rate and it includes a full HD 1080p front camera to ensure you look your sharpest on video calls.

All of the new laptops have the latest high-end 13th generation Intel processors.

The laptops all include deep integration with other Samsung devices such as phones and tablets.

You can seamlessly transfer and edit photos captured in Expert RAW on your new S23, for example.

And you can use your Galaxy tablet as a second screen, dragging and dropping files from one device to the other with ease.

You can even control a Galaxy smartphone or tablet using one of the laptop's keyboard and trackpad.