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Samsung Unpacked reveals include S23 phone line and Galaxy Book3 Ultra

Among the reveals for Wednesday's Samsung Unpacked are the latest in the S23 phone line and the next step for the Galaxy Book3 line of laptops.

Ozzie Mejia

February 1, 2023 11:45 AM

Samsung

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The first Samsung Unpacked of 2023 took place on Wednesday, in which the electronics manufacturer unveiled its next line of smartphones. This includes the latest in the Galaxy line of phones and laptops. It's also a noteworthy occasion, as it's Samsung's first in-person presentation since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 phones are less of a revolutionary step forward, but they are noticeably refined from what came before. All three phones have a tweaked form factor. The S23 and S23 Plus have been brought more in line to resemble the S23 Ultra. All three have been updated with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset and a revamped camera design. The S23 Ultra stands out with a major camera upgrade, one that packs a whopping 200-megapixel main camera. The rear camera is making a similar jump to a Super HDR selfie camera that supports 60fps capture.

Just about everything else about these phones is unchanged, but that includes the price. There is no price increase for the S23 phones compared to their previous models. The S23 will sell for $799, the S23 Plus will go for $999, and the S23 Ultra will retail for $1,199.

Samsung's line of Galaxy Book laptops are similarly receiving incremental upgrades. The Galaxy Book3 Ultra got the most fanfare, as Samsung hopes it will compete with the MacBook Pro in several creative respects. Coming in a 14 or 16-inch variety, the Galaxy Book3 Ultra will come packed with a 13th Gen Intel Core i7 or i9 processor, one of the newer NVIDIA RTX 4050 or 4070 GPUs, and a 3K (2880x1800) display with a 120Hz OLED display. On top of that, it's a thin piece of work, weighing in at just under three pounds. That will make it ideal for on-the-go users, which is good since this device includes Windows/Microsoft Phone Link compatibility for seamless phone-to-PC use. The Galaxy Book3 Pro and Book3 Pro 360 have similar specs, boasting a 3K display and a low weight form factor.

Those are just some of the big reveals to come out of Samsung Unlocked. Look for the S23 phone line to be available at various retailers and through the Samsung website starting on Friday, February 17. The new line of Galaxy Book3 laptops are coming soon.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?