• On February 1, Samsung unveiled its new Galaxy S23, 23 Plus and S23 Ultra, its new premium, 5G and Wifi-6E smartphones.

  • With their technical sheet, the manufacturer's more resistant and durable terminals seem to have everything on their side to seduce photo and video fans.

  • They also look expensive, and will be sold from 959 euros for the S23;

    1,219 euros for the S23 Plus and 1,419 euros for the S23 Ultra.

Thirteen years.

The age of Reason ?

Launched in 2010, Samsung's first Galaxy S have continued to evolve.

Bigger and bigger, more and more powerful, better and better cut for photo and video, but also more and more durable, they seem to reach the pinnacle of the smartphone with their latest generation presented this February 1 under the Galaxy S23 stamp and available in three models that

20 Minutes

has already been able to handle.

“Leaks” that said it all

It often happens like this.

"Promotional images published by mistake", "industry leaks", "open secrets", "

leaks

 "... made it possible to know almost everything about Samsung's new Galaxy S23 before their official presentation this 1st february.

A few weeks before the Mobile World Congress telephony show (from February 27 to March 2, in Barcelona), the South Korean manufacturer therefore formalized its S23, S23 Plus and S23 Ultra, the new “ 

flagships

 ” (the flagships) of its fleet of mobile terminals.

And his announcements created, in fact, hardly any surprise.

More angular smartphones

Respectively offered in 6.1 inches, 6.6 inches and 6.8 inches, the Galaxy S23 see their design hardly evolve compared to that of the Galaxy S22 launched just a year ago.

With their photo optics directly integrated into their aluminum frame, they are also a little more angular.

A paradox, for the manufacturer who had tried to impose curved screens on his smartphones…



All three offered in different colors (black, cream, green, lavender), as well as with exclusive colors on the Samsung site (graphite and lime for the S23 and S23 Plus, graphite, lime, sky blue and red for the S23 Ultra ), they have many trappings to flatter the retina.

In hand, they exude a real sense of quality, as we've found.

Twelve recycled components onboard

Samsung also announces them to be more responsible in their design.

Thus, the three terminals integrate up to twelve components made from recycled materials: glass, aluminum, plastics, without forgetting the

packaging

and even the protective film in the packaging.

Packaging that definitely no longer contains a charging block (or earphones).

And Samsung highlights the lifespan of its latest toys: at least 4 years of Android updates and 5 years of security updates.

Rather reassuring at a time when consumers are keeping their smartphone longer and longer before replacing it: 3 years on average, compared to 18 months a few years ago.

The argument of durability, which is increasingly hitting the bull's eye with environmentally aware buyers, is confirmed with the addition of Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front and back of the terminals.

For the first time used, the new protective glass from the firm Corning would be able to protect smartphones from a fall of one meter on concrete.

Volunteers to try the experiment?

For its part, the classic IP68 protection (against dust and prolonged immersion up to 1.5 meters) is also part of the DNA of the Galaxy S23.

The Force is with them!

Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor (the most powerful in the market), the Galaxy S23 should not lack resources to accompany us in all our entertainment.

A quick familiarization with each model allowed us to see that their fluidity was exemplary and particularly promising for video games.

The Amoled screens of smartphones (Full HD + for the S23 and S23 Plus, and Quad HD + for the S23 Ultra), with adaptive refresh rate up to 120 Hz, should constitute the most qualitative offer existing on the market, with near-record brightness (up to 1750 nits).

In short, Samsung promises us that we will be amazed.

Our first contact with smartphones undoubtedly goes in this direction…

200 megapixels in the viewfinder

Obviously, it is on the quality of the photo and the video that the promises of the manufacturer are the most supported.

Sharing the same characteristics*, the S23 and S23 Plus promise to be excellent photophones.

But it is the Galaxy S23 Ultra ** that we will take care to test, which is likely to be of exemplary versatility.

Special feature : its main 200-megapixel sensor will, according to Samsung, " 

crop

 " in the image to get details that cannot be seen with the naked eye.

We can't wait to see that, precisely... Note, however, that more than a year ago, Xiaomi already integrated a 200 megapixel sensor on its Xiaomi 12T Pro...



This sensor can, depending on the circumstances, switch to 12 or 50 megapixels, the 200 megapixels obviously being reserved for the photo of monuments, landscapes… that you want to retouch.

Video up to 8K at 30 frames / second is also available on the Ultra.

The S22 Ultra only filmed at 24fps.

Evolution…

Samsung finally advances better night photo management, especially for portraits.

The manufacturer no longer speaks of "Nightography", the somewhat pompous term that he had imagined to accompany the night photo on his S22 and which had caused the buzz.

And here, no more "Dynamic Island", or satellite link as for the recent iPhone 14 allowing to feed the chronicle.

On paper and pending real tests, autonomy remains.

Respectively 3,900 mAh (25 W), 4,700 mAh (45 W) and 5,000 mAh (45 W), for the S23, S23 Plus and S23 Ultra, there is little hope of seeing these terminals cross the line a day and a half of use.

Even if Samsung claims that the on-board processor manages autonomy better.

The promised fast charging, in 45 W on the S23 Plus and S23 Ultra supposes to be equipped with an optional charger, an additional investment of 25 euros.

A drop of water compared to the investment required for these smartphones, of which only one model remains sold below 1,000 euros, the S23 in 128 GB. At 959 euros, it is also 100 euros more expensive compared to the S22.

Inflation, again and again?

At equal capacity, it is still 60 euros less than Apple's iPhone 14, the eternal rival.


* Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus: 50-megapixel wide-angle sensor (23mm equivalent; f/1.8) + 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle sensor (13mm; f/2.2) + 10-megapixel telephoto lens (3x optical zoom, 69 mm; f/2.4) + 12-megapixel front sensor (25 mm; f/2.2).

** Galaxy S23 Ultra: 200mm wide-angle sensor (23mm equivalent; f/1.7) + 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle sensor (13mm; f/2.2) + 10-megapixel telephoto lens (230mm; f/4.0) ) + 10-megapixel telephoto lens (3x optical zoom, 69mm; f/2.4) + 12-megapixel front sensor (25mm; f/2.2).

*** Galaxy S23 (959 euros in 128 GB; 1,019 euros in 259 GB);

Galaxy S23 Plus (1,219 euros in 256 GB; 1,359 euros in 512 GB);

Galaxy S23 Ultra (1,419 euros in 256 GB; 1,599 euros in 512 GB and 1,839 euros in 1 TB).

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