Galaxy S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra arrive starting at $799 with 200MP camera, 256GB storage in tow

Ben Schoon | Feb 1 2023 - 10:00 am PT

Samsung just unveiled its flagship smartphones for 2023. The Galaxy S23, S23+, and Galaxy S23 Ultra have arrived with updated specs, a powerful new camera, and more, all for the same price. Here’s what you need to know.

Available for pre-order starting today, the Samsung Galaxy S23 series brings several updates to the company’s flagship series starting with the chip under the hood.

For the first time in years, Samsung is using one chip across all of its flagship phones. The Galaxy S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra will be using the special “Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy” designed by Qualcomm in every global model from the US to Europe and beyond. The upgraded chip is the fastest version available in any Android smartphone and is exclusive to Samsung’s smartphones with improvements in both CPU and GPU performance.

Beyond that is where the three phones start to differ.

The base Samsung Galaxy S23 starts at $799 and is the smallest of the bunch. It has a 6.1-inch FHD+ display which has a 120Hz refresh rate and is much brighter than its predecessor, capable of hitting 1,750 nits of peak brightness in outdoor situations. It’s powered by a 3,900 mAh battery, an increase of 200 mAh over the base Galaxy S22, and is capable of 25W fast wired charging, as well as the same fast wireless charging (15W) available across the entire Galaxy S23 lineup.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy S23+ has a larger 6.6-inch display of the same resolution, brightness, and refresh rate. It has a much larger 4,700 mAh battery, also up 200 mAh from its predecessor. The S23+ also upgrades to 45W wired charging. The S23+ starts at $999.

Both of these phones share the same design, as well as the same camera setup. You’ll get a 12MP camera on the front for selfies and video recording at up to 4k60. On the back, the primary camera is the 50MP sensor that debuted on the Galaxy S22 series, paired with a 10MP 3x optical zoom telephoto camera, and a 12MP ultrawide camera. Video recording on the rear cameras maxes out at 8k30fps or 1080p120fps.

The king of the lineup, though, is the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.

Samsung’s true flagship is based on the same processor, but comes with better overall hardware. The display is a huge 6.8-inch QHD+ panel at 120Hz and with the same peak brightness, but it also has S Pen support for the included stylus that stores away in the phone, just like on Samsung’s Galaxy Note lineup. The display is slightly curved, but it’s noticeably flatter compared to the Galaxy S22 Ultra.

The big upgrade, though, is in the camera department. There’s a 200MP main camera on the back which uses pixel binning to create sharper and brighter final images after processing. 16 pixels are combined into one which greatly increases what kinds of conditions you’re able to shoot in. Aside from that, the rear camera setup includes a 12MP ultrawide camera and two 10MP sensors with 3x and 10x telephoto lenses.

Powering the whole thing is a 5,000 mAh battery with 45W charging and fast wireless charging.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra starts at $1,199.

Another notable change with Samsung’s 2023 lineup is that storage has been upgraded. While the base Galaxy S23 still starts with 128GB of storage, the Galaxy S23+ and Galaxy S23 Ultra start at 256GB. The S23+ and Ultra also offer 512GB of storage, while the Ultra has a 1TB option, too. You’ll find 8GB of RAM across the board, except in the 512GB and 1TB versions of the Galaxy S23 Ultra, which both have 12GB of RAM.

Android 13 with One UI 5.1 is available out of the box on all three phones, with Samsung’s usual commitment of up to four years of major Android updates and five years of security updates.

All three phones also feature stronger Gorilla Glass Victus 2 over the display, Wi-Fi 6E support, an upgraded version of Samsung’s “Vision Booster” in the camera, support for both sub6 and mmWave 5G, and an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor under the display. Colors include Phantom Black, Cream, Lavender, and Green, and will be available across all three models as well. Exclusive colors on Samsung.com include Lime, Graphite, Sky Blue, and Red.

Pricing for the Samsung Galaxy S23 starts at $799, with the Galaxy S23+ at $999, and the Galaxy S23 Ultra at $1,199. Pre-orders are open today with users getting doubled storage for free alongside up to $500 in trade-in credits and a $100 credit towards accessories. Pre-orders end on February 16, with devices available in stores the following day. Using our link here, you can get an extra $50 in credit with your pre-order.