Smartphones1.02.2023

Samsung launches Galaxy S23 — South African pricing and pre-order deals

Samsung launched its latest series of flagship smartphones — the Galaxy S23 lineup — during its Galaxy Unpacked event on Wednesday, 1 February 2023.

The smartphones are powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, which Samsung said has been optimised for the Galaxy S23 series with help from Qualcomm.

“A newly-designed CPU microarchitecture boosts the processing abilities of the Galaxy S23 series by about 30% compared to the Galaxy S22 series,” Samsung said.

“One of the most significant improvements to the Galaxy S23 series is the optimised GPU, which is approximately 41% faster compared to Galaxy 22 series and designed for power users.”

In terms of design, the top-tier Galaxy S23 Ultra retains a similar form as its predecessor, with a 6.8-inch AMOLED display, ring camera lenses, and an S Pen slot.

Samsung said the displays featured in its latest Galaxy series make it easier to game outdoors.

“The entire Galaxy S23 series — the base, Plus, and Ultra — now feature screens with a peak brightness of 1,750 nits,” it added.

The Galaxy S23 features a 6.1-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with an adaptive refresh rate that can vary between 48Hz and 120Hz, whereas the S23+ has a larger 6.6-inch display with similar specs.

The Ultra model has the largest screen of the lot at 6.8 inches. Its QHD+ AMOLED display’s refresh rate can vary between 1Hz and 120Hz.

Samsung President and head of Mobile Experience, Dr. TM Roh, introduces the company’s Galaxy S23 smartphones.

With the Galaxy S23 and S23+, Samsung took cues from the S23 Ultra’s design, using its protruding ring camera lenses instead of the more conventional camera bump.

The S23 and S23+ feature a triple rear camera system, comprising a 50MP primary, 12MP ultrawide, and 10MP telephoto lens.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra has a more powerful quad rear camera setup, including a 200MP primary lens combined with a 12MP ultrawide sensor and dual-10MP telephoto lenses.

Samsung emphasised its improved performance in dark scenes, with the ability to capture twice the amount of light of its predecessor.

The upgraded camera system in the top-tier Galaxy S23 Ultra allows it to achieve a 10x  optical zoom, while the S23 and S23+ only reach 3x.

The Ultra is also capable of 8K video recording at 30 frames per second.

“Recording videos feel more cinematic with enhanced 8K video at 30 frames per second with a wider angle,” Samsung said.

The S23 comes with a choice of 128GB or 256GB of internal storage, while the S23+ adds the option of 512GB capacity. Both feature 8GB of LPDDR5+ RAM.

The S23 Ultra also gets 8GB RAM on the 256GB model, which can be upped to 12GB on the 512GB and 1TB versions.

In terms of battery capacities, the S23+ packs a 4,700mAh battery, 200mAh more than its predecessor, while the Ultra has the same 5,000mAh battery. Both support 45W wired fast charging and reverse wireless charging.

The Galaxy S23 packs a 3,900mAh battery, as opposed to the 3,700mAh on the Galaxy S22, and supports 25W wired fast charging. It also features Samsung’s Wireless Powershare wireless charging technology.

Samsung’s Galaxy S23 series is available for pre-order from Wednesday, 1 February 2023, with shipping commencing on 17 February.

Pricing for the base Galaxy S23 starts at $799, while the Galaxy S23+ and S23 Ultra are available to pre-order from $999 and $1,199, respectively.

South African launch pricing starts at R21,999 for the base S23, R23,999 for the S23+, and R30,999 for the S23 Ultra.

Samsung South Africa is running a promotion that will let customers double their storage when pre-ordering a Galaxy S23 device. These customers will also receive a free Galaxy Tab S6 Lite.

The R10,000 trade-in offer for qualifying devices is still in effect for the Galaxy S23 series.

Specifications and photos of the Galaxy S23 series are provided below.


Samsung Galaxy S23

Samsung Galaxy S23
OS One UI 5.1, Android 13
Display 6.1-inch FHD+ AMOLED, with 120Hz adaptive refresh rate
Processor Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
Storage 128GB / 256GB / 512GB
RAM 8GB
Rear camera 50MP + 12MP + 10MP
Front camera 12MP
Connectivity Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
Ports USB-C
Cellular 5G
Biometrics Under-display fingerprint scanner
Battery and charging 3,900mAh, 25W fast charging
Dimensions 70.9 x 146.3 x 7.6mm (168g)


Samsung Galaxy 23+

Samsung Galaxy S23+
OS One UI 5.1, Android 13
Display 6.6-inch FHD+ AMOLED, with 120Hz adaptive refresh rate
Processor Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
Storage 256GB / 512GB
RAM 8GB
Rear camera 50MP + 12MP + 10MP
Front camera 12MP
Connectivity Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
Ports USB-C
Cellular 5G
Biometrics Under-display fingerprint scanner
Battery and charging 4,700mAh, 45W fast charging
Dimensions  76.2 x 157.8 x 7.6mm (196g)


Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
OS One UI 5.1, Android 13
Display 6.8-inch QHD+ AMOLED, with 120Hz adaptive refresh rate
Processor Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
Storage 256GB / 512GB / 1TB
RAM 8GB / 12GB
Rear camera 200MP + 12MP + 10MP + 10MP
Front camera 12MP
Connectivity Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
Ports USB-C
Cellular 5G
Biometrics Under-display fingerprint scanner
Battery and charging 5,000mAh, 45W fast charging
Dimensions 78.1 X 163.4 X 8.9mm (234g)


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