Samsung unveiled its new lineup of flagship phones, the $799 Galaxy S23, the $999 S23+, and the $1,199 S23 Ultra, at the Samsung Unpacked event on February 1 in San Francisco, California. The phones come with Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, 5G connectivity, 120Hz display refresh rate, Android 13, One UI 5.1, and battery and camera improvements. The phones were made available for pre-order starting February 1 and will launch on February 13.
The phones were announced after Samsung’s Q4 2022 profits fell to an eight-year low as demand dropped for smartphones and laptops in a quarter that is traditionally a strong one. Adding to Samsung’s issues are continual chipset shortage issues and supply chain constraints that have made it difficult for OEMs – including Apple – to sustain their SKU counts.
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Camera and battery improvements
The Galaxy S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra improve on the premium camera experience that Samsung is known for, featuring cutting-edge attributes such as a 200MP Adaptive Pixel sensor with advanced photo quality on the S23 Ultra, compared to 100MP in the S22. Battery life has improved compared to the S22 series, especially on the base models with a 20% increase in battery power. The S23 and the S23+ get a 200mAh battery upgrade: the former is up to 3,900mAh, and the S23+ comes with a 4,700mAh battery. In addition, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor is more battery-efficient than its predecessor and should aid the S23 phones – including the S23 Ultra, which did not get a battery update – in extending battery life.
Samsung is also offering double the base data storage in its new phones, at prices similar to the S22 series, as a compromise instead of actual price drops. The S23 Ultra starts at $1,199.99 with 256 GB of storage — double last year’s base model at the same price. The S23+ also ups its storage to 256 GB at $999. The base model, however, remains at the same starting storage of 128 GB. Although a price decrease would’ve been a welcome development, Samsung’s ‘get more for the same price’ is a sellable proposition in an environment where rising prices are increasingly common.
Samsung remains popular in the US
Samsung is the foremost Android vendor and offers a variety of devices for consumers. Its phones are just as popular as iPhones for inciting device upgrades, and carriers promote Samsung flagships heavily. Samsung doesn’t have to do much to stay on the top in the US, where it has a lion’s share of the Android phone market. Aggressive carrier promotions amounting up to $1,000 off the sales price should help device sales during this time of inflationary pressures.
Moreover, premium phones continue to be responsible for mainstream adoption of 5G services. According to GlobalData, 5G mobile service revenues in North America will reach $195.7bn by 2026. Carriers will continue to use Samsung and Apple 5G phones to upsell premium service plans to consumers.
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By GlobalData
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