Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2023 live blog: Galaxy S23 smartphones, laptops and more

Night sky photography made even easier? Brilliant. 

Pro-grade camera – super HDR video and lots of tech talk here, but the ability to deliver rich colour clarity looks great. And it’s 8K and brighter! 200MP camera, we’ve heard about this earlier in leaks but seeing photos taken with it, and seeing it in action, is amazing. Enjoy the tech burble…

Looking good. Nice colours and a joined-up design to form a cohesive series. Today’s show has been filmed using the S23 Ultra – and now Ridley Scott’s making a short using it. The most powerful camera yet? Lovely.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 features a stunning display – dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 6.1-inch screen with resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels. Connected experience is promised, so can Samsung finally offer artists the tech they need?

Oh, recycled plastics and glass too. Nice. 

WoooW… here we go then. 

There’s only 40 minutes to go until Samsung Galaxy Unpacked begins, are you set? Can Samsung take a lead on Apple in 2023 with its Android smartphones? For photography, at least, there could be some surprises.

Did I mention you can pre-order and reserve a Galaxy S23 (opens in new tab) right now? Go take a look. You can reserve a Galaxy S23 or a Galaxy Book 3, or both. You’ve got 15 minutes left!

A fun little bit of tech info has leaked, revealing the new Galaxy Book 3 laptops will feature thinner and lighter OLED displays that have sensors embedded directly into the touchscreens.

The new chip inside the Galaxy S23 range of smartphones will ensure these devices are perfect for photographers and digital artists looking to expand their skill set. The chip from Qualcomm features ‘Snapdragon Sight’ , a Cognitive Image Signal Processor that turns this range of mobiles into truly professional quality cameras – that’s the idea, anyway.

Snapdragon Sight will automatically enhance photos and videos in real time, using AI that can contextually judge faces, gestures, facial features, hair, clothes and more. You’ll be able to fully edit and customise photos and videos faster than on other devices. Let’s see how this works later today.

It sounds like there won’t be any new wearable announcements today at Samsung Unpacked, with rumours focussing on laptops and smartphones. I’d expect a new Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Buds Pro to be revealed this summer. The same goes for new entries in the Galaxy Z Fold range, as the latest is just six months old.

It’s not just new smartphones today, as Samsung is set to launch a new ultra laptop, the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra. Insider Snoopy Tech believes the base model, the Galaxy Book will have a 15.6-inch Full HD display will have an Intel Core i5 chip. Higher-spec models will feature newer Intel 13th Gen chips; expect the Galaxy Book 3 Pro, Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360, and the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra to be revealed later today. (To catch-up, take a look at our Galaxy Book S review to see last year’s release.)

Here’s an overview of what we can expect from the new Samsung Galaxy S23, if we can believe the leaked specs. 

Processor: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy
Rear cameras: 50 MP + 12 MP + 10 MP
Optical zoom: x3
Display: 6.1-in 120 Hz AMOLED
Brightness: 1,750 nits
RAM: 8GB
Battery: 3,900 mAh

In many areas it trumps the closest rival available now, the iPhone 14. For example the Galaxy S23 could have one extra 50MP camera and as display that refreshes at twice the speed.

Today’s Samsung Galaxy Unplugged is not just about new hardware, such as the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. Rumours suggest Samsung will also reveal its new One UI 5.0, based on Android 13. 

Rumoured new features for Samsung One UI 5.0 include many tweaks and customisation options, such as updates to how RAW files are handled and refinements to the weather app, AR features and selfie options. 

It’s worth remembering that as Samsung launches the new S23 range of smartphones we’ll likely see reductions in the price of last year’s S22 models. Take a look at the latest S22 deals below, and I’ll be tracking these to with updates.

Chilean Twitter user @DylanXitton posted photos of the new S23 Ultra out in the wide – it seems a Chilean mobile store started displaying the new smartphones ahead of today’s event (oops). It appears to confirm other rumours the new S23 Ultra will have a huge 200MP camera – which is around double the resolution of the S22 Ultra (108 megapixels).

If you’re new to Samsung’s range of smartphones, or are an Apple user who’s keen to see what else is around, then let’s recap. You can read our guide to Apple vs Samsung for an overview, but below I dig a little into where the new Samsung Galaxy 2S3 range will sit.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 – this is the basic model and is Samsung’s cheaper, entry-level smartphone. Think of this as Samsung’s answer to the iPhone 14. Trusted insider Yogesh Brar (opens in new tab) suggests the spec for the Samsung Galaxy S23 will include a 6.1-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus – a mid-range smartphone and leaked images (above) suggest it will have a cluster of three cameras, while the high-end Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is rumoured to have a massive 200MP camera with a 4K selfie camera. Naturally this is the largest and most expensive of Samsung’s range.

These images of the new Samsung Galaxy S23 leaked earlier by Twitter user @UniverseIce. It’s believed the upcoming Galaxy S23 will run on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip with 8GB of RAM and storage, coming at 128GB and 256GB.

@UniverseIce also has a friend who’s been using the S23 Ultra ahead of today’s event and says: “that the screen of the S23 Ultra looks clearer than the S22 Ultra, and it seems to be optimised for pictures.”

The hype is building over in Korea, with Twitter Samsung insider @chunvn8888 posting store photos showing the new Samsung Galaxy S23 family of smartphones. 

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked launches later today and should see the reveal of new smartphones to rival Apple iPhone, including Galaxy S23, S23 Plus and S23 Ultra. We’re also expecting new laptops in the Galaxy Book range. 

There have already been some leaked images of the new Galaxy S23 Ultra images, specs and even a rumoured price suggesting a $300 increase (via Forbes (opens in new tab)). You can find the full details later, the event starts at 10 AM PST / 6 PM UTC.