Samsung is set to host its first in-person smartphone launch event in over a year, with the last one taking place in February 2020 for the Galaxy S20. The highly anticipated event, which is scheduled to take place on February 1st, is expected to see the official unveiling of the new Galaxy S23 smartphone lineup. Samsung has a history of making a few additional product announcements at these events, and this year will be no different.
To provide some context, last year in February 2022, Samsung held a similar launch event where it announced the Galaxy S22 lineup which consisted of the Galaxy S22, S22 Plus, and S22 Ultra, as well as new tablets, the Galaxy Tab S8, Tab S8 Plus, and Tab S8 Ultra. However, this year, rumors indicate that Samsung could change things up a bit. While it is still expected to announce a new lineup of smartphones, it is rumored that instead of tablets, the company will launch new laptops. In support of these rumors, Samsung’s reservation page for the upcoming launch specifically mentions a new “Galaxy Book” alongside the new smartphone, which is believed to be a lineup of Galaxy Book 3 devices.
Smartphones
Regarding the Galaxy S23 series, it is widely believed that the lineup will consist of three models – the standard Galaxy S23, the larger Galaxy S23 Plus, and the high-end Galaxy S23 Ultra. The Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus are expected to have similar designs and specifications, while the Galaxy S23 Ultra is rumored to have a unique and visually distinctive design. The Galaxy S23 Ultra’s main camera is expected to be the standout feature, with rumors suggesting that it will have a high-resolution 200-megapixel main sensor, nearly double the 108-megapixel sensor found in last year’s Galaxy S22 Ultra. This high-resolution sensor is expected to be Samsung’s ISOCELL HP2, which was recently announced by the company.
Alongside the main 200-megapixel sensor, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is expected to have three additional cameras – a 12-megapixel ultrawide, a 10-megapixel telephoto with a 3x optical zoom, and another 10-megapixel telephoto with a 10x optical zoom. This camera system is expected to be significantly better than the camera systems of both the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus, which are rumored to have triple-camera systems consisting of a 50-megapixel main sensor, a 12-megapixel ultrawide, and a 10-megapixel telephoto.
The designs of the Galaxy S23, S23 Plus, and S23 Ultra are also expected to be different. The Galaxy S23 Ultra is rumored to have square corners and an accompanying S Pen stylus, reminiscent of the discontinued Galaxy Note phones. On the other hand, the Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus are expected to have rounded edges and no camera bump, as opposed to the Galaxy S22 and S22 Plus, which had a camera bump.
When it comes to displays, the Galaxy S23 is expected to have a 6.1-inch 1080p 120Hz OLED display, the Galaxy S23 Plus is expected to have a 6.6-inch screen with similar specifications, and the Galaxy S23 Ultra is expected to have a larger 6.8-inch 1440p OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. All three smartphones are expected to be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor in Europe and North America, with no indication of Samsung’s own Exynos processors in the Galaxy S23 lineup, which the company has traditionally used to power its phones in certain regions.
Laptops
In addition to new Smartphones, there could be new laptops too. According to rumors and reports, there could be as many as five new laptops to be announced, including the Galaxy Book 3, Book 3 360, Book 3 Pro, Book 3 Pro 360, and Book 3 Ultra.
The Book 3 Ultra is rumored to be the highest-end model in the series, equipped with a 16-inch 1800p OLED display, an Intel i9-13900H processor, an Nvidia RTX 4070 discrete GPU, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage. It is also expected to be compatible with Samsung’s S Pen stylus and have a thinner and lighter touchscreen due to the touch sensors being integrated directly into the panel.
The other laptops in the lineup are reported to be split between 360 / convertible laptops, with displays that can be flipped around to be used as a tablet, and standard clamshell laptops. The Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 is expected to feature a 16-inch 1800p OLED display and come with a choice of an Intel i5-1340P or i7-1360 processor, integrated Intel graphics, 16GB of RAM, and up to 1TB of storage. The non-360 Galaxy Book 3 Pro is expected to be available in both 14-inch and 16-inch versions.
However, there is limited information available about the non-Pro Galaxy Book 3 laptops, which are expected to come in a 15-inch screen size. It is expected that both will feature 13th Gen Intel processors.
Samsung is not expected to announce new Android tablets, true wireless earbuds, or smartwatches at this year’s Unpacked event. The release of its upcoming tablets (presumably the Tab S9) has reportedly been pushed back from its original December 2022 release date due to a drop in demand for consumer tech, according to South Korean outlet The Elec. The company’s true wireless earbuds lineup is expected to receive an update this year, but probably not in the near future. Samsung’s smartwatches, on the other hand, are on a 12-month release cycle and are expected to receive an update with the Galaxy Watch 6 series in August 2023.