With Galaxy Unpacked 2023 happening on 2 February, many are looking forward to what the Galaxy S23 Ultra will offer in terms of upgrades from the S22.
This massive event will be streamed worldwide from San Francisco via its official Samsung country website and social media channels and promises to be the 'Show of the Year'.
Galaxy S23 Ultra Malaysia
While many fans worldwide patiently await the official news, others in Malaysia, like me, who have been using the Galaxy S series for many years, are also excited about the Galaxy S23.
As the S23 was launched during Unpacked 2023 on 1 February 2023, you can pre-order the Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus Ultra in Malaysia.
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| The official colours for the S23 Plus and Ultra are available in Malaysia. |
I cannot wait for the official announcement of the improvements made to the all-new S23 Ultra during Galaxy Unpacked 2023 on 1 February.
So much speculation and leaks about the all-new Galaxy S23 have been shared on social media in the last six months, and that got a lot of people, including me, excited about the innovation of the smartphone.
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| The four primary colours of the S23. Photo from PhoneArena. |
As I have been actively using the Galaxy S series over the last few years, I have reviewed many models of the S series.
While there have been so many speculations, many hints toward high-megapixel sensors and improved low-light photography.
It seems there was some teaser promotion done on the Chinese social platform Weibo where the teaser claimed that "Stunning night photos are coming soon" and "WOW-worthy resolution is coming",
Another speculation is that the chipset will likely be powered by Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor. This is also rumours that Samsung will be quitting Exynos globally in favour of a unified Qualcomm front.
One more rumour is that some or all of the phones might come with at least 256GB of storage, which is double the starting capacity of the current Galaxy S22. Everyone needs more space nowadays.
The phone screen is essential to me, and it is rumoured to be an AMOLED screen with 120Hz refresh rates, which means they are colourful and bright with silky smooth onscreen motion. Hopefully, it will also be the new Gorilla Glass Victus 2.
And some massive news as for the flagship Galaxy S23 Ultra phone, rumours are suggesting that Samsung will be bending the glass on that phone on all four screen edges. Maybe slightly.
Samsung has been bending the sides of the phone in varying degrees since the Galaxy S6 edge, but this could be a first for an all-around curve on the S23 Ultra flagship phone. That would be really cool!
Finally, the rumoured colours for the Samsung Galaxy S23 series are four attractive colours: black, beige, green, and light pink. But these are only rumours, as the current series colours are Cotton Flower (cream), Misty Lilac (pink), Botanic Green and Phantom Black.
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| Another speculated photo of the 200MP Camera on the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Photo BusinessToday. |
Galaxy S23 Ultra Specification Speculations
- Dimension: 163.4 x 78.1 x 8.9 mm (6.43 x 3.07 x 0.35 in)
- Weight: 233 grams
- Screen Size: 6.8 inches, 114.3 cm2 (~89.5% screen-to-body ratio)
- Screen Type: Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1750 nits (peak)
- Screen Resolution: 1440 x 3088 pixels
- Chipset: Qualcomm SM8550-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm)
- Memory: 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 12GB RAM
- Battery System - Li-Ion 5000 mAh, non-removable
- Charging - 45W wired, PD3.0 - 15W wireless (Qi/PMA) - 4.5W reverse wireless
- Colours: Black, beige, green, and light pink
Camera System on the Galaxy S23 Ultra
This is important to me because I use the camera for my work and daily photography, so my focus goes to this department on every launch of the flagship models.
The news also announced that Samsung launched a 200MP ISOCELL HP1 sensor very early in 2022, which could be a major leap in phone photography.
It can also be the most significant step forward from Samsung in years, with one source saying the phone has 'night vision', a super improved night camera system.
Well, there has been a speculated slight improvement in the quad camera system on the S23, and below is what I have gathered so far;
Rear Camera: Four Cameras
- 200 MP, f/1.8, 23mm (wide), 1/1.3", 0.6µm, PDAF, Laser AF, OIS
- 10 MP, f/4.9, 230mm (periscope telephoto), 1/3.52", 1.12µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS, 10x optical zoom
- 10 MP, f/2.4, 70mm (telephoto), 1/3.52", 1.12µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom
- 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF
Selfie Camera
- 40 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/2.82", 0.7µm, PDAF
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| Beige colour rendering of the S23. Image from NoteBookCheck. |
This is another area I have been focusing on in the last three years, as I have done several quick videos for social media postings.
- 8K@24/30fps
- 4K@30/60fps
- 1080p@30/60/240fps
- 720p@960fps
- HDR10+
- stereo sound recording
- gyro-EIS
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| The official price for the Galaxy S23 Plus Ultra in Malaysia is for pre-order. |
Galaxy S23 Ultra Price in Malaysia
This is also one of the factors that many are considering, as a flagship smartphone usually starts around RM3,000 and above.
But nowadays, people just trade in older models or take on a new telco contract to get the latest smartphone in instalments. This way, you don't need to fork out RM5,000 and above to buy it instantly.
Galaxy S23 Price: Starting from RM3,899 to RM7,199.
Probably S23 Variants Available
- Galaxy S23: 8GB of RAM + 256GB
- Galaxy S23+: 8GB of RAM + 256GB
- Galaxy S23 Ultra: 12GB of RAM + 256GB/512GB/1TB
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| The speculated colours for the Galaxy S23 Ultra, Galaxy S23+, and Galaxy S23. Photo PhoneArena. |
My Reviews
Before we end, you can also look at my smartphone reviews, including the current Galaxy S22 Ultra, Galaxy Fold 4 and many other Samsung flagship models.
And, for those who are into smartphone photography, you can also check out my Galaxy Z Fold 4 Photography review.
That special edition was done inside the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Mulu and Niah National Park in Sarawak in 2022. Then I had a smartphone photography exhibition at KLPF 2022 a few weeks later.
Conclusion to Galaxy S23 Ultra Malaysia
Anyway, for those who are into whole smartphone photography, please register at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2023 in Malaysia to get to know all the details about Samsung's next-generation flagship smartphones, including their features, specifications, pricing, availability, and pre-order information.
And finally, this could be the fastest and most advanced Andriod smartphone in the market when launched, if the rumours above are all accurate. But then again, let's wait till they fully announce the Galaxy S23 Ultra during Galaxy Unpacked 2023.