Everything Samsung Announced at Its Galaxy S23 Unpacked Event

After the Q4 rush and CES, the winter months are usually slow for major product launches. Unless you’re Samsung, which just unveiled its newest flagship smartphones, among other things, at an Unpacked event in San Francisco. If you couldn’t tune in this afternoon, here’s what you missed.

Galaxy S23 Smartphones

The expected star of the show was Samsung’s new flagship smartphone lineup. After months of leaks, there were few surprises here. But Android fans not keyed into the smartphone rumor mill can expect a sleek lineup of phones that promise a top mobile processor, generous storage, and one of the highest-megapixel cameras available to phones.

(Credit: Samsung)

On the outside, the Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23+, and Galaxy S23 Ultra sport rounded aluminum frames and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 panels. Inside, Samsung collaborated with Qualcomm to boost the power of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip. We’ll have to wait until we have a chance to benchmark the S23 to see how that pans out.

We have a full rundown of the specs and features in ours hands on with the Galaxy S23 phones, as well as a look at the differences in the three models. Stay tuned for our full reviews.

Exclusive S23 colors from Samsung
(Credit: Samsung)

Get a Free Storage Boost When You Pre-Order

The phones are available to pre-order now and arrive in stores on Feb. 17. But as an added incentive for those on the fence about buying now, those who pre-order get a free storage boost. Get the 256GB Galaxy S23 for the price of the 128GB, for example, or the 512GB S23+ or S23 Ultra for the price of the 256GB version. Plus, if you order the unlocked version directly from Samsung(Opens in a new window), you get access to four extra colors: Graphite, Lime, Red, and Sky Blue.

(Credit: Samsung)

Galaxy Book Laptops

If you’re a creator looking for a little more screen real estate, Samsung also unveiled new Galaxy Book laptops, and the Galaxy Book3 Ultra has the potential to give the MacBook Pro a run for its money. This 16-inch laptop has a roomy AMOLED 2,880-by-1,800-pixel display in a 16:10 aspect ratio. Its 120Hz refresh rate should be useful for a variety of visual workloads as well as gaming. Starting at $2,399.99, it has the price tag to match, but the Book3 Pro starts at $1,449.99, while the Book3 Pro 360 is $1,899.99 to start. Check out our hands on to see if it’s worth the upgrade.

A Mixed-Reality Future With Qualcomm and Google

Amon, Samsung’s TM Roh, and Lockheimer on stage at Unpacked
(Credit: Samsung/YouTube)

You didn’t think they’d skip a mention of virtual or augmented reality, did you? Samsung called Qualcomm President and CEO Cristiano Amon and Hiroshi Lockheimer, SVP of platforms and ecosystems at Google, to the stage to tout the companies’ continued partnership, which will include new mixed-reality experiences…eventually. None of the execs offered up specifics. Lockheimer said the trio is focused on “building the next VR experience” using cutting-edge hardware and software from each company. 

“In XR, we’re working to create a new era of highly immersive digital experiences that blur the lines between our physical and digital worlds,” Amon said. The three companies “have the foundation to make this opportunity a reality and drive the future of the spatial internet.”

Watch the full Samsung Unpacked event in the video below: