"Deserved 'All-Time Best' Praise... Galaxy S23 Armed with Top Performance [Mania]"

Galaxy S23 Ultra

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] Samsung Electronics has unveiled its next flagship smartphone, the ‘Galaxy S23’ series. With significant improvements in camera and display performance, it is being hailed as a ‘record-breaking smartphone.’ Above all, efforts to unify design and colors across models stand out, aiming to reinforce the Galaxy identity.

On the 2nd, I tried the Ultra model, which has the highest specs among the Galaxy S23 series. The color chosen was Phantom Black, considered the most 'neutral' among the four basic colors.

The first impression upon holding the Ultra was that it felt 'heavy.' The previous S22 Ultra was also heavy at 228g, but the S23 Ultra weighs 233g, 5g heavier. The 230g range is unique to the S23 Ultra among Galaxy bar-type smartphones. However, considering the improved specs over its predecessor, this difference is forgivable.

The most notable exterior feature of the S23 Ultra is the change in the front display edge design. The edge area has been reduced by about 30% compared to the previous model, giving it a more angular feel. Perhaps because of this, the grip felt improved when holding the device. Also, the flat area of the display has expanded, increasing the usable area for writing with the S Pen.

The camera design remains a waterdrop shape, similar to the S22 Ultra. The lower models, Galaxy S23 Basic and Plus, have also shifted from the 'Contour Cut' metal frame surrounding the lenses to a waterdrop shape. This reflects Samsung Electronics' effort to strengthen the 'Galaxy identity.'

The camera performance is truly 'unprecedented.' It features the industry's first 200-megapixel image sensor. Samsung’s confidence that it can clearly capture nebulae, star clusters, and galaxies in the night sky using just a tripod is not unfounded.

Indeed, even when zooming in 100 times on distant subjects, pixel distortion has been greatly improved compared to the previous model. Pixels that absorb light adjust to the surrounding environment from very dark to bright areas, brightening low-light scenes and reducing blurriness. Additionally, light flare is controlled, enabling clean moment captures.

The optical image stabilization (OIS) function also showed improvement. While the S22 Ultra’s OIS performance was somewhat lacking in low-light conditions, the S23 Ultra applies an OIS angle twice as wide as its predecessor, resulting in much more stable movement.

Another advantage of the S23 series is its excellent text extraction feature. For example, when you take a photo of a signboard or business card with a phone number, touching the text with a finger or S Pen brings up options such as call, copy, select all, and share. It might even make the top business card management app ‘Remember’ nervous.

Another strength of the S23 series is the ease of customizing the lock screen. By long-pressing the lock screen, users can freely change not only the background image but also the clock style and notification pop-ups. Various customization materials are already built into the device.

Efforts to resolve the Game Optimization Service (GOS) controversy that arose with the S22 series were also evident. At the launch of the S22, GOS was forcibly applied to prevent overheating during high-spec gaming, which sparked criticism. Samsung strengthened cooperation with Qualcomm and equipped the S23 with the ‘Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy’ model.

With the Qualcomm chip, smartphone power efficiency improved by 40%, and graphics processing speed increased by 41% compared to the previous model. The neural processing unit (NPU), responsible for deep learning algorithms central to AI, improved performance by over 40%, optimizing the balance between performance and power consumption in photography and other functions.

The biggest downside is, of course, the price. The 256GB model of the S23 is priced at 1,599,400 KRW, about 150,000 KRW higher than its predecessor. The 512GB model costs 1,720,400 KRW, and the 1TB model is priced at 1,962,400 KRW, approaching 2 million KRW.