Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. today introduced a new lineup of flagship smartphones, the Galaxy S23 series, and refreshed its Galaxy Book laptop portfolio.

The product announcement is the first of several that the company is expected to make in 2023. Reports suggest Samsung could launch a new version of its Z Fold foldable tablet later this year. Moreover, it’s believed the company may introduce a virtual reality headset for developers. 

Samsung’s new flagship handset lineup includes three devices headlined by the S23 Ultra. It’s a 6.8-inch smartphone with an OLED display that offers a resolution 2560 pixels by 1440 pixels. The device is joined by the S23 and S23 Plus, which feature 6.1-inch and 6.6-inch displays, respectively, with an identical resolution of 1920 pixels by 1080 pixels.

A key selling point of the top-end S23 Ultra is its primary rear camera. The camera features a resolution of 200 megapixels, a significant increase from the 108 megapixels offered by Samsung’s previous flagship handset. Furthermore, Samsung has improved the onboard image stabilization software to mitigate shaking-related errors more effectively.

The S23 Ultra also introduces an upgraded 12-pixel selfie camera that it shares with the S23 and S23 Plus. The latter devices, in turn, combine the upgraded lens with new displays based on Gorilla Glass Victus 2 glass. According to Samsung, the glass can more effectively withstand drops on rough surfaces.

All three devices are powered by Qualcomm Inc.’s flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 mobile system-on-chip. According to Qualcomm, the chip’s onboard central processing unit is 25% faster than its previous-generation silicon. The built-in graphics processing unit, in turn, uses up to 40% less power.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 also features other improvements. It runs artificial intelligence software up to four times faster than Qualcomm’s previous top-end mobile chip. There’s a built-in 5G modem, known as the Snapdragon X70, that includes machine learning features for optimizing wireless connection speeds.

Samsung’s new smartphone series is rolling out alongside three Galaxy Book 3 laptops. The latest additions to Samsung’s Windows computer portfolio are known as the Book 3 Pro, Book 3 Pro 360 and Book 3 Ultra, respectively. All three laptops feature chips from Intel’s latest Raptor Lake series of central processing units.

The flagship Book 3 Ultra offers a 16-inch display and two processor options. According to Samsung, consumers can order the device with a Core i7 processor and an Nvidia RTX 4050 graphics card. The laptop is also available in a more advanced configuration that combines a Core i9 CPU with a faster RTX 4070 graphics card.

Samsung’s second new laptop is the Book 3 Pro. It’s available in 14-inch and 16-inch editions and can be configured with either a Core i5 or Core i7 processor. According to Samsung, the laptop relies on its CPU’s integrated graphics processing unit for rendering rather than a standalone Nvidia card. 

Rounding out the laptop line is the 16-inch Book 3 Pro 360. It’s a two-in-one laptop that offers similar specifications as the Book 3 Pro but features a reconfigurable design that allows it to be used as a tablet.

Images: Samsung