- Samsung, I love you, but what are you doing?
In a world where Samsung are putting more
and more emphasis on their folding phones,
and they're canceling lines such as the Note,
I've gotta ask, "Is this really where things are headed?"
We're here in San Francisco this morning
to take an early look at the Samsung Galaxy S23.
They're clearly very confident in their design
because this is incredibly similar to the S22,
but other than the new color
and the fact that they've kinda changed
the way the camera bump is,
hardware-wise, it seems incredibly close.
(television static buzzing)
Almost exactly three years ago,
Samsung unveiled the first Galaxy Z Flip,
and I'll admit it, I fell in love instantly.
The idea of having a tiny phone
that could fit in your pocket
that could then unfold to become
not only a full-sized flagship,
but importantly, also give you extra features
like a built-in tripod, having the external display.
Like, for me, it was really, really something magical.
I know I say that like I'm in an Apple ad right now
or something, but the second that I got my hands
on the Z Flip, it was a wrap.
And for the last three years, a Z Flip of some variety
has lived in my pocket.
Now, to be fair, that first generation model
did leave a lot to be desired,
but importantly, Samsung seized on that potential.
Within six months, they had released
an updated 5G model with improved specs,
and a little over a year later, there was the Z Flip3,
which was a complete overhaul of the phone that,
let's not forget, had only been out
for, like, less than 18 months at that point.
In contrast, let's look at the Galaxy S line
over the same last three years.
We had the S20, the S21,
which was a reasonable little upgrade
when it comes to the outside specs
and especially the cameras,
but then the S22 was a very minor upgrade.
And now, here we are in 2023 with the Galaxy S23,
and, ah, yeah, it's a, it's a new phone, all right.
It's very different.
I mean, sure, they continue to load the latest
and greatest specs inside, including the specific
for Samsung (logo clicking)
(harp strings flourishing) Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
for Galaxy. (chimes tinkling)
This is a slightly higher-clocked version of the same chip
that is going out in other phones right now.
Essentially, Samsung have just gotten the exclusivity
on the slightly higher binned,
mostly because they've agreed to finally drop
the Exynos version of the Galaxy S line
in favor of, let's be honest,
the much better performing Snapdragon equivalents.
(dramatic country music)
But here's the thing: you look at this Galaxy S23,
and there are so few major improvements
that I really kinda have to ask, like,
is Samsung's heart really in this?
I mean, yeah, it's nice to have the incremental stuff
year over year.
It's certain what Apple have been doing for quite a while,
but it seems like over the last few years,
while they've poured all of their time
and effort into foldables,
the standard Galaxy S23 has just not really moved forward.
That's not even counting the weird, awkward middle child.
That's a little mean. The awkward middle child.
No offense if you're a middle child.
This is a weird one.
Like, I don't know who should buy the Plus.
Essentially, what you're getting
for your additional $200 over the base S23
is the larger screen, battery,
standard 256 gigs of storage as opposed to 128,
and you get a couple of minor upgrades
such as an ultra-wideband chip,
but unless you're using your phone
as a digital key for a BMW,
it's not particularly important,
and for me, a $200 jump is massive in this space.
I don't think the Plus is it.
I think the Ultra is what you're looking for.
- [Ken] Favorite one.
- So clearly, the phone that is the most exciting
is the S23 Ultra.
It seems clear that Samsung had put in more effort
for the Ultra this generation.
Now, while on the outside, it looks very similar
to the S22 Ultra, you've still got the camera bumps
that are exposed on the back.
You've got those big, squared-off sides,
the slightly less radiused corners on the display,
the S Pen that goes inside,
but all of this comes at a cost.
This thing is huge! (phone tapping)
I straight up think it's, like, double the Z Flip.
The real highlight of the phone, though,
has gotta be the cameras,
and I don't think it's an unreasonable thing to say
that the Galaxy S23 Ultra might just have
the most well-rounded camera package
of any phone period right now. (vehicle zooming)
Know you have a 200-megapixel main shooter.
You've also got the ultra-wide,
the three times telephoto, and the 10 times.
So, I mean, as far as putting everything in one package,
I could safely say that not only is this phone
about the most well-rounded thing
that you would get today, but it's gonna age well.
You're getting the software support.
You're getting the performance, the screen,
the cameras, the battery life.
I'm outta fingers, but probably some other things.
Like, there's really nothing that you have to compromise
besides your wallet (cash register ringing)
and the space in your pocket.
The question, though, and I think it's a valid one,
is is all this really worth the $1,200 price tag
of this S23 Ultra?
For comparison, if you look at the iPhone 14 Pro Max,
that's a full $100 cheaper.
And if you move over to the Pixel 7 Pro,
that is $300 less expensive than this S23 Ultra.
Sure, the Ultra is a little bit more well-rounded
when it comes to performance
between the flexibility of the zoom range,
and certainly, it's got a little bit of a better reputation
when it comes to doing all these software updates.
But almost more importantly than that,
just being a solid, reliable device.
And look, the Pixels have come up in a big way,
and the Pixel 7, as far as I'm concerned,
is an incredibly strong competitor,
but it also would be remiss of me if I didn't
at least acknowledge some of the issues
that the Pixel 6 specifically had.
Google is getting there, but they don't quite have
that near-bulletproof reliability record
that Samsung have cultivated over the last decade-plus.
Still, though, in my opinion,
Google have really struck gold with the Pixel line lately,
especially when it comes to the 7 and the 7 Pro.
Not only do you have those world-class cameras,
they've got their own Tensor processors,
which means that they've got a little bit more control
over the long-term software support.
This comparison gets a whole lot tougher, though,
if you step down to the standard Pixel 7 and the Galaxy S23.
Those sort of regular flagships
if you're not looking for the Ultra experience.
Here, the price difference is a full $200.
Look, for 600 bucks, it is incredibly hard to argue
with the Pixel 7 right now.
Now, if I could give the S23 anything,
it would probably be that it does have a telephoto camera,
which, especially with that 3X on that S23,
is a really nice bonus,
but outside of that, there are very few advantages
of going with the S23 over the Pixel 7,
and again, that's a $200 difference, man, like. (inhales)
(electricity humming) (relaxed music)
Hey, guys, this is Austin,
and today, you're here with an unboxing
of the new Samsung Galaxy S3 for T-Mobile.
(static crackling) Looking around the space
that they've got here, and one of the things
that jumps out to me immediately is the wall of Galaxies.
So they've got everything from the S3, the S6, the S10,
pretty much every single Galaxy device
that they've done over the last 10-plus years
all in this cool array.
My very first tech event that I was invited to
was actually the Samsung Galaxy S3 Unpacked.
This was a time where Samsung truly were
on top of the world, and a big part of that
was because their marketing was absolutely on point.
Very quickly, people realized
that if you wanted an Android phone,
Samsung should be pretty much on the top of your list.
Sure, there were the Nokias, the LGs, the HTCs,
the BlackBerries, but look around the space now,
and you're pretty much gonna see things
being dominated by Apple, by Samsung,
and now, at least, there's some competition from Google,
which is always a good thing because duopolies suck,
but triopolies are great.
Here's the thing: the Galaxy S23, specifically the Ultra,
is a very, very nice device.
The problem, though, is the level of innovation,
the level of Samsung are taking baby steps.
What feels like the industry as a whole
are taking much, much bigger leaps.
Even when you look at Samsung's own foldable lines
over the last few years, they've come so far,
and yet going from the S21 to the S22 to the S23.
Yeah, there are upgrades.
Yeah, there are differences,
but they're very minor in the grand scheme of things.
And when companies such as Google are out here
being super-competitive on price,
when companies such as OnePlus
are hungry for that sweet, sweet Samsung market share,
it just feels like Samsung are (sighs)
resting on their laurels a bit?
When they're almost putting more attention,
at least from the outside,
on not only their foldables, but even, like, the lower end,
like A Series lines that they've creating budget devices
and mid-range devices.
It puts, for me, the S23 lineup in a very weird spot
because these are good phones,
but good just kind of isn't enough.
If you sit on that good for long enough,
it just, it just becomes okay.
It just becomes sort of forgettable.
Because for so long, the S line has been the default phone.
That's the phone that you get if you want a flagship,
you want something that's reliable,
you want something that you can get it every carrier.
Like, it was just kind of the default Android answer,
and that's really where I'm struggling to answer
the question, "Is the Samsung Galaxy S23 lineup worth it?"
I mean, for me, the clearest answer
really is with the S23 Plus.
It just doesn't make sense.
Same thing goes, though, for the S23.
I mean, it is a safe bet.
I think if you buy it, it will last you for many years,
and it'll be great, but the biggest issue with that
is that not only does the Pixel 7 exist for much less,
but so does the Galaxy S22 from last year,
which because it's so similar means
that you could probably pick that up for significantly less
and still get almost the exact same experience.
The Ultra, though, does have a place.
Know while it might not be as clear cut
as it has been in the past,
at least what you're getting here
is that reliable performance, the good build quality,
the long-term software support.
You're also getting the S Pen
and the incredibly impressive camera suite.
It just seems clear that if you're considering
any of the Galaxy S23 line,
it should probably be the Ultra this year,
but it feels like this is not the future.
It just feels like they're just continuing
their legacy business of selling you
the $800, the $1,000, the $1,200 flagships
for as long as you will keep shelling out for it,
which is fine.
There's nothing wrong with that.
These are very competent, very solid devices,
but they're not exciting.
They're not even a great value when you consider
they're so similar to the devices that they're replacing.
Save your money.
Buy yourself an S22 for hundreds of dollars less,
or be bold, innovative, and exciting,
and get yourself a folding phone.
Well, at least, that's what I'm gonna do.
(relaxed electronic music)