Samsung launches new Galaxy S23 smartphone lineup with improved camera, gaming capabilities - CNBC

Samsung connected Wednesday launched its latest lineup of flagship Galaxy smartphones, touting a amended camera and enhanced gaming features arsenic the South Korean tech elephantine tries to tempt radical to upgrade amid anemic macroeconomic conditions and waning user demand.

The Galaxy S23 smartphone lineup features 3 caller models: the modular S23, a somewhat much costly S23+ and the top-of-the-line S23 Ultra.

The S23 bid volition spell head-to-head with Apple's iPhone 14, which launched past September. Samsung typically releases its flagship Galaxy S models successful the archetypal fractional of the twelvemonth and its Galaxy Z enactment of folding phones successful the 2nd half.

Samsung mostly made subtle improvements to its caller premium handset, including improved camera capabilities.

The astir costly of the 3 models, the Galaxy S23 Ultra, features a 200-megapixel "adaptive pixel" sensor that combines 16 pixels into 1 larger pixel for brighter, much elaborate shots successful debased airy situations, Samsung said.

Samsung added users' low-light photography with the instrumentality would beryllium assisted by overmuch faster processing speeds from its interior chipset, which was developed successful concern with Qualcomm, arsenic good arsenic artificial intelligence.

There's besides a video diagnostic connected the instrumentality called "astro hyperlapse" which lets users instrumentality time-lapsed question shots — for example, of prima movements — without immoderate peculiar equipment.

Samsung besides touted the gaming capabilities of its caller device, saying users volition beryllium capable to play for longer acknowledgment to a much almighty battery. The S23 Ultra houses a immense 5,000 mAh, oregon milliampere hour, battery.

The S23 Plus and S23 travel with 4,700 mAh and 3,900 mAh batteries, respectively.

The institution besides unveiled its caller Galaxy Book3 laptop lineup Wednesday, which includes a 3rd Ultra exemplary with a 16-inch AMOLED display. Samsung's Galaxy Book2 came successful lone 2 options. Samsung hopes the caller laptops volition marque a splash successful the premium PC market.

The steadfast showed disconnected bundle that lets users resistance and driblet files betwixt its laptops and smartphones. Users tin besides brace the Book3 with Samsung tablets to usage the second arsenic a 2nd screen, Samsung said.

The institution is launching its caller products astatine a peculiarly pugnacious clip for the user tech space. Demand for premium smartphones successful peculiar has softened, with radical opting to walk little connected big-ticket gadgets owed to climbing terms pressures and tighter budgets.

Global smartphone shipments plunged 18.3% to 300.3 cardinal units successful the 4th fourth of 2022 — usually a large vacation buying play — marking the largest diminution successful a azygous 4th connected record, according to marketplace probe steadfast IDC.

A full of 1.21 cardinal smartphones were shipped successful 2022, which represents the lowest yearly shipment full since 2013, IDC said.

"Everything is heading successful the incorrect absorption for user physics providers," Paolo Pescatore from PP Foresight told CNBC via email.

On Tuesday, Samsung recorded its worst quarterly nett since the 3rd 4th of 2014. The steadfast reported operating nett of 4.31 trillion won ($3.4 billion), down 69% from the aforesaid play a twelvemonth ago. Samsung said its show was hampered by anemic request for smartphones and representation chips.

Meantime, galore radical are besides suffering from smartphone fatigue whereby, not rather satisfied with improvements promised by newer models, they're holding onto their existent phones for longer.

"As has been the lawsuit with astir flagship launches successful caller years, the customers who volition consciousness the astir payment from Samsung's latest devices volition beryllium those upgrading from older models oregon from a mid-range device," said Leo Gebbie, main expert for connected devices astatine CCS Insight.

"Customers who person bought a premium-tier mobile successful the past twelvemonth oregon 2 volition spot small quality betwixt the instrumentality they already person and the caller Galaxy S23 family."

In that context, Samsung has consolidated its smartphone portfolio to simplify its offering to customers. The steadfast incorporated its S Pen stylus into past year's Galaxy S22, marking the symbolic extremity of its high-end Note telephone series.

It's besides tried to boost user appetite for caller premium phones with its folding devices. Samsung past twelvemonth launched two caller foldable models, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Galaxy Z Fold 4.