They are already here. Samsung once again surpassed its competitors and introduced its flagship smartphones for 2023. And as every year, the leaks hit the target. The Galaxy S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra are definitely top-of-the-line phones, but above all, they stand out by having a camera team that will enable them to compete for the throne on paper. best photo terminal this year

The specs of these three phones are interesting if we stick with the camera hardware they have, but the juiciest one is, as we can guess, the S23 Ultra model. And not only does it stand out from the other two S23s by including a second telephoto lens; it also gets its share of attention thanks to the integration of an Isocell HP2 sensor with a resolution of not less than 200 megapixels, manufactured by Samsung itself, into the main camera. That’s how these pockets are wasted.

Samsung Galaxy S23, S23+ and S23 Ultra: technical specifications

They’re committed to continuity, but the S23 Ultra includes key innovations

The Galaxy S23’s camera hardware is essentially the same as what the Galaxy S22 offered us last year. Galaxy S23 and S23+ models prefer the usual camera configuration: a main camera equipped with a wide-angle lens, telephoto lens and ultra-wide unit. And the S23 Ultra also gives us a fourth camera, just like the S22 Ultra did last year: an additional telephoto lens much less bright than the main one, but zoom in the most ambitious optician.

One difference between the Galaxy S22 and S23 that should not be overlooked is that the latter is attached to the same front camera: a unit equipped with a 12-megapixel Dual Pixel sensor working in conjunction with f/2.2 aperture value optics. The S22 and S22+ use a front camera with these same features, but the S22 Ultra curiously differs from the S23 Ultra with a front camera equipped with a 40-megapixel sensor that works hand in hand with f-aperture optics. 2.2.

On the other hand, as we’ve seen, the S23 and S23+ share exactly the same camera set. The main unit is connected to a 50-megapixel Dual Pixel sensor and optics with f/1.8 aperture. This camera has optical stabilization as usual. The ultra-wide-angle camera includes a 12-megapixel sensor, f/2.2 aperture optics and has a 120-degree field of view. Finally, it uses a telephoto lens, a 10-megapixel sensor and f/2.4 optics. give us a zoom in optical 3x. Like the main camera, it implements optical stabilization.

Let’s start with the S23 Ultra now. Its most groundbreaking camera is the main one, and for a very obvious reason: it relies on the new 200-megapixel Isocell HP2 sensor made by Samsung itself. This sensor incorporates 0.6 μm photodiodes and measures 1/1.3 inch (exactly the same as the 108 megapixel sensor recommended by the S22 Ultra). First of all it seems reasonable to think that this is an extreme resolution for a medium resolution. dimensional sensor, but this is exactly where Tetra2Pixel technology comes into play.

And this is it firmware The sensor with which this sensor works has the ability to dynamically group photoreceptors with two different strategies. On the one hand, you can stack them four by four (in this scenario the resolution is reduced to 50 megapixels) and also stack them to reconstruct the 1.2 μm photodiodes. in sets of sixteen photoreceptors To make way for the 2.4 μm pixel. Not surprisingly, in this last configuration, the resolution has been reduced to 12.5 megapixels. On paper, this strategy may seem very contrived, but it makes sense if we stick to what Samsung tells us.

And according to this brand, the flexibility of the main camera of the S23 Ultra allows this mobile to better adapt to the shooting scenario to balance its performance in very low light environments with the level of detail it can provide. . Additionally, according to Samsung, the focusing system they’ve tweaked allows each photoreceptor to contribute independently, which in theory allows this camera to focus precisely even in low light. Of course, we will test all this when we have the opportunity to examine the S23 Ultra in depth.

On the other hand, the S23 Ultra’s ultra-wide camera and main telephoto lens are the same as the S23 and S23+. While the ultra-wide angle is connected to a 12-megapixel sensor and optics with f/2.2 aperture, it combines a telephoto lens, 10-megapixel sensor and optics with f/2.4 aperture, giving us a sense of humor. zoom in optic 3x. The second telephoto lens also uses a 10-megapixel sensor, but its optics have an aperture of f/4.9, so it’s less bright than the main lens. Yes definitely, gives us ten optical magnifications.

In this generation, Samsung has turned to night photography.

During the presentation of the Galaxy S23, Samsung spokespersons insisted that these smartphones perform significantly better than previous models, both when taking photos and recording videos in low light conditions. Sounds good, but we’ll have to check them out when we try them. In any case, it is necessary to improve both the photographic hardware and the software to make this possible. We have already researched in terms of hardware, but we still need to research what innovations this brand brings in the software of the S23.

One of them is a new artificial intelligence engine that works on the front camera, which, according to Samsung, gives us a higher level of detail and less noise. when we take selfies at night. Additionally, in theory, it can accurately identify our face to optimize focus even when the light is very low. Another shooting scenario that Samsung claims to have polished in the S23 is portraits taken in night mode.

Again, when the sensor collects the maximum amount of information available light allows, the ball falls into the hands of the artificial intelligence software. This brand promises us that the depth map that the software of these mobile phones works with allows them to recover many details and minimize noise, while maintaining a faithful and rich color recreation at the same time. Sounds good, like everything else, but still, we’ll test it out when we get a chance to take a deep look at the new Galaxy S23s.

Another of the promises Samsung made to us during the introduction of these smartphones is HDR. And apparently they’ve improved on the technology they introduced in the S21 Ultra, which consists of combining several captures taken with different ISO values. increase dynamic range It will be interesting to see how the photos use HDR by the 200-megapixel Isocell HP2 sensor built into the S23 Ultra’s main camera.

Two more notes to finish. The new mode for astrophotography allows us to extend the exposure time up to a maximum of four minutes, an option that gives us the ability to record the movement of the stars. It is clear that this type of photography does not appeal to all users, but this option is of interest to those who are interested in the night sky. Finally, an important detail: Expert RAW mode is integrated into the native camera application, but does not allow us to shoot at 200 megapixels; We can only get 50 megapixels while using it.