Samsung Refreshes Smartphone Lineup with Galaxy S23 Series, Updates Laptops

Despite declining demand for smartphones, Samsung has unveiled the annual upgrade of its flagship premium offering, the Samsung Galaxy S23. The company also introduced the third generation of its Galaxy Book laptops on Wednesday at its semiannual Samsung Unpacked event.

The new products will start shipping Feb. 17. Samsung hopes that the enhanced cameras, AI and storage in its latest Galaxy phones will stimulate customer upgrades.

However, Samsung and other smartphone providers face an uphill battle. According to a report released on Tuesday by Canalys, smartphone shipments in 2022 totaled 1.2 billion units, a 12% decline. Canalys said that’s the worst decline in 10 years. The peak fourth quarter was especially alarming, with shipments falling 18%.

Still the global market leader, Samsung, saw a 17% decline in growth this past year, shipping 58.3 million units. Apple, which is No. 2 in shipments, saw an 11% decline but gained a point in market share.

Tough Year Ahead?

Canalys research analyst Le Xuan Chiew warned that 2023 will remain a challenging year for the smartphone industry.

Canalys’ Le Xuan Chiew

“The road to recovery for the smartphone market is clouded with uncertainties,” Chiew noted. “Vendors and channels will watch the market dynamic closely and take a cautious approach. The popular brands will investigate ways of driving demand through their established IoT ecosystems, differentiated high-end offerings and effective channel and promotional strategies.”

Samsung’s new models include the base Galaxy S23, the Galaxy S23+ and the Galaxy S23 Ultra. The new Samsung Galaxy Book3 series consists of the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra, Book3 Pro 360 and the Book3 Pro. All three are powered by Intel’s new 13th Gen core processor.

The slideshow above breaks down each new phone and laptop with specs, images and pricing.