So Samsung just published a blog post about what to expect at Unpacked on February 1st, where TM Roh confirmed you can expect two new devices that “set the new premium standard for innovation.”
Now, with him referring to the word “Ultra” a lot, we know what one of these will be — the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. But what is the other going to be? Let’s get the good old prediction hat on, take a look at what has been said and make some bets.
What did TM Roh say?
The president and Head of Mobile Experience Business at Samsung Electronics said a whole lot to set the stage for Unpacked. Details are a little thin on the ground, but he does go into big updates to its cameras, and to look forward to two devices that “set the new premium standard for information.”
But it's this particular passage that a lot of people are picking up on:
“For Samsung, Ultra means big. Ultra means bold. Ultra means the best of the best in performance.
To take everyday experiences further, we redefine the essentials.
The upcoming Galaxy is all about camera, performance and sustainability. That’s why our pro-grade camera system is getting smarter. Our performance is getting more powerful.
And our connectivity is getting more seamless.
Our upcoming Galaxy redefines performance and quality, which is how we build on your trust.”
Big talk like this does hint heavily towards the current crop of leaks about the S23 Ultra being pretty bang on: a 200MP camera (though I’m not sure how good this spec will actually be), a new periscope telephoto lens, and a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset.
Outlook — what is the second device?
Let’s have some fun and look at everything we know. Roh is going hard on telling us that Ultra means “big,” “bold,” and “the best of the best in performance.” The S23 Ultra will most probably do that for the smartphone space, but we’ve got this other device.
Last year, it was the huge Tab S8 Ultra, but we do know there’s an unnamed laptop coming at this year’s Unpacked. And while many people are pointing towards this being the Samsung Galaxy Book3, leaks reported by SamMobile show the company has an Ultra version planned too.
Currently, the team has served the ultraportable area well, but with the likes of an iGPU, it wasn’t really something that creative pros could use to get stuff done. Now imagine a similar versatile form factor with far beefier specs like a 13th Gen Intel CPU and RTX 40 Series GPU for all your creative needs… Sounds good, right?
That is what I hope the surprise will be, and with a spec sheet like that, this could be a very real competition to the new M2 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros.
