Technologies

Galaxy S23 Phone Lineup: All the New Camera Features, Explained

Samsung’s Galaxy S23 line puts a lot of focus on its new cameras. Let’s explain what they do.

This story is part of Samsung Event, CNET’s collection of news, tips and advice around Samsung’s most popular products.

Samsung’s 2023 flagship lineup includes the Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23 Plus and Galaxy S23 Ultra, and their camera upgrades took up much of the conversation when the phones were unveiled at Samsung Unpacked last week. There are improvements across the line to the front-facing camera. The main camera on the $1,200 Ultra phone got an upgraded 200-megapixel sensor compared with the 108-megapixel one on last year’s Galaxy S22 Ultra.

But what do these camera improvements mean for you? While we’re still in the process of reviewing the Galaxy S23 series and testing their photography prowess, we can go over all the cameras and standout photo and video features each phone has.

Every Galaxy S23 phone gets a new front-facing camera

Whether you are eyeing the $800 Galaxy S22, $1,000 Galaxy S22 Plus or $1,200 Galaxy S22 Ultra, all three phones come with a 12-megapixel selfie camera that you can use for taking selfies, recording video of yourself and video calls.

The 12-megapixel camera seems like an improvement on paper for the S23 and S23 Plus — their predecessors each sported a 10-megapixel selfie camera. As far as the Ultra is concerned, the new front camera may at first look like a downgrade, because the S22 has a 40-megapixel selfie camera. But fewer megapixels isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Samsung focused on making the new selfie camera better at separating subjects from their background more clearly.

My colleague Lisa Eadicicco found in tests for her S23 Ultra review that photos taken on the new front-facing camera are equivalent to last year’s device. However, she observed that selfie photos from the Galaxy S23 Ultra occasionally looked unnatural, exaggerating hair color, compared with photos taken with the selfie cameras on the Pixel 7 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro. She also said that the S23 Ultra’s selfie camera takes better night portraits over last year’s S22 Ultra.

The new camera also supports Super HDR, which enhances color, contrast and brightness for video recorded at 4K 60fps.

Speaking of video, all of the rear cameras across the S23 lineup can record video at 8K 30fps, up from 8K 24fps on last year’s Galaxy S22 lineup. In terms of frame rates, 30fps is widely supported in apps like YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. The 8K 30fps setting isn’t really aimed at everyday use. But 8K might come in handy if you intend on playing your videos on a larger screen that is compatible with 8K or if you’re recording footage for a film as Samsung frequently suggested during its announcement. It’s also worth noting that 8K videos typically take up more space than ones recorded in 4K or HD.

Samsung also increased the field of view on the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s camera when recording in 8K, which is great considering the crop was very severe on previous Galaxy S phones that support 8K. The S21 and S22 series made footage recorded in 8K on the main wide-angle camera look like it was taken on a telephoto lens.

Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus’ three rear cameras

The triple rear-facing cameras on the Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus are pretty much the same as their predecessors, hardware-wise, but Samsung says it’s made behind-the-scenes improvements to elements like dynamic range and glare reduction. We haven’t tested the Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus yet, but these changes were certainly noticeable on the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Otherwise, Samsung removed the camera bump, giving the S23 and S23 Plus’ cameras a similar look as those found on the S23 Ultra.

So, what does each camera do?

Let’s start off with the main camera, which has a wide-angle lens and is positioned in the middle of the other two cameras. This will be your daily driver. The main camera gives you the option to shoot in 50-megapixels, however, full resolution images need to be taken under ideal lighting conditions to capture the best quality. You may have 50 million pixels to work with, but unlike new mirrorless cameras or DSLRs of yesteryear, phone sensors and their pixels are incredibly small, and don’t absorb as much light. This leads to more image noise and the need to use more noise reduction processing, which can make details look soft and your photo look bad.

Instead, Samsung’s camera app defaults to 12-megapixel photos, which combines groups of individual pixels to act as a single larger pixel. The process is called pixel binning and results in less image noise and higher-quality photos under medium- and low-light conditions (think inside a dark restaurant).

Learn more: What exactly is pixel-binning?

Next, you’ve got the 12-megapixel ultra wide camera at the top of the camera array, identical to the one on its predecessor. If you want to capture more of your surroundings, pinch in on your screen to switch to this camera and its 120-degree field of view. The ultra wide is ideal for capturing landscapes and its exaggerated look makes for dramatic looking videos. It’s a fun camera to use when you shoot in slow-mo.

Finally, you have the 10-megapixel telephoto camera, at the bottom of the array, with its 3x optical zoom lens. Telephoto cameras can better capture far-away objects, subjects and backgrounds. Zooming in can help remove distracting elements from your frame. It’s also the camera you’ll use for portrait mode shots.

And of course, you can use Single Shot mode to take photos from all three rear cameras simultaneously.

Galaxy S23 Ultra’s four rear cameras, include a 200-megapixel main camera

Samsung saved its biggest camera upgrades for its premium flagship Galaxy S23 Ultra. Unlike the other two S23 series phones, the Ultra features a quadruple rear camera system, annotated in the image below.

The S23 Ultra’s pièce de résistance is a new main camera that has a massive 200-megapixel sensor — nearly double the resolution offered by the Galaxy S22 Ultra. As mentioned in the previous section, you probably won’t need to shoot at the highest resolution, unless you plan on making large prints of photos. Like the S23 and S23 Plus, the Ultra’s main camera takes 12-megapixel photos by default using pixel binning. In the case of the Ultra, it just has more pixels that it can group together which results in better looking images that are brighter and have less image noise, even under low light.

The new sensor also has Super Quad Pixel, an improved autofocus system that uses 2×2 pixel groups to help the camera’s focus lock onto details like horizons or tree trunks even when it’s dim. The S23 Ultra also supports the Expert Raw app, which allows you to capture photos using Samsung’s computational algorithms and save your snap as a raw file to retains more image data and greater dynamic range. Raw files are typically larger than JPEG files but are more ideal for photo editing since they contain more image information and settings. Samsung’s Expert Raw app supports all of the S23 Ultra’s cameras, and when you install the app, its controls are added to the native camera app.

Along with the main camera, there’s also a 12-megapixel ultra wide camera, with a 120-degree field of view, and two telephoto cameras, instead of the one found on the S23 and S23 Plus. The first telephoto lens has a 3x optical zoom, while the second one has a 10x optical zoom. The second telephoto camera also has a 100x digital zoom, but the more you zoom in, the more noisy images look. If the 10x telephoto is anything like previous Galaxy Ultra phones, its digital zoom should take decent photos up to 25x to 30x magnification, which is well beyond what the Pixel 7 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro can manage.

Want to learn more about the Galaxy S23? Check out our review of the Galaxy S23 Ultra, how you can preorder the Galaxy S23 right now and why Samsung’s future premium phones may be more difficult to afford.

Technologies

iOS 17 Cheat Sheet: Your Questions on the iPhone Update Answered

Here’s what you need to know about new features and upcoming updates for your iPhone.

Apple’s iOS 17 was released in September, shortly after the company held its Wonderlust event, where the tech giant announced the new iPhone 15 lineup, the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2. We put together this cheat sheet to help you learn about and use the new features in iOS 17. It’ll also help you keep track of the subsequent iOS 17 updates.

iOS 17 updates

Using iOS 17

Getting started with iOS 17

Make sure to check back periodically for more iOS 17 tips and how to use new features as Apple releases more updates.

17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About

+15 More

See all photos

Technologies

Get Ready for a Striking Aurora That Could Also Disrupt Radio Communications

Don’t expect the storm to cause a lingering problem, though.

A geomagnetic storm is threatening radio communications Monday night, but that doesn’t mean you should be concerned. In fact, it may be an opportunity to see a colorful aurora in the night sky.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has issued a geomagnetic storm watch after witnessing a coronal mass ejection from the sun on Saturday. The watch, which was issued over the weekend and will expire after Monday, said the onset of the storm passing over Earth on Sunday night represented a «moderate» threat to communications. As the storm continues to pass through, it could deliver a «strong» threat on Monday night that could cause radio communications to be temporarily disrupted during the worst of it.

Even so, NOAA said, «the general public should not be concerned.»

A coronal mass ejection occurs when magnetic field and plasma mass are violently expelled from the sun’s corona, or the outermost portion of the sun’s atmosphere. In the vast majority of cases, the ejection occurs with no real threat to Earth. However, in the event the ejection happens in the planet’s direction, a geomagnetic storm occurs, and the Earth’s magnetic field is temporarily affected.

In most cases, geomagnetic storms cause little to no disruption on Earth, with radio communications and satellites affected most often. In extreme cases, a geomagnetic storm can cause significant and potentially life-threatening power outages — a prospect that, luckily, the planet hasn’t faced.

Switching poles

Every 11 years, the sun’s magnetic poles switch, with the north pole and south pole swapping positions. During those cycles, the sun’s activity ramps up as it gets closer to pole-switching time. The height of its activity is called solar maximum, and scientists believe we either may be entering the solar maximum or may be already in it.

During periods of heightened solar activity, sunspots increase on the sun and there’s an increase in coronal mass ejections, among other phenomena. According to NOAA, solar maximum could extend into October of this year before the sun’s activity calms and it works towards its less-active phase, solar minimum.

Even when geomagnetic storms hit Earth and disrupt communications, the effects are usually short-lived. Those most affected, including power grid operators and pilots and air traffic controllers communicating over long distances, have fail-safe technologies and backup communications to ensure operational continuity.

But geomagnetic storms aren’t only about radios. In most cases, they also present unique opportunities to see auroras in the night sky. When the storms hit, the plasma they carry creates a jaw-dropping aurora, illuminating the night sky with brilliant colors. Those auroras can be especially pronounced during the most intense phases of the storm, making for nice stargazing.

If you’re interested in seeing the aurora, you’ll need to be ready. The NOAA said the «brunt of the storm has passed» and even if it lingers into Tuesday, there won’t be much to see after Monday night.

Technologies

Last Total Solar Eclipse for 20 Years Is Coming: How to See and Photograph It

It’s your last chance until 2044.

Get your eclipse glasses ready, Skygazers: the Great American Eclipse is on its way. On April 8, there’ll be a total eclipse over North America, the last one until 2044.

A total solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, blocking the sun and turning an otherwise sunny day to darkness for a short period of time. Depending on the angle at which you’re viewing the eclipse, you may see the sun completely shrouded by the moon (called totality) or some variation of it. The more off-angle you are and the further you are from the path of the eclipse, the less likely you’ll be to see the totality.

The 2024 total solar eclipse will happen on Monday, April 8. The Great American Eclipse will reach the Mexican Pacific coast at 11:07 a.m. PT (2:07 p.m. ET), and then traverse the US in a northeasterly direction from Texas to Maine, and on into easternmost Canada. If you want a good look at it, but don’t live in the path of totality, you shouldn’t wait much longer to book accommodation and travel to a spot on the path.

Or how about booking a seat in the sky? Delta Airlines made headlines for offering a flight that allows you to see the entire path of totality. Its first eclipse flight, from Austin, Texas, to Detroit sold out quickly. But as of Monday, Delta has added a second flight from Dallas to Detroit, which also covers the path of totality. The airline also has five flights that will offer prime eclipse viewing.

Not everyone can get on one of those elusive eclipse-viewing flights. Here’s a look at other options to nab a chance to see this rare sight and what to know about it.

Total solar eclipse path

The eclipse will cross over the Pacific coast of Mexico and head northeast over mainland Mexico. The eclipse will then make its way over San Antonio at approximately 2:30 p.m. ET on April 8 and move through Texas, over the southeastern part of Oklahoma and northern Arkansas by 2:50 p.m. ET.

By 3 p.m. ET, the eclipse will be over southern Illinois, and just 5 minutes later, will be traveling over Indianapolis. Folks in northwestern Ohio will be treated to the eclipse by 3:15 p.m. ET, and it will then travel over Lake Erie and Buffalo, New York, by 3:20 p.m. ET. Over the next 10 minutes, the eclipse will be seen over northern New York state, then over Vermont. By 3:35 p.m. ET, the eclipse will work its way into Canada and off the Eastern coast of North America.

Best places to watch the Great American Eclipse

When evaluating the best places to watch this year’s total eclipse, you’ll first want to determine where you’ll have the best angle to see the totality. The farther off-angle you are — in other words, the farther north or south of the eclipse’s path — the less of an impact you can expect.

Therefore, if you want to have the best chance of experiencing the eclipse, you’ll want to be in its path. As of this writing, most of the cities in the eclipse’s path have some hotel availability, but recent reports have suggested that rooms are booking up. And as more rooms are booked, prices are going up.

So if you want to be in the eclipse’s path, and need a hotel to do it, move fast. And Delta’s eclipse-viewing flight from Dallas to Detroit has just four seats left at the time of publication.

Eclipse eye safety and photography

As with any solar eclipse, it’s critical you keep eye safety in mind.

During the eclipse, and especially during the periods before and after totality, don’t look directly at the sun without special eye protection. Also, be sure not to look at the sun through a camera (including the camera on your phone), binoculars, a telescope or any other viewing device. This could cause serious eye injury. Sunglasses aren’t enough to protect your eyes from damage.

If you want to view the eclipse, you’ll instead need solar viewing glasses that comply with the ISO 12312-2 safety standard. Anything that doesn’t meet that standard or greater won’t be dark enough to protect your eyes. Want to get them for free? If you’ve got a Warby Parker eyeglasses store nearby, the company is giving away free, ISO-certified solar eclipse glasses at all of its stores from April 1 until the eclipse, while supplies last.

If you don’t have eclipse viewing glasses handy, you can instead use indirect methods for viewing the eclipse, like a pinhole projector.

Read more: A Photographer’s Adventure With the Eclipse

In the event you want to take pictures of the eclipse, attach a certified solar filter to your camera. Doing so will protect your eyes and allow you to take photos while you view the eclipse through your lens.

There’s also a new app to help you both protect your eyes and take better photos of the eclipse on your phone. Solar Snap, designed by a former Hubble Space Telescope astronomer, comes with a Solar Snap camera filter that attaches to the back of an iPhone or Android phone, along with solar eclipse glasses for protecting your eyesight during the event. After you attach the filter to your phone, you can use the free Solar Snap Eclipse app to zoom in on the eclipse, adjust exposure and other camera settings, and ultimately take better shots of the eclipse.

2024 eclipse compared to 2017

The last total solar eclipse occurred in 2017, and many Americans had a great view. Although there are plenty of similarities between the 2017 total solar eclipse and the one coming April 8, there are a handful of differences. Mainly, the 2024 eclipse is going to cover more land and last longer.

The 2017 eclipse started over the northwest US and moved southeast. Additionally, that eclipse’s path was up to 71 miles wide, compared with a maximum width of 122 miles for this year’s eclipse. Perhaps most importantly, the moon completely covered the sun for just 2 minutes, 40 seconds in 2017. This year, maximum totality will last for nearly four-and-a-half minutes.