Technologies
Samsung Unpacked Recap: Everything Announced, From Galaxy S23 to Galaxy Book 3 Ultra
Here’s everything you might’ve missed from Samsung’s February Unpacked event.
This story is part of Samsung Event, CNET’s collection of news, tips and advice around Samsung’s most popular products.
Samsung’s semiannual Unpacked event was held in San Francisco on Wednesday, and a collection of new phones and laptops made their debut. Samsung launched the refresh of its flagship Galaxy S line of phones — the Galaxy S23, S23 Plus and S23 Ultra. The company also unveiled its upgraded Galaxy Book Pro laptops, the Book 3 Pro and Book 3 Pro 360, along with a new high-end sibling for the family, the Book 3 Ultra.
Along with the new products, Samsung, Google and Qualcomm announced a partnership to develop a mixed-reality platform. It was heavy on words but light on details, however.
You can also check out our archived live blog from the event if you feel more like reading a play-by-play.
Galaxy phones
All the new phones have been upgraded to the latest generation Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip «for Galaxy» — a custom version of the processor that the companies have theoretically optimized for faster performance, better graphics with ray tracing and faster AI processing.
The chip enables more enhancements to the phones’ computational photography capabilities, such as improved low-light performance and more intelligent processing for selfies. That front camera has been normalized across the product line as well, a resolution increase from the S22 and S22 Plus’ 10 megapixels but a drop from the S22 Ultra’s 40 megapixels. Improved speed also allows for 120 frames-per-second recording of 1080p for slow motion, up from 60fps, which should produce better results.
Samsung has also introduced syncing between Adobe Photoshop Lightroom and Samsung PCs with this generation.
Galaxy S23 Ultra
Since the design remains relatively unchanged, the biggest (literally) update to the top-of-the-line S23 Ultra is the new 200-megapixel camera using the Isocell HP2 sensor — roughly double the resolution of its predecessor, the Galaxy S22 Ultra. It can also pixel-bin in four- or 16-pixel blocks for smaller images with better tonal quality or other, lower resolutions for easier-to-handle file sizes.
The new sensor is also responsible for improvements. Most notably, it has larger wells in the pixels to be able to absorb more light, which can make photos and video better across the board.
Other camera improvements include better optical image stabilization, and video gains wider-angle shooting and 8K at 30fps (up from 24fps). Samsung’s own camera software integrates better with the native camera app as well.
New colors abound: Now it’s available in black, cream, green and lavender. Samsung also says it has increased the use of ocean-bound plastics and preconsumer waste, too.
Pricing for the phone begins at $1,200 ( 1,249, AU$1,949). It’s shipping Feb. 17; preorders have already begun.
Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus
The outsides of the base model and larger step-up model are largely unchanged.
Both phones get a 200-mAh boost for the battery, upping to 3,900 mAh for the S23 and 4,700 mAh for the S23 Plus. The Plus has a higher entry storage capacity, now 256GB.
The Galaxy S23 starts at $800 ( 849, AU$1,349), while the S23 Plus begins at $1,000 ( 1,049, AU$1,649). You can preorder them now, and they’re slated to ship on Feb. 17.
Galaxy Book 3 Ultra
Without discrete graphics or a high-end processor, Samsung’s Pro models of its laptops didn’t really feel «pro.» So now there’s the new Galaxy Book 3 Ultra, with either an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 or 4070 GPU and up to a 13th-gen Core i9 CPU to at least add the option to Samsung’s offerings.
Other features include a 16:10, 2,880×1,800-pixel OLED display that supports 120Hz refresh rate; a 1080p webcam; a quad-speaker audio system; and more ports than the Galaxy Book 2 Pro, with a USB-A port and HDMI 2.0 output joining its two Thunderbolt USB-C ports, microSD card slot and headphone jack. It’s a bit on the heftier side for its family at 16.5 mm thick and 4 pounds (1.8kg).
The Core i7 and RTX 4050 configuration starts at $2,400; the Core i9/RTX 4070 model is going for $3,000. UK and Australian prices weren’t immediately available.
Galaxy Book 3 Pro and Pro 360
The 16-inch, 16:10 screens and upgraded camera, audio and port configurations also come to the clamshell and two-in-one down-line models. The Galaxy Book 3 Pro is 4mm thinner and about 8 ounces lighter than the Ultra. It also comes in a 14-inch model that weighs 2.6 pounds (1.2 kilograms).
The 16-inch Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 two-in-one comes with one of Samsung’s excellent S Pens, and it’s also the only model to come with optional 5G wireless.
The Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra and Pro and Pro 360 laptops are available to preorder now through Samsung’s site and the Pro models are expected to start shipping on Feb. 17.
Technologies
Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge Is Down to Just $730 Today and It’s a Low-Profile Powerhouse
The Galaxy S25 Edge is down from $1,220 — a 40% savings on Samsung’s sleekest, slimmest phone yet.
Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge is built for people who want it all — a powerful camera, a sleek design and AI features that actually make life easier. From finding your favorite photo with a voice command to capturing stunning night video, this phone blends performance and personality in a titanium frame that’s as tough as it is beautiful.
Amazon has dropped the price of the Galaxy S25 Edge to just $730 — a 40% discount off its $1,220 list price. This is an excellent deal, but it could end at any time, so we suggest making your order sooner rather than later.
The Galaxy S25 Edge is fast. It has a 6.7-inch QHD Plus ProScaler display with a refresh rate of up to 120Hz, powered by a Snapdragon processor and paired with 12GB of RAM. It has 512GB of storage, which gives you plenty of room for high-res photos and 4K video, especially with its 200-megapixel rear camera and AI-enhanced selfie system.
Samsung’s Night Video mode helps you capture crisp footage in low light, while AI tools clean up background noise and even help you find specific photos by description. The virtual assistant can handle multistep tasks like searching for a restaurant and texting a friend — all in one ask.
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The titanium body is ultra-slim yet durable, with Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 for added toughness. And with Android 15 and One UI 7, you’ll get the latest software features and customization options.
For more Android savings, check out our best Galaxy S25 deals and top phone discounts.
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This is one of the best prices we’ve seen on Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge, and it’s packed with premium features like a 200MP camera, AI-powered search and editing and a titanium build. If you’ve been waiting for a flagship phone that’s smart, stylish and seriously discounted, this is one of the most tempting Android deals this season.
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Technologies
Nothing’s Signature Transparent Design Is Coming to a New Budget Phone This Week
Do you love the design of Nothing’s phones, but dislike the price? The Nothing 3A Lite might be the perfect device for you.
British tech company Nothing is best known for its retro-inspired transparent technology design, but it’s never been the most affordable option on the market. That looks set to change this week, with the company set to unveil the Nothing 3A Lite on Wednesday.
Nothing says that this will be its first entry-level smartphone, and it will incorporate the transparent design elements seen across the company’s range of phones and headphones. We’ve been given our first glimpse of what looks like the back panel of the phone in a photo from Nothing, but we’ll have to wait until Wednesday at 1 p.m. GMT for the full reveal.
The addition of the 3A Lite to Nothing’s phone lineup follows on from the launch of the Nothing Phone 3 (the company’s «first, true flagship») this summer, and the mid-range 3A and 3A Pro back in the spring. For the first time, the company will offer smartphones that range from budget to high-end in price, meaning that there should be something for everyone.
The Nothing Phone 3A Lite is an «interesting prospect,» said CNET Editor at Large Andrew Lanxon, who reviewed the all three of the existing phones in the 3 series. «Nothing’s phones are already budget-focused, with the existing Phone 3A coming with a low to midrange price tag,» he said. «I’ll be keen to see just how much cheaper Nothing can make its phones, while still offering a pleasant everyday user experience.
«Crucially, they should still offer long software support periods to increase the shelf life — and thereby reduce the overall carbon footprint,» he added. «Value should not come at the expense of longevity»
Nothing currently offers six years of Android support with the Nothing Phone 3, which falls short of the seven years Google offers with its latest Pixel phones. The company alsorecently killed off its flashy Glyph interface — I personally think the replacement is better — and has increasingly been emphasizing its original use of AI as a selling point for its phones.
Technologies
Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Oct. 27, #603
Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Oct. 27, No. 603.
Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.
Today’s NYT Strands puzzle is fun, but some of the answers are long and quite tough to unscramble.. So if you need hints and answers, read on.
I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.
If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.
Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far
Hint for today’s Strands puzzle
Today’s Strands theme is: Witch way?
If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: What Harry Potter finds out he is.
Clue words to unlock in-game hints
Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:
- CARD, DINT, RANT, MULE, MALE, HARM, MALT, TALE, TINT, CANT, ROAD
Answers for today’s Strands puzzle
These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:
- WAND, CHARM, AMULET, POTION, INCANTATION, CAULDRON.
Today’s Strands spangram
Today’s Strands spangram is WIZARDRY. To find it, look for the W that’s three letters to the right on the top row, and wind down.
Quick tips for Strands
#1: To get more clue words, see if you can tweak the words you’ve already found, by adding an «S» or other variants. And if you find a word like WILL, see if other letters are close enough to help you make SILL, or BILL.
#2: Once you get one theme word, look at the puzzle to see if you can spot other related words.
#3: If you’ve been given the letters for a theme word, but can’t figure it out, guess three more clue words, and the puzzle will light up each letter in order, revealing the word.
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