After months of rumors and leaks, on February 1 Samsung finally treated fans to what will likely prove to be one of the most significant phone launches of the year, unveiling the Samsung Galaxy S23 series at Samsung Unpacked 2023.
TechRadar was able to get an early look at all three devices up close. Check out our hands-on Samsung Galaxy S23 review, Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus review and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra review.
For those curious what to expect when you get your hands on your own Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, or for those who aren't planning on picking one up, but still want to know what the experience of unboxing one of the most powerful smartphones in the world right now may be like (or for those who just really like the movie Se7en), scroll on.
Leaving the launch venue with our S23 Ultra review sample, we were thankful for the unmarked black bag; getting accosted while in poss an unreleased four-figure smartphone wouldn't have been ideal. Expect Samsung to offer a little more fanfare with regards to packaging when you pick one up as a normal customer.
Lifting the lid, it's clear that Samsung is trying to drive consistency across its unboxing experiences, with the same satin-black finish that we've seen for a few generations now, accented by glossy embossed text. The use of a graphic of the Ultra on the top face is a new move, however, adding a little more interest in this instance and, assuming the color depicted is the color of the device inside, the designers deserve bonus points.
After lifting the Ultra by the screen protector out of its perfectly-molded resting place you, like us, might experience a moment of panic, as there's seemingly nothing else to unbox, where we were expecting (and this is backed up by Samsung's own product page listings) to find a few more extras.
As it turns out, you need to flip the box lid over to pull out an additional carton that holds those missing pieces. It's a design that Samsung's used for a while now, but it still gets us, every time.
You should find a familiar teardrop-shaped SIM eject tool, if you've owned a recent Galaxy phone, along with a black USB-C to USB-C cable and, as ever, a quick-start guide. Some regions may include additional regulatory paperwork, but don't expect any extras, like a power adapter, headphones (even if you pick up a French model) or replacement S Pen stylus tips.
With box contents well and truly plundered, it's onto the best part of any unboxing: peeling off the screen protector. The one fitted to the S23 Ultra is opaque and black, devoid of any information. Previously, these factory-fitted protectors have been used to highlight the placement of hardware controls and ports, but you can figure that out for yourself nowadays, right?
As with the paper packaging of the box itself, this 'window protection paper' as Samsung calls it, is also made from 100% post-consumer recycled paper. It even received a special mention during the Galaxy S23 launch, as part of the company's commitment to reducing the environmental impact of its smartphones.
And there you have it. There aren't any real surprises in unboxing the Galaxy S23 Ultra, and we suspect the same is true for the standard Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus.
The whole lineup is available to pre-order between February 1 and February 16, with the phone going on sale on February 17 in most markets. We've rounded up the best Samsung Galaxy S23 pre-order deals, for you to take a look it, which could see you getting double the internal storage at no extra cost and more.
Unless we make a terrible discovery as we review the Galaxy S23 Ultra, it already has the potential to top our list of the best Samsung phones, but it could well eclipse our best Android phones, best camera phones and best phones outright too – stay tuned to see if it does.
