Samsung’s stage is set for Galaxy Unpacked 2023: will it be a no-show?

It’s a strange time for an in-person tech event. On the other hand, companies have been a bit more insistent on hosting after years of lockdown livestreams, with Samsung being the latest one after OnePlus, Apple and Google took turns last year. But on the other hand, his mobile devices, which take center stage in this new era of live events, are kind of boring and have often been overwhelmed by wearable devices. The Apple Watch Ultra was arguably the biggest announcement announced at the company’s fall event in Cupertino, and the Pixel Watch came after Google’s event to unveil his Pixel 7 series (unsurprisingly ) was something everyone wanted to talk about.

In a mature product category like smartphones, this is no surprise. Year-to-year changes are not the technological leaps and bounds that they used to be. Flip phones may be on the verge of taking off, but slab-style phones like the S23 series, which will be in the limelight on Wednesday, are reaching cruising altitude.

At least, that’s what many of the leaks and rumors have suggested.The S23 Ultra looks to get a 200-megapixel camera sensor and a very slight shape change, while the S23 and S23 Plus will receive the new Snapdragon 8 Gen. It only seems to offer 2 processors and nothing more.

The “phones are boring” problem is not one that Samsung or any other smartphone maker has to solve. It’s just the new reality. Washing machines are boring too, but they are still relevant to many people’s lives and important businesses for the companies that make washing machines (including Samsung!).

It’s not that mobile technology hasn’t advanced. It’s just that the current development is not well reflected on the stage. Take Samsung’s new 200 million pixel image sensor, for example, because individual pixels are relatively small, they have less capacity to store electrons than larger pixels, which can lead to overexposure and photo blooming issues. there is.samsung You seem to have designed a way to compensate This low “full well capacitance” is achieved using dual vertical transfer gate technology. That’s pretty cool, but you won’t hear the words “full well capacity” or “dual vertical transfer gates” on stage this week.

So what intention are we listening? Samsung hinted that his Ultra model would be at the forefront of the Unpacked announcement, which makes a lot of sense. The S22 Ultra has one of the best mobile camera systems we’ve tested to date, and if Samsung can carry that momentum into the next generation, it’s worth celebrating.

Perhaps these fancy in-person events aren’t going to convince everyone they need to upgrade their phones just now Along with this latest model, the peace of mind that you’ve bought the right ecosystem is a reminder that you’re rooting for the right team, like a pep talk.Sure, you haven’t bought a new phone this year, but if you do, you’ll get The best phone ever made. And you wouldn’t know it, there’s also a great watch and earbuds to go with it.

Anyway, this year’s event makes a little more sense when you think of it as a victory lap for the S22 Ultra (which never had an in-person launch) or the whole Slab-style phone. , an integrated S Pen, and a little more affordability, that would make the Ultra obsolete. let in? But don’t worry. It’s not curtain call time yet.