News
Galaxy S23 saved Samsung in Q1, eyes on Z Flip/Fold 5 for H2 2023
Despite Samsung reported sluggish Q1 performance, the MX (mobile experience) division announced improved performance thanks to strong sales of the Galaxy S23 series in 2023. It seems that the overall deficit was avoided as the MX division filled up the deficit in the semiconductor division.
According to Samsung Q1 2023 Results, the MX and network divisions recorded 31.82 trillion won in sales and 3.94 trillion won in operating profit in the first quarter, thanks to Galaxy S23. Sales decreased by 1.7% compared to the same period last year, but operating profit increased by 3.1%.
The poor sales performance is believed to be attributable to a decrease in sales in the network division, mainly in major overseas markets such as North America and Southwest Asia, but the increase in operating profit is evaluated as an effect of improved performance in the MX division.
Rocking S23 sales saved Samsung MX
In the market, it is estimated that the sales profit of the MX division has exceeded 3 trillion won due to the sales of the Galaxy S23 series. The S23 series, which was released in February 2023, has already surpassed 1 million sales in South Korea, and it is said that 11 million units have been sold globally.
In addition, it sold 1.7 times more than its predecessor in major Latin American countries such as Brazil, 1.5 times more than the Galaxy S22 series in Europe, and 1.5 times and 1.4 times more sales in the Middle East and India, respectively.
The Galaxy S23 series is estimated to have sold about 11 million units in the first quarter, which is an increase of about 50% compared to the previous S22 series. As a result, Average Selling Price is estimated to have improved by more than 25% compared to the previous quarter.
Prep for H2
Regarding the MX division, Samsung said, “Operating profit has improved significantly for flagships, A series, and tablets due to streamlining process operation.” Furthermore, in the second half of this year, Samsung plans to expand its market share by unveiling new foldable phones – Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5.
For the second quarter, the company said, “We plan to expand sales centering on the flagship and Galaxy A series through regional model operation efficiency, up-selling (top-tier model sales) strategies, and various consumer sales programs.”
Google launches a new major iteration of its mobile platform every year. 2022 was an impressive year, when it comes to Android 13 update distribution for Samsung devices. In October 2023, Google is likely to release Android 14, which will debut on the Samsung Galaxy lineup with the One UI 6 update.
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One UI 6 Beta Release
Samsung One UI 6 Beta Program started in August, while Android 14 reached Platform Stability with the third Beta release in early June. The company could probably reveal its Android 14 rollout plan regarding the Beta in the next few days as it recently published the announcement post.
Android 13-based One UI 5 Beta Program started for the Galaxy S22 series on August 5. This year, the Galaxy S23 series is the initial lineup that is invited for Android 14’s Beta by Samsung. These devices will receive the Android 14-based One UI 6 Beta update:
One UI 6 Beta Eligible Devices
- Galaxy Z Series
- Z Fold 5 & Z Flip 5
- Z Fold 4 & Z Flip 4
- Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3
- Galaxy S Series
- S23, S23 Plus & S23 Ultra – Beta 3
- S22, S22 Plus & S22 Ultra
- S21, S21 Plus & S21 Ultra
- Galaxy A Series
- A54 – Korea
- A53
One UI 6 Beta Eligible Countries
The Beta Program of One UI 6 update is available in these seven markets:
- China
- Germany
- India
- Poland
- South Korea
- United Kingdom
- United States
One UI 6 Beta Latest News [Updated on September 28]
September 28:
- One UI 6 Beta 5 for the Galaxy S23 series arrives: Fixes touch, camera, rebooting, and more issues
September 27:
- Samsung has finally opened the One UI 6 Beta program based on Android 14 for the Galaxy A53 in India.
September 25:
- Users of the Galaxy S22 series in India can now enjoy One UI 6 features and enhancements ahead of stable release as Samsung has officially begun the Beta Program.
September 22:
- Samsung today begins the rollout of One UI 6 Beta 4 to the Galaxy S23 series. October 2023 security patch included in the Beta 4 alongside critical bug fixes.
September 20:
- Samsung has opened the Android 14-based One UI 6 Beta Program for Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21 Plus, and Galaxy S21 Ultra.
September 19:
- Samsung has started rolling out an incremental software update to the Galaxy S23 series. Considered the One UI 6 Beta 3 Hotfix.
- Samsung has finally started the One UI 6 Beta Program for Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22 Plus, and Galaxy S22 Ultra
September 14:
- Samsung has just rolled out the One UI 6 Beta 3 update based on Android 14, which introduces significant enhancements, new features, and bug fixes.
September 8:
- Samsung begins Android 14-based One UI 6 Beta Program for the Galaxy A54 5G in South Korea.
September 7:
- The third One UI 6 Beta update was reportedly released to some Galaxy S23 smartphone users in Europe.
Aug 31 – Sep 4
- Galaxy S23’s Beta 2 is available in all seven eligible markets, came as first Beta in China, India, Poland and the UK.
August 19:
- After the One UI 6 Beta 1 update, Samsung is rolling out the hotfix update for Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23, and Galaxy S23 Plus smartphones in Korea.
August 10:
- Samsung has finally started the Android 14-based One UI 6 Beta Program for the Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23 Plus and Galaxy S23 Ultra in South Korea, Germany and the US.
August 8:
- Samsung revealed the One UI 6 Beta design changes and availability for the Galaxy S23 series. However, the official announcement post has been taken down minutes after publishing.
August 3:
- Samsung representative revealed that the rollout of One UI 6 Bet has been postponed due to bugs.
July 25:
- Samsung teased One UI 6 Beta for the Galaxy S23 series by launching a discussion forum in Korean and Indian communities.
July 11:
- Google today announced the rollout of the Android 14 Beta 4, which is considered near-stable. Pixel phones could receive Stable Android 14 next month, while Samsung’s One UI 6 Beta comes quite near.
July 1:
- The One UI 6 Beta based on Android 14 is too close to the Galaxy S23 series as the first Public Beta firmware ZWFA has been spotted on the server for the Ultra variant.
June 18:
- As Android 14 reached Platform Stability, Samsung will soon begin the One UI 6 Beta testing program. It is reported that the Galaxy S23 series will get the new OS on Beta channel in the third week of July.
June 4:
- Last week, tipster Dohyun Kim, Samsung could release the One UI 6 Beta for the Galaxy S23 series in mid-July this year.
Due to sluggish chip and energy sectors amid a global economic slowdown, South Korea’s major companies performed far worse than their US counterparts in the first half of 2023.
According to FKI report, South Korea’s top 100 nonfinancial firms listed on the main local bourse saw their combined sales edge up 0.3 percent on-year to $746.3 billion in the January-June period.
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Samsung saw its sales, operating profit, and net profit dip 21.5%, 95.4% and 86.9% on-year, respectively. Comparable figures of its US counterpart, Apple, dropped 4.2%, 10% and 9.2%.
The FKI stressed the need for South Korean big businesses to establish stable profit sources as they remain more vulnerable to external shocks than big U.S. companies.
The combined operating profit of the Korean companies tumbled 63.4 percent on-year to $24.8 billion won in the six-month period, while that of the U.S. corporations shrank 3.9 percent to $638.5 billion.
News
Biased camera ranking puts iPhone 15 Pro Max 2nd and Galaxy S23 Ultra 15th: DXOMARK vs Practical Triumph
Camera evaluation firm DXOMARK has recently published its Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max review. In the global ranking, Apple’s hottest (LOL!) iPhone is listed second, after Huawei’s P60 Pro, while the real winner – Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra is 15th.
The new iPhone 15 Pro Max comes with a 40-megapixel primary, a 12-megapixel ultrawide, and a 12-megapixel telephoto camera. Besides, the A17 Pro chipset gives a further boost to the device, enhancing the camera capabilities and photography skills.
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DXOMARK blessed the iPhone 15 Pro Max with 154 points and praised vivid brightness and contrast, accurate exposure, pleasant and natural color rendering, and skin tones, excellent detail in bright light, fast and accurate autofocus, and effective video stabilization.
iPhone 15 Pro Max Camera Specs
Primary
- 48MP sensor, 2.44µm quad pixels, 24mm equivalent f/1.78-aperture lens, Dual Pixel AF, OIS
Ultra-wide
- 12MP sensor, 13mm equivalent f/2.2-aperture lens, Dual Pixel AF
Telephoto
- 12MP sensor, 1.12µm pixels, 120 mm equivalent f/2.8-aperture lens, Dual Pixel AF
At the same time, reviewers listed some cons of the latest Apple phone such as noise in low-light photos, unwanted artifacts, including flare, ghosting, and aliasing, slightly limited dynamic range in photos, and inconsistent detail across all zoom ranges.
Galaxy S23 Ultra secured 140 points, and no one cared about DXOMARK numbers. The device is equipped with 200-megapixel primary, 12-megapixel ultrawide and a dual 10-megapixel telephoto sensor setup. In practical, S23 Ultra is miles ahead of the iPhone in overall capabilities and use of technologies.
Galaxy S23 Ultra Camera Specs
Primary
- 200MP 1/1.3″ sensor, 0.6 μm pixels, f/1.7-aperture lens, PDAF, AF, OIS
Ultra-wide
- 12MP 1/2.55″ sensor, 1.4 μm pixels, f/2.2-aperture lens, PDAF, AF, OIS
Telephoto 1
- 10MP 1/3.52″ sensor, 1.12 μm pixels, f/2.4-aperture lens, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom
Telephoto 2
- 10MP 1/3.52″ sensor, 1.12 μm pixels, f/4.9-aperture lens, PDAF, OIS, 10x optical zoom