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Samsung Galaxy S23 release date: When did it launch?
The launch of the Samsung Galaxy S23 series was hotly anticipated for months, and it finally became official at a Galaxy Unpacked at the start of February 2023. Almost one year on, with the release of the Samsung Galaxy S24 now looming large, we’re looking back to its predecessor’s launch. When was the actual Galaxy S23 release date, and when did it hit the shelves?
THE SHORT ANSWER
Samsung officially announced the Samsung Galaxy S23 release date on February 1, and pre-orders started the same day. It was then available to buy online and in-store starting February 17.
KEY SECTIONS
When was the Samsung Galaxy S23 release date?
The Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event was held on Wednesday, February 1, 2023, at 1:00 PM ET. The Galaxy S23 was announced as expected and was made available for pre-order immediately.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 power
Bigger battery
Beautiful display
S Pen functionality
Was the Galaxy S23 available to buy right at launch?
You couldn’t go and physically get an upgrade to the Galaxy S23 on the day of launch.
In recent years, Samsung has launched the latest flagship phones at Galaxy Unpacked events and made them available for pre-order on the same day. It was the same with the Galaxy S23 range, with the pre-order period running until February 17, 2023. Pre-ordered phones were shipped around that date, and you could also head to the store to buy the handsets off the shelf on the same day.
See our Galaxy S23 reviews: Galaxy S23 review | Galaxy S23 plus review | Galaxy S23 Ultra review
What other products did Samsung announce at the S23 launch event?
In addition to the Galaxy S23 series, Samsung also announced its new Galaxy Book 3 range.
The lineup includes the 14-inch Galaxy Book 3, 16-inch Galaxy Book 3 Pro, 14-inch Galaxy Book 3 360, and the 16-inch Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360. There’s also a new Ultra model, which offers even more premium specs and features.
Was the Galaxy S23 series made available globally?
The smartphones are now available globally, and the Galaxy S23 release date in many regions such as the USA, Canada, Australia, the UK, and mainland Europe was the same. It hit the shelves a few days later in India on February 23.
There was more of a consistency across the world this time around, with no Exynos variant that we saw regionally on the Galaxy S22 range. Samsung and Qualcomm announced a deal that saw Galaxy S23 phones powered by Snapdragon chips globally.
Top Samsung Galaxy S23 questions and answers
Samsung hosted the Galaxy Unpacked event at the Masonic Auditorium in San Francisco on Feb 1, 2023.
Three Galaxy S23 phones were launched at the Unpacked event: the regular Galaxy S23, the Galaxy S23 Plus, and the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
The Galaxy S23 series starts from $800 for the base S23 to $1,200 for the S23 Ultra in the US.
The Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus have slightly larger batteries than their respective predecessors. Combined with other upgrades to the Galaxy S23 specs, we’ll likely see improved battery life across all three models.