News

Samsung Galaxy S23 Series: Focused refinement

‘Nightography,’ Gaming, Customization, and Sustainability

Published

February 2, 2023

Rodneil Quiteles

Refinement and polishing continues to be the theme for the Samsung Galaxy S Line. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Series has officially launched and consists of the Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23+ and Galaxy S23 Ultra.

If you’re looking for bombastic changes, you might not find that here. Instead, Samsung is doubling down on the things they’re already good at while improving in certain areas that they hope would make them more appealing to today’s young crowd. To do so, they’re highlighting four core pillars: “Nightography”, Gaming, Customization, and Sustainability.

Nightography

Samsung started using this whole “nightography” branding with the Galaxy S20 series and have since stuck with it. Essentially, this is their approach to producing clear, quality images even in dark shooting environments or situations.

It’s quite a treat to behold as the phones actually take a few seconds to process an image. At first, you’ll see the image as seen on the viewfinder. It shows a photo that looks like it was properly lit after the the software image processing kicks in.

On the Galaxy S23 Ultra, this is achieved, in part, thanks to the new 200MP Pixel Sensor — a first for Samsung. What it does is combine 16 pixels into one large pixel to make brighter shots in low light environments.

They’re applying the similar output effect to videos too. They’re calling the tech Adaptive VDIS which analyzes and subdivides movements and recognizes lighting conditions. Paired with the now 2x wider OIS (Optical Image Stabilization), Samsung is confident you can record at night and still come out with clear looking videos.

Mobile Gaming

No doubt, mobile gaming has picked up steam over the past few years. And more and more developers are creating mobile games that — at least looks-wise — can go toe-to-toe with those made for last generation consoles. Pair that with the wider exposure due to easier accessibility, it’s easy to see why so many people have turned to it and why Samsung is highlighting the phones’ gaming capabilities.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is powering this series. Yes, that’s across the board in all markets. It’s the the most advanced chip for smartphones right now.

However, gaming needs more than a powerful processor because a heating chip affects performance. To address that, Samsung took special care in improving the cooling system. Combined with the improved battery capacity for the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23+, this should ensure a smooth, immersive, and extended gaming experience.

Customization

Your Galaxy. That’s essentially the central idea behind Samsung’s whole customization approach. And they’re doing it on both hardware and software fronts.

For hardware, they have this whole BeSpoke thing going on. It’s essentially a bunch of cases, accessories, stickers, and whatnot that you can equip on your Galaxy device to make it truly yours. Other than global partners like CASETiFY, they also have country-specific partners to truly appeal locally.

Sustainability

Samsung has been pretty loud about their sustainability efforts especially during media presentations. With the Samsung Galaxy S23 series, they’ve taken things up a notch.

First, the packaging is made up of 100% recycled paper. Naturally, it doesn’t stop there. Recycled plastic was also used to craft the phones. The top speaker module, side key, and volume keys are made with recycled water barrels. Then, the back glass (deco film) and case front were made with recycled PET bottles. Meanwhile, recycled discarded fishing nets were used for the S Pen inner cover (for the Galaxy S23 Ultra) and bottom speaker module. Lastly, one of the layers for the front screen and the back cover were made using pre-consumer recycled glass.

For the Galaxy S23 Ultra, 12 internal and external components used recycled materials. That’s double the six from the Galaxy S22 Ultra.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Series Specs

Galaxy S23 Ultra

Display — 6.8-inch QHD+ Edge, Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz refresh rate, 240Hz touch sampling rate, Vision Booster, Enhanced Comfort
Processor — Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy
RAM and Storage — 12GB+1TB, 12GB+512GB, 12GB+256GB
Battery and Charging — 5,000mAh, Fast Wireless Charging 2.0, Wireless Powershare
OS — Android 13, ONE UI 5.1
Water Resistance — IP68
Cameras:
- 200MP f/1.7 Wide
- 12MP, f/2.2 Ultra-Wide
- 10MP, f/2.4 Telephoto, 3x optical zoom
- 10MP, f/4.9 Telephoto, 10x optical zoom
- 12MP, f/2.2 Front

Samsung Galaxy S23+

Display — 6.6-inch FHD+, Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz refresh rate, 240Hz touch sampling rate, Vision Booster, Enhanced Comfort
Processor — Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy
RAM and Storage — 8GB+512GB, 8GB+256GB
Battery and Charging — 4,700mAh, Fast Wireless Charging 2.0, Wireless Powershare
OS — Android 13, ONE UI 5.1
Water Resistance — IP68
Cameras:
- 50MP f/1.8 Wide
- 12MP, f/2.2 Ultra-Wide
- 10MP, f/2.4 Telephoto, 3x optical zoom
- 12MP, f/2.2 Front

Galaxy S23

Display — 6.6-inch FHD+, Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz refresh rate, 240Hz touch sampling rate, Vision Booster, Enhanced Comfort
Processor — Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy
RAM and Storage — 8GB+256GB, 8GB+128GB
Battery and Charging — 3,900mAh, Fast Wireless Charging 2.0, Wireless Powershare
OS — Android 13, ONE UI 5.1
Water Resistance — IP68
Cameras:
- 50MP f/1.8 Wide
- 12MP, f/2.2 Ultra-Wide
- 10MP, f/2.4 Telephoto, 3x optical zoom
- 12MP, f/2.2 Front

Gaming

Horizon Hunters Gathering is an upcoming co-op roguelite spinoff

If you liked Nightreign, you might like this.

Published

February 6, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Like Valve, the PlayStation’s tentpole franchises are allergic to the number 3. The Last of Us, the ongoing God of War arc, Spider-Man, and Horizon all don’t have a third game yet. These franchises, however, have all gotten rumors of spinoffs. Now, Horizon is getting more than just a rumor; an official co-op spinoff is happening. Say hello to Horizon Hunters Gathering!

Today, Guerilla unveiled Horizon Hunters Gathering, an official co-op roguelite set in the Horizon universe. The game will feature multiple players working to take down difficult enemies, bosses, and dungeons.

The title shares similarities with Elden Ring Nightreign. For one, players can choose between six characters with different roles. The main mode, called Machine Incursion, takes players to a wide map with powerups and roaming monsters. The map then has a shrinking ring that… well, you know what a shrinking ring does.

Horizon Hunters Gathering also has a different game mode called Cauldron Descent. Compared to the Nightreign type of gameplay, Cauldron Descent is a more traditional roguelite mode. Players enter a dangerous dungeon and choose alternate paths that vary in challenges.

Both game modes will be available through an upcoming closed playtest through the PlayStation Beta Program.

Because this is from Guerilla themselves, this is an official game. But it’s far from the only spinoff for the universe. Previously, NCSoft, a South Korean gaming studio, announced Horizon Steel Frontiers, an MMO set in the Horizon universe. Like Horizon Hunters Gathering, Steel Frontiers has an unknown launch date.

News

Report: HONOR tops global smartphone shipment growth in 2025

HONOR also improves overall market share

Published

February 6, 2026

GadgetMatch

HONOR topped last year’s global smartphone shipment growth, according to an Omdia report. The manufacturer achieved an 11% year-over-year growth, which ranked first among the world’s top 10 smartphone vendors.

Furthermore, as per data from IDC, in the first three quarters of 2025, HONOR also led all top brands in overseas shipment growth across these premium segments:

Smartphones priced above US$ 300 (premium and upper-mid-tier)
Tablets in the US$ 300 to US$ 600 price band (upper-mid)

Such growth enabled HONOR to improve their overall market share to 6% in 2025. They’ve already edged Lenovo (5%), HUAWEI (4%), and realme (3%) after a strong calendar year.

Unarguably contributing to their performance are the releases of the flagships HONOR Magic V5 and HONOR Magic7 Pro, as well as mid-rangers like the HONOR 400 series and a handful of HONOR X series devices.

Meanwhile, Transsion, which holds the Infinix, TECNO, and itel brands, have an 8% market share combined, which is the same as OPPO and vivo. Xiaomi is at 13%, while giant players Apple and Samsung both have a 19% market share each.

Building on their growth, HONOR is set to unveil groundbreaking products at MWC 2026 in Barcelona this March.

These include the HONOR Robot Phone and the brand’s latest flagship foldable, the HONOR Magic V6. The impending releases accelerate the momentum of HONOR’s Alpha Plan.

Gaming

Valve is delaying the launch of the Steam Machine

But it’s still scheduled for the first half of 2026.

Published

February 6, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Overshadowed only by the Nintendo Switch 2, the upcoming Steam Machine was one of the most exciting gaming devices announced last year. Unfortunately, especially if you were waiting intently for the console’s launch, Valve is delaying the device by an undisclosed amount of time.

Initially, Valve anticipated a launch for the Steam Machine sometime in the first half of 2026. However, as the calendar rolls on into the second month of the year, the company has yet to announce either a price or a launch date for the console. Valve says that both should be out by now.

In a recent update, the company confirms that ongoing chip shortages have forced a reevaluation of the Steam Machine’s price and shipping date. This also goes for the Steam Controller and the Steam Frame. Valve is going back to the drawing board to figure out what is feasible for the console market.

On the bright side, Valve is still aiming to launch all three devices in the first half of the year. It’s just a matter of determining when that is.

The Steam Machine is just the latest in a growing line of devices affected by the chip shortage. Today, chipmakers are funneling their supplies to the supposed demand for AI servers. Naturally, more infrastructure means less chips reserved for regular consumers.

Also recently, NVIDIA was rumored to skip this year for a new GPU launch because of the AI “boom”. It’s the first time that this has happened in thirty years.