While Samsung Unpacked unveiled the latest and greatest in Samsung foldables, not everyone is ready to embrace the flipping or folding future and the Galaxy S23 will deliver that comfortingly familiar slab phone form factor with a brand new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip and potentially a massive 200MP camera. Here’s a look at all everything we’ve gathered so far regarding the Galaxy S23.
Samsung Galaxy S23 release date
We still have no clear indication as to when the Galaxy S23 will arrive and unlike some flagship lines the S-Series launches have moved around a bit over the years. Last year, the Galaxy S22 launched in February, while the Galaxy S21 debuted in January, and prior to that the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S10 (Samsung skipped some numbers) both arrived in early March. All of this is to say that while we can safely assume that the Galaxy S23 will launch by early March of 2023, I wouldn’t bet my house on any particular week or month just yet.
Samsung Galaxy S23 price
We are also still somewhat in the dark on pricing, but here we can make some educated guesses based on the last few Samsung releases and the competition. The Galaxy S23 should hold the line at $799. Samsung’s experiment in raising the prices across the board for its S-series with the Galaxy S20 failed utterly and with Samsung seemingly abandoning its more affordable FE series that bridged the gap between the Galaxy A and Galaxy S lines the company is unlikely to raise the base S23 price as it would leave a hole in Samsung’s lineup. However, we could see a price hike for the Galaxy S23 Plus or the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Rumors of Apple moving to a more expensive iPhone 15 Ultra at $1,299 have been circulating lately, however Samsung may see that as an advantage if it can maintain the S23 Ultra price.
Samsung Galaxy S23 specs
Thanks to a huge leak, we have a full spec sheet of both the Samsung Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus. Here’s every number, dimension and color finish you need to know:
Samsung Galaxy S23 cameras
Details on the Galaxy S23 cameras are among the most compelling leaks we have so far. While there is some discrepancy on whether it will be the original Samsung Isocell HP1 sensor or the more recent HP2 or HP3, the leaks are all pointing to a 200-megapixel sensor in the flagship Galaxy S23 Ultra. As always the key to this is pixel binning, which will deliver more manageable 12.5MP, 25MP, or 50MP captures from that massive sensor which can then simulate much larger pixels than could plausibly fit in a phone sensor meaning better low-light performance and sharper photos. Samsung’s recent filing for TENAA certification covered by MyFixGuide supported that 200MP primary lens, while the other rear cameras remain at 12MP (ultrawide), and 10MP for both the 3x and 10x telephoto lenses. If accurate the front-facing camera will take a significant downgrade to 12MP from 40MP on the Galaxy S22 Ultra. While that’s a step back on pixels, it’s likely a smart cost-saving measure that may actually lead to preferable results. Galaxy S23 Ultra users may also get some video improvements with rumors of an improved stabilization mode to challenge the Action Mode that Apple introduced for aggressive stabilization when filming active content. After the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus got a substantial upgrade to their primary wide-angle sensor, it’s possible we see Samsung stick to it for 2023 as there have been no rumored changes yet. Samsung rumor site GalaxyClub says the same for the 10MP telephoto sensor from the S22 and S22+ is definitely coming back and they believe it will have the same 3x optical zoom. In more exciting news for S23 and S23+ buyers, once again citing GalaxyClub, both may get an upgraded 12MP front-facing camera, again this would make sense from a supply standpoint if that brings them in line with the Galaxy S22 Ultra.
Samsung Galaxy S23 design
First renders of the Galaxy S23’s design came from a collaboration between tipster OnLeaks and Smartpix. Following this, official images were leaked via WinFuture, which shows a phone that (in my opinion) looks a little bit like the iPhone 6 with a curved metallic rim. Alongside this, a follow up leak gave us a proper look at the phone through Samsung’s own press images. The tech website shared renders of the Galaxy S23 Plus, and it appears to take a few design cues from the S22 Ultra. Instead of the usual cutout on the rear for the cameras (or “camera island”), like on the Samsung Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S21 Ultra, the S23 Plus will have its cameras jutting out. Apparently, the S23 Plus will also be slightly bigger than its predecessor, but will keep the same 6.6-inch display. The report states it will have dimensions of 157.7 x 76.1 x 7.6mm (6.2 x 2.99 x 0.29 inches), which is slightly taller than the S22 Plus at 157.4 x 75.8 x 7.6mm (6.19 x 2.98 x 0.29 inches). Like the Galaxy S22, it will also come equipped with a speaker and USB-C port at the bottom, along with a hole-punch camera on the display. The post notes it will have thin bezels and a flat back panel, which is similar to its predecessor. While these are renders of the Galaxy S23 Plus, the “Plus” model has simply been a scaled-up version of the standard model, meaning it’s likely this rumored design will match what we see on the basic Galaxy S23. All in all, the shift in design appears to focus on the back panel, but we won’t know how it officially looks until Samsung officially announces its next flagship. In fact, another leaker claims that the Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus won’t have any changes, except for a new chip. According to leaker Ice Universe on Twitter, Samsung will be keeping the same design of the Galaxy S22 for the Galaxy S23. The only changes coming will be for the S23 Ultra, which the tipster claims will come with a new screen, main camera, and chip. This leak came a few days before Smartpix and OnLeak’s renders, and the post states that “this is just a rough idea.” With this in mind, it’s unclear whether Samsung will keep the so-called “camera island” or ditch it for an entirely new design. Samsung made the jump to a whole new design for the Galaxy S22 Ultra, reminiscent of the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, so there’s reason to believe this design could trickle down to the standard models. However, considering the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Fold 4 have barely changed from their predecessors, a similar design to the S22 seems plausible.
Samsung Galaxy S23 performance and battery life
The Galaxy S23 will almost certainly feature the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. Qualcomm claims the new chip will offer 35% better performance and perhaps more importantly up to a 40% improvement in efficiency, which combined with the new OLED display could mean a significant boost to battery life this year. However, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 does move to four performance cores and three efficiency cores, a reversal on last year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. Hopefully As for the battery itself, both the recent spec certification leak and a previous leak from Ice Universe indicated the Galaxy S23 Ultra features a 5,000mAh battery, which mirrors the last two generations of the Ultra. The smaller models are both apparently slated for a slight upgrade to 4700mAh for the S23+ and 3900mAh for the S23, a 200mAh boost for each one.
Samsung Galaxy S23 outlook
While Samsung’s A-Series may top it in sales, the Galaxy S-Series draws the most attention as Samsung’s flagship line and typically the first Android flagship to launch each year. While outside of the 200MP primary camera in the Galaxy S23 Ultra it doesn’t appear that there are going to be groundbreaking hardware changes for this year, the upgrades we do know about are compelling. The new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip looks like the most significant upgrade across the board, we found the Galaxy S22 battery life to be acceptable, but it was no threat to the phones with the best battery life, so the enhanced efficiency is even more enticing than any performance improvements. Coupled with improvements to the computational photography from the new chip and other AI enhancements, we could be in store for more of an upgrade than it appears based on the specs alone. As we draw closer to the potential January or February launch we are sure to see more information trickling out. So, bookmark this page if you want to keep up with all of the latest Galaxy S23 leaks and rumors.
