The Galaxy S23 — one in every of 2023’s most-anticipated smartphones — stays unofficially announced by Samsung. Luckily, the corporate tends to have a consistent and predictable schedule in relation to its hardware releases. We won’t be hearing official details and specs regarding the S23 for some time still, however the seemingly constant stream of leaks and rumors surrounding the smartphone have already painted a reasonably picture of what fans can expect from it.
As we wait for official confirmation on the Galaxy S23 from Samsung itself, here’s a fast roundup of every thing we all know to this point.
Samsung Galaxy S23 models
Digital Trends / Andy Zahn
Just like the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S21 families before it, we expect the Galaxy S23 to be available in three different options: the Galaxy S23, the S23+, and the S23 Ultra.
The “normal” S23 should offer the core Galaxy S23 experience in a smaller form factor and at the bottom price. The S23+ will likely offer a much bigger display and battery in exchange for a better price. Lastly, for folk who want the best that Samsung has to supply, that’s where the S23 Ultra should come into play. Offering the most important screen and best specs, the S23 Ultra will even be priced the very best.
One image from known leaker Ice Universe gives us a superb have a look at what to anticipate from each of the phones when it comes to their size differences based on screen protector accessories. As expected, the bottom S23 is the smallest, the S23+ is barely larger, and the S23 Ultra is the most important, sporting a less rounded design.
After all, that is all assuming Samsung follows its usual release cadence. 2021 gave us the S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra. Then, 2022 gave us the S22, S22+, and S22 Ultra. We’ve no reason to imagine Samsung is changing that strategy for 2023, especially since we’ve seen loads of credible leaks for all three devices. For now, the S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra all appear to be protected bets.
Galaxy S23 design
Smartprix
Based on a handful of leaked renders making the web rounds, it seems likely that the Galaxy S23 line goes to look very just like those present in the S22 line. That is to be expected, as most smartphone manufacturers are inclined to make incremental changes with every year’s design. Nonetheless, the bottom S23 and the S23 Ultra appear to be nearly an identical to their predecessors, with the one noticeable changes being slight differences within the camera layout and the perimeters.
When it comes to the perimeters, the Galaxy S23 likely has a slight change in its curvature. As a substitute of the more rounded edges seen within the S22, the S23 goes to be adopting a squarer look that reduces the curvature of the glass — at the least in response to Ice Universe. While not an enormous change in design, it’s one that will impact how the S23 feels to carry, as its harsher edges may give users a greater grip on their devices.
It's time to check your imagination. The most important difference of the S23 Ultra is that the curvature of the fuselage has modified. It looks like this from the highest. Are you able to imagine it? pic.twitter.com/2BNRbxd6la
— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) August 25, 2022
The explanation for the change within the S23’s edges appears to be the results of a latest metal frame used internally. It appears to be a bit of bit wider on the perimeters, necessitating a sharper curve than we’ve seen before in Galaxy devices.
Samsung Galaxy S23 in white, much better than a certain cyclops phone with an enormous camera hump. OnLeaks / Digit
The camera design on the S23 is changing barely as well. On the S22, the entire lenses and sensors sat on a raised island, and now they seem like following the floating camera design seen on countless other smartphones. It’s not a significant change, but it surely looks like it is likely to be one in every of the one things distinguishing the S23 from the S22 at a fast glance.
Galaxy S23 specs
Andy Boxall/Digital Trends
Recent leaks have painted a reasonably flattering picture of the Galaxy S23 when it comes to its specs, but there are a handful of conflicting reports, meaning that it’s vital to take the next information with a grain of salt.
In line with leaker Yogesh Brar, the S23 appears to be very just like the S22 before it, but with one key difference: It might be running on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC (system on chip). Although Brar’s track record is pretty solid, and his claims in regards to the S23’s processor have been backed by others like industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, claims were made by Business Korea that Samsung could be working with MediaTek to supply a processor — potentially, the Dimensity 9200.
That claim made some sense when it was first made, but a Qualcomm chip within the Galaxy S23 appears to be the more than likely possibility, as a partnership between Samsung and Qualcomm was announced in late July. It was confirmed then that we’d proceed to see “Snapdragon platforms for future premium Samsung Galaxy products, including smartphones, PCs, tablets, prolonged reality, and more.”
More evidence pointing toward the usage of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 got here in October in the shape of the Geekbench database, which briefly listed an unlocked version of the Galaxy S23+ as having the chipset and 8GB RAM. With each latest piece of knowledge, it’s looking just like the Qualcomm processor is all but confirmed for the complete S23 line, but we’ll still must wait to listen to from Samsung to know for certain.
The remainder of the specs leaked by Brar aren’t much to get worked up over, because the S23 looks like a comparatively underwhelming incremental step up from last 12 months’s S22. In line with Brar, the display is a 6.1-inch FHD+ AMOLED that supports a 120Hz refresh rate. As mentioned above, Brar says it can run on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, have 8GB RAM minimum, the identical specs from the Geekbench leak, and offer storage options of 128GB and 256GB, as is predicted with modern flagships.
Galaxy S23 cameras
Andy Boxall/Digital Trends
Considered one of the massive rumors surrounding the Galaxy S23’s cameras is that the smartphone will feature an HP2 200-megapixel important camera, in response to leaker Ice Universe, who’s made the claim multiple times. While that actually sounds impressive, it’s vital to notice that the S22 was also rumored to have a 200MP lens as well (which it ultimately didn’t). The difference this time, nonetheless, is that there are just a few different sources corroborating the data, akin to Korean IT News. Samsung also recently showed off its latest-generation 200MP camera, touting big upgrades for brighter and more detailed images.
The most important piece of evidence pointing to a 200MP shooter is that Samsung has reportedly reached out to “major camera partners” to substantiate the data, in response to one other report by Korean IT News. Based on the overwhelming amount of evidence supporting the rumor, it seems all but confirmed that the S23 will sport a 200MP camera. Now, all that’s left is to attend for Samsung to announce it and make it official.
Andy Boxall/DigitalTrends
There are multiple conflicting reports regarding the S23’s other lenses, nonetheless. In line with GalaxyClub, the S23 goes to have an upgraded 12MP front-facing camera, but leaker Yogesh Brar says that the selfie lens will only be 10MP. GalaxyClub and Brar agree that the smartphone will even feature the identical 10MP telephoto rear lens that was on the S22. Brar and Ice Universe say that the third lens on the rear shall be a 12MP ultrawide shooter, however the two disagree on the important lens, as Ice Universe claims it’s a 200MP camera while Brar says it’s a 50MP one.
With the entire conflicting chatter regarding the Galaxy S23’s cameras, it’s a bit of tricky to maintain the rumors straight. Until we hear directly from Samsung, nonetheless, there’s no way of knowing what form of lenses the S23 shall be outfitted with and in the event that they’ll be a significant step up from the S22 or just retread loads of the identical ground.
Ice Universe has also shared some information on two of the previously unmentioned S23 Ultra’s lenses, claiming that it’ll feature a 50MP lens and a 200MP one. To assist prove the smartphone’s increased fidelity over the S22 Ultra and the Pixel 7, the leaker shared side-by-side shot comparisons using the ultra-zoom lenses between the three devices on the Chinese blogging site Weibo.
Moreover, Ice Universe claims that the S23 Ultra could have vast improvements to its night camera and video. Hopefully, Samsung is capable of make some major improvements to the smartphone for the reason that S22 Ultra’s cameras struggled to provide high-quality images at night. In line with the leaker, the improvements come because of this of the improved processing power of the phone’s contact imaging sensors.
Galaxy S23 battery
Andy Boxall/Digital Trends
Rumor has it that the S23 will feature the identical 5,000mAh-capacity battery that was featured within the Galaxy S22 Ultra. The S22 Ultra had solid battery life and charge times but didn’t stand out among the many likes of OnePlus’s super-fast charging speeds. That said, if the complete S23 line is provided with at the least a 5,000mAh cell, we won’t be complaining. There’s a probability, nonetheless, that the 5,000mAh battery cell is likely to be reserved exclusively for the S23 Ultra, as a recent leak says that the bottom version’s battery will only be a 3,900mAh capability.
While that’s a small step up from the three,700mAh battery of the bottom S22 model, it’s hardly something that almost all users would notice — and it would mean that S23 owners won’t see an enormous change in battery life if upgrading from the previous model. There could be a reasonably noticeable difference, nonetheless, if the bottom S23 were to be fitted with a 5,000mAh battery.
Ice Universe has claimed that the S23 will offer a low-power mode to drastically reduce battery drain in exchange for barely reduced performance. If the S23 could have a 3,900mAh cell, a setting like this may do wonders to extend battery life and keep the smartphone running for for much longer than the S22.
A leaked image of the S23’s battery. Ice Universe
The identical leak that claims the S23 could have a 3,900mAh battery also says that it can support wireless charging as expected. Unfortunately, the charging speeds leave a bit of to be desired, because the leak says the S23 will support 25W wired charging and only 15W wireless. While that’s exactly what was present in the S22, many fans were hoping for an upgrade of some sort within the charging department, as other flagships just like the OnePlus 10T support charging speeds that well exceed 25W.
Within the midst of conflicting reports on the S23’s battery size, Ice Universe shared a picture of the alleged 5,000mAh battery from a leaked certification photo. Unfortunately, the battery doesn’t have its cell capability written on it, so there’s still no confirmation as to how big the S23’s battery shall be. That said, the image is one other piece of the puzzle that can eventually be entirely put together to disclose the legitimate battery specs.
Galaxy S23 satellite connectivity
Apple
Considered one of the hallmark features of the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro is their satellite connectivity. Lost within the woods or injured while on a hike? Hold your iPhone toward the sky, and it helps you hook up with a satellite to contact emergency services — ensuring you may get help even and not using a cell signal.
Per a report from ETNews, the Galaxy S23 may get its own version of satellite connectivity. Samsung’s supposedly working with Iridium to power the functionality, and in contrast to Apple’s implementation on the iPhone, it won’t be limited to emergency situations. If the report is accurate, satellite connectivity on the Galaxy S23 will enable users to transmit data “akin to text messages and low-capacity images at a whole lot of kbps.”
Samsung Galaxy S23 release date and price
Digital Trends / Andy Zahn
Because there’s been no official word from Samsung in regards to the S23, we don’t have a selected release date for it. That said, when taking a have a look at past releases, we will begin to get a glimpse of what the corporate may need planned on the calendar.
The Galaxy S22 launched in February 2022, the S21 launched in January 2021, and the S20 launched in March 2020. Based on this, it’s a protected assumption to make that the S23 will launch in the primary few months of 2023, specifically in late January or February, based on the past two flagship releases.
A report from Korean publication JoongAng Each day backs up that train of thought. On November 28, the news site published a quote from a Samsung executive, who said, “The S23 series shall be shown during our own Unpacked event in the US, which shall be held in February.” JoongAng Each day doesn’t say who that executive is, but that February release date makes loads of sense, given the last couple of launches.
Pricing is one other detail that is still unknown. For context, the Galaxy S22 starts at $799, the S22+ starts at $999, and the S22 Ultra starts at $1,199. Samsung may keep those exact prices for the S23 series, but depending available on the market and economic conditions, we could also see a price hike of $50 or $100 per model.
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