Although the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 are some of the best Android phones you can buy, many users still prefer to stick with a classic smartphone design. For anyone who prefers to stay away from the cutting edge, the Samsung Galaxy S23 is probably the phone for you. This year’s Samsung Galaxy S22 series blew us away with an excellent sleek design, solid performance and the revival of the Note series.
We expect to see a similar pattern for the Galaxy S23 next year: some slight design tweaks, improved performance, and maybe a few surprises. Even though Samsung’s next Galaxy Unpacked event is probably a few months away, leaks are already pouring in for its next smartphone. Here’s everything we know about the Galaxy S23 so far.
Samsung Galaxy S23: Design and specs
Although the Samsung Galaxy S22 and S22+ haven’t changed much from their S21 predecessors in terms of design, the Galaxy S22 Ultra has brought back a revised version of the Note 20 for a new generation. When the S23 debuts next year, we again expect to see very little change between those two years, although the two smaller models – we use that word loosely – will likely take inspiration from their larger brother.
Let’s start with the design of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, since it is the most powerful of the three smartphones, and it is also the most similar to the previous one. Early renders show the S23 Ultra looking almost unchanged, right down to its unique array of cameras on the rear. Granted, it’s not like Samsung is just making a spec bump out of it; the differences are there if you look closely enough. The phone is slightly less curved than last year’s model, with some changes to how far the lenses protrude.
When it comes to the S23 and S23+, Samsung is drawing inspiration from the design of the S22 Ultra. Gone is the camera bump that has become the Series S’ signature style over the past couple of years, replaced by a replica of the S22 Ultra’s protruding lenses. It’s a shame to see this design disappear. It was one of Samsung’s best in years. However, it makes sense to unite the three phones around a similar look.
We’ll have to wait for official colors and other details, but if you were hoping for a total redesign in 2023, it looks like you’re out of luck.
When it comes to the chipset, there’s been a surprising amount of noise around something that, at least in theory, shouldn’t be too complicated. Typically, Samsung relies on Qualcomm’s latest flagship processor in much of the world, with an increasingly narrow group of regions getting an in-house Exynos chip. While reports suggest Samsung wants to go back to relying on its own silicon, that doesn’t appear to be the case this year. Early rumors of the S23 indicated that the company would stick with Qualcomm – in this case, likely the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 – potentially for all markets, a theory that gained credence when the two brands extended their partnership last summer.
Still, Exynos may not be finished yet. In September, we learned that Samsung bosses, while disappointed with the performance of the company’s latest in-house SoC, were pushing to continue using the line in certain markets. This means that some Galaxy S23 units may run on an Exynos 2300 rather than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.
While we don’t know much about the Galaxy S23’s battery capabilities yet, we did learn about its fast charging capabilities. Samsung is reportedly sticking to its previous pricing of 25W on the smaller S23, a figure well below some of the brand’s rivals. We still don’t know what the larger S23+ and S23 Ultra will charge to (45W seems likely), but it’s clear that Samsung has fallen behind here.
Samsung Galaxy S23: Cameras
The big news for the Samsung Galaxy S23, especially the Ultra variant, is its rumored 200MP camera. While we wouldn’t expect the sensor to be much larger than other phones on the market (at 1/1.3in), it’s an impressive number nonetheless. This camera may also use a previously unreleased ISOCELL HP2 sensor, not the ISOCELL HP1 seen in Motorola’s recent Edge 30 Ultra.
Meanwhile, it looks like the S23 and S23+ will retain the 10MP telephoto lens from last year’s model. Given that the camera modules on both phones appear identical, we’re not too surprised to see some consistency across generations. With machine learning and software optimizations almost as important to photo performance these days as actual hardware, expect plenty of improvements no matter how familiar the physical sensors are.
Samsung Galaxy S23: Availability and release date
Samsung usually drops its latest S series in the first quarter of the year, and it looks like it will happen again for the S23. If you’re feeling impatient or your phone is on its last legs and you’re counting down the days for an upgrade, there’s good news. The latest rumors on the S23 launch cycle indicate that it will arrive a little earlier than last year. Apparently, we could see Samsung’s next flagship phones as early as mid-January, shortly after CES wraps up in Las Vegas.
This is great news for potential buyers, but we’ll still have to wait for follow-up details, especially regarding pricing. The Samsung Galaxy S22 series didn’t come cheap, and phone prices continue to rise due to inflation and supply chain issues.
Are you ready for a new phone?
There’s plenty of time for more leaks as we quickly approach the end of the year, so expect more Samsung Galaxy S23 news over the next few weeks. If you’re keeping your old phone in hopes of making it through until the Samsung Galaxy S23 hits the market, you might want to try some of our top tips for speeding up your smartphone.
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