This is our official Galaxy S23 series preview article, basically. We’ll tell you what you can expect these devices to deliver. Most of this will be based on the rumors and leaks, and we may add some educated guesses in there as well. The Galaxy S23 phones are some of the most anticipated smartphones every year, and this time around it’s not different. So, let’s see what to expect. This article will be regularly updated with new information on the Samsung Galaxy S23 series (this is a preview article) — both official teasers and credible leaks, rumors, and insider claims — as it becomes available in the run-up to the release of the upcoming Android smartphone. The last update was made on January 2, 2023.
The Galaxy S23 & S23+ will look basically the same
Designs off all three models did surface already. CAD-based renders appeared, showing us what the three phones will look like. These images are almost never wrong, so chances are we’re looking at the final designs. The Galaxy S23 and S23+ will look basically the same, but the Galaxy S23+ will be the larger model. The Galaxy S23 Ultra will set itself apart from the design standpoint, as expected. On top of that, some seemingly-official marketing images also appeared, you can check those out below too. Let’s talk about the Galaxy S23 and S23+ first. Samsung opted to ditch the camera island on both devices this time around. Each of their three cameras will protrude from the back of the device separately, as they did on the Galaxy S22 Ultra. Other than that, things will be similar as last year. A centered display camera hole will sit at the top, while the displays on both phones will be flat. The bezels will be quite thin, and the devices will seemingly be made out of metal and glass once again. Galaxy S23 CAD renders: Galaxy S23+ CAD renders: Marketing images:
The Galaxy S23 Ultra will more or less retain the same design as its predecessor
In the case of the Galaxy S23 Ultra, well, things are very similar to last year. In fact, some people may find it hard to differentiate between the two devices. Four cameras will sit on the back of the phone, and each of them will protrude from the backplate separately. The top and bottom sides will be flat, while the left and right sides will be considerably curved, as will the phone’s display. The phone’s front and back sides will be proportional. A centered display camera hole will be in use here as well. Samsung is expected to use metal and glass to make this phone. Galaxy S23 Ultra CAD renders: It is also worth noting that the Galaxy S23 Ultra is said to offer a thinner frame, but no uniform bezels. They’ll be close to uniform, and extremely thin, but not the same. Its “chin” is still said to be thicker than the rest of the bezels. In addition to that, the tempered glass screen protectors of all three phones have surfaced, showing the size difference between them. Do not pay attention to the bezels on the screen protectors, of course. You can see them included below, just for size comparison purposes.
Powerful specs with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 leading the pack
A lot of spec details surfaced as well. In this section, we’ll talk about all the specs except the camera ones, you’ll find that in the next section. That being said, all three phones will have one thing in common, a processor. The Galaxy S23 series will be fueled by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC globally. Those devices will seemingly come with a “special”, overclocked variant of the chip. The Galaxy S22 series was fueled by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 in all markets except in Europe. Well, that will change next year. Qualcomm’s exec has confirmed that the Galaxy S23 series will be exclusively fueled by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC. In fact, the Galaxy S23 series may include a special version of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. That explains why we didn’t hear anything about the Exynos 2300 thus far. Those are probably good news, as Snapdragon flagship SoCs have been trumping Exynos competition for years now. The Galaxy S23+ already popped up on Geekbench sporting the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.
The ‘Ultra’ model will be the largest, and the most powerful one
The Galaxy S23 is expected to feature a 6.1-inch fullHD+ AMOLED display, while the Galaxy S23+ will utilize a 6.6-inch fullHD+ AMOLED display. Both of those will offer a 120Hz refresh rate, and will be adaptive, but probably not all the way down to 1Hz. The Galaxy S23 Ultra, on the other hand, will feature a 6.8-inch QHD+ (3088 x 1440) AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, adaptive down to 1Hz. That display is set to become the industry’s brightest yet, even brighter than what the iPhone 14 Pro series offers. The Galaxy S23 Ultra display is expected to go up to 2,200 nits of brightness at its peak. The Galaxy S23 and S23+ will likely offer 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage. In other words, both phones likely won’t offer memory upgrades compared to their predecessors. The Galaxy S23 Ultra will sport 12GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage. Samsung may utilize LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 flash storage, or stick to LPDDR5 and UFS 3.1, we’ll see.
All models will retain the same charging speeds
What about the batteries? The Galaxy S23 is tipped to utilize a 3,900mAh battery pack. The Galaxy S23+ will sport a 4,700mAh unit, while the Galaxy S23 Ultra is said to ship with a 5,000mAh battery. So both the Galaxy S23 and S23+ will have a larger battery than their predecessor, it seems. When it comes to charging, the Galaxy S23 and S23+ are once again tipped to utilize 25W wired charging. 15W wireless charging will likely be supported as well. The Galaxy S23 Ultra, will likely support 45W wired charging, and 15W wireless charging. Reverse wireless charging will be on offer on all three models. All three phones will reportedly offer multiple performance modes for improved battery life. It’s also worth noting that all three phones are tipped to offer satellite communication. By doing this, Samsung wants to keep up with Huawei and Apple.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra will debut a 200-megapixel main camera
The Galaxy S23 and S23+ are expected to have the same camera setups, as did their predecessors. A 50-megapixel main camera will be backed by 12-megapixel ultrawide and 10-megapixel telephoto cameras. The Galaxy S23 Ultra will be a different story. Based on what we’ve seen thus far, a 200-megapixel main camera (ISOCELL HPX sensor) will be backed by a 12-ultrawide camera. The third camera will be a 10-megapixel telephoto camera (3x optical zoom), while the fourth one will be a 10-megapixel periscope camera (10x optical zoom). Samsung is once again trying to compete by increasing megapixels. That’s great, if the company can get the software right. It will be interesting to see how will that work out. All Galaxy S23 phones are expected to offer 8K video recording at higher frame rates. Now, in terms of the front cameras, the Galaxy S23 Ultra may actually get a downgrade.
Early February launch is expected
Before we get down to availability details, let’s talk about colors real quick. A well-known display analyst named four colors that these devices will be available in. It is possible that these colors will be used for all three, but each phone may also arrive in an exclusive color. That’s what happened before. In any case, the colors that he mentioned are Beige, Black, Green, and Light Pink. We still don’t have any pricing information for the devices, but we do have their projected launch date. According to the latest information, Samsung will launch the Galaxy S23 series in the first week of February. To be more accurate, the launch could happen on February 1, according to a well-known tipster. Earlier rumors suggested a January launch, but February seems more probable, for now. More than one source actually suggested a February launch. Do note that the launch could get delayed due to a pricing dilemma.
