Samsung Galaxy S23 rumours : Specs, Price, Cameras and more
The Samsung Galaxy S22 range includes some of our absolute favorite phones from 2022. The base S22 is a solid, more affordable option, the S22 Plus is a superb all-rounder while the all-powerful S22 Ultra has seriously impressed us with its camera. We even gave the Plus and Ultra CNET Editors' Choice Awards.
But it's time we turned our attention to the next generation; the Samsung Galaxy S23 range. CNET Editor Lisa Eadicicco has already put her wishlist together, which includes improved battery life, fresh camera features and faster charging. But what do the leaks and rumors say?
Galaxy S23 Price
Assuming Samsung launches multiple models, the S23 range will come at three main prices. We don't expect Samsung to stray from last year's prices. For reference, the base S22 launched with a price of $800, while the Plus model started at $1,000 and the high-performance S22 Ultra debuted at $1,200 in the US last February.
Size and display
Known leakster Ice Universe posted a detailed rundown of the sizes of the three upcoming phones (via GSM Arena), which put them almost exactly in line with the current sizes of the S22 lineup. As such, we don't expect any notable differences in screen sizes of any of the range over the predecessors.
Those were 6.1 inches for the Galaxy S22, 6.6 inches for the S22 Plus and 6.8 inches for the S22 Ultra.
Cameras
The cameras look like they might be one of the key areas of focus (pun intended) for the new series. That's likely to be especially true for the Ultra model, which is usually where Samsung's biggest camera innovations can be found.
We expected the S22 Ultra to include a whopping 200-megapixel image sensor, considering Samsung has launched two of these image sensors and they can be found in other phones. We didn't see it on the S22 Ultra, but it seems likely that a 200-megapixel sensor will be one of the key bragging rights of the S23 Ultra. Ice Universe also predicts that the Galaxy S23 Ultra's will have a 200-megapixel sensor. It remains to be seen whether it's the HP1 or HP3 sensor the company already produces or a new variant built specifically for the phone.
Samsung's product pages for these sensors boast improved resolution (obviously), but also improved low-light photography by combining sets of smaller pixels into larger individual ones that can capture more light. The S22 Ultra is already one of the best night-time camera phones, beating out the Pixel 7 Pro in our recent tests, so a further burst to its low-light prowess is exciting to hear.
That massive resolution will also help with the phone's zoom skills, which are already impressive thanks to its 10x optical zoom lens. Current rumors from Ice Universe suggest that the lens lineup will remain the same across all phones, but that extra resolution should help make zoom shots even more pin-sharp.
Battery, processor and other specs
The Galaxy S23 range will almost certainly use the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor. In previous years, Samsung used its own Exynos chips for its European models. But a recent Qualcomm earnings call suggested that Samsung will in fact be using Qualcomm's silicon for every phone in the range.
As for other specs, we expect a minimum of 8GB of RAM on the base models, with 12GB being available on the S23 Ultra. Storage is likely to continue to start at 128GB, with higher capacity options being available at higher prices. And no, we don't expect a return of the microSD card slot to expand the storage. Sad face.
Recent FCC certifications show that the base S23 will have a 3,900-mAh battery, a step up from the 3,700 mAh of the base S23, while the S23 Plus will also get a battery boost to 4,700-mAh. There's no official figure for the Ultra model yet, but again Ice Universe suggests that it will have the same 5,000-mAh cell size as the S22 Ultra.
We'll likely know more on the early side of 2023. But if the rumors turn out to be accurate, the Galaxy S23 lineup will probably be a modest step up from the Galaxy S22 family.