Samsung Galaxy S23: Everything you need to know

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• What is it? The next big flagship phone from Samsung
• When is it out? First week of February, with sales February 17
• How much will it cost? Likely $799 / £769 / AU$1,249 or higher

The Samsung Galaxy S23 will likely be the first big phone launch of 2023, but we’re already hearing that the patterns established in 2022 will continue into the new year. The Galaxy S23 is not expected to be a huge upgrade over the Galaxy S22 in any way, from the base model up through the Galaxy S23+. Even the top shelf Galaxy S23 Ultra isn’t expected to get many big feature bumps. 

The design of the Galaxy S23 will likely be near-identical to today’s models, except that the base model Galaxy S23 will lose its larger camera bump in favor of Galaxy S22 Ultra-style cutouts for the camera. Otherwise the screen size will be the same for each phone, and the frame will measure nearly identical dimensions. 

That isn’t to say there’s nothing to get excited about. Qualcomm has been champing at the bit to show off its Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in a Samsung Galaxy S23, and its been dropping hints that Samsung will be quitting Exynos across the globe in favor of a unified Qualcomm front.

We’re also hearing a lot of excitement over the new camera in the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Samsung could be breaking out a brand new 200MP sensor to give its flagship monarch the biggest camera improvement in years, especially in night photos. Cameras sell Samsung phones, so that may be enough to win us over.

We’ve been following Galaxy S23 rumors since before the Galaxy S22 dropped, and we’ve rounded up what we think will be the final word on this upcoming device before it launches, likely in the first week of February, 2023. Check back often for updates and the most thorough source for Galaxy S23 news.

Samsung Galaxy S23: price and availability

• Galaxy S23: $799 / £769 / AU$1,249
• All models could see a price increase over past years

We expect to see the Galaxy S23 in February, likely during the first week. Rumors say that the phone could be available in stores around Friday, February 17. We would assume Samsung would have a week of pre-orders, because Samsung often follows Apple’s sales pattern. 

That means we could hear about the Galaxy S23 at an event around February 7 or February 8. We’ve heard that the Samsung Unpacked event could take place in San Francisco this year, instead of New York City, where Samsung keeps a headquarters. 

While Samsung has kept prices steady over the last two generations, we are hearing there will be changes this year. We’d love to be optimistic and ask for Samsung to cut prices on its base model Galaxy S23, in keeping with the major global cost of living crisis and a possible looming recession. Instead, we’re hearing Galaxy S23 prices could go up. 

Alternatively, we’ve also heard that some components have been scaled back or downgraded, and that could mean that Samsung is trying to cut costs or at least match last year’s prices in the face of rising supply and shipping costs.

As we’ll explain, the fingerprint scanner may not get the upgrade we hoped, and even minor pieces like the vibration motor may be scaled back to save cost.

Samsung Galaxy S23: design

• Near-identical design to last year’s Galaxy S22
• The camera bump is gone
• More curves on the Galaxy S23 Ultra?

As phone makers have adopted a tic-tock clock momentum of phone launces, this is what we’d call a “tock” year. On the “tic,” we get a whole new look and feel. On the “tock,” phone makers work on the inside more than the outside. The Galaxy S23 will look very much like last year’s phone on the outside, just not the phone you’d expect. 

The Galaxy S23 will take design cues from the Galaxy S22 Ultra, if we can believe design leaks and possibly leaked Galaxy S23 case designs that show a very similar camera arrangement. Instead of a raised bump platform, the Galaxy S23 will likely have a hole punch for each camera lens and sensor on the back. It’s a clean look, and we like it very much on our S22 Ultra. 

If there is a noticeable change, it will be on the flagship Galaxy S23 Ultra phone. Rumors suggest that Samsung will be aggressively bending the glass on that phone, and it could be curved on all four sides. Samsung has been bending the sides of the phone in varying degrees since the Galaxy S6 edge, but this could be a first for an all-around curve. 

If there is a noticeable change, it will be on the flagship Galaxy S23 Ultra phone. Rumors suggest that Samsung will be aggressively bending the glass on that phone, and it could be curved on all four sides. Samsung has been bending the sides of the phone in varying degrees since the Galaxy S6 edge, but this could be a first for an all-around curve.

For colors, we’ve heard that the Samsung Galaxy S23 will launch in four colors: black, beige (really, beige?), green, and a light pink option available for all of the devices. We have seen rumored leaks of accessories matching the enigmatic beige, so expect to see matching kit if you want to accessorize.

Samsung Galaxy S23: display

• Same screen sizes as Galaxy S22
• Galaxy S23 Ultra could take crown for brightest screen

Samsung already uses top-notch displays on its Galaxy S phones, so it isn’t especially disappointing to hear that all of the upcoming Galaxy S23 models will the same screens as the Galaxy S22. All of them are AMOLED screens with 120Hz refresh rates, which means they are colorful and bright with silky smooth onscreen motion. 

The Galaxy S23 gets a 6.1-inch display running at above Full HD resolution, 2340 x 1080 pixels, which isn’t superlative but should help with power management, and that’s a better priority than more pixels here. 

The Galaxy S23+ uses a 6.6-inch display with the same resolution as the Galaxy S23. The Galaxy S23 Ultra gets a 6.8-inch display with 3088 x 1440 pixels, which is the same as last year. 

We are hearing the Galaxy S23 Ultra could take on the Apple iPhone 14 Pro for the title of brightest phone screen. The iPhone 14 Pro can hit 2000 nits at max brightness. The Galaxy S23 ultra may achieve 2150 nits or more, and further rumors suggest that in the lab it can blast out 2500 nits, though customers won’t be able to burn it that brightly.

To cover those displays, we’re hoping to see the new Gorilla Glass Victus 2 that Corning showed us recently. Corning told us that we should see the new material on smartphones in the next few months, so the timeframe fits for Samsung’s next big launch.

Gorilla Glass Victus 2 can supposedly survive a drop onto hard asphalt, and is made for larger phone designs, making it perfect for a big, heavy beast like the rumored Galaxy S23 Ultra.

Beneath the display, we won’t get the upgrades we wanted. We were hoping Samsung would use a new Qualcomm 3D Sonic Max fingerprint scanner, which is much larger than the existing scanner and can even scan multiple fingers at once for added security. Recent rumors and display leaks show the same scanner size as last year, so no fingerprint scanner upgrade on the Galaxy S23. That’s a fine way to save cost.

We also think Samsung won’t use an under-display camera on the Galaxy S23 display. Some manufacturers have managed this trick, but it hasn’t caught on widely. Expect a negligible camera hole punch on Samsung screens when the Galaxy S23 launches.

Samsung Galaxy S23: cameras

• One big new upgrade on the Galaxy S23 Ultra
• No changes to the rest of the cameras

The biggest single upgrade we expect to see in February will be the new main camera sensor on the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Samsung’s camera group, separated by a corporate firewall from Samsung Mobile Experience, launched a 200MP ISOCELL HP1 sensor very early in the year, and we have long expected it to be the star of Samsung’s next big flagship camera phone. 

Recent rumors have taken things even further, suggesting the 200MP sensor we’ll get on the Galaxy S23 Ultra will be an even further upgraded ISOCELL HP2, which will show even further improvements on night photography. 

Phone leakers, who tend to be an enthusiastic bunch already, are saying this could be a major leap in phone photography, the biggest step forward from Samsung in years. We’ve seen major leaps from Google that incorporate AI and machine learning in Google’s custom chips. If Samsung can deliver to expectations, it will be the first big step forward in camera hardware in years. 

Otherwise, we are expecting almost the exact same set of camera options across the board, from the same ultrawide cameras to the same 10X telephoto zoom lens on the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Almost every spec remains unchanged from last year.

That means the base model Galaxy S23 will get a nice 50MP sensor for the main camera, with a 12MP ultrawide lens and a modest 10MP zoom. The Galaxy S23+ will have the exact same camera specs.

There is a possibility we could get a better selfie camera on the Galaxy S23. The Galaxy S phones have used the same 10MP front sensor for years. We could see minor improvements that give us better video quality, or we could see a sensor upgrade that takes selfies to 12MP shots.

Samsung Galaxy S23: performance

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 made special
• Leaked benchmarks approach Apple A16 Bionic performance

Samsung has been shy about it’s next phones, but Qualcomm has been talking up its next big mobile platform, the Snapdragon 8 gen 2, and making clear that Samsung will be a major player in that chipset’s launch. 

In fact, while the Galaxy S22 was split globally between a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset and a platform using Samsung Exynos, Qualcomm has been strongly hinting this year that Samsung will be using Qualcomm chips exclusively. Everybody gets a Snapdragon. 

That would track with rumors suggesting that the Exynos team at Samsung is going back to the drawing board to come up with a new platform for Samsung flagships in a few years time. For now, it will be an all-Qualcomm party, but Samsung looks to be following in Apple Bionic and Google Tensor footsteps and using its own chipset platform entirely, at least for its Galaxy S phones. 

There were early rumors that Samsung might use some MediaTek chips, and we wouldn’t scoff at those. Since we first heard those rumblings, MediaTek has launched an impressive new chipset in the MediaTek Dimensity 9200.

While we expect Qualcomm exclusivity at launch, we wouldn’t be shocked if Samsung ended up with some MediaTek inside, if not immediately then at least eventually.

Perhaps as a way of repaying the favor, Qualcomm is rumored to be endowing the Galaxy S23 with a slightly improved version of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 platform. This will likely be a simple speed boost, no changes to the primary cores.

Still, a boost could make the Galaxy S23 the fastest Android phone on the market for some time, and would put its benchmarks closer to the Apple A16 Bionic.

Leaked Galaxy S23 benchmark scores show an apparent Galaxy S23 with 8GB of RAM and a Snapdragon 8 gen2 that comes closer to Apple with multicore performance than we’ve seen from Qualcomm in generations.

Samsung Galaxy S23: connectivity

Samsung phones usually rule in terms of connectivity options, with the most network bands and every new wireless connection you could hope for. This year, Samsung looks to be playing catch-up to Apple, and the Galaxy S23 will likely get satellite SOS services for emergencies, just like the iPhone 14. 

In a rumored partnership with Iridium Communications, Samsung phones will use low-orbit satellites to send text messages and low-res images. It isn’t clear if every model will get the capabilities, or how Samsung will charge for the service. Apple has made its satellite SOS free for the first year. 

A new player has entered the mobile market since Samsung’s last big phone launch. We’ll also be looking for Samsung to support Dish Network’s specific 5G radio bands, which are being used on the Boost Infinite service that the company just launched. The iPhone 14 Pro is currently the only model you can buy that supports Dish-specific 5G bands. 

Samsung Galaxy S23: battery

• Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23+ will get a slightly larger batter
• No improvements to charging

Among the bigger disappointments in the field of Galaxy S23 rumors are the lack of improvements in battery life and power management. We are hearing that the Galaxy S23 and the Galaxy S23+ will get a minor battery size increase, a few hundred milliampere hours (mAh). The Galaxy S23 Ultra will use the same 5,000mAh battery as last year. 

Really, it’s hard to get enthusiastic that the Galaxy S23 will get a 3900mAh battery, up from 3700, and the Galaxy S23+ will get a minor boost to 4700mAh, up from 4500. We were hoping for much better batter improvements. 

Charging speeds will also remain behind the pack with the next Samsung smartphones. The Galaxy S23 will charge at 25W, same as the Galaxy S22. The Galaxy S23+ and Galaxy S23 Ultra will charge up to 45W, which can equal half a battery in 30 minutes. Still, competitors are charging at 65W and much higher, some in excess of 120W. Samsung could do better.

We are hearing similar specs for wireless charging. All of the phones will get the same 15W wireless charging as this year’s devices. Nothing special coming.

Samsung Galaxy S23: software

• Android 13 on top of Samsung OneUI 5
• Software features remain the big question

We see plenty of hardware leaks before a phone launch, but it’s harder to pin down changes and improvements to software. We have heard that the Galaxy S23 will use Android 13, hidden beneath Samsung OneUI 5. No significant news on upgrades, or how long Samsung will support OS updates on the Galaxy S23 moving forward. 

Samsung OneUI has branched significantly from the version of Android Google uses on Pixel phones. It lacks many of the gestures and new concepts that every other Android manufacturer now uses. It would be nice to see Samsung catch up a bit with OneUI, but Samsung moves at a glacial pace when it comes to software evolution. That is, you may wonder if it has ever moved at all. 

Samsung Galaxy S23: score card

Should I wait to buy the Samsung Galaxy S23?

Wait for the Galaxy S23 if…

Don’t wait for the Galaxy S23 if…

Also consider 

• If you want to see what the Samsung Galaxy S23 will go up against, check out our rundown of the best phones around

Should I wait to buy the Samsung Galaxy S23?

Wait for the Galaxy S23 if…

Don’t wait for the Galaxy S23 if…

Also consider 

• If you want to see what the Samsung Galaxy S23 will go up against, check out our rundown of the best phones around

Should I wait to buy the Samsung Galaxy S23?

Wait for the Galaxy S23 if…

Don’t wait for the Galaxy S23 if…

Also consider 

• If you want to see what the Samsung Galaxy S23 will go up against, check out our rundown of the best phones around