What to expect from Samsung’s next high-end smartphone

Officially unveiled on February 1st in San Francisco, the Samsung Galaxy S23 may no longer be a surprise as it has been the target of numerous leaks and rumors. We take part.

Same refrain for Samsung every year. Even before the official launch of its standard bearer, the South Korean manufacturer has to deal with a lot of well-supported rumors and numerous leaks, sometimes even internally.

We take a look at what we can expect from the next Galaxy S23 and its assistants, which will be unveiled on February 1st in San Francisco (19:00 Paris time).

One, two or three Samsung Galaxy S23?

As in previous years, Samsung should introduce three smartphones from its new series. The Galaxy S23 will be accompanied by the Galaxy S23+. A very high-end version called Ultra whispered again.

Design: back change

Wait for the appearance of the next Galaxy S23. The set would have a more immersive screen without returning to the curved edges that have long dominated the Samsung Galaxy S Edge. The Galaxy S23 will have a 6.1-inch AMOLED FHD+ flat screen, the S23+ will feature a 6.6-inch AMOLED panel, and the S23 Ultra will feature a 6.8-inch diagonal QHD+ display.

The first two will support 120Hz image refresh rate, which will be dynamically adjusted as needed (48-120Hz). The latter will benefit from a refresh rate ranging from 1 to 120 Hz. The fingerprint reader will still be placed below the screen and everything will offer Dolby Atmos speakers.

But it’s on the back end that we can expect the biggest change to the widely heralded video conference call. Forget the black domino, the back of the device will simply sport three photo sensors separately, accompanied by a flash on top.

Everything will be partially made of recycled materials, but equipped with extremely impact and scratch resistant glass (Gorilla Glass Victus 2).

Camera: Perfect for Ultra

Thanks to very well-informed German technophile Roland Quandt, who apparently had access to press renders ahead of time, we know what the camera will look like. On the Galaxy S23, as on the Galaxy S23+, we will find the same module configuration on the back: a 50-megapixel main sensor, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle, all accompanied by a 10-megapixel telephoto lens with 3x. optical zoom.

But this will not prevent all high-end 2023 Samsung smartphones from promising mountains and wonders in photo and video (8K/30 frames, HDR 10+), especially in night photography, noticeable improvements.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra will be based on the latest 200 Mpex main sensor designed by Samsung with 12 Mpex ultra-wide-angle and two telephoto lenses: the first 10 Mpex is the same as its assistants, the second. 10 Mpex periscope with telephoto 10x optical zoom.

On the front, the selfie camera will be 12 Mpx for everyone, if it was previously 40 Mpx. But Samsung’s technology can compensate.

Processor: goodbye Exynos, hello Snapdragon

New high-end smartphones from South Korea will have to ditch their popular home-grown Exynos processor in favor of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, the most powerful system available on Android this year. And that’s for all markets. This will allow the devices to be more efficient and use many new functions in terms of audio, mobile games, photos and possibly satellite messages.

Functions: full array

Not surprisingly, the Galaxy S23 range will be able to rely on Bluetooth 5.3 connections and Wifi 6E. The Galaxy S23+ and S23 Ultra will benefit from UWB (Ultra Wideband) functionality, especially for faster direct communication with Samsung’s connected beacons. All smartphones will be IP68 certified for dust and long-term water resistance. The Galaxy 23 Ultra will support the use of a touch pen.

Autonomy: promises of endurance

The Galaxy S23 should benefit from a slightly larger battery than the S22 (3,700 mAh vs. 3,900 mAh). It will support 25W wired charging (no charger provided like previous smartphones). But the most profitable for device autonomy is Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. The S23+ boasts a larger battery to support its larger display (4700mAh), with 45W charging supported. The entire range offers 10W wireless charging and reverse wireless charging.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra will see more with a 5000 mAh battery that supports 45 W and promises to last for a very long time, a shortcoming of the latest models that Samsung promises to make up for.

Storage

The Galaxy S23 should come in two configurations: 128 or 256 GB of storage. The S23+ will offer 256GB or 512GB of storage. Both models will be equipped with 8 or 12 GB of memory depending on the model.

The S23 Ultra will be bigger with 12GB RAM and 1TB storage option.

Prices and colors

according to leaking RGClouds says the Galaxy S23 will start at $799 (around €740 HT), making it cheaper than the Galaxy S22 (859 euros). The Galaxy S23+ will keep its price ($999 / €1,059 when the S22+ is launched). The Galaxy S23 Ultra in the 256GB version (there was a 128GB version last year) would be slightly less than the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s $1,299, and again close to the top at $1,249.

The colors announced for the Samsung Galaxy S23 will be black, green, cotton white and lavender.