The Samsung Galaxy S23 may start off 2023’s smartphone launch season with a whimper, because it may not actually be updated that much from last year’s model.
As leaker Ice universe (opens in new tab) wrote on Twitter, we may not see any changes beyond a new chip for the base S23 and S23 Plus models compared to the Galaxy S22. The Ultra model will allegedly get a little more though, in the form of a new chip, an upgraded display (though he doesn’t say how it’s upgraded) and a new camera, rumored to be 200MP in resolution.
This fits in with other rumors we’ve heard recently about the S23 looking a lot like the Galaxy S22. Those include claims such as that charging wouldn’t change from 25W, and that at least the telephoto cameras on the S23 and S23 Plus wouldn’t be any different to last year.
However, there have been some more optimistic rumors for the S23, too. We’ve heard the claim that the S23 could get a slightly larger battery, and also that there may be new selfie cameras for the S23 and S23 Plus. On the negative side, IU’s previously said that the S23’s display bezels could be getting larger, which doesn’t make sense.
Do we need a Samsung Galaxy S23?
Smartphones are tending to see fewer big upgrades between generations these days. So since the Galaxy S22 series changed so much — introducing a new size for the standard version, new cameras for the base and Plus models, and a built-in stylus for the Galaxy S22 Ultra model — the S23 seemed bound to be an underwhelming upgrade.
Besides, Samsung’s arguably saving its most exciting engineering for its foldable phones. Although having said that, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 were both small upgrades compared to previous years’ models themselves, showing that the slow pace of smartphone upgrades affects even the best foldable phones too.
At least if the S23 is only a small update to the S22, it’ll mean you can hold off on upgrading for another year or two, saving you some hard-earned cash. We’ll only know for sure next year though, with the current release Galaxy S23 release date tipped for February based on current appearances in certification databases.
Stay tuned to our Galaxy S23 hub page for all the latest rumors and leaks.
