Samsung Galaxy S23: Rumors, Release Date, and Prices Confirmed

The new Samsung Galaxy S23 is here! While you won't be able to get your hands on one until February 17, the Samsung Unpacked 2023 event was filled with enough tantalizing details to give us a good idea of the phone's capabilities. We also got confirmation on many of the specs we thought the S23 series would include.

Overall, most of the leaks turned out to be true. The Galaxy S23 series is similar to the S22 series. It's made up of three models–the S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra–and each costs roughly the same as last year's S22 lineup. Most of the upgrades are focused on important features such as the processor and cameras. The Galaxy S23 series is available for preorder now and will be released online and in stores on February 17.

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Samsung Galaxy S23: Release Dates

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The Galaxy S23 series release date is February 17. However, you can preorder the device from Samsung's online store or your carrier now.

Samsung Galaxy S23: Models and Prices

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The Galaxy S23 is following in the S22’s footsteps. It’ll retain the same three models of the S22 series and will keep the same launch prices.

Samsung did not raise the price of the Galaxy S23 series. There were several rumours that Samsung would increase the cost of these devices in the months leading up to the S23 reveal. This would have put Samsung at a disadvantage compared to Apple and Google, so it's great news that the prices remained the same.

It should also be noted that the prices listed above are for each model's lowest storage option. If you want a device with more storage space the price will go up.

Samsung Galaxy S23: Design

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Unlike the Samsung Galaxy S22 series that saw the S22 and S22+ sport a slightly different design than the S22 Ultra, all three models of the Galaxy S23 will be similar. That design is based on the S22 Ultra with a sleek back and protruding cameras.

Colours

The S23 series also marks a change with its colour offerings. Instead of different options for the ultra model, all three models offer the same four colours. Those colours are phantom black, lavender, green, and cream.

You can also snag some online-exclusive colours from Samsung's website. For the S23 and S23+, those colours are Lime and Graphite. The S23 Ultra's online colours are Lime, Graphite, Sky Blue, and Red.

Phantom black and green are two colours customers are familiar with. However, lavender and cream are new. 

Shape

The size and shape of the new phones will closely match the S22. There was a report that the phones would be a bit thicker overall. However, based on the size specs released by Samsung that doesn't appear to be true. Instead, the sizes of the S23 series are extremely similar to the S22 series. 

Samsung Galaxy S23: Cameras

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The camera upgrades are the most important features of the new S23 series. Most of the Unpacked event was devoted to outlining the new camera capabilities. Samsung even recruited Ridley Scott and Na Hong-Jin to create two short films using just the S23 Ultra's camera. All this to say there's a lot to be excited about with the new camera features.

Samsung has gone all in on Nightography, so many of the newest features are devoted to capturing stunning detail in dark spaces. Samsung unveiled a new sensor that lets 2.5 times more light into the cameras and allows for shooting 30 frames per second at 8K resolution. There are also new AI features that use multi-frame processing to allow pictures to include sharper quality and reduce overexposure. 

On the Galaxy S23 Ultra, there is a massive upgrade from the S22's 108MP camera to a 200MP camera. For the S23 and S23+, the only real upgrade is to the selfie camera, which has been bumped up to 12MP. There is also a change in the S23 Ultra's selfie camera. Instead of the 40MP selfie camera the S22 Ultra had, the S23 Ultra is saddled with the same 12MP camera as the S23 and S23+. Is this a downgrade? Probably not. Remember that the physical components of smartphone cameras aren’t the only factor at play. The new sensor should pick up any slack.

Some other features that Samsung teased are Astro Hyperlapse and GIF Remaster. Astro Hyperlapse is a mode that will allow the S23 to take long-term photos of the night sky. Samsung claims that GIF Remaster lets you take old or pixelated GIFs and clean them up, making them almost like new images.

Samsung Galaxy S23: Hardware

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Like most other categories, the physical hardware of the Galaxy S23 has some minor upgrades over the S22 series.

Processor

All three S23 models received the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor. The version of this chip in the S23 was specifically designed for Galaxy devices, so it's a big upgrade over the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 found in the S22. Samsung claimed the new chip offers 34% better processor performance over the previous generation.

Performance testing has shown that the Gen 2 can match some of the factors of Apple’s A15 Bionic processors. This is the processor that runs the iPhone 13 series, the iPhone 14, and 14 Plus. Apple was forced to limit its newest chipset–the A16 Bionic–to the iPhone 14 Pro models. The company is accustomed to leading the pack with smartphone processors, so the S23 offering a chip that can compete with the iPhone 14 is a major win for Samsung.

Battery

The S23 and S23+ received a slight battery increase of about 5% for the newest generation. The S23 Ultra kept the same battery as the S22 Ultra. However, don’t despair if you were disappointed with the S22 series battery life. With the new Snapdragon processor, the phones should be more efficient overall and use less battery. This means you should get a bit more life out of your phone even though the batteries are roughly the same size.

Storage

The base model S23 will start with 128GB of storage and will also offer 256GB and 512GB editions. The S23+ only offers 256GB and 512GB options. Finally, the S23 Ultra offers 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage options.

Samsung Galaxy S23 vs. Samsung Galaxy S22

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Now that we know the upcoming features of the Galaxy S23, let’s see how it stacks up against its predecessor the S22.

As you can see by the specs, the S23 is shaping up to be very similar to the S22. The phones are roughly the same size and have the same rear camera array. The biggest difference in the design of the phone is the removal of the camera bump in favour of a flat back that is similar to the S22 Ultra.

There are some small upgrades too. The S23 selfie camera is getting a boost, along with the battery life of the phone. Perhaps most important will be the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, which should hopefully let the phone run more efficiently overall.

Which galaxy to select can be a tough decision if you are considering an upgrade. If you want to best device Samsung has to offer, you’ll need to snag the new S23. However, customers looking to save money might actually want to pick the Galaxy S22. It has many of the same features as the new series, but more importantly, it’s going to get a major discount when the S23 is released. Samsung announced that the new price of the Galaxy S22 is $699. For someone who doesn’t need the newest Samsung phone and wants to save a bit of money, the S22 is a great option.

Samsung Galaxy S23 vs. Apple iPhone 14

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The real test of the Galaxy S23 is not if it beats other Samsung phones, but how well it competes against the Apple iPhone 14. Let’s see how these flagship devices compare.

It’s a pretty close contest between the S23 and the iPhone 14. The devices are roughly the same size, although both have a distinctive shape associated with their brand.

On the camera front, the two phones are well-matched. While it may look like the S23’s 50MP main camera should beat the 12MP main camera of the iPhone 14, it’s important to note that Apple uses its camera setup differently. It relies on different sensors and generally captures light better. Samsung compensates for this by including an extra camera lens for better zooming.

Apple took a major hit this year by using the old A15 Bionic chips on its basic iPhone 14 models. This lets Samsung’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 come in striking distance. This factor also plays a role in Apple’s smaller battery size. The efficiency of the Bionic processors has let Apple include smaller batteries in its devices while still maintaining a long battery life. With the expected introduction of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, it’s possible that Apple could have met its match with processing power and battery usage. However, we’ll have to wait until we can test the S23 to find out just how close Samsung can get.

Samsung Galaxy S23: Recap

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Like the Apple iPhone 14 and Google Pixel 7, the Samsung Galaxy S23 is shaping up to be an incremental series for upgrades. It doesn’t appear there are any radical changes or reinventions to Samsung’s flagship line. Instead, the S23 represents modest improvements across the board. Still, it’s something to get excited about if you love Samsung devices and a potential upgrade for anyone who wants the newest and greatest phone.

Make sure to check back in with us when the Samsung Galaxy S23 officially releases. We’ll be reviewing the phone and seeing how well it stacks up against the competition.