Samsung Galaxy S23 Rumors and Leaks: Which Ones Are Legit?

The Samsung Galaxy S22 is one of our favorite smartphones released in the last year, which has us excited to see what Samsung has in store with the Galaxy S23. As usual, there’s been no shortage of leaks and rumors leading up to Samsung’s official announcement, but they’re not all reliable. We’ve scoured through the web to find the reputable ones that could actually happen.

The Galaxy S23 Will Launch in January or February

Unfortunately, we haven’t heard any reliable rumors regarding when the Galaxy S23 will launch. Still, we can use previous Galaxy releases to figure out when Samsung might announce and release the new phones.

The Galaxy S22 family of devices launched in February, so we expect a similar time frame for the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Ultra. A battery for a phone matching the Galaxy S23 Plus showed up for certification in South Korea in September, according to SamMobile(Opens in a new window), which matches the timeline for a February release.

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The Samsung Galaxy S21 was announced on Jan. 14, 2021, and went on sale on Jan. 29, so we can’t rule out a January launch for the S23. According to the Korean site ETNews(Opens in a new window), Samsung may look to push the phones out as soon as three weeks earlier than the Galaxy S22, which would put the device out in mid to late January.

Whether January or February, we’re confident that we’ll see the Galaxy S23 within the first two months of 2023, so get your wallets ready if you’re in the market for a new Samsung phone.

The Galaxy S23 Has a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Chip

Samsung has traditionally powered its S line of phones with the latest Qualcomm silicon in the US. Qualcomm just announced the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, and we believe it’ll be the chip powering the phones.

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Outside the US, we should also see the Qualcomm chip in the Galaxy S23, as noted leaker Ice Universe tweeted(Opens in a new window) that European versions of the phone will use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, which is excellent for uniformity.

The Galaxy S23 Will Look Familiar

We aren’t expecting Samsung to reinvent its design philosophies with the Galaxy S23 family of devices. Instead, the phone will likely be similar to the Galaxy S22, though there could be incremental differences.

According to OnLeaks and SmartPix(Opens in a new window), the Galaxy S23 will measure 5.7 by 2.7 by 0.29 inches (the S22 was 5.75 by 2.78 by 0.3 inches), and the S23+ will be 6.2 by 2.9 by 0.29 inches (the S22+ was 6.20 by 2.98 by 0.3 inches). So that means the size of the phones is more or less unchanged from the S22.

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Ice Universe(Opens in a new window) leaked the dimensions of the S23 Ultra. It will measure 6.43 by 3.07 by 0.35 inches, slightly longer and wider than the Galaxy S22 Ultra‘s 6.42 by 3.06 by 0.35 inches. If these measurements are accurate, the Ultra will be the same thickness as last year.

Renders of the S23 and S23 Ultra have emerged thanks to OnLeaks(Opens in a new window), and neither phone looks to have changed much over the S22 phones. The hole-punch camera and flat display remain on the base model, though Ice Universe suggests the bezels could be larger than the previous generation’s phone.

Regarding colors, Ross Young(Opens in a new window) claims that the phone will come in beige, black, green, and light pink (though there could be others).

The Galaxy S23 Screens Will Be Unchanged

Again we turn to noted leaker Ice Universe(Opens in a new window), who tells us that the screens for all three devices will be the same sizes as their predecessors. The base model Galaxy S23 will come with a 6.1-inch 1080 by 2340 display. The more expensive Galaxy S23+ will feature a 6.6-inch 1080 by 2340 display, and the S23 Ultra will come with a 6.8-inch 1,440-by-3,088 screen.

For those doing the math, those numbers perfectly match the screens offered on the Galaxy S22, S22+, and S22 Ultra. There could be minor changes to the displays, such as brightness or contrast ratio, but the core specs will remain unchanged.

The Galaxy S23 Will Have Upgraded Cameras

The biggest and perhaps most exciting rumor about the Galaxy S23 cameras is that the Ultra will get a 200MP primary sensor, as reported by ETNews(Opens in a new window). This is a massive jump from the 108MP lens on the current Galaxy S22 Ultra. Ice Universe(Opens in a new window) added that the phone’s 200MP sensor could get 0.6μm sized pixels and a f/1.7aperture, which is also a nice improvement.

Side-by-side photos with the S23 Ultra’s 200MP sensor and S22 Ultra’s 108MP lens
(Credit: Ice Universe/Weibo)

Rumors on the primary lens for the Galaxy S23 and S23+ have been quiet so far, so we’ll have to wait for some new leaks to see what Samsung intends to do with there for its more budget-friendly models. The lack of leaks suggest we won’t see much in the way of changes, though we can hold out hope that the 108MP sensor from the S22 Ultra makes its way to the S23 and S23+. GalaxyClub’s sources(Opens in a new window) claim that there will be no significant changes for the other lens. The Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus will have a 10MP telephoto camera. The Galaxy S23 Ultra will retain its 10MP 10x optical zoom camera.

It’ll Be Here Soon

The Galaxy S23 is coming, one way or another. As we get closer, we expect many more rumors about the phone. We’ll keep this post updated as we get closer to the release of the S23 with the latest rumors and leaks, so you know what to expect.