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With all the attention the Galaxy S23 Ultra is getting, it’s easy to forget about the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus. But a last-minute leak has allegedly revealed all the biggest Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus differences (opens in new tab).
The Galaxy S23 Plus should feature a larger display (6.2 vs 6.6 inches), a larger battery (4,700 mAh vs 3,900 mAh) and perhaps double the storage at 256GB vs 128GB. We’ve also heard that the S23 Plus should have faster UFS 4.0 storage, compared to UFS 3.1 for the S23.
This same leak says that the S23 Plus will get Wi-Fi 7 vs. Wi-Fi 6E for the S23, but we’re not sure we believe that, though Ultrawideband being exclusive to the S23 Plus makes sense. +
One of the unsung features of new Galaxy phones is the software, but we should be learning about quite a few One UI 5.1 features (opens in new tab) today at Samsung Unpacked. According to leaks we’ve seen, Bixby will be able to answer phone calls for you. The caller’s speech will come through as text, and then you can type back and Bixby will read your responses aloud.
Other One UI 5.1 features should include quick access to the Expert RAW app, a common Shared Family Album, a new battery widget and different wallpapers depending on the mode your phone is in.
The leaker Ice Universe (opens in new tab) is sharing some intel on the Galaxy S23 Ultra ahead of launch. In a tweet they say that “a friend who experienced the S23 Ultra in advance told me that the screen of the S23 Ultra looks clearer than the S22 Ultra, and it seems to be optimized for pictures.”
We’ve only heard so far that the display is a bit flatter on the S23 Ultra but have not heard much about the quality of the panel including. So this is news to us.
A friend who experienced the S23 Ultra in advance told me that the screen of the S23 Ultra looks clearer than the S22 Ultra, and it seems to be optimized for pictures.February 1, 2023
Yeesh, another last-minute leak appears to have been posted on Weibo and then tweeted, showing off what looks like a promotional video for the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
The 200MP camera has been touted, as well as strong gaming performance and the all-day-and-beyond battery life. No surprises here, but we almost feel sorry for Samsung as it looks like it’ll have no secrets to spill at Unpacked.
Introducing the new Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. Official Introduction #GalaxyUnpacked #SamsungUnpacked #GalaxyS23Ultra pic.twitter.com/PRHdQ0qgpYFebruary 1, 2023
We’d be curious to hear about what you’d like to see from the Galaxy Unpacked showcase. Are you excited for the Galaxy S23 Ultra? Do you want the standard Galaxy S23, thanks to what looks set to be a perfect smartphone size? Or are you more excited for the next-gen Galaxy Book reveals?
Let us know by tweeting @tomsguide (opens in new tab) or visiting the Tom’s Guide Facebook (opens in new tab) page. And for other quick-fire news, check out the Tom’s Guide TikTok account (opens in new tab).
If you’re pondering on what Galaxy S23 phone might be right for you, then serial leaker of alleged marketing materials and specs sheets, Roland Quandt, has posted an official looking specs list that compares all three models of the Galaxy S23.
Naturally the Galaxy S23 Ultra has the big specs. But the Galaxy S23 isn’t to be ignored, especially as it looks to be more of a step up from its predecessor than the Galaxy S23 Ultra is over the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
So we’re now under four hours out from the first Galaxy Unpacked event of 2023. And still the leaks and tips keep coming.
Somewhat reliable tipster Ishan Agarwal claims the Galaxy S23 range will go on sale February 17 in India, and claims that’ll be the same date for international launch. So we could be looking at the Galaxy S23 being ready to buy in some 16 days and a few hours. Take such claims with a pinch of salt, but also we’re sure to find out very soon when exactly the Galaxy S23 range will arrive and for how much.
It seems like Samsung Galaxy S23 Series Deliveries & Open Sales in 🇮🇳 India will start on February 17 itself, acc. to my sources, like other international markets.Hopefully no delays & stock issues.#GalaxyS23 #SamsungUnpacked #GalaxyUnpacked pic.twitter.com/nXsuI4ZqSyFebruary 1, 2023
If you’ve already made your mind up about the Galaxy S23 you can reserve it now and snag yourself a neat $50 of Samsung Credit that can be used in the company’s online store. Check out the deal box below for more details.
And if you decide to get “the next Galaxy” and Galaxy Book at the same time, you can get $100 in credit.
If you’re coming from a Galaxy phone that’s two or three years old, such as the Galaxy S21 or Galaxy S10, then it might be time to really consider an upgrade.
Past Galaxy S releases have featured different color options for different models. That’s apparently changing with the Galaxy S23 colors, which will be the same regardless of whether you’re opting for the base Galaxy S23 model or the high-end Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Specifically, multiple rumors point to black, green, lavender and cream options for all three Galaxy S23 models. A new rumor indicates that you may be able to opt for some exclusive colors if you order your phone directly from Samsung. Exclusive Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus options reportedly include light blue and light green, while the S23 Ultra could feature gray and red possibilities.
Someone at the AT&T store in Atlanta could be in trouble, as the company’s Brookhaven store website posted details of the Galaxy S23 with a quartet of colors: a form of green, what appears to be a take on Phantom Black, lavender and cream. The listing appears to have been removed, but not before Cnet (opens in new tab) gathered the details.
Alongside the listing, a suite of features and specs were detailed, effectively confirming what we already know about the Galaxy S23 via other tips and leaks; for example, the presence of a 6.6-inch display and 50-megapixel main camera. This also shows us that as usual, the major networks are likely gearing up to offer the new Galaxy S23 range.
The Galaxy Book 3 Ultra should be launching today as the first Ultra laptop in Samsung’s lineup and @TheGalox_ (opens in new tab) on Twitter has leaked some details. This includes a 3K Dynamic AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and the ability to cover 120% of the DCI-P3 color space. That’s an impressive screen.
Another aspect of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 that has us intrigued is the chipset’s promised power savings. That’s crucial to the Galaxy S23 series, as the Galaxy S22 didn’t really impress when it came to battery life.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra had the best battery life (and the biggest battery) of last year’s phones, holding out for 10 hours and 18 minutes on our battery test, in which phones surf the web over cellular until they run out of power. Even that result was only achieved by turning off the phone’s adaptive refresh rate. The Galaxy S22 Plus finished in line with the average smartphone, while the Galaxy S22 was 2 hours off that pace.
The bottom line: There’s a lot of room for improvement here, especially with two of Apple’s four iPhone 14 models landing on our best phone battery life list.
With all the Galaxy S23 secrets spilled, you might wonder if it’s worth going to the trouble of watching the Galaxy Unpacked 2023 livestream. Well, naturally we’ll bring you all the best news right here. But at the same time, seeing how exactly Samsung will put its phones’ new specs and features to use is likely to be intriguing.
Plus we’re set to see the new Galaxy Book laptops, notably the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra, which could bring in a very neat laptop to challenge the likes of the Dell XPS 15 and MacBook Air M2.
We interrupt some of our musing to bring you some breaking news: leaker Evan Blass has basically spilled every secret of the Galaxy S23 range on Twitter, posting specs and features lists.
This all but confirms a lot of what we’ve already heard about the Galaxy S23 range, but interesting elements include a new Nightography mode for better low-light photography. And a “more than all day battery” is expected to feature on the Galaxy S23 Ultra; fingers crossed for that.
If you’re wondering why the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 that’s likely to power the Galaxy S23 models is generating so much interest, look no further than the promised performance improvements that Qualcomm’s latest silicon is set to deliver. According to the chip maker, CPU performance should be 35% faster and 40% more power efficient than what the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 was capable of. GPU performance should also jump by 25%, while power efficiency sees a 45% improvement.
We’ve only had a chance to run Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 benchmarks on a Qualcomm-supplied reference unit and not the customized version of the chipset the Galaxy S23 is likely to feature. But what we saw impressed us — the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 device finished ahead of an A15 Bionic-powered iPhone 14 in a number of tests, including Geekbench 5. It even beat the A16 Bionic powering the iPhone 14 Pro on some graphics benchmarks.
Obviously, we want to see if those numbers hold up once we put Samsung’s new phones to the test.
It’ll be the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s 200MP camera that’s set to steal the headlines. While having more pixels isn’t an indication of quality, in this case it could give the S22 Ultra’s image processing more data to use and thus let it deliver better detailed photos. You should also be able to crop in on images and reframe your shots after the fact.
In fact, if Samsung nails this it could see me swap from my iPhone to the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Time and testing will tell…
Cameras are always a focal point when a new flagship phone comes out, especially when it comes from Samsung. With Galaxy S handsets among the usual suspects when we rank the best camera phones, we’re especially eager to see how the new models compare to what Apple and Google have out.
Last year’s Galaxy S22 series already enjoyed a big zooming edge over those rivals, especially the Ultra model, which offers two telephoto lenses that provide a 3x and 10x optical zoom, respectively. Those lenses are slated to return to the Galaxy S23 Ultra, so expect Samsung to fare well in any telephoto comparison.
The real story here is the 200MP front camera, which should not only capture 200MP images but make use of pixel-binning for brighter, richer images. We’ve summarized all the rumored Galaxy S23 camera features, including what we expect for the less expensive Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus models.
For all the key rumors so far, check out our Samsung Galaxy S23 cheat sheet. That should give you a pretty good idea of what to expect from the Galaxy S23 range.
Expect a small evolution for the Galaxy S23 Ultra, building upon the foundations of the Galaxy S22 Ultra. But get ready for bigger changes with the Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus, which are expected to sport a fresh new design, dropping the Contour Cut camera module for a trio of cameras embedded into the rear of the phones.
Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2023 doesn’t start until later on today (6 p.m. for early-bird U.K. readers). But in the run-up to the showcase, we’re expecting to see last-minute leaks.
Case in point, the base 128GB Galaxy S23 could come with slower storage than the 256GB models. That’s due to the 128GB model making use of UFS 3.1 storage, rather than the faster UFS 4.0 standard. In real-world terms, expect a Galaxy S23 with UFS 4.0 to load apps and files much faster.
Good morning and welcome to the first big Samsung launch day of 2023. Today we’re expecting to see the Galaxy S23 range, as well as new Galaxy Book laptops.
Will there be some surprises? Well, we don’t know, but Samsung could have something up its sleeve to tease for what’s coming in 2023. Otherwise expect deep dives into new flagship phones and slick new laptops.
Samsung plans to stream Galaxy Unpacked from its Samsung Newsroom site. You can also watch the official Galaxy Unpacked livestream on YouTube (opens in new tab) or via the embedded feed above.