The Galaxy S23 — one of 2023’s most-anticipated smartphones — remains unofficially announced by Samsung. Luckily, the company tends to have a consistent and predictable schedule when it comes to its hardware releases. We still have some waiting to do before the S23 lineup is official, but the seemingly constant stream of leaks and rumors surrounding the smartphone have already painted a pretty good picture of what fans can expect from it.
As we wait for official confirmation on the Galaxy S23 from Samsung itself, here’s a quick roundup of everything we know so far.
Samsung Galaxy S23 models
The “normal” S23 should offer the core Galaxy S23 experience in a smaller form factor and at the lowest price. The S23+ will likely offer a bigger display and battery in exchange for a higher price. Lastly, for folks who want the very best that Samsung has to offer, that’s where the S23 Ultra should come into play. Offering the largest screen and best specs, the S23 Ultra will also be priced the highest.
One image from known leaker Ice Universe gives us a good look at what to expect from each of the phones in terms of their size differences based on screen protector accessories. As expected, the base S23 is the smallest, the S23+ is slightly larger, and the S23 Ultra is the biggest, sporting a less rounded design.
Of course, this is all assuming Samsung follows its usual release cadence. In 2021, we saw us the S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra. Then, 2022 gave us the S22, S22+, and S22 Ultra. We have no reason to believe Samsung is changing that strategy for 2023, especially since we’ve seen plenty of credible leaks for all three devices. For now, the S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra all seem like safe bets.
Galaxy S23 design
A handful of leaked photos of dummy units (nonfunctional versions of the devices) for the entire S23 line were shared online in mid-December. The images mostly line up with rumors and leaked renders we’ve seen making the internet rounds, so there aren’t a whole lot of major surprises.
Mostly, it seems likely that the devices in the Galaxy S23 line are going to look very similar to those found in the S22 line. This is to be expected, as most smartphone manufacturers tend to make incremental changes with each year’s design. However, the base S23 and the S23 Ultra seem to be nearly identical to their predecessors, with the only noticeable changes being slight differences in the camera layout and the edges. In fact, a recent leak says that the S23 Ultra will have the exact same dimensions as the S22 Ultra.
In terms of the edges, the Galaxy S23 likely has a slight change in its curvature. Instead of the more rounded edges seen in the S22, the S23 is going to be adopting a squarer look that reduces the curvature of the glass — at least according to Ice Universe. While not a huge change in design, it’s one that may impact how the S23 feels to hold, as its harsher edges may give users a better grip on their devices.
The reason for the change in the S23’s edges appears to be the result of a new metal frame used internally. It seems to be a little bit wider on the edges, necessitating a sharper curve than we’ve seen before in Galaxy devices.
