Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: latest rumors and everything we know so far
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The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra has the potential be one of the best phones of 2023, and there’s not long to wait for it, as Samsung is set to unveil the S23 series at Galaxy Unpacked 2023 on February 1.
We’re expecting to see the vanilla Samsung Galaxy S23 and the Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus as well, but the Ultra will be the top model, and the one with the very best specs and features.
And while it’s coming soon, you don’t even need to wait until the unveiling to learn a lot about it, because the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra has been extensively leaked. Below you’ll find all the credible leaks and rumors that have emerged so far.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? Samsung’s next top flagship phone
- When is it out? February 1
- How much will it cost? Expect an extremely high price
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: release date and price
- Announcement expected on February 1
- The price might be slightly higher than last year
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is expected to land at Galaxy Unpacked 2023 on February 1. This kicks off on Wednesday, February 1, at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm GMT, on 5am AEDT on February 2 for those in Australia.
It will be streamed online, so check out how to watch the Samsung Galaxy S23 launch online live. Of course, you can also just head to TechRadar, because we’ll be covering the announcement in full, as it happens.
There’s no confirmation of when the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra will actually ship, but one leak points to February 17, and a pre-order incentive for the phone ends on February 16, which also suggests a February 17 ship date.
We’d expect you’ll be able to place your order shortly after the announcement though, and in fact you can already reserve one (opens in new tab) if you’re in the US.
Hopefully, you’ve been saving though, because the consensus from leaks seems to be that the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra will cost more than the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, which for reference starts at $1,199.99 / £1,149 / AU$1,849.
As for the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, one price leak suggests it’ll start at $1,249, which would be for a model with 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM. It would apparently rise to $1,349 for 512GB of storage and 12GB of RAM, and $1,499 for 1TB of storage and 12GB of RAM.
We’ve also heard the possible Australian price, with the phone said to start at AU$1,950 in the region.
So far there isn’t any UK pricing, but based on these leaks it seems likely that the Galaxy S23 Ultra will cost somewhere between £50-£100 more than the S22 Ultra, meaning a starting price of between £1,200 and £1,250.
However, Samsung has revealed that UK buyers will be able to get 512GB for the price of 256GB if they pre-order, which should help a bit. It’s not yet clear whether this scheme will be offered in other regions or not.
For those in other parts of Europe, a leak from Roland Quandt (opens in new tab) suggests a starting price of 1,409 euros.
However, it’s worth noting that leaks suggest the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra will start with 256GB of storage as its baseline, compared to 128GB for the S22 Ultra. In which case, if you compare the rumored S23 Ultra starting prices with the 256GB model of the S22 Ultra (which costs $1,299.99 / £1,249 / AU$1,999), the pricing doesn’t look too bad.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: design
- A very similar design to the S22 Ultra
- Likely to be available in at least four shades
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra could be a lot like the S22 Ultra – at least on the outside. That means an angular, all-screen design, a rear that’s almost rippling with cameras, and a slot for the S Pen stylus that’s sure to be included.
We’ve seen numerous images that show this appearance, including renders, marketing images, dummy units, and cases.
You can see a selection of these shots below (many of which are from an extensive gallery on WinFuture (opens in new tab)) and they all show basically the same thing – namely a phone that looks a whole lot like the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra.
Image 1 of 7
There’s even a leaked hands-on video, which you can see below, again showing a very familiar phone, and a marketing shot of the whole S23 series shared by Evan Blass (opens in new tab).
The weight and dimensions could be very similar to the S22 Ultra too, with one leak pointing to the S23 Ultra being 163.4 x 78.1 x 8.9mm and 233g, versus 163.3 x 77.9 x 8.9mm and 228g on the current model. We’re also expecting an IP68 certification for water resistance, just like the Galaxy S22 Ultra.
The main visual difference could simply be the colors the new phone comes in, as numerous reports suggest that the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra colors include Cotton Flower (cream), Misty Lilac (pink), Botanic Green and Phantom Black. Those are apparently their official names, but lots of other leaks mention shades that sound like they match up with that.
We’ve heard the apparently-official names a number of times too though, and seen images of how they might look, some of which you can see above and below.
Image 1 of 2
One source suggests that there might be other colors too, but these would reportedly be exclusive to Samsung stores.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: display
- Leaks point to a 6.8-inch QHD+ 120Hz screen
- Brighter and tougher than before
As with the overall design of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, we’re not expecting much new from its screen, with spec leaks pointing to a 6.8-inch 1440 x 3088 AMOLED screen with 500 pixels per inch, HDR10+ support, and a 120Hz variable refresh rate (that can drop as low as 1Hz).
That same source suggests the screen will be protected by Gorilla Glass Victus 2, which is an upgrade and should be tougher than the protection on the S22 Ultra’s display.
We’ve heard a less detailed version of these screen specs elsewhere as well, so there’s a good chance this is accurate.
One other upgrade the screen might have though is to its brightness, with a leak suggesting it could be able to reach 2150 nits or more, compared to 1750 nits on the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra.
S23u max brightness, up to 2150 nits”Numbers might be different at launch, due to further adjustments Min 2100Max 2200+Pwz dimming still lose against Q9 ( slightly )below 2kNovember 23, 2022
That said, leaker Roland Quandt (opens in new tab) has since suggested it will stick at 1750 nits, so we’re not sure what’s right here.
Two things we’re not expecting are an under-display camera and improvements to the in-screen fingerprint sensor, with leaks suggesting they’re not on the cards.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: camera and battery
- New 200MP camera likely
- The other lenses could stay the same
The single biggest upgrade on the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra could be its camera, as the main sensor is widely rumored to be a new 200MP one.
Samsung has actually announced multiple 200MP smartphone cameras, with the recent ISOCELL HP2 being the frontrunner for inclusion.
It can be confirmed that S23 Ultra’s night photos are very strong and much better than S22 Ultra’s. I think it’s the biggest improvement of Samsung’s flagship mobile phone in five years.October 27, 2022
Leak suggest this will enable fantastic night shots and the ability to take hyperlapse videos of the sky.
Samsung itself has also teased the capabilities in a short video, pointing to great night and moon shots.
However, the other cameras might not be getting upgraded, with reports pointing to the same 12MP ultra-wide, 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom, and 10MP periscope with 10x optical zoom.
Although the 3x and 10x camera specs are exactly the same as those of the S22 Ultra, the S23 Ultra still has an improvement in telephoto, and the improvement in color and some AI algorithms is obvious.October 28, 2022
However, the software might have been improved, as leaked camera samples suggest the phone can take better 30x zoom shots than its predecessor. These samples also show off the phone’s impressive night mode capabilities.
Then again, a second set of leaked camera samples are more of a mixed bag, so it remains to be seen just how well the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s cameras can actually perform.
There might also be some new software, such as the ability to save RAW photos at 50MP quality, and a Pro mode for the selfie camera. We’ve also heard that the focusing and anti-shake might be better than before on this phone.
Speaking of the selfie camera, that might get a 12MP sensor, according to one report, though as the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra has a 40MP selfie camera, that seems odd.
As for the battery, we’re not expecting changes there, with leaks suggesting the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is sticking with a 5,000mAh battery, 45W wired charging, and either 15W or 10W wireless charging.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: specs and features
- Expect a powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset
- Leaks point to 8GB or 12GB of RAM
The thing we’re most sure of, with regards to expectations for the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, is that it will have a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, as not only has that been extensively rumored but it’s the obvious choice – at least in some parts of the world.
However, while previous models have also used Exynos chipsets in some regions, reports suggest the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra will use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset everywhere.
Better yet, this could be an enhanced version of the chipset, making it better here than in non-Samsung phones – and this is already the top Android chipset available.
Reportedly, this chipset will allow for a 36% increase in processor speed, a 48% increase in graphics performance, and a 60% increase in neural processing compared to the Galaxy S22 Ultra.
Leaker Yogesh Brar (opens in new tab) suggests that future phones in the Galaxy S line could get exclusive versions of Snapdragon chipsets too, so this might not be a one off.
The tweet above is part of a recent leak that detailed just about everything there is to know in terms of specs when it comes to the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
As for RAM, leaks point to a choice of 8GB or 12GB, while for storage we’re expecting 256GB, 512GB and 1TB options. Though the 1TB model might be exclusive to Samsung stores.
Beyond that, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra will, of course, support 5G and it might also offer emergency satellite communications. We’ve also heard talk of improvements to the speakers and microphone, so audio could be impressive here.
Finally, for software the phone is sure to run Android 13, likely overlaid with Samsung’s One UI 5.1 interface.
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