The Samsung Galaxy S23 could be the most powerful phone you can buy when it hits the market early next year.
This comes from a leak on 91mobiles.com (opens in new tab) which suggests that Samsung’s next mainstream flagship (read: flat phone) will use the as-yet-unannounced Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen2 chipset. The current king of smartphone chips, Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, has recently started shipping to flagship phones including the new OnePlus 10T.
Qualcomm is expected to announce its next-generation smartphone chipset later this year, but a November or December announcement won’t give manufacturers time to get the chip into phones in time for the December holiday sales season. The Samsung Galaxy S23 will likely be announced in February 2023, if the Galaxy S phone launch date is a guide. This would be the perfect time to introduce a new class-leading chip.
Samsung may deserve the prize for being the first to use Snapdragon 8 Gen2. Recent news suggests that Samsung is switching the next two generations of Galaxy S phones entirely to Qualcomm’s chips instead of using its own Samsung Exynos chipset in a small portion of global shipments.
It’s likely that every Galaxy S23 sold worldwide will pack the same chip, and if that chip is the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, Qualcomm will have a big win.
The anonymous “Ice Universe” leaker with a solid reputation for accuracy, also claims that the Galaxy S23 will get a 5000 mAh battery. It would be great if such a large battery ended up in the smallest Galaxy S23, but we’ll hold off on judgment until we know for sure. The current Galaxy S22 Ultra uses a 5000mAh battery, while the smaller Galaxy S22 uses a middling 3700mAh cell.
Analysis: Samsung plays to win
Not every phone maker tries to launch a perfect device, the fastest or the most durable or the best. Google calls its Pixel (opens in new tab) “the smartest and fastest Pixel ever” on its sales site. Samsung is not satisfied with beating itself, Samsung wants to beat everyone.
To do this, it needs to source the best parts. It has to have the best screen (check), the best cameras (check?), and the best chipset. For a few years now, that’s meant whatever Snapdragon chipset Qualcomm has launched recently. No matter which phones launch over the holidays with Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chips, Samsung is poised to lead the way as the new year rolls around.