Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Rumors, Specs, Launch
Samsung S23 Series won’t be official until February of next year, but this has not stopped enthusiasts from speculating about the phones. Recently, the upcoming S23 Ultra has been popping up on different certification sites, revealing much of its specifications. In this article, we will discuss everything about the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Rumors Roundup:
200MP ISOCELL Sensor
After sticking to 108MP sensors for a few years, trying to perfect it, Samsung now looks ready to leap to 200MP cameras with the S23 Ultra. Obviously, a 200MP sensor is not anything new since multiple phones have had it in 2022.
The first phone with a 200MP camera was Motorola Edge 30 Ultra with the ISOCELL HP1 sensor. Made by Samsung, it is the first 200MP image sensor for phones and went into mass production just earlier this year. Since then, Samsung has also brought another 200MP sensor, ISOCELL HP3, for more affordable phones.
However, reports suggest the S23 Ultra will use neither of the two sensors. Samsung will unveil an entirely new sensor for its flagship of 2023. S23 Ultra will have a 200MP primary camera with a yet-to-be-named 1/1.3” sensor with 0.6µm. This puts it between the HP1 and HP3, which have 1/1.22” and 1/1.4” sensor sizes, respectively. The new sensor will take 12MP photos by default with pixel binning. Likewise, it will enable 8K recording at 30fps in contrast to 24fps on previous generations.
The rest of the camera setup will be more or less the same. We are looking at two telephoto lenses with 3X and 10X optical zoom, respectively. While the certification sites list the two telephoto cameras as 12MP, they are believed to be 10MP sensors, with Samsung upscaling their output to 12MP.
Overclocked Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
After failing to overcome criticism about Exynos chips’ performance, Samsung may finally be done with its in-house chipsets. A few months ago, Qualcomm representatives hinted that the next Galaxy S series would be an all-Snapdragon affair.
China’s TENAA listing also hints at the same. Samsung is apparently using an overclocked version of the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip on the S23 Ultra. The “Prime” Arm Cortex-X3 core, in particular, is clocked at a higher 3.36GHz against the usual 3.2GHz. Likewise, the Immortalis-based Adreno 740 is also said to have a higher clock speed on the S23 Ultra.
Also, there is no sign of an 8/128GB memory variant in the listing, with the S23 Ultra starting with 8/256GB. However, it could be a China-only thing. Likewise, the most expensive model will have 12GB RAM and 1TB of storage.
Satellite Communication on Galaxy smartphones
One feature TENAA didn’t shed light on but is likely to be part of the Galaxy S23 Ultra anyway is satellite communication. Honor has the first mainstream brand to add this to the Mate 50 series in China. Apple popularized the feature in the US with the iPhone 14 series and is currently expanding it to other regions. Samsung looks to be keen to join in on the bandwagon.
Samsung Galaxy S23 series, including the Ultra model, will have this feature. But like the iPhone 14, it will be limited to select regions at the launch. According to the rumors, Samsung will be using Iridium’s network of low-orbit satellites. Samsung’s solution is also thought to have more functionality than Apple’s, but we will have to wait to see if that will actually be the case.
Rumored Specs
Moving on, Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra will feature a 6.8-inch QHD+ AMOLED screen with 3088 x 1440 pixels. It will pack a 4,855mAh battery which the company will officially list as 5,000mAh. The phone will ship with the latest One UI 5 skin based on Android 13. We also expect Samsung to provide at least 4 years of Android updates.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Specifications (Rumored):
- Body: 163.4 x 78.1 x 8.9mm, 233 grams, IP68 rated, Gorilla Glass Victus+, Aluminum frame, S-pen support
- Display: 6.8-inches Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O, Gorilla Glass Victus+, Adaptive 120Hz refresh rate, Vision Booster
- Resolution: QHD+ (3088 x 1440 pixels)
- Chipset: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 5G (4nm Mobile platform)
- CPU: Octa-core (1x Cortex-X3 + 2x Cortex-A715 + 2x Cortex-1710 + 3x Cortex-A510)
- GPU: Adreno 740
- RAM: 8/12GB LPDDR5
- Storage: 256/512GB, up to 1TB UFS internal storage
- Software & UI: One UI 5 on top of Android 13
- Rear Camera: Quad (with LED flash)
– 200MP primary lens, OIS, PDAF
– 12MP ultra-wide-angle lens, 120º FOV
– 10MP telephoto lens, 3x optical zoom
– 10MP telephoto lens, 10x optical zoom - Security: Ultrasonic fingerprint sensor
- Battery: 5000mAh with 45W fast charging, 15W wireless charging
- Connectivity: Satellite communication, 5G, Wi-Fi 6EBluetooth 5.2, Ultra Wide Band
Samsung S23 Ultra Launch Date (Expected)
The Galaxy S23 Ultra will be unveiled, alongside the S23 and S23+, at the first Unpacked event of 2023. Though the exact date of the launch is still clouded in mystery, the event is reported to take place in February.
| Smartphone Series | Launch Date (Expected) |
| Samsung S23 Series | February 2023 |
- Meanwhile, check out our travel vlog made with the Galaxy S22 Ultra.
