A new FCC certification has surfaced for the Samsung Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus, and it looks like good news.
The model numbers in the listing are SM-S911B and SM-S916B, which are believed to be the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus respectively by MySmartPrice. According to that listing, the phones both have a Qualcomm system-on-a -chip. This is likely the newly revealed Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, though Samsung has been tipped to get a custom version,
Arguably the most interesting specs included in the FCC listing are the battery sizes.
The Galaxy S23 should have a 3,900 mAh battery, which is 200 mAh more than the Galaxy S22’s 3,700 mAh cell. In our testing, in which we set the Galaxy S22's screen to 150 nits and had it surf the web over a 5G cellular connection until it ran out of power, the Galaxy S22 managed 7 hours and 51 minutes in its adaptive mode.
A 200 mAh bump might not be a huge upgrade. But combined with the efficiency improvements promised by a new chipset, the Galaxy S23 should offer more battery life than its predecessor.
The Galaxy S23 Plus is expected to use a 4,700 mAh battery, which offers 200 mAh more than the Galaxy S22 Plus’ battery. The former phone managed 9 hours 46 minutes in our testing in its adaptive mode. Again, more electrical juice in reserve, a new chip and likely better energy saving measures should see the Galaxy S23 Plus offer a battery life upgrade that pushes it toward our best phone battery life list.
Going by the FCC listing, 25W fast charging also appears to feature once again in a Samsung Galaxy flagship range. That means the 45W charging of the Galaxy S22 Ultra may not end up filtering down to the Galaxy S23.
Early February Galaxy S23 launch?
Samsung fans should get ready for February, as that's when the South Korean tech giant looks like it's going to launch the Samsung Galaxy S23 range.
February has been touted for a while as the likely launch date for Samsung’s next flagship Android phones, though a conflicting rumor tips January for a potential launch date. However, a new report from Korea Joongang Daily, citing insider information from a Samsung executive, has the Galaxy S23 range pegged for an early February reveal in the U.S. at one of Samsung's Unpacked events.
This tends to back up other rumors we’ve seen and would be in line with the February 2022 launch of the Galaxy S22 range. The Galaxy S21 was launched in January, but that was more of an exception to the norm, with flagship Galaxy S-series phones mostly being launched February or later on in the spring.
We expect the Galaxy S23 lineup to be made up of the standard Galaxy S23, the Galaxy S23 Plus offering a larger display, and the Galaxy S23 Ultra offering a large do-everything phone with the S Pen, following in the footsteps of the Galaxy S22 Ultra. And after its reveal we can be fairly confident that the Galaxy S23 will then be released a week or so after its unveiled, ready to hunt for a spot on our best Android phones list.
Other Galaxy S23 rumors so far
While not mentioned in the FCC listing, the Galaxy S23 is rumored to feature a 6.1-inch 1080p display with a 120Hz refresh rate, while the Galaxy S23 Plus should bump its display to 6.6 inches. Again, these are the same specs as their respective S22 predecessors.
We’ve haven't spotted an FCC listing for the Galaxy S23 Ultra yet, But it’s expected to look very similar to its predecessor. The main upgrade being touted by tech tipsters is a 200-megapixel camera.
More megapixels doesn’t always equate to better quality photos. But equally being able to capture more detail and have the scope to suck in more light could really give the Galaxy S23 Ultra a photography upgrade over its predecessor and take on the iPhone 14 Pro Max and Google Pixel 7 Pro on our best camera phone list.
With 2023 looming, we've not got long to wait until the Galaxy S23 range gets a showcase. But it’ll need to bring its A-game to be a contender for the top spot on our best phones list and offer current Galaxy S phone users a compelling upgrade.
