There could be more Samsung Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Ultra camera updates coming than we thought, according to some freshly harvested leaks.
First off, it seems the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus could get a telephoto camera upgrade, as ETNews claims there will be 50MP, 12MP and 11MP cameras on the back of these models. The Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus use 50MP main, 12MP ultrawide and 10MP 3x telephoto cameras, so by process of elimination, it looks like the telephoto camera could receive a small resolution bump.
There's no mention of if this would mean a change in the 3x zoom as well, but increasing that would be a good move. It would help Samsung compete with the 5x zoom on the Google Pixel 7 Pro, which, even with this superior zoom and its larger size, still costs roughly the same as the basic Galaxy S22. (The Pixel 7 Pro starts at $899 while the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus start at $799 and $999, respectively.)
The ETNews report also claims there will be a 12MP selfie camera on all models, matching with rumors we've heard before for the basic and Plus models. This would be a resolution increase for the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus from their S22 counterparts, but if it applies for the Ultra model too, as ETNews suggests, then this could be seen as a downgrade.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra uses a 40MP camera, which is obviously a higher resolution than 12MP. However, camera quality is ruled by more than just the megapixel count. If the sensor is larger, for example, or the aperture wider, this could mean the S23 Ultra would still take better selfie photos than its higher-res predecessor.
Finally, we have a leak from Steve "OnLeaks" Hemmerstoffer and 91Mobiles for Samsung's next mid-priced smartphone, the Galaxy A54. If it looks familiar, then you've been paying attention to the leaks, as it seems to be following the Galaxy S23's rumored example and adopting a Galaxy S22 Ultra-style back panel with separated camera lenses.
Samsung usually launches its new Galaxy A phones in the spring to early-summer time frame, as opposed to the start of the year like the Galaxy S series. It'll take longer to find out if this leak is accurate, but as it stands, it adds weight to the evidence that Samsung's trying to unify the look of its smartphone portfolio, including the Galaxy S23 series.
We're expecting the Galaxy S23 to arrive sometime between January and March, going by leaks and Samsung's typical launch windows. As well as the camera changes above, we'll also be looking for the rumored new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, larger batteries for the regular and Plus versions of the phone, and the new 200MP sensor tipped for the S23 Ultra's main camera.
