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Samsung is expected to announce its 2023 flagship smartphones in the coming weeks, and when it does it will most likely launch its premium models with a storage upgrade – but that means we should also expect a price hike.
The base models of the Samsung Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22 Plus and Galaxy S22 Ultra all have 128 GB of storage. However, multiple speakers have now teased that the Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus and Ultra models will instead offer a minimum of 256GB, ditching the smaller storage option.
Reliable tipster Ahmed Qwalder (opens in new tab) leaked this change in early January, and now another generally reliable leaker, Snoopy Tech (opens in new tab)has said that the Plus and Ultra models will drop their 128GB version.
Specifically, the speakers claim that we will see the following S23 options:
- Samsung Galaxy S23
- 128 GB storage / 8 GB RAM
- 256 GB storage / 8 GB RAM
- Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus
- 256 GB storage / 8 GB RAM
- 512 GB storage / 8 GB RAM
- Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
- 256 GB storage / 8 GB RAM
- 512 GB storage / 12 GB RAM
- 1 TB storage / 12 GB RAM
In the case of the largest S23 Ultra variant with 1TB storage / 12GB RAM, SnoopyTech says it may be exclusive to the Samsung store, but we’ll have to wait and see what is announced.
In addition to storage details, the same leaker also appears to have revealed the color options: Botanic Green, Misty Lilac, Phantom Black, Cotton Flower, and “More only through Samsung Store.” It’s unclear what other colors Samsung will make exclusive to its store, but we could see the return of shades like Rose Pink and Phantom Red, which were available for the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S21 smartphones.
There are no details yet on the prices – signs currently point to a February 1 launch for the phones, so it probably won’t be too long before we find out more about the latest smartphones – but we suspect the new 265GB base models of the S23 Plus and Ultra won’t match the 128GB base version of older generations in terms of cost .
Instead, we’re likely to see the cheapest S23 Plus and Ultra get a premium price to match the cost of the earlier 256GB models; meaning Samsung’s enhanced smartphone experience may become less affordable. That said, there’s a chance Samsung proves us wrong, and we sure hope it does.
If you can’t wait for the S23 to launch and need a phone now, why not check out our pick of the best Android phones to buy today?