Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra benchmark points to a top chipset but not enough RAM

The Samsung Galaxy S23 and its siblings are probably among the most exciting phones of 2023, and as we get closer to their launch, rumors and leaks are mounting, with the latest being a benchmark for the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.

Spotted by MySmartPrice (opens in new tab), this Geekbench listing points out that the phone has a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset. That’s no real surprise given that – at least in some regions – the Samsung Galaxy S22 line used the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, but it’s good news, as the Gen 2 will likely be the most powerful chipset available for Android phones until the end of the year. Gen 2 Plus or Gen 3 arrives, later in 2023.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 itself isn’t even out yet, but we expect it to debut at Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Summit in mid-November, so it should be in time for the launch of the Galaxy S23 line, which itself is likely to happen next February. year.

It’s worth noting, though, that this benchmark is for a US model of the phone, which makes the included chipset even less surprising given that Snapdragon silicon is almost always used in Samsung’s flagship phones in the region. Some other markets – including the UK – often get Exynos chipsets instead, but there are reports that Snapdragon will be used everywhere this time around.

This isn’t the first time we’ve specifically heard rumors that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is also being used, with a recent leak detailing the specs list from Yogesh Brar (opens in new tab) (through PhoneWorld (opens in new tab)), which also points to that chipset, for example.

This list of specs refers to the stock Samsung Galaxy S23, but we usually see Samsung using the same chipset across the entire Galaxy S range, so that’s no surprise. Nor are the rest of the leaked specs here because, aside from the chipset and a slightly larger 3,900mAh battery, the specs listed are exactly the same as the S22.

In any case, the benchmark isn’t all good news, as it also mentions just 8GB of RAM, which is plenty for most users, but not particularly high for an Ultra phone. It’s not an upgrade on the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra’s starting capacity either – although more expensive versions of that device stretched to 12GB, so we’d expect that again anyway.

Analysis: These probably won’t be the first phones to use a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2

If the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 lands in November and the Samsung Galaxy S23 line in February, then Samsung’s upcoming flagships will likely among the first phones to use the chipset.

After all, it’s only high-end phones that will get the Gen 2, and we don’t expect too much from it in that window.

However, there will likely be at least one to beat Samsung, namely the Xiaomi 13. Based on its past form, it could debut in China in December 2022, and a leaker thinks it could land as early as November.

But the global launch may be later, with the Xiaomi 12 not getting a wider release until April this year. Similarly, Motorola managed to beat even Xiaomi out of the gate last year, with the China-exclusive Edge X30, but, like Xiaomi, the Edge X30’s most like-minded international equivalent (the Edge 30 Pro) didn’t arrive until well into 2022.

As such, the Samsung Galaxy S23 line may still be the first to adopt this chipset in the US, UK, Australia and elsewhere internationally. Plus, Xiaomi phones aren’t coming to the US anyway, so that’s counting the Xiaomi 13 out there.

Unless the S23 line turns out to be drastically different from what these leaks suggest and Samsung somehow manages to drop the ball, all three of the next Galaxy S phones will likely make their way into our roundup of the best. Samsung phones. For those who can’t wait that long, check out our best Black Friday phone deals, constantly updated leading up to Black Friday (November 25) and beyond.