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Samsung Galaxy S23 rumor roundup

January 31, 2023 Thina Hareesh Leave a comment

The highly anticipated release of Samsung’s latest flagship series, the S23, is just around the corner. In preparation for that, here is a roundup of all the rumors and leaks to give a sneak peek for what is to come.

Familiar options with some design tweaks

samsung galaxy s23 colors.jpg — Fresh new series, fresh new colors. Image source: Android Authority

The S23 series will feature three variants as its predecessor; the standard S23, S23 plus and the premium S23 Ultra. From leaked renders, all three devices look fairly similar to their S22 counterparts, with the S23 Ultra bearing the larger form factor and silhouette of the defunct Note series. On the rear, is the same 3 camera set up for the S23 Plus and S23 with a four-camera set up for the Ultra. A slight change is that the Ultra’s camera set up now sits in individual circular cutouts instead of the raised housing, giving it a cleaner look. There will be new colors available for the series with pink, beige, green and the classic Phantom Black options.

Goodbye Exynos and hello 200MP shooter for the S23 Ultra

Cleaner design for the camera housing and a new 200MP main shooter for the S23 Ultra. Image source: SamMobile.

The big news of course is the end of the Exynos variants, as Samsung has opted for a Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 powering the series. There has been talk that a special variant of the chipset will be used, with slightly higher clock speeds for its primary CPU and its Adreno GPU. With the enhancements of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, we can expect all variants to have great performance and improved battery life.

Samsung’s new 200MP ISOCELL HP2 sensor for the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Image source: SamMobile

The camera on the S23 Ultra has received a fantastic upgrade with a new 200MP shooter. The in house developed sensor, dubbed ISOCELL HP2, offers double the resolution of its predecessor and is expected to offer improved dynamic range and color reproduction. It also features Samsung’s new pixel binning technology, Tetra2pixel, which is expected to improve images in low-lit environments. Thanks to this new sensor, we can expect an improved Night Mode images and Portrait video. The Ultra will now be capable of Space Zoom 100X and Moon Shot for improved astrophotography. The other sensors will be expected to remain the same, with a 10MP 3x telephoto lens, 12MP ultrawide sensor and 10MP 10x periscope. Both the S23 and S23 Plus are expected to retain a 50MP main shooter, 12MP ultrawide and 10MP telephoto lens.

Other hardware and software features

All three devices in the series will run Android 13 out of the box with OneUI 5.1, which remains largely unchanged from 5.0. The series will also debut Google’s Fast Pair feature. which allows faster set up of Android-based peripherals. This feature detects and allows quick pairing of headphones and WearOS smartwatches with just a pop-up. Support for trackers and styluses is expected to arrive soon.

All variants will run the Android 13-based OneUI 5.1 out of the box. Image source: Android Authority

The Ultra is expected to ship with a 6.8-inch QHD+ resolution display, 5000mAh battery and the signature S-Pen. The S23 comes in with a 6.1-inch FHD+ display with a lower capacity 3900 mAh battery while the S23 Plus has a 6.6-inch FHD+ display with 4700mAh battery. Charging speeds are similar as well, with 25W wired charging for the S23, 45W wired charging for the S23 Plus and Ultra, with 15W wireless charging across the board. The IP68 rating is retained for all devices and is now protected with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front and back.

Google Fast Pair finally has a Samsung debut. Image source: GizmoChina

Another notable hardware upgrade is the use of LPDDR5X RAM, which is expected to be both faster and more energy efficient than the S22 series. Memory and storage configurations still remain the same though, with the S23 available in 8GB/128GB or 8GB/256GB variants and S23 Plus in 8GB/256GB and 8GB/512GB variants. The S23 Ultra offers the choice of 8GB or 12GB of RAM with 256GB, 512GB or 1TB of storage.

Pricing and availability

Overall, the S23 series seems to be an incremental upgrade over the S22 series. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing since the S22 series were among the best Android smartphones of 2022. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset across all variants will be a welcome addition as it has shown to be the more reliable and energy efficient chipset over the Exynos series. While the S23 and S23 Plus have only minor changes, the S23 Ultra received some decent upgrades in the camera department.

Leaks from Verizon for pricing of the Galaxy S23 (DM1), S23 Plus (DM2) and S23 Ultra (DM3).
Image source: GSMArena

As for the pricing, a leak from US-based telco Verizon reported via GSMArena shows that prices for all three variants remain the same as the S22 series. The S23 starts at USD 799.99 for the 8GB/128GB variant, the S23 Plus starts at USD 999.99 for the 8GB/256GB variant and S23 Ultra at USD 1199.99 for the 8GB/256GB variant. Previous leaks however have pointed to price increases in other regions. The most prominent being a price increase of up to €300 in Spain, Germany, Netherlands and Belgium, one of the largest price hikes for Samsung, as reported by Forbes. At the moment, there have been no circulating rumors about pricing in Malaysia or South East Asia for that matter, but it seems we may have to expect a price increase for the series.

The S23 series definitely ticks all the boxes to be the top Android device of 2023, but are there more surprises in store for us? We won’t have to wait for too long, as all the details and presumably pre-orders will be available come Galaxy Unpacked on February 2nd.

Sources: GSMArena, Android Authority, SamMobile, GizmoChina, Forbes

Health, Lifestyle, News

Samsung Galaxy Watch5 Series Rumour Round-Up

August 8, 2022 Nur Jeevan Leave a comment

With Samsung’s big Galaxy Unpacked event happening on August 10, we thought it’d be a good time to round up all the rumours behind the devices poised to make their global debut at the event. We’ve already covered all the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 rumours. There’s still one show stopper coming at the event – the Galaxy Watch 5 series.

Better Specs, Maybe a new Sensor

Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4 series was its first outing running OneUI Watch on top of Google’s Wear OS. Even with new software, the company managed to introduce new features and up the ante when it comes to their wearables. It’s going to be an interesting year for the Watch series with Samsung delving deeper into health metrics and applying them to the medical field. In fact, rumours are rife with Samsung bolstering the Watch5 series with an additional body temperature sensor for better tracking of sleep and perhaps other metrics.

Source: 91mobiles
Source: 91mobiles

The Galaxy Watch 5 series will seemingly come with Samsung’s own Exynos W920 processor. The processor was announced last year and specifically built for wearable tech like the Galaxy Watch series. It looks like the series will be consisting of two entries – The Galaxy Watch5 and the Galaxy Watch5 Pro. If you’re wondering where’s the classic? It seems like Samsung will be doing away with the navigator design of the classic for the new Pro.

Minor Design Tweaks with 50 Hours battery

The Watch5 Pro comes with a few design changes – the most obvious being a raised circular bezel. Apparently, this will be where Samsung’s digital rotating bezel feature gets slightly more tactile. In addition, the Pro will also be made of more premium materials including Sapphire Glass and titanium.

Aside from these differences, the Galaxy Watch5 and Watch5 Pro will have similar designs. Samsung’s new design language gives the Galaxy Watch a more sporty and edgy look. The bands are now meeting the body of the Watch and becoming a contiguous fluid structure. It looks like Samsung has also redesigned the straps opting for a design with a clasp or magnet instead of the usual pin and holes we’re used to seeing.

The regular Galaxy Watch5 seems to be continuing the tradition of having two sizes: a 44mm and a 40mm version. These versions will come with different-sized AMOLED displays. The smaller 40mm version is tipped to be coming with a 1.19-inch display while the 44-inch one is tipped for a 1.36-inch display. In addition, it looks like we can expect better battery life with the increased battery size of the Watch5 series. The smaller version is rumoured to come with a 284mAh battery while the larger 44mm version will come with a 410mAh battery. That said, both are expected to deliver about 50 hours of usage on a single charge. It is also rumoured to come with a 10W fast charger in the box.

Rumoured Pricing

According to the leaks, it looks like the Galaxy Watch5 series will be priced at a lower price point than its predecessor. The Watch5 40mm (Bluetooth Only) is rumoured to be retailing at €259 (MYR1,177.13) while the 44mm version will be priced at €286 (MYR1,299.77). The Pro on the other hand will be retailing at €430 (MYR1,954.21) for the 45mm Bluetooth-only option.

Editorial, News

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 Rumour Round-Up

August 8, 2022 Nur Jeevan Leave a comment

With Samsung’s next Unpacked event around the corner, it’s time we looked at the rumours surrounding one of the devices we’re expecting to see – the Galaxy Z Fold 4. We rounded up the rumours surrounding the Flip 4 earlier this week, you can catch up on that here.

Unlike the Flip 4, there aren’t too many rumours surrounding the Z Fold 4. However, the first thing that has surfaced is a possible renaming of the lineup. It looks like the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is getting a rename. Samsung will be streamlining the names and dropping the “Z”. So, moving forward, the Z Fold 4 will simply be the Galaxy Fold 4. While not official just yet, we hope it’s true. Dropping the “Z” simplifies the lineups and gives them both independent identities.
Update (8/8/2022): A new leak shows that Samsung is likely keeping the Galaxy Z moniker.

Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock – A Story of Incremental Improvements

Samsung seems to be opting for a new tick-tock strategy when it comes to its smartphones. This year, we saw the Galaxy S and Galaxy A series retain nearly identical designs to their predecessors. That seems to be the case with the Galaxy Fold 4. Leaked renders from @evleaks and @Onleaks show the familiar design we saw with the Fold 3.

Fold 3 vs Fold 4 display aspect ratio 1024x615 jpg — Source: Twitter (@UniverseIce)

That said, there are minor changes in the sizes of the smartphone that have been rumoured. Of note, it looks like the Galaxy Fold4 will be sporting a different aspect ratio compared to the Fold 3. Up front, on the cover display, the Fold 4 is rumoured to get a slightly wider and shorter panel with a 23:9 aspect ratio. Inside, the main display will be sporting a 6:5 aspect ratio. That said, it looks like the sizes of displays aren’t changing. The Fold 4 will continue to sport a 6.2-inch HD+ AMOLED display on the cover and a 7.6-inch main QXGA+ AMOLED display. Both are rumoured to retain the 120Hz refresh rate. It will come in a tad smaller with its dimensions at 155 x 130 x 7.1mm.

Powerpacked Internals

The Galaxy Fold4 is also tipped to continue being a full-on flagship. It will be coming with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. It looks like this is being complemented with 12GB RAM and up to 512GB of internal. Doesn’t look like the Fold 4 will support memory expansion via a microSD card. There are rumours that the phone may also have an option with 1TB of internal storage. However, there has been no corroboration so far – so we’d take this particular rumour with a grain of salt.

pic.twitter.com/1kku5CAQdU
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) July 13, 2022

Source: Twitter (@evleaks)

The phone is also tipped to be incorporating a slot for the S-Pen. However, the renders that have surfaced show otherwise. That said, Samsung upped production of S Pens back in April 2022 which could point to it being included in the box with a Fold 4.

It looks like Samsung may be upping the ante when it comes to the fingerprint scanner on the foldable. If the rumours check out, the Fold 4 will be coming with an under-display fingerprint sensor. But this won’t be a normal one, instead, it’s rumoured that the fingerprint sensor will be two-sided. That is to say that one side will be under the cover display and the other under the same place on the main display. However, from the leaked renders, Samsung may have decided against this.

Better Cameras, Same Battery

Together with the updated specifications of the Z Fold 4, it looks like Samsung is finally giving the foldable good cameras. It’s expected that the camera setup for the Z Fold 4 will continue to be a triple camera array. However, it’s getting a bump in the main sensor with a 50-megapixel main sensor. This will continue to be complemented byh a 12-megapixel ultrawide sensor and a 12-megapixel telephoto sensor. The latter is getting a bump from 2x to 3x this year. The underdisplay shooter is expected to make a return on the inner screen. It’s rumoured that this will be a 16-megapixel sensor. The cover display, on the other hand, is getting a 10-megapixel one.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 leaked render 4 jpg

Together with better cameras, the Z Fold 4 is also getting better protection with the rumoured inclusion of Gorilla Glass Victus+. However, when it comes to battery, it seems like we may bee gettingthe same 4,400mAh battery we saw last year. It also looks like the Fold 4 will be giving Samsung’s 45W charging a pass and sticking to the standard 25W charging.

Pricing & Availability

We’re expecting the prices of foldables to get more affordable this year. This could very well be spearheaded by the price point of the Z Fold 4 if rumours are true. Last year, the Fold 3 came in at USD$1,799 a USD$200 price drop from the previous year. This trend may just continue this year especially with rumours pointing to a price drop on b othe the Fold and the Flip.

Source: 91mobiles.com
Source: 91mobiles.com
Source: 91mobiles.com

Samsung has already been offering a an MYR200 voucher if you tune in to their website if you pre-register for a pre-order. The money can be used to redeem a discount on your purchase of their foldable smartphone. Since, this is the case, we expect that pre-orders will begin in select regions immediately after the Unpacked announcement. Given previous announcements and pre-orders, we’re comfortable assuming that Malaysia will be among the first regions to have pre-orders available. We’re expecting availability on the last week of August 2022.

Android, Mobile, News

Samsung Galaxy Flip 4 Rumour Round-Up

August 3, 2022 Nur Jeevan Leave a comment

The Samsung Galaxy Flip 3 was arguably the tipping point for consumers when it came to foldables. It was more accessible and also provided features and experiences that made sense to consumers. This year, with the Samsung Galaxy Flip 4, we’re expecting Samsung to bring a more tailored experience while maintaining the familiar form factor of the Flip series.

Source: 91mobiles.com
Source: 91mobiles.com
Source: 91mobiles.com
Source: 91mobiles.com

With the increasing popularity, it comes as no surprise that Samsung is looking to make their foldables more mainstream and give each model its own identity. To that end, it looks like the Galaxy Z moniker will be laid to rest. The newest generation of foldables is seemingly being rebranded as the Samsung Galaxy Flip 4 and the Galaxy Fold 4 with no “Z”s in sight.

Same, Same But Different

It looks like the Galaxy Flip 4 will be retaining the design of the Flip 3 with minor tweaks. This isn’t new when it comes to Samsung. They’ve already done this with the S22 and even their new Galaxy A series. It seems to be their MO at the moment releasing a smartphone with a new design every few years and tweaking it for the following. This tick-tock strategy may help in the long term as more people become more familiar not only with the brand but also each line’s design cues.

The Galaxy Z Flip4 protective case, the hinge part has also been changed and become very narrow. pic.twitter.com/uEtPHwCUtr
— ICE UNIVERSE (@UniverseIce) June 1, 2022

The Galaxy Flip 4 will be retaining the dual coloured design of the Flip 3. However, there will be minor differences that adapt to the updated tech in the smartphone. The most obvious is apparently the redesigned, slimmer hinge. While it doesn’t look like Samsung is making major changes to the hinge, according to Ice Universe on Twitter, the hinge is now significantly narrower than the Flip 3.

flip4 1024x544 1 — Source: Evan Blass (@evleaks) via 91mobiles.com

Rumours also point to the Galaxy Flip 4 being launched with four colour options: Bora purple, Light Blue, Gray and Gold. The colours are a welcomed update to the colours of the Flip 3 but there are also inklings that there will be a Bespoke edition which will allow for more than 70 colour combinations.

Better Tech. A True Flagship.

While the Galaxy Z Flip and Z Flip 3 were flagships in their own right, their insides left a lot of enthusiasts wanting. The Z Flip, in particular, came with a dated processor and specifications that left us scratching our heads. That seems to be changing with the Flip 4. The Galaxy Flip 4 is rumoured to be coming equipped with the latest and greatest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1. That’s a major upgrade which puts it on par with other flagships that have just been released in the past few months.

Source: 91mobiles.com
Source: 91mobiles.com
Source: 91mobiles.com
Source: 91mobiles.com
Source: 91mobiles.com
Source: 91mobiles.com
Source: 91mobiles.com
Source: 91mobiles.com
Source: 91mobiles.com
Source: 91mobiles.com
Source: 91mobiles.com
Source: 91mobiles.com

That said, the Flip 4 seems to be a little more conservative when it comes to RAM and storage. Rumours indicate that the foldable will be coming with a max of 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. It looks like there will be no support for microSD cards. The lack of microSD card support seems to be an industry standard with smartphones anyways. While there are some rumours that point to a larger 512GB version being available, nothing has been corroborated yet.

The Flip 4 is also rumoured to get a bump in battery capacity as well. While there isn’t anything solid at the moment, it looks like the battery capacity will be rated at about 3,400mAh. However, there are rumours that it may be a larger 3,700mAh. Samsung also looks to be using the same approach to battery technology as the previous Flip smartphones with the battery comprising of two units.

More Cover Display, Same Cameras?

The cover display is also getting a small upgrade. It will be a tad larger at 2.1-inches compared to the 1.5-inches previously. However, the cover display has always depended on its software not its size when it comes to functionality.

On the camera end of things, it looks like Samsung is keeping to the status quo with the dual camera setup we’ve become accustomed to on the Flip. It seems like they will also remain at 12-megapixels with a wide and ultra wide sensor. On the front, we may see the same 10-megapixel sensor or maybe a bump to a larger 32-megapixels as we’ve seen in other Samsung flagships. It also looks like the fingerprint sensor will continue to be integrated into the power button with the Flip 4.

More Affordable? More Premium?

The Galaxy Flip has historically become more affordable with each iteration. The Galaxy Z Flip and Z Flip 5G came at such a premium that it wasn’t the most appealing foldable. However, Samsung changed that with the Z Flip 3. With the Galaxy Flip 4, rumours point to the price getting even more affordable with prices starting at about GBP£900 (MYR4,885.79). That said, more recent rumours indicate a price increase in Europe. We’ll have to wait and see.

Availability

The latest editions of these smartphones are expected to be unveiled later this month on 10 August 2022 during Samsung’s Fall Unpacked press conference. If history is any indication, we can expect pre-orders to follow immediately after the announcement. In fact, Samsung is giving customers an MYR200 voucher to put towards their purchase of the Flip 4 or Fold 4 if you register your interest for the device at Samsung.com.

We’re expecting that the Samsung Galaxy Flip 4 will be commercially available towards the end of August; probably around the 25th of August. This is based on previous announcements of the Galaxy S22 and Fold3.

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