The Samsung Galaxy S22 series is still relatively new on the scene, but it’s never too early to start dreaming of a new flagship from the mighty South Korean mobile maker. In this case, that means a device likely to be called the Galaxy S23 and, as was the case this year, come in three models: the S23, S23 Plus, and S23 Ultra.

Read on as we explain more, including our predictions for the Galaxy S23 release date, price, specs and more. All the news and rumours you need are right here in one handy place.

Latest Galaxy S23 rumors and details

The Galaxy S23 rumour mill has started firing up in recent weeks, with the first major piece of gossip representing something of a bombshell, if it turns out to be true. According to a Business Korea report, Samsung is mulling a switch to MediaTek’s next top-of-the-line processor for the S23 – a move which would see it ditch long-time chip supplier Qualcomm and its Snapdragon SoCs.

The fine print of the report points to Samsung trialling a MediaTek deployment in the Galaxy S22 FE later this year. If that proves to be a success, it could then do the same for the Galaxy S23 units intended for the Asia-Pacific market next year, whilst still delivering the S23 with the high-end Snapdragon processor more familiar in regions like North America.

Such a strategy would then potentially see Samsung shipping a total of three different SoCs with the Galaxy S23 around the world, as Europe and select other markets get Samsung’s home-brewed premium Exynos chipset in their units – much to the chagrin of many Galaxy fans who view the Snapdragon-equipped model as superior.

We’ll have to wait for the final Galaxy S23 specs to break cover to see if this one turns out to be true. It seems unnecessarily complicated to our eye, to adopt a third chip provider for such a major product, but then again Samsung does already use MediaTek chips in some of its other Galaxy wares, like the Galaxy A13.

Elsewhere, Twitter tipster Ross Young also claims to put to bed rumours that Samsung is set to debut a third foldable phone this year, with the Display Supply Chain Consultants CEO saying that the mystery device codenamed Project Diamond is in fact the S23.

Galaxy S23 release date and price

If there’s one thing we can say with a small degree of certainty, it’s that the Galaxy S23 release date will fall in early-2023. More specifically, we’d predict the Galaxy S23 release date would be in February 2023.

Take a look at the last five Galaxy flagship release dates and you’ll see why.

• Galaxy S22 release date: February 9, 2022
• Galaxy S21 release date: January 14, 2021
• Galaxy S20 release date: February 11, 2020
• Galaxy S10 release date: February 20, 2019
• Galaxy S9 release date: February 25, 2018

Barring an anomaly in 2021 when the world was at peak Covid, Samsung has consistently released its new Galaxy S series in February each year. If we look even further back, there are a couple of March appearances as well but no radical divergence from the pattern, so the smart money is definitely on Q1 2023.

When it comes to the Galaxy S23 price, there are a lot of variables – namely if you’re after the Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23 Plus, or Galaxy S23 Ultra.

Based on the S22 series, you’re looking at at least £769 for the base model and £1,149 or more if you want the super-sized, super-ritzy Ultra version. This is obviously only strictly relevant to this year’s phones, but similar costs can be expected for the next outing, barring any major change in Samsung’s strategy.

Galaxy S23 features: what we want to see

The Galaxy S22 series was pretty impressive, with our 5-star Galaxy S22 Ultra review, in particular, running out of superlatives. However, there are a couple of tweaks Samsung could make next time out that would make a good product even better.

Expandable storage

All of our Galaxy S22 appraisals were unanimous in saying that Samsung missed a trick by not including the option to expand storage in its latest Galaxy phones. With 5G rollout now gathering pace and large-display smartphones like the Galaxy S Plus and Ultra devices serving as a primary streaming device for many users, this need is only going to be greater next year.

Super-fast charging

The Galaxy S22 didn’t exactly lack a good battery – it was perfectly serviceable – it’s more that smartphones can never have a big enough battery, given the ever-increasing demands that are being placed on them. But shoving a bigger cell under the hood inevitably means making compromises on design, so what’s the modern handset hawker to do?

Super-fast charging is one solution, and at MWC 2022 we saw some pretty insane tech on display, not least on the Honor Magic 4 Pro, where 100W juicing allows it to go from flat to full in as little as 30 minutes. As far as compromises go, this is the best that’s on offer right now and we wouldn’t be surprised if Samsung had something similar in mind – at least for the more premium S23 Ultra.

Bundles of joy

Closely related to this, we’re getting a bit bored of smartphone manufacturers scrimping and refusing to bundle their fast-charging accessories with the handset. When you’re paying a grand or more for a new blower, you really shouldn’t need to buy accessories separately to use your device to its full potential.

It’s a pain in the arse at best, and just plain cheap at worst. Samsung’s far from the only guilty party here, but one of the big players needs to buck this unfortunate trend soon before it becomes another ‘new normal’ we suffer in silence.