Galaxy S23 Ultra, listed on TENAA. Phone nears launch

The Galaxy S23 Ultra, the top model of Samsung’s next high-end smartphone series, has been tested by TENAA, the authority that approves electronic devices for release in China. Usually, such listings come with photos of the device, but this time we can settle for confirmation of its hardware specs, which is the first time we’ve had it (almost) officially confirmed.

Galaxy S23 Ultra configuration falls within expectations

The TENAA website lists the Galaxy S23 Ultra with a large 6.8″ diagonal display, just like previous models. It displays a resolution of 3,088 x 1,440 pixels and will most likely have 120 Hz variable frequency. The phone will be available with 8 or 12 GB of RAM and in 256 GB, 512 GB or 1 TB storage configurations. Here we see a major upgrade, as the S22 Ultra starts at 128 GB.

The battery, however, is listed as a 4,855 mAh battery, but it’s most likely a 5,000 mAh battery. Chemical differences between batteries can lead to differences between stated and actual capacity. The phone will weigh 233 grams and measure 163.4×78.1×8.9 mm.

What’s not listed on TENAA is the processor, which is rumored to be a customized version of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which could offer 8K shooting at 30 frames per second for the first time on Samsung after three years of being limited to 24 FPS on Ultra models. The Qualcomm processor variant used by Samsung, and produced in its own factories, benefits from an increased frequency for the most powerful core: 3.36 GHz, up from the standard 3.2 GHz.

On the camera front, the listing mentions an unusual configuration, which isn’t in tune with Galaxy S23 Ultra rumors. a 108 + 12 + 12 + 2 megapixel configuration seems odd for a 2023 flagship. Rumors talk about a 200 megapixel sensor and two 10 megapixel zoom cameras, with a 12 megapixel ultrawide camera. It’s strange though that Samsung would choose high resolution, while other manufacturers choose larger 1″ sensors with lower resolution.