First images of the Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus confirm a very similar design to the S22 series

If the first unofficial renders turn out to be the real deal, some fans will probably see the Galaxy S23 design as a downgrade, with Samsung ditching the “island” cut out of the side cover in favor of the much more contested design introduced for the S22 Ultra.

Specifically, a fairly large proportion of Samsung fans consider the approach of having the camera lens affixed directly to the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s glass cover to be far too simplistic, depriving the flagship model of one of the most elegant and recognizable features on the South Koreans’ phones. While Samsung’s decision was put down to a desire to differentiate the Galaxy Note replacement from other Galaxy S models, the impression left was of an uninspired solution that left the camera lenses more vulnerable. At the same time, the space between them is a very difficult area to collect flakes and dust particles.

Left without the camera island, the Galaxy S23 will be almost perfectly flat at the back and certainly more “friendly” to the protective casings, which will be able to be seamlessly peeled away to leave only the camera lens exposed. It remains to be seen if the change will somehow help with repair work, as this will depend on how Samsung will make the joint between the glass cover and the metal photo lens rings.

According to the dimensions attached to the CAD renderings, the Galaxy S23 will have a 6.1-inch screen, cut to the outline of a 146.3 x 70.8 x 7.6 mm case, almost identical to the current S22 model. Thus, it’s unclear whether the S23 will get a larger battery, with the difference of just 0.3 mm extra in case length and width indicating at most an insignificant increase in capacity on offer.

According to rumors so far, the Galaxy S23 comes equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, with Samsung dropping the Exynos chipset variants.