We know that the Samsung Galaxy S23 phones will be launched on February 1, but we are not yet sure of the cost. A new leak sheds some light on the starting prices for these phones in the US.
Known information @employee (Opens in a new tab) on Twitter (via Notebookcheck (Opens in a new tab)) has posted pricing for two Galaxy S23 models, two Galaxy S23 Plus models, and three Galaxy S23 Ultra models — and that’s pretty much it all, though one S23 Plus variant appears to be missing.
Samsung seems to have managed to match the prices of last year’s Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus with the new models, although the Galaxy S23 Ultra looks set to be more expensive than its predecessor (the cheapest model comes with twice the internal storage).
Those prices are complete
According to this source, the Galaxy S23 will start at $799 for the model with 128GB of storage and 8GB of RAM, while the version with 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM will set you back $849.
For the Plus model, we’re looking at $999 for the version with 128GB of storage and 8GB of RAM, and $1,049 for the version with 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM. We suspect there will be a 512GB version as well, but it’s not mentioned here.
Finally, the S23 Ultra should cost $1,249 (256GB storage, 8GB RAM), $1,349 (512GB storage, 12GB RAM), or $1,499 (1TB storage, 12GB storage). of RAM). The Galaxy S22 Ultra started at $1,199 with 128GB of storage.
Analysis: pricing pressures
Up to this point, the majority of the rumors swirling around the Samsung Galaxy S23 indicated that these phones would cost more than their Galaxy S22 counterparts — what with inflationary pressures, the ongoing battle with the coronavirus pandemic, and many other factors conspiring to drive prices up.
Now it looks like Samsung might be able to hit last year’s pricing, at least on the standard S23 and Plus model. It’s possible that the company’s executives decided to hit the profit margin to avoid driving prices higher.
Which is understandable – with most of the world in an unhealthy economic situation right now, people are going to be watching their budgets really closely. It’s not easy at the moment to justify spending so much on a smartphone upgrade.
We didn’t include international currency conversions above because Samsung is unlikely to use them. If the price remains the same across the board for the two cheaper phones, that’s £769 / AU$1,249 for the standard model and £949 / $1,549 for the Plus model.