Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus could get a battery upgrade – but the S23 Ultra might not

While we’re not expecting the Samsung Galaxy S23 line to land until next year, there aren’t many high-profile handsets due in the meantime. So a growing number of leaks are focused on these phones, the latest of which reveals some possible camera and battery details.

According to GalaxyClub (via GSMArena) the Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus will have a 4,700mAh battery, which would make for a not insignificant increase on the 4,500mAh capacity of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus.

The latter phone we judged to have adequate life in our review, but far from exceptional, so an extra 200mAh here could be a desirable upgrade.

Sadly though, it’s not an upgrade that the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra will be getting as well, according to this leak; with that phone apparently sticking with the admittedly decent 5,000mAh capacity cell of its predecessor.

That’s a shame, as while the Galaxy S22 Ultra has decent battery life, as our review notes it didn’t quite meet our expectations. It’s worth noting also that this is the second time we’ve heard that the S23 Ultra will have a 5,000mAh battery, so that’s looking likely.

Moving on to the camera, and this same source claims that the Samsung Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus will both have a 12MP ultra-wide snapper; just like their predecessors. The source expects this same sensor to be used by the Galaxy S23 Ultra as well, but is unable to confirm that for now.

A Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus (Image credit: Future)

Analysis: it’s time for an ultra-wide upgrade

Based on this latest leak it’s sounding like not a whole lot will be changing on these new phones, which is largely in line with what we’ve heard before, but in the case of the ultra-wide camera that’s especially disappointing.

Samsung has used the same ultra-wide camera from the Galaxy S20 onwards, so if it repeats itself once more with the S23 line then that will be four years in a row with no significant upgrades to this particular camera sensor.

That’s unfortunate, as ultra-wide cameras can be extremely useful, if the sensor isn’t up to scratch, however, then people might be disinclined to use them.

Samsung isn’t alone in neglecting ultra-wide upgrades. The primary camera on a phone is the one that usually gets the most attention – and therefore the most upgrades, while telephoto cameras can sometimes have big zoom numbers attached, making them a flashy component that is also more likely to be improved year to year. But ultra-wides often miss out, and that’s a real shame.

Despite this, there’s a high chance the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra will rank among the best camera phones, but it would be even better if Samsung improved this key component.