Samsung Galaxy S23 just tipped for surprise downgrade

Looks like the Samsung Galaxy S23 could be bulking up rather than slimming down.

First reported by GSMArena, prominent leaker Ice Universe recently let slip the potential dimensions for the Galaxy S23 lineup. While these dimensions were nearly identical to the Samsung Galaxy S22 lineup, there were some slight differences. 

Apparently, the reason for this slight increase in size is due to the bezels of the Galaxy S23 — at least according to Ice Universe. In a tweet, he laid out that Samsung is may increase the bezels by 0.15mm on all four sides. 

While this may feel like a minuscule change, there are a couple of reasons why it matters. If the bezels are thicker by the exact size increase, then the screen will not get bigger despite the phone size increasing. This would be a surprising choice if it holds true, and reverse the past trends of increasing screen sizes and reduced bezel sizes.

It would also represent a theoretical downgrade from Samsung, which is a red flag. There is always a chance that there is a good reason for the potential change — perhaps increased durability — but on its face, this feels like an unnecessary change. Time will tell if this rumor bears fruit, and if it does, whether or not users notice any difference. 

Latest Samsung Galaxy S23 design rumors 

This was not the first time that Ice Universe has tweeted about the potential size of the Samsung Galaxy S23 lineup. Back in August, he leaked the potential dimensions for the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and it was tipped to look very similar to the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, but with the slight size increase we are now thinking could be due to the increased bezels. So it seems that that theory is building more credibility with each leak, though it is still speculative at this point since we're a few months out from the phone's announcement.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra is also expected to keep the same camera layout as the S22 Ultra but with a beefier sensor. Recent rumors have been strongly suggesting that the main camera will get upgraded to a 200MP sensor, a sizeable leap from the current 108MP sensor size. However, given that the iPhone 14 Pro Max is currently ahead of the S22 Ultra in our best camera phone ranks — despite sporting a 48MP main camera — it remains to be seen what boost those hypothetical megapixels will provide. More megapixels does not always equal better photos.

Finally, we have some battery insights for the Galaxy S23, which is both good news and bad news. The bad news is that the Galaxy S23 Ultra is not expected to get a battery upgrade over the S22 Ultra. However, the Galaxy S23 Plus battery may have just tipped the S23 lineup for a February release date.

Stay tuned to our coverage of the latest Samsung Galaxy S23 rumors to make sure you don’t miss a thing. 

Next: The Samsung Galaxy S23 is tipped to get a slightly better battery life.