Samsung Galaxy S23 release date just tipped for February — here’s what we know

galaxy s22 plus display on leaning against old kitchen scale
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Update: Samsung Galaxy S23 just tipped for surprise downgrade

The latest Samsung Galaxy S23 rumor may have revealed when we will see the next generation of the best Android phone. And it may be in line with the Galaxy S22's rollout earlier this year.

Reporting from SamMobile indicates that the battery for the Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus has been registered with Safety Korea. That agency certifies batteries in South Korea and its database does show the battery certified as of September 6. The model number suggests that it will be used with SM-S916B, which is the rumored model number for the Galaxy S23 Plus, the likely middle phone in Samsung's trio of releases next year.

Based on historical trends this now indicates that the Galaxy S23 lineup could arrive in February 2023. The Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus battery was certified in a similar manner in September 2021 and released this past February. 

Given that the Galaxy S22 Plus debuted alongside the Samsung Galaxy S22 and Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, it would be logical to expect Samsung to follow suit by releasing the rumored Galaxy S23, S23 Plus and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra all at once.

Latest Samsung Galaxy S23 rumors: Battery 

An image of the rumored Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus battery

(Image credit: Safety Korea)

Unfortunately, the image of the battery itself is quite blurry, so we cannot determine battery capacity. The battery is manufactured by Ningde Amperex Technology Limited, which also made the batteries for the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4. However, it is tough to infer anything based on that connection. 

All we can do is hope the battery improves from the Samsung Galaxy S22 lineup, as battery life on most models was underwhelming. Current rumors suggest that the battery size could remain the same — at least for the Galaxy S23 Ultra. A new rumor now suggests that the Samsung Galaxy S23 could get better battery life. The report hints at a 5% battery capacity increase for the phone, from the Galaxy S22.

Granted, Samsung could use a different manufacturer for the Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus than the S23 Ultra, but we have no indication one way or the other. It would be odd though, for Samsung to give its lower-end models a battery boost and not its flagship.

Other Samsung Galaxy S23 rumors 

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra

(Image credit: Future)

Aside from the battery, we do have a couple of other rumors concerning next year's Samsung flagship. Samsung is expected to ditch the Exynos chipset for the rumored Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset across the entire Galaxy S23 lineup. Previously, Samsung used different chips in different regions.

There is also a rumor that the Galaxy S23 Ultra could get a 200MP camera. The current main camera on the Galaxy S22 Ultra is a massive 108MP sensor, which already laps the 48MP iPhone 14 Pro Max main camera, at least in terms of megapixels. 

However, despite the massive size, the iPhone 14 Pro Max is now top of our list of best camera phones, so maybe Samsung needs the boost if it wants to jump ahead of Apple or the Google Pixel 6 Pro. Actually, make that the Google Pixel 7 Pro — Google is expected to unveil its next smartphone lineup at an October 6 event, long before the Galaxy S23's launch in early February.

Malcolm McMillan
Senior Streaming Writer

Malcolm McMillan is a senior writer for Tom's Guide, covering all the latest in streaming TV shows and movies. That means news, analysis, recommendations, reviews and more for just about anything you can watch, including sports! If it can be seen on a screen, he can write about it. Previously, Malcolm had been a staff writer for Tom's Guide for over a year, with a focus on artificial intelligence (AI), A/V tech and VR headsets.


Before writing for Tom's Guide, Malcolm worked as a fantasy football analyst writing for several sites and also had a brief stint working for Microsoft selling laptops, Xbox products and even the ill-fated Windows phone. He is passionate about video games and sports, though both cause him to yell at the TV frequently. He proudly sports many tattoos, including an Arsenal tattoo, in honor of the team that causes him to yell at the TV the most.