Apple
One of the most anticipated smartphones every year tends to be new iPhones. Insiders suggest that in 2023, Apple’s smartphone lineup will receive dramatic changes, not only in terms of features, but also in terms of design. Also, the series will be replenished with a previously unreleased version of the company’s most expensive flagship, the iPhone 15 Ultra.
One of the most significant changes attributed to the future iPhone 15 is the removal of the proprietary Lightning connector in favor of modern USB-C. This is mainly due to the adoption of a single charger standard for electronic gadgets in the EU. However, this does not mean that the data transfer rate will increase compared to Lightning, which uses the USB 2.0 standard.
High-speed Type-C connectors will only appear on the iPhone 15 Pro and Ultra, while data transfer speeds will be limited on base models.
They also say that the iPhone’s transition to USB-C will only happen in 2024.
In total, there will even be four models – iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro and 15 Ultra. Significant hardware changes are coming to the flagship iPhone 15 Ultra, which further widens the gap between base and flagship models. The smartphone is known for a durable and expensive titanium case, a periscope camera and a new 3 nm Apple A17 chip. Some sources also claim that Apple will drop the physical buttons for this model in favor of touch-sensitive ones reminiscent of the Home button on the iPhone 7, 8 and SE, but such changes seem unlikely.
The main change that fans of Apple gadgets should prepare for is the price increase.
According to a number of reliable sources, the iPhone 15 Ultra in the minimum configuration will cost $ 1.3 thousand, which is $ 200 more expensive than the iPhone 14 Pro Max. At the same time, prices are expected to increase for the entire series – each smartphone will become $ 100 more expensive.
The introduction of the iPhone 15 series will most likely take place in September 2023.
At the same time, insiders write that in the spring of 2023, Apple will introduce an advanced and “budget” third-generation iPhone SE by company standards. The smartphone has a 6.1-inch display, a body from the iPhone Xr, and an Apple A15 or A16 chip, as in the iPhone 14 and 14 Pro respectively. However, as it is known, the weak sales of the iPhone 14 Plus and 13 mini may cause the new product to be postponed to next year or canceled altogether. If the smartphone is still available, it will most likely happen in March or April of this year.
SAMSUNG
According to rumors, the launch of the flagship smartphone Samsung Galaxy S23 will take place on February 1. Galaxy S23, S23+ and S23 Ultra will be shown during the Galaxy Unpacked 2023 event.
In terms of design, you should not expect a large-scale update – it is known that the Galaxy S23 and S23 + will lose the platform to place the cameras protruding above the body. The lenses on the new products will be housed on the back cover, just like last year’s S22 Ultra. For all other external signs, the new items will practically not differ from the previous ones.
Significant changes to the hardware are expected – it looks like the company won’t be using proprietary Exynos chips this year. Instead, all versions of the Galaxy S23 will be based on Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chips. Moreover, according to insider information, this will be a special edition with a processor overclocked to 3.36 GHz instead of 3.2 GHz.
Some sources claim that the Galaxy S23 Ultra will have a 200 MP ISOCELL HP2 camera, while others talk about a 108 MP camera. Regarding the Galaxy S23 and S23+, it is known that the smartphones will receive a 10-megapixel telephoto lens from last year’s models.
However, it may confuse some that the S23 Ultra will have a 12-megapixel front sensor instead of the 40-megapixel in the S22 Ultra. Presumably Samsung decided to prioritize quality over number of megapixels. Specifically, a larger sensor allows more light to pass through, resulting in better low-light shots.
According to insiders, the other features of the Galaxy S23 series will differ little from what was shown in the 2022 series.
Xiaomi
Despite the fact that at the end of 2022 Xiaomi showed off the flagship Xiaomi 13 smartphone series, these have not yet been released to the global market. Considering that the smartphones will run on a version of the MIUI 14 mobile operating system, which has not yet been announced anywhere outside of China, the Chinese and global versions of the Xiaomi 13 may differ greatly in terms of software capabilities. In terms of hardware, the changes will most likely only affect frequencies for 4G networks to work.
However, the company’s most anticipated smartphone for many in 2023 is the Xiaomi 13 Ultra, which, unlike its predecessor, will definitely go on sale outside of China. Introduced in July 2022, the Xiaomi 12S Ultra was the company’s first true flagship smartphone and offered some of the best display and cameras on the market, along with high performance.
This was the company’s first device in the development of cameras, in which specialists from the German company Leica were involved.
At the moment there is not much information about the Xiaomi 13 Ultra – it is only known that the new product will inherit the Sony IMX989 main camera from its predecessor. Most likely, Xiaomi 13 Ultra will receive an LTPO QHD display, water and dust protection, as well as a flagship chip – Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 or 8+ Gen 2.
It is unknown when the Xiaomi 13 Ultra will be shown. Announcements are expected in the summer.
Considering the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro just went on sale, the Google Pixel 8 is probably still a long way off. Despite this, a lot is already known about the main Google smartphones of 2023.
Thus, the codenames of Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro have already appeared – Shiba and Husky, respectively. It is assumed that both smartphones will run on the basis of the proprietary Tensor G3 chipset, codenamed Zuma.
According to insiders, the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro will receive a minimum of 8 and 12 GB RAM configurations. The only change for the base model will be the emergence of a version with 12 GB of RAM.
Assuming you shouldn’t expect dramatic changes regarding the displays – both smartphones will be equipped with 6.3-inch OLED displays on the Pixel 8 and 6.7-inch on the Pro. Display specifications are expected to remain the same, with Full HD and QHD+ at 90Hz on the Pixel 8 and 120Hz on the Pixel 8 Pro.
There is not much information about the cameras yet. It is known that only Pixel 8 smartphones will get a new camera that supports Progressive HDR mode. This function allows you to take several pictures at the same time with different exposures using different parts of the sensor.
But for Google, the main model in 2023 will be the foldable Pixel Fold. It is estimated that the smartphone will have 7.69-inch internal and 5.79-inch external displays. In many ways, the features of the folding Pixel will repeat those of the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro. The inclusion of the Pixel Fold will inherit the recognizable design and design of the camera unit from the “simple” models.
The Pixel series smartphones will be unveiled in the fall, and their first announcement, which includes analysis of key changes, will be made at the annual Google I/O conference in early summer.
One Plus
OnePlus 11 was launched for the Chinese market on January 4, 2023. However, the launch of the global version of the brand’s flagship will take place on February 7. It is not known what the difference will be between these two models. We can say with certainty that the Oxygen OS shell, the main feature that OnePlus devices fall in love with, will only be in a global modification.
Unless the OnePlus 11 technically receives a major change then we can expect a 6.7-inch display with 3216×1440 resolution on February 7th. The screen, made using AMOLED LTPO 3.0 technology, can display pictures at a frequency of 1 to 120 Hz.
In terms of performance, the OnePlus 11 enjoys flagship status with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, as well as LPDDR5X and UFS 4.0 RAM and storage respectively.
One of the main features of the OnePlus 11 is the cameras tuned with Hasselblad. Here the main sensor is represented by a 50-megapixel Sony IMX890 sensor with optical stabilization. It is complemented by a 48 MP ultra-wide-angle module and a 32 MP telephoto lens with dual optical zoom and 20x digital zoom. There is a 16-megapixel camera for selfies.
However, the novelty also does not provide wireless charging – the 5000 mAh battery can only be charged via cable with a maximum power of 100 watts.
Other features include IP54 moisture protection, stereo speakers, advanced and largest vibration motor used in smartphones.