Your diary must have been busy over the last twelve months if you’ve been keeping up with every smartphone launch. From affordable blowers to fresh flagships to folding phones, there’s been plenty to choose from. It’s likely that you’re here to keep up with what’s coming – so here’s our look at the best upcoming phones in 2023.
In order to keep you abreast of the latest smartphone news, we have listed the confirmed releases, probable launches, and rumoured reveals for 2023 below. In addition, we’ve summarized the major best smartphone announcements from last year, with links to our reviews.
Samsung Galaxy S23
No doubt the next Samsung flagship will be the Galaxy S23, including its Plus and Ultra models. All we know for certain is based on rumours that the phone won’t look drastically different, although the hardware should see some improvements. These could include a 200MP main camera and a 40MP front-facing camera for all our selfie needs. We’d love to see faster charging, given that company like OnePlus, Xiaomi and Motorola are already offering 65W+ speeds.
Considering past events, a reveal and launch in February 2023 would be a good place to start when predicting the Galaxy S23 release date.
Apple iPhone 15
As Apple’s releases and release dates are, mercifully, very consistent, the iPhone 15 is expected to launch in September 2023. The Dynamic Island notch would be awesome if it made its way down to the base iPhone 15. To better match the lossless 10x optical zoom offered by the impressive Galaxy S22 Ultra, we’d love to see 8K video recording and a periscope zoom camera.
As a result, we might see the iPhone 15 Ultra instead of the iPhone 15 Pro Max, if the latest rumours are true.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5
The Galaxy Z Fold 4 is the best folding phone Samsung has ever made, so it would be unfair if they ended it there. We’re excited to see what the Z Fold 5 has in store for us. There are very few rumours circulating at the moment. However, we’d like to see a slimmer design, faster charging, and an S-Pen so you can draw and doodle on its expansive display.
Google Pixel Fold
Depending on who you ask, you’ll get a variety of answers about the Pixel Fold. Some predicted the Pixel 6 would be bendable. Others predicted a separate Pixel Fold device would launch by the end of 2021. It looks like Google won’t release the Fold at all – at least in its current form.
That doesn’t necessarily mean Google won’t launch a foldable Pixel phone in 2022. More likely, it means Google has given up on its first foldable attempt. That would certainly fit with industry rumours that Google won’t launch a foldable in 2022.
Google’s foldable’s spec sheet is also a mystery. However, if it follows the Pixel 6, you can expect a premium design with a vanilla Android interface optimised for folding.
OnePlus 11
The latest ‘flagship killer’ hits China in January, and the rest of the world will have to wait until February to learn things like price and availability – but there’s already plenty of info out there on the OnePlus 11. Featuring a trio of Hasselblad-branded rear cameras and an AMOLED display, it’s among the first Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 phones.
In addition, OnePlus has brought back the alert slider after it went AWOL with the OnePlus 10T, and added rapid wired charging. The real question is whether OnePlus can keep the costs down enough to retain its “value champion” appeal.
