Leaked Samsung S23 Ultra's storage upgrade could be bad news for your wallet

Samsung is expected to announce its 2023 flagship smartphones in the coming weeks, and when it does it’ll most likely launch its premium models with a storage upgrade – but that means we should expect a price hike too.

The base models of the Samsung Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22 Plus, and Galaxy S22 Ultra all have 128GB of storage. However, multiple leakers have now teased that the Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus and Ultra models will instead offer a minimum of 256GB, with the smaller storage option being scrapped.

Reliable tipster Ahmed Qwalder leaked this change in early January, and now another generally dependable leaker, SnoopyTech, has said that the Plus and Ultra models will drop their 128GB version.

Specifically, the leakers claim we’ll see the following S23 options:

• Samsung Galaxy S23
  • 128GB storage / 8GB RAM 
  • 256GB storage / 8GB RAM
• Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus
  • 256GB storage / 8GB RAM
  • 512GB storage / 8GB RAM
• Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra 
  • 256GB storage / 8GB RAM 
  • 512GB storage / 12GB RAM
  • 1TB storage / 12GB RAM

In the case of the largest 1TB storage / 12GB RAM S23 Ultra variant, SnoopyTech says it might be exclusive to the Samsung store, but we’ll have to wait and see what’s announced.

Beyond storage details, the same leaker also seems to have revealed the color options: Botanic Green, Misty Lilac, Phantom Black, Cotton Flower, and “More only via Samsung-Store.” It's unclear what other colors Samsung might be making exclusive to its store, but we could see the return of hues like Rose Pink and Phantom Red, which were available for the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S21 smartphones.

There are no details on the prices yet – signs currently point to a February 1 launch for the phones, so it likely won’t be too long before we find out more about its latest smartphones – but we suspect that the S23 Plus and Ultra's new 265GB-base models won't match up with older generations' 128GB base version in terms of cost.

Instead, we’ll likely see the cheapest S23 Plus and Ultra get a premium price that aligns with the cost of the 256GB models that have come before; meaning that Samsung's upgraded smartphone experience might become less affordable. That said, there's a chance Samsung proves us wrong, and we're certainly hoping it does.

If you can’t wait for the S23 to launch and need a phone right now why don’t you check out our picks for the best Android phones you can pick up today?

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