We know that the Samsung Galaxy S23 phones will be launched on February 1, but we are not yet sure how much they will cost. A new leak sheds some light on the starting prices of these phones in the US.
A famous tipster @RGcloudS (opens in a new tab) on Twitter (via Check the notebook (opens in a new tab)) has published prices for two Galaxy S23 models, two Galaxy S23 Plus models and three Galaxy S23 Ultra models – that’s pretty much all of them, although one variant of the S23 Plus seems to be missing.
It looks like Samsung has managed to match last year’s Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus prices with the new models, although the Galaxy S23 Ultra looks like it will be more expensive than its predecessor (the cheapest model, however, has twice the internal memory).
All these prices
According to this source, the price of the Galaxy S23 starts at $799 for the model with 128GB storage and 8GB RAM, while the version with 256GB storage and 8GB RAM costs $849.
As for the Plus model, we’re looking at $999 for the 128GB storage and 8GB RAM version and $1,049 for the 256GB storage and 8GB RAM version. We think there will be a 512GB version as well, but that is not listed here.
Finally, the S23 Ultra is expected to cost $1249 (256GB storage, 8GB RAM), $1349 (512GB storage, 12GB RAM) or $1499 (1TB storage, 12GB RAM). The Galaxy S22 Ultra started at $1,199 with 128GB of storage.
Analysis: price pressure
So far, most of the rumors circulating around the Samsung Galaxy S23 have suggested that these phones will cost more than their Galaxy S22 counterparts – what with inflationary pressures, the ongoing fight against the coronavirus pandemic, and several other factors driving prices up.
Now it looks like Samsung may be able to match last year’s prices, at least for the standard S23 and Plus model. It is possible that the management of the company decided to hit the profit margin to avoid raising prices.
And that’s understandable – with most parts of the world currently in a less-than-healthy economy, people will be watching their budgets very closely. It is not easy to justify a large expense for upgrading a smartphone at the moment.
We have not included the above international currency conversions as it is unlikely that Samsung will use them. However, if prices remain the same for the two cheaper phones, it’s £769/$1,249 for the standard model and £949/$1,549 for the Plus model.