Samsung can look back on the past year with some satisfaction, with devices like the Galaxy S22 Ultra being among the best phones to emerge in the past year, helping Samsung continue to enjoy the largest slice of the global smartphone market. The handset maker completely dominates the market for the best folding phones, and its mid-range A-series models continue to be acclaimed as a budget-minded alternative.

However, there is a sense that Samsung should not rest on its laurels. According to market research firm IDC, as of the third quarter of 2022, Samsung trails Apple in market share in the United States. And while Samsung phones are highly rated when it comes to the important task of taking pictures, it is Apple and Google devices that are vying for the title of best camera phone overall.

At the very least, Samsung has work left to do if it intends to maintain a firm grip on the smartphone business. And in 2023, Samsung is working on new models in all of the major mobile segments with a view to kicking competitors to the curb and reminding us why the best Samsung phones should be the first to turn to when looking for a new device.

Below is what we expect to see from Samsung in the New Year.

We are most familiar with Samsung's plans for the Galaxy S lineup as the new models are about to be launched. Rumors of a Samsung Galaxy S23 release date point to an early February debut, possibly as early as the February 1 Galaxy Unpacked event. If true, the Galaxy S23 would be the first major phone release of 2023, beating out the OnePlus 11's February 7 launch.

Will the Galaxy S23 live up to the hype of being the first to launch? According to the Galaxy 23 Ultra rumors, the answer seems to be yes. Samsung is reportedly putting the most effort into this high-end model, which will reportedly feature a 200MP sensor in the main camera. Users will be able to choose between 200MP, 50MP, and 12.5MP resolutions, depending on their preferences for brightness, color, and detail. Another S23 Ultra rumor suggests that it may be able to shoot 8K video at 30 frames per second.

Samsung is not stopping at improving the cameras on its high-end models. One report claims that Samsung plans to offer the brightest display of any phone, with a peak brightness of 2,100 nits.

At least one change is likely headed to all three rumored Galaxy S23 models, with the standard, Plus, and Ultra models likely to receive the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset as the main engine. According to our Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 benchmark, models with this silicon should be able to challenge the A15 Bionic-powered iPhone 14, even if Apple's Pro model is out of range. Even better, the S23 series is said to be equipped with an overclocked version of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which could make this new model an Android powerhouse.

The Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus are rumored to feature the Galaxy S22 Ultra Look with individual lenses instead of camera housings that blend into the sides of the device as part of Samsung's Contour Cut design. There is also talk of an upgraded fingerprint sensor below the display that will cover a larger area and be able to scan multiple fingerprints at once.

There is one Galaxy S phone we should not expect to see in 2023. Samsung has released FE versions of the previous year's Galaxy S models two years in a row, but it has long been clear that the Galaxy S22 FE will not happen.

One reason Samsung feels it can scrap the Galaxy S22 FE may be that its mid-range Galaxy A phones have become powerful enough to be a viable alternative for those who do not want to pay for a flagship device. For example, Samsung's Galaxy A53, one of the best inexpensive phones to emerge this year, has been outpaced by the Pixel 6a. (21]

We look forward to the Galaxy A53 and its Galaxy A33 successor. (The latter only shipped in Europe.) Reports have surfaced that Samsung is scrapping the A7x device and that a successor to the Galaxy A73 (opens in new tab) is not planned.

Some Galaxy A54 rumors have begun to emerge, and 91Mobiles has posted a rendered image (opens in new tab) of the alleged upcoming phone. 91Mobiles has posted a rendered image (opens in tab) of the upcoming Galaxy A54. The image shows a phone with a separate camera lens on the back, similar to the look of the Galaxy S22 Ultra. It appears that Samsung is trying to create a more unified look for both the flagship and mid-range models, and the A54 is also said to have a wider screen than the A53.

Additional Galaxy A54 rumors (open in new tab) suggest a larger battery and a 50MP main camera in this year's model, a megapixel step down from the A53's 64MP sensor. Samsung watchers are expecting an Exynos chipset in the new model.

If the first half of the new year is all about the Galaxy S flagship, Samsung will focus the second half of the year on folding phones. For the past two years, Samsung has closed out the summer with new Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip models.

With this year's foldable phones likely to be released in late summer or early fall, there are few rumors about the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 at this stage. There are reports that the next Galaxy Flip will have a larger cover display, up to 3 inches from the current 1.9-inch panel, and a new hinge designed to make the folded screen less noticeable across the entire folded screen. we don't know more about the Galaxy Z Fold 5, but Samsung is improve battery life, continue to enhance the camera after the Z Fold 4 upgrade, and presumably find a way to accommodate the S Pen like the Galaxy S22 Ultra.

As always, people will want to know if Samsung can lower the cost of its foldable phones; the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 start at $1,799 and $999 respectively, the same price as the previous models. Samsung has made no secret of its desire to make foldable phones more acceptable to mainstream shoppers, and price is a major obstacle to that goal.

Another thing to watch is whether Samsung will expand its foldable lineup beyond flip phone-style designs like the Galaxy Z Flip and Galaxy Z Fold to a foldable lineup that opens like a book. early 2022, there were leaks that Samsung was developing a phone with a scrollable screen, but that device never materialized. We suspect that 2023 will be the year of the long-rumored Galaxy Z Roll.

Even if there are no new models beyond the successors to Samsung's existing models, the New Year is going to be a very busy year for Samsung, and when the launch of the Galaxy S23 should put things back on track for the smartphone giant, we are just over a month away from just how busy will find the company's newest product, the Galaxy S23, in the works.