Galaxy S23 Launch Imminent... Signature Color Also Leaked

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S23 is gradually revealing its specifications, colors, and advertising strategies ahead of its unpacked event (new product launch) scheduled for February 1 next year. With the representative colors for each model, a core part of the marketing strategy, being disclosed two months before the Galaxy S23 release, competition between Samsung Electronics and Apple in the global smartphone market is expected to intensify.

According to foreign media reports including IT specialist site 91mobiles on the 25th (local time), promotional materials showing the actual appearance of the three models in the Galaxy S23 series have been leaked. The top-tier model, 'Ultra,' comes in green, the 'Plus(+)' in pink, while the base model has no actual images released but is likely to be available in light gold and pink gold. This aligns with the estimates made by SamMobile.

Looking into the individual specifications of the S23 series, the application processor (AP), known as the "brain of the smartphone," is expected to primarily feature Qualcomm's latest AP, the 'Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.' There is also anticipation that some models will concurrently use Samsung's own AP, the 'Exynos 2300.' Earlier this year, the Galaxy S22 series was reported to have used the 'Snapdragon 8 Gen 1' and Exynos in approximately an 8:2 ratio. Since then, negative sentiment toward Exynos has grown stronger, leading to expectations that the proportion of Qualcomm AP models will increase in this year's S23.

The camera battle, which determines the success of premium smartphones, is also expected to be fierce. The S23 Ultra model is anticipated to be equipped with Samsung's currently developing 200-megapixel smartphone camera, an improvement over the previous Galaxy S22 Ultra's 108-megapixel camera. The 10-megapixel telephoto camera with 3x and 10x zoom is expected to remain the same as its predecessor. Following the 'moon photo' feature for capturing distant lunar images, the Galaxy S series, known for its 100x zoom function popular among idol and celebrity fans, is expected to retain this feature. The battery is also reported to be improved compared to the previous model. The S23 Plus model is expected to have a battery capacity of 4700mAh, 200mAh larger than its predecessor, while the S23 Ultra is expected to have the same 5000mAh battery as before.

Samsung Electronics was initially expected to unveil the S23 series in early to mid-February but has moved the announcement date forward to February 1. This is interpreted as an attempt to capture early-year replacement demand by taking advantage of Apple's absence. Typically, Apple unveils new iPhone series around September, making the fourth quarter known as 'Apple's season,' so Samsung needs a strategy to overturn this trend. According to market research firm TrendForce, Apple's market share in the fourth quarter is expected to rise by about 7 percentage points to 24.6% compared to the third quarter. Samsung is forecasted to fall to second place with a 20.2% share, down 2 percentage points.

Apple is especially dominating the premium smartphone market. According to market research firm Counterpoint Research, Apple's share in the premium segment priced above $400 reached 60% last year, up 5 percentage points from 55% in 2020. In contrast, Samsung Electronics' share dropped by 3 percentage points to 17%. The other Chinese trio?Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo?are in similar positions.

The success of the S23 series is also expected to impact the position of No Tae-moon, President of the MX (Mobile Experience) Division, which oversees the smartphone sector. No, who became head of the Wireless Business Division (now MX Division) in January 2020, has been recognized for achievements such as popularizing foldable phones and stabilizing profits but still faces many challenges. During this personnel reshuffle, No is reportedly planning to concurrently serve as head of the Design Management Center to strengthen design.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.