Click to Skip Ad
Closing in...

Galaxy S23 to double storage to 256GB for all models

Updated Jan 9th, 2023 1:43PM EST
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
Image: Samsung

If you buy through a BGR link, we may earn an affiliate commission, helping support our expert product labs.

If rumors are correct, Samsung will unveil the Galaxy S23 series on February 1st. In such a scenario, official invites for the launch event should drop in the coming weeks. But we don’t need to wait for Samsung to announce its first 2023 flagships to learn everything about it. The Galaxy S23 leaks are more frequent, and the latest batch brings good news about the phone’s storage.

It appears that Samsung will deliver a great upgrade with this year’s Galaxy S23 models. All phones, including the more affordable Galaxy S23, should feature at least 256GB of storage. That’s double what’s available from most Android handsets and the iPhone 14 series.

Like battery life, storage is one of the key specs that buyers pay attention to. Each new flagship comes with a better camera system than the next, which can put pressure on the phone’s storage.

Then there are high-quality streaming shows and movies you might download on your phone to watch offline. Add the more sophisticated games that can run on the new hardware, and the storage can clog up quickly. But storage on smartphones also costs extra.

The point is that Samsung turning 256GB into the new entry-level storage tier for flagship phones like the Galaxy S23 is terrific news. It’s not just that Samsung would double the previous entry-level storage tier. Samsung would give buyers a significant upgrade when it comes to the phone’s price. And if the cheapest Galaxy S23 costs as much as the Galaxy S22, the 256GB storage bump would be free for the user.

That’s assuming the rumor is accurate. As always, these reports can be wrong. But leaker Ahmed Qwaider thinks these are the RAM and storage specs for the Galaxy S23 series.

The Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus will feature 8GB of RAM and 256GB of flash memory. The Galaxy S23 Ultra will be the only model of the three with 12GB of memory and additional storage options going up to 1TB.

Even if you don’t plan on buying any of the three Galaxy S23 phones this year, Samsung’s big storage push will impact the industry. If the rumor is accurate, expect other competitors to do the same thing with their flagships.

Apple might be one exception, as the company has moved slower when matching the storage available on Android. The iPhone 15 models might start at 128GB, especially the non-Pro ones.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.