Best smartphones to look forward to in 2023

Several highly-anticipated smartphones are expected to launch in South Africa in the coming year.

All the major manufacturers — Apple, Google, Huawei, Honor, Oppo, Samsung, and Xiaomi — are rolling out powerful new flagship devices.

In recent years, however, the number of distinguishing components and features has become fewer and fewer, making it more difficult to identify standout contenders.

These smartphones offer the fastest mobile processors, the most capable camera systems, and the fastest charging speeds on the market.

Below are the premium smartphones confirmed or expected to arrive in South Africa in 2023.

Samsung Galaxy S23 — Unveiling February 2023

As has been the case with many previous Galaxy S series launches, plenty of details about this year’s Samsung flagship line-up have been leaked online months before its unveiling.

The Galaxy S23 range is expected to stick to the same basic designs as the Galaxy S22 for each model.

Similarly, they will retain the same screens — 6.1-inch for the base model, 6.6-inch for the S23+, and 6.8-inch for the Ultra variant. However, they could come with upgrades in terms of brightness and contrast ratio.

The S23 Ultra is slated for the most significant upgrade in the range — with its four-lens camera array now headlined by a 200MP main sensor, alongside a 12MP ultrawide lens, 12MP 3x telephoto camera, and another 12MP telephoto lens with 10x optical zoom.

Following in the footsteps of Apple’s iPhone 14, the S23 could also get limited satellite emergency SOS features thanks to a reported partnership with Iridium Communications.

However, this will likely have limited support in certain countries, at least at launch.

This render from @OnLeaks shows what the black Galaxy S23 Ultra could look like when unveiled at Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked Event on 1 February 2023

Apple iPhone 15 — Expected September 2023

Little is known about Apple’s iPhone 15, except that it could be the company’s first smartphone to feature a USB-C port.

That is thanks to the European Union (EU) adopting the interface as a compulsory standard for smartphones and other electronic devices sold in its member countries.

Apple could still delay the transition from Lightning to the iPhone 16 or even iPhone 17, as the requirement is only set to come into effect at the end of 2024.

By that time, it might also have updated its wireless charging capabilities sufficiently to do away with the port altogether.

The EU’s rules don’t specify a standard for devices that only charge wirelessly.

Other rumoured changes for the iPhone 15 include all physical buttons making way for touch-sensitive haptic controls, and curved corners similar to those on 2013’s iPhone 5C.

2023 could finally be the year Apple makes the big switch from Lightning to USB-C port on the iPhone. Editorial credit: charnsitr / Shutterstock.com

Google Pixel 8 — Expected September/October 2023

Little is known about Google’s new flagship smartphone, but that is to be expected given that its predecessor only launched about three months ago.

The Pixel 8 range will have big boots to fill whenever it launches, particularly when it comes to camera performance.

The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro have received plenty of positive feedback for their improvements over their predecessors.

The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro have set a high bar for their successors

Huawei Mate 50 — January 2023 (SA launch)

The Mate 50 Pro has received rave reviews for its excellent rear and front camera systems, placing it 1st on DxOMark’s smartphone camera rankings.

The latest Huawei flagship launched in China and several other markets several months ago, and the company has confirmed that it will soon launch in South Africa.

A South African launch event for the Huawei Mate 50 is scheduled for 26 January 2023.

Xiaomi 13 — SA launch TBC

The Chinese tech giant, well known for its highly-competitive smartphone pricing, already announced its latest flagship series — the Xiaomi 13 — in December 2022.

The high-end Xiaomi 13 Pro boasts impressive hardware — including a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, 120Hz LTPO OLED display, and powerful rear triple camera system built in collaboration with German photography experts Leica.

But among its major eyebrow-raising features are 120W wired and 50W wireless charging speeds.

Although Xiaomi is yet to confirm a South African launch date, it is all but certain the smartphone will take to the stage here in the coming months.

In the past few months, the company has rapidly expanded its local product offering with more high-end models and has opened several stores.

OnePlus 11 — February 2023

Oppo subsidiary OnePlus unveiled the OnePlus 11 5G in China towards the end of 2022 and is set to launch it in other markets in February 2023.

The smartphone looks poised to undercut rivals with an aggressive price tag when considering its Chinese pricing.

It features a unique circular camera housing on the left of the phone’s back instead of the middle.

Oppo developed the camera system in partnership with Swedish firm Hasselblad.

Other components include a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, a minimum of 16GB RAM and 256GB storage, and an LTPO 3 120Hz screen.

In addition, it packs two 2,500mAh batteries that can charge via cable at up to 100W.

It is unclear whether this model will be officially available in South Africa. Still, you should be able to get your hands on it by importing it directly from Amazon or using a specialist mobile importer like Connected Devices.

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