From iPhone 15 to Nothing Phone (2): The big smartphone releases to watch out for in 2023

Smartphone launches to look out of in 2023.(Image: Samsung)

Smartphones have become an inseparable part of our lives. They are our wallets, our point of interaction with other people, an internet assistant, a camera at standby, and a lot more.

Like every year, we have a line-up of interesting releases from high-end premium smartphones to mid-rangers and entry-level. So sit back and check this list out if you are keen to upgrade your current devices with the upcoming hot phones of 2023.

(Pictured: A photo of Apple's iPhone 14 Pro)

Apple iPhone 15

This is obviously a no-brainer. Apple's iconic iPhones are the standard that defines a premium experience on a smartphone.

As with every year, Apple is expected to announce the next iteration, iPhone 15, in September. From early rumours and design leaks, it seems like 15 won't be a huge design departure from iPhone 14, but is expected to be a refinement of the previous model.

Hardware is where the biggest changes will be and the smartphone will probably house Apple's latest in-house silicon. The 'Dynamic Island' is also rumoured to see a makeover on the base models and of course, Apple's prowess with the camera will likely lead to a better rear module.

What we are most excited to see is another flagship variant in the line-up. The rumored iPhone 15 Ultra would take the Pro Max's spot in the line-up, which might mean customers will have five variants to choose from.

(Pictured: A photo of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra)

Samsung Galaxy S24

Samsung's flagship Galaxy series remains one of the most popular line-up's in the industry, so much so that the company has maintained its lead over Apple in smartphone market share for two years now.

While the S23 series smartphones were great, they felt like iterative hardware updates over the S22 line-up and chances are the S24 will be the next major redesign of the flagship.

There are rumours that Samsung might opt for a two-variant strategy for the S24, with the Plus variant likely getting the cut but nothing has been confirmed.

(Pictured: A photo of the Nothing Phone 1)

Nothing Phone 2

The Nothing Phone 1 was notable for doing something different in what is otherwise a very stagnant market in terms of design. The Glyph back was a gimmick, but it was a good one, offering some neat functionality while looking cool.

From what we know of the Nothing Phone 2 so far, it is set to use Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC, which is a massive upgrade over the first phone, and it will likely have a bigger battery and screen than Phone 1.

Of course, the Glyph system is back too and promises some new features and lighting styles to experiment with.

(Pictured: A photo of the OnePlus Nord CE 2)

OnePlus Nord 3 and Nord CE 3

OnePlus's suite of mid-range phones remain extremely popular in India and offer good features at a decent price.

The Nord 3 will likely use the MediaTek Dimensity 9000 SoC, while the affordable CE 3 version will stick to Qualcomm"s Snapdragon 782G SoC. Other improvements might include a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate which could be bezel-free display.

(Pictured: A promotional image for Oppo's Reno 9 series)

Oppo Reno 10 series 

Oppo's new Reno line-up is set to have something for everyone, from a focus on the high-end with Reno 10+ and a new design with the Reno 10. The Plus variant will house a 64-megapixel periscope camera and Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC.

The Reno 10 won't be a slouch either with MediaTek's Dimensity 8200 SoC with up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage.

(Pictured: A promotional Image for Motorola Razr 40)

Motorola Razr 40 and 40 Ultra

The Razr series from Motorola lives on and continues its legacy of offering unique flip designs with decent hardware to boot. This is Motorola's best bet to be competitive in the foldable smartphone market dominated by Samsung.

The Razr 40 Ultra will offer the largest cover display on any flip device which is a 3.6-inch pOLED 120Hz screen with a secondary 6.9-inch pOLED internal screen with a refresh rate of 165Hz. The Ultra will use Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC.

The Razr 40 will house a more modest Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 SoC and a smaller 1.5-inch cover display while retaining the 6.9-inch internal screen but a refresh rate of 144Hz.

(Pictured: A photo of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4)

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5

The leader in the market of foldable smartphones, Samsung will unveil the next iteration of its folding phone this year.

In our review of the Z Fold 4 we thought, Samsung took everything that worked with the Z Fold 3 and made it even better, correcting a lot of its flaws in the process.

There is no reason that they won't knock it out of the park again.