New leak lends more credibility to Galaxy S23 price hike for Korea

More pricing details for the upcoming Galaxy S23 series have emerged, this time for Samsung's home market, South Korea. And it's a bit of mixed news. The leak suggests that the Galaxy S23 series won't get as big of a price hike as the previous rumors suggested, but it will be slightly more expensive than the Galaxy S22 at launch.

According to a leaked material (via @GaryeonHan), the base Galaxy S23 with 256GB and 512GB of storage will cost 1,155,000 ($931) and 1,276,000 won ($1,029), respectively.

The Galaxy S23+ with 256GB and 512GB of storage will cost 1,353,000 ($1,091) and 1,474,000 won ($1,189), respectively. And last but not least, the top-tier Galaxy S23 Ultra will set customers back 1,599,400 won ($1,290) for the 256GB model and 1,720,400 won ($1,388) for the variant with 512GB of storage.

For reference, the Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22+, and Galaxy S2 Ultra were released in South Korea last year for 999,900 ($806), 1,199,000 ($967), and 1,452,000 won ($1,171), respectively. (USD at today's conversion rate)

The Galaxy S23 series may or may not cost more in other markets

The sad reality is that virtually everything has become more expensive in recent years, given the current economic landscape. In Samsung's case, the alleged higher prices for the Galaxy S23 series in Korea are due to higher component costs and rising inflation.

Even so, it's worth noting that the Galaxy S22 was a bit of an exception. The Galaxy S20 was actually more expensive at launch than the Galaxy S23 will be. The base Galaxy S20 model was released a couple of years ago for 1,250,000 won. So, in the grand scheme, you could say that the Galaxy S lineup hasn't gotten more expensive compared to where it was a few years ago.

Furthermore, even if the Galaxy S23 costs more than the S22 at launch, this price increase might not happen everywhere. The Galaxy S23 lineup might be pricier in markets including Korea and Australia. However, leaked prices for the USA indicate that the upcoming flagship series should cost the same as last year. Stateside, the Galaxy S23 could start at $799.

In the end, some markets might see a price increase, while others might not, but nothing appears to be set in stone yet. We'll find out more on February 1, when Samsung is set to unveil the Galaxy S23 lineup at Unpacked. Until then, remember that you can reserve the phone online and be rewarded $50 in Samsung Credit.