Samsung Galaxy S23 benchmark leaks – and it's still behind the iPhone 14

When it comes to the best smartphones, Samsung's offering is almost guaranteed to be part of the conversation. Their flagship Samsung Galaxy S22 represents the best Android phone Samsung has to offer.

Competition is fiercer than ever, though, with handsets like the Google Pixel 7 Pro and the iPhone 14 looking to knock the Galaxy off its perch.

Now, Geekbench scores have leaked for a device believed to be the new Samsung Galaxy S23. That's according to renowned tipster, Ice Universe. Let's dive in and take a look at what the leaks mean for Samsung's new phone.

Samsung Galaxy S23 benchmarks

According to the leak, the S23 scored 1524 in single-core performance, and 4597 in multi-core. That's a significant jump beyond last years Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, which posted scores of 1240 and 3392 respectively, according to Tom's Guide.

The jump is no doubt courtesy of one of the most exciting rumours on display. The motherboard is listed as 'kalama', and is believed to be the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip. Snapdragon are expected to unveil the chip officially in November, so we'll have to wait a little longer for the gory details, but if this leak is anything to go by, it should be good for a 20-25% performance boost. Elsewhere, the S23 is listed with 8GB of RAM.

But while the scores represent a step up from the last generation of Samsung, it still sits in the shadow of Apple's offering. It's just behind last years' iPhone 13 Pro, and only pips the vanilla iPhone 14 in multi-core performance. The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max remain lightyears ahead, though, courtesy of the A16 Bionic chip.

We know that a good benchmark doesn't necessarily mean a good phone, but it's hard not to feel disappointed here. The fact that a new flagship processor in Samsung's top handsets will still lag behind Apple does little to convince cynics. 

Some have accused Samsung of neglecting the standard Galaxy line in favour of their exploits in foldable phones, with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4.

We'll wait for an official announcement before writing it off, but it will take more than this to get smartphone fans excited.