Samsung unveils Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus: Cleaner design, bigger batteries, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2

And, for those mindful of durability, we’re happy to report that the phones have IP68 water resistance, just like their predecessors. This means they have been tested to survive in up to 1.5 meters of freshwater for up to half an hour, so a light rain shouldn’t bother them.

AMOLED displays, 120Hz refresh rate

On the front, the smaller, base Galaxy S23 has a 6.1-inch screen with very small, symmetrical black bezels, while the S23 Plus, like its name suggests, has a slightly bigger screen at 6.6-inches. And yes, those are the same sizes as last year, so S22 users should feel right at home with the new S23.

Both models’ screens are using Dynamic AMOLED 2X technology, sport a FHD+ (1080p) resolution, and perhaps most notably – variable refresh rate from 48, up to 120Hz. So, we have a 120Hz refresh rate on both phones!

Gamers may be interested to know that they can even make use of a 240Hz Touch Sampling Rate mode for a super responsive mobile gaming experience. Note that this won’t make the screen refresh any quicker, but respond to touch quicker.

As we mentioned earlier, the Galaxy S23 screens are also protected by Gorilla Glass Victus 2, which is the newest Gorilla Glass, and supposedly survives cracks and scratches like a champ, but we’ll probably see if that’s true soon enough.

As we’ve come to expect, the displays still have a selfie camera hole punch at the top center, meaning we don’t get any fancy under-display cameras just yet, but hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

Yay, no more Exynos processors in Europe! Everyone gets the flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2!

On the inside, all phones in the Galaxy S23 series are powered by the latest flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, and even better – this time there’ll be no Exynos models in some regions.

No matter where you are, your S23 phone will be powered by the same flagship Snapdragon chip, which wasn’t the case before. For example, in Europe Samsung’s flagships traditionally ship with Exynos processors, but again – that won’t be the case this time around.

Now, that Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (which is also a 5G chip, of course) bodes well for those powerful multitasking features we get on Samsung flagships, such as split screen multitasking, windowed apps, and my favorite – the desktop mode called Samsung DeX.

Both the Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus are also packing 8GB of RAM, which helps with keeping more apps open in the background. In addition, you can get up to half a terabyte of storage, which is not expandable, unfortunately.

On the software side, the Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus come with Android 13 out the box, with Samsung’s One UI 5.1 on top. That’s the one that brings a distinct Samsung Android experience, with all of the extra multitasking features we mentioned just now, plus the built-in apps like Samsung’s own Internet browser, Samsung Notes, and the Galaxy app store. Of course, you don’t have to use any of those, as the Google Play Store, and all the third-party apps you may already be accustomed to, are available at your disposal too.

More good news – bigger batteries and faster charging

On the battery front, the Galaxy S23 is sporting a 3,900 mAh battery, while the S23 Plus – a 4,700 mAh one. Those are both slightly bigger than what we got with the previous generation, so that’s some good news for people who appreciate that longer battery life. Stay tuned for our full reviews, where we’ll test just how much extra battery life that increase gets us.

Speaking of the battery – the charging speeds are one thing that differs between the Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus.

The Galaxy S23 has slower 25W wired charging, while the Galaxy S23 Plus has support for faster 45W wired charging. Both phones also have Fast Wireless Charging 2.0, but we’re yet to confirm whether this means 10W or 15W wireless charging speeds.

Both the S23 and S23+ share the same triple camera setup

But now let’s get into what’s become the main topic of every modern flagship smartphone – the camera. Both the Galaxy S23 and S23+ have triple cameras on the back, and those share the same specs:

Galaxy S23 and S23+ cameras:

• 12MP Ultra-Wide Camera (F2.2, FOV 120˚)
• 50 MP Wide Camera (F1.8, FOV 85˚)
• 10MP Telephoto Camera (3x Optical Zoom, F2.4, FOV 36˚)
• 12MP Front Camera (F2.2, FOV 80˚, can film at up to 4K, 60FPS)

That main camera is definitely no slouch at 50MP, and for when the need to take a wider shot pops up we have a 12MP ultra wide camera with a field of view of 120 degrees. On top of that, if you ever need to zoom in on a distant subject or landscape, there’s a telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom, just like last year.

But what’s probably the most exciting and futureproof camera upgrade is that every phone in the Galaxy S23 line-up is now capable of recording 8K video at 30FPS (frames-per-second), which is smoother than before. And Samsung is beating its main competitor, Apple to the punch, because iPhones don’t have any 8K video recording yet.

To be fair, most people don’t even have 8K screens right now, which would be why we don’t see a lot of 8K videos on YouTube or anywhere just yet, but hey – again – this is some great, early futureproofing. 8K 30FPS today, maybe 8K 60FPS next year?

In addition, the Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus can obviously also film in lower resolutions which take less storage space, such as 4K at 60FPS, and FHD at 120FPS. There’s even a 960FPS super slow motion video recording mode for the creatives out there, looking to try something different!

Speaking of camera features, Samsung is banking on improved Night Mode photography (“Advanced Nightography”), and from what we’ve seen so far, it is very impressive. Say you’re taking some pictures of your friends at night – well, normally those would come out a grainy dark mess with barely distinct human figures in it, but as it seems, that improved night mode can turn nights into days, almost.

Improved night selfies are another worth getting excited about. According to Samsung, the front camera focuses faster even in low light now, and uses AI to deliver authentic colors “that rival real time,” which is indeed something many phones struggle with in low light.

The Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus can also capture hi-res RAW images, for the professionals among you, thanks to which Samsung promises “bright and detailed shots ready for pro-level editing.”

Interested? Pre-orders are open, shipping starts soon, prices are unsurprising

Let’s get on to prices, storage options and release dates. The Galaxy S23 series is now available for pre-order, and shipping starts on February 17.

In the US, the Galaxy S23 prices start at:

• Galaxy S23: $799.99
• Galaxy S23 Plus: $999.99
• Galaxy S23 Ultra: $1199.99

In the UK, the Galaxy S23 prices start at:

• Galaxy S23: £849
• Galaxy S23 Plus: £1049
• Galaxy S23 Ultra: £1249

Note that those prices will go up if you choose higher storage options. Also, we still have a few regional spec differences, as usual. For example, we noticed a UK Galaxy S23 Ultra model with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage, which does not appear in the US, at least for now.

What do you think about the S23 and S23+? Did Samsung nail the 2023 update?

Let us know what you think about the Galaxy S23 and S23+ in the comments section below. Are you excited to get one, or will you skip the upgrade this year?

After all, we get faster processors, bigger batteries, a more minimalist design, on top of those improved cameras. It’s not exactly a small upgrade, like the S22 arguably was. But hey, again, let us know what you think!

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