is it worth changing?

The Galaxy S23, S23+ and S23 Ultra 1 were officially unveiled at the Galaxy Unpacked conference on Wednesday.^er February 2023. The Galaxy S23 is the smallest of the siblings. It is also the cheapest model. Already own a Galaxy S22 and thinking about upgrading to the next generation? This comparison will help you make the right decision.

The Galaxy S23 was officially launched on 1^er February 2023 and takes over from the Galaxy S22. As every year, we commit ourselves to the game of differences between the new model and the previous generation. The exercise is relatively easy because while there aren’t many changes, the few we’ve identified are quite significant.

To give you a taste: Samsung finally decided to ditch the SoC Exynos in favor of Snapdragon in the European market. Autonomy, performance… There is no need to mention the weaknesses of Samsung chips compared to Qualcomm’s equivalents. But this long-standing discrimination is now a thing of the past.

Galaxy S23 and S22: spec sheets

Design

The most noticeable change in the design concerns the photo block on the back. The block ledge disappears to make way Discreet inclusion of photo sensors in the chassis of the Galaxy S23. Last year, this feature was reserved for the Galaxy S22 Ultra.

It’s a small approximation between the two base models (the S23 and S23+, which share the same design) and the Ultra version. However, there is still a clear demarcation that allows the Galaxy S23 Ultra to retain all its personality.

The photo block on the back was liked by some and less by others. Samsung also notes that its removal is a customer request. If this decision makes it possible to return to a more traditional design, The Galaxy S23 is suddenly less recognizable than at first glance. Indeed, this remarkable character of the block offered a rather different feature to its predecessors.

That aside, the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S22 are similar in every way. We always see the stapler at the top of the screen, in the center. The design is generally thin and pleasant, as we saw when working with the Galaxy S23. The edge is made of aluminum, which always gives it a high-quality look.

Screen

Two changes to the Galaxy S23’s display stand out. The latter gets a bit brighter as it goes up to 1750 nits Max instead of 1300 nits for Galaxy S22. The new plate also has Gorilla Glass Victus 2 for its resistance. Thus, the screen is less likely to break after a relatively severe fall.

This standard specifically allows it to prevent damage after falling 1 m (hip height) onto the concrete 2m even on a surface like asphalt.

For the rest, the specifications of the Galaxy S23’s AMOLED display are the same as those of the Galaxy S22. we stay on the diagonal 6.1 inchesFull HD+ resolution (2340 x 1080 pixels) and refresh rate 120 Hz. The display is still not LTPO technology, unlike the Galaxy S23 Ultra.

Thus, the refresh rate drops to 10 Hz to optimize battery life. That’s not bad compared to the floor of most non-LTPO monitors. They generally do not go below 30 Hz.

Performance

We said it in the introduction. The Galaxy S23’s biggest evolution is its chip. Samsung has long relied on Exynos SoCs, which have been widely criticized in Europe. They’ve always been less powerful than the Qualcomm equivalents in the American versions of the Galaxy SX.

The Galaxy S22’s Exynos 2200 will therefore be the latter. place Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 It was found under the hood of the Galaxy S23, as well as the Galaxy S23 Plus and Galaxy S23 Ultra. Note that Samsung still wants to offer a specific feature. The brand is offering here a modified version of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 “for Galaxy”. It has the distinction of offering slightly higher frequencies than other Android smartphones equipped with this chip.

Early indications point to a new Qualcomm chip Up to 45% faster than Exynos 2200 Based on the results obtained with the GeekBench 5 platform, it does not count the “overclock” of the Samsung model. However, it does give us an idea of ​​the performance boost we can expect when moving from the Galaxy S22 to the Galaxy S23. Moreover, the Snapdragon chip is more energy efficient than the Exynos, even though they use the same refinement.

Image

Unlike the Samsung Selfie sensor, nothing has changed in the rear photo sensors this year. LTherefore, the configuration of the rear sensors is the same as the Galaxy S22 It has improved the photography part of the Galaxy S21. The Korean firm prefers a status quo strategy every two years. Because the observation was already the same when switching from Galaxy S20 to S21.

So the Galaxy S23 has the same 50-megapixel primary sensor as the S22 with Dual Pixel autofocus. This is a 24mm equivalent sensor opening at f/1.18. Samsung uses pixel binning technology here. Each pixel is 1 micron in size, but combining 4 units can form 4 micron super pixels, which is actually 12.5 megapixel photos.

This allows the sensor to process more light and therefore improve the quality of photos, especially at night. Added to this is a night mode that enhances the clarity of photos in very dark environments.

For the rest, the main sensor is supported by a 10-megapixel telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom and 30x digital zoom. The third sensor is a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle module. However, ahead The Galaxy S23 has a 12MP sensor versus 10MP for the Galaxy S22.

Find all the specifications of the sensors in the datasheet table above. In conclusion on this topic, the Galaxy S23 vs S22 matchup for the photo part therefore has virtually no winner. The only improvement is at the level of the selfie sensor.

Battery and fast charging

The Galaxy S23 has a bigger battery than the Galaxy S22. We’re going from 3700 mAh to 3900 mAh, about a 5% improvement. Knowing that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 consumes less power, the S23 should offer better battery life than the Galaxy S23.

When it comes to fast charging, Samsung remains at 25W for the Galaxy S23, the same as the Galaxy S22. In other words, there is no change in this regard. So far, the manufacturer has not revealed the power of wireless charging of the Galaxy S23. but in the previous model it was 10W.

Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S22: the result

The purpose of this review is not to say whether the Galaxy S23 is better than the Galaxy S22. The answer is clearly yes. Because as we can see, there is S23 stronger and brighter screen. He is more efficient thanks to the new Snapdragon Gen 2 SoC and there is bigger battery.

The real question is whether buying the new Galaxy S23 is worth it for those who already own a Galaxy S22. The answer is variable and will depend on each user. If you run intensive applications and especially demanding 3D games, the contribution of Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 compared to Exynos 2200 is undeniable.

More powerful, more stable and consumes less energy. However, for most users, the Galaxy S22’s Exynos 2200 provides comfortable performance for comfortable day-to-day use. If power is important to you, the switch to the Galaxy S23 is completely justified.

For the rest, the Galaxy S23 doesn’t change much compared to the S22. In particular, they have the same photo sensors. For many users, the photo part is one of the deciding factors. And in this case, if photography is your criterion of choice, it is not worth switching from Galaxy S22 to S23.