Samsung Galaxy S23 and S23+: modest changes, but not so insignificant

Along with the new Galaxy Book and the highly anticipated Galaxy S23 Ultra, Samsung is now making official two less affordable smartphones in its lineup: the Galaxy S23 and S23+. Like the Ultra model, these devices are compatible with the Galaxy S22 released last year.

Overall similar to their predecessors, the Galaxy S23 and S23+ still adopt a unified design with the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Understand that their photo modules, which until now were included in a separate unit of the back cover of smartphones, are now integrated directly into said cover. The effect is minimalistic and due to the conversion to colors (black, cream, green and lavender). The IP68 certification remains valid and the two terminals are entitled to two slots for SIM cards in addition to e-SIM compatibility.

The dimensions of the smartphones are practically the same as their predecessors: 146.3 x 70.9 x 7.6 mm for S23 for 167 g (146 x 70.6 x 7.6 mm for S22) and 157.8 x 76.2 x 7.6 mm for 195 g. For S23+ (157.4 x 75.8 x 7.6 mm for S22+), with unchanged weight. The grip is equally pleasant.

Adoption of Snapdragon 8 Gen 2

Their display is also the same, 6.1 and 6.6 inches (1080 x 2340 pixels) and still adopts Dynamic Amoled 2X technology, but without the dedicated LTPO for the Ultra model. Therefore, their refresh rate varies from 48 to 120 Hz, on the other hand, we note the evolution in terms of maximum brightness up to 1750 nits, as in Ultra.

Just like the S23 Ultra, the Galaxy S23 and S23+ are powered by a Qualcomm-optimized Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip for Samsung. Therefore, it replaces the regular Exynos, which is not really popular in the S22 series. Regardless of the version of the devices, it is covered by 8 GB of RAM. Thus, we note that the S23 is offered from 128 GB, while the minimum configuration of the S23 + has 256 GB of memory. Also note that to ensure increased autonomy, Samsung equips the S23 with a 3900 mAh battery, replacing the S22’s 3700 mAh capacity and the S23+ with a 4700 mAh battery (4500 mAh for the S22+). Charging speed is limited to 25W for the former and 45W for the latter, still with wireless charging at 10W.

Unaltered photo block

What about the photo section? The Galaxy S23 Ultra is entitled to a new 200-megapixel sensor, but the S23 and S23+ retain the photo unit consisting of a 50-megapixel main sensor with wide-angle optics (f / 1.8), another 12-megapixel ultra-wide sensor. angle (f / 2.2) and the last 10 Mpx is reserved for the telephoto lens (69 mm equivalent, zoom x3, f / 2.4). Their selfie camera is 10 to 12 MP.

Slightly different in design, potentially more powerful and benefiting from more advanced photo processing, the Galaxy S23 and S23+ will launch under Android 13 with One UI 5.1. After a pre-order period starting on February 1st, they will go on sale from February 17th. On the price side, count on an increase of several tens of euros, since the Galaxy S23 is launched at €959 (128 GB) or €1,019 (256 GB) and the S23 + at €1,219 (256 GB). or 1339 € (512 GB).