is the change worth it?
The Galaxy S23, S23+ and S23 Ultra were officially announced at the Galaxy Unpacked conference on Wednesday 1eh February 2023. The Galaxy S23 is the smallest of the siblings. It is also the cheapest model. Do you 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 made official on 1eh February 2023 and replaces the Galaxy S22. As every year, we lend ourselves to the game of differences between the new model and the previous generation. The exercise is pretty easy, because while there aren’t many changes, the few we’ve identified are pretty significant.
To give you a taste: Samsung finally decided to abandon its SoC Exynos in favor of Snapdragon in the European market. Autonomy, performance… there is no need to worry about the weaknesses of Samsung chips compared to their equivalents from Qualcomm. But this discrimination that lasted so long is a thing of the past.
Galaxy S23 vs. S22: technical sheets
| Galaxy S23 | Galaxy S22 | |
|---|---|---|
| Screen | 6.1″ AMOLED FHD+ 48-120Hz 2400 x 1080 pixels 1750nits |
6.1″ AMOLED FHD+ 48-120Hz 2400 x 1080 pixels 1300nits |
| chipsets | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, 4nm Wi-Fi 6E |
Exynos 2200, 4nm Wi-Fi 6 |
| WHISPER | Android 13 + One UI 5.1 | Android 12 + One UI 4.1 |
| RAM | 8 GB | 8 GB |
| Storage | 128/256 GB | 128/256 GB |
| microSD | Nope | Nope |
| Primary sensor | 50 MP wide-angle f/1.8 OIS PDAF Dual Pixel 12 MP ultra wide angle f/2.2 120° 10 MP Telephoto 3X Optical Zoom f/2.4 OIS PDAF |
50 MP wide-angle f/1.8 OIS PDAF Dual Pixel 12 MP ultra wide angle f/2.2 120° 10 MP Telephoto 3X Optical Zoom f/2.4 OIS PDAF |
| selfie sensor | 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm Dual Pixel PDAF | 10MP (f/2.2) PDAF Dual Pixel |
| Battery | 3900mAh 25W wired charging 15W wireless charging |
3700mAh 25W wired charging 15W wireless charging |
| 5G | Yes | Yes |
| Biometrics | Ultrasonic fingerprint scanner under the screen | Ultrasonic fingerprint scanner under the screen |
| Water resistance | IP68 | IP68 |
Design
The most visible design change concerns the image block on the back. Block protrusion is missing to make way a careful placement of image sensors on the Galaxy S23 chassis. Last year, this feature was reserved for the Galaxy S22 Ultra.
This is a small approximation between the two main models (S23 and S23+ with the same design) and the Ultra version. However, there is still a clear demarcation that allows the Galaxy S23 Ultra to retain all of its personality.
The photo block on the back is appreciated by some and less appreciated by others. Samsung also pointed out that its removal was a customer request. If this decision makes it possible to return to a more common design, the Galaxy S23 is suddenly unrecognizable at first glance. In fact, this marked character of the block offered its predecessors a unique character.
confirming : Apart from a slight change in the back design, the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S22 are identical in every way. The design is basically the same. Both smartphones are thin and pleasant to use, as we saw when we got our hands on the Galaxy S23. And the aluminum edge gives them a look that’s still as premium.
Screen
Two changes are notable about the Galaxy S23’s screen. The latter gets brighter as it goes to 1750 nits (peak) instead of 1300 nits for the Galaxy S22. The new slab is also entitled to Gorilla Glass Victus 2 glass for its resistance. The screen is therefore less likely to break after a fairly violent fall.
This standard allows him in particular to prevent injury after falling 1m (hip height) onto concrete or even 2m on surfaces such as asphalt.
For the rest, the Galaxy S23’s AMOLED screen features are the same as the Galaxy S22. We stayed on a diagonal of 6.1 inchesa Full HD+ definition (2340 x 1080 pixels) and a refresh rate of 120 Hz. The screen is still not LTPO technology, unlike the Galaxy S23 Ultra. So the refresh rate drops to 48 Hz when necessary to optimize battery life, not lower.
Judgment : Galaxy S23 screen changes slightly. It is more resistant thanks to Gorilla Victus 2 protection and offers 35% higher brightness peak. In other points, they have the same characteristics: same size, same definition and refresh rate.
Performance
We said in the introduction. The biggest evolution of the Galaxy S23 is about its chip. Samsung has long relied on Exynos SoCs – which have been widely criticized – in Europe. They have always been less powerful than their Qualcomm counterparts found in particular American versions of the Galaxy SX.
The Exynos 2200 of the Galaxy S22 will be the last. Place in Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 located under the hood of the Galaxy S23, but also the Galaxy S23 Plus and the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Note that Samsung still wants to offer a certain specificity. The brand offers here a modified version “for Galaxy” of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. It offers a slightly higher frequency than other Android smartphones with this chip.
The first benchmarks show that the new Qualcomm chip is up to 45% faster than Exynos 2200 based on the results obtained on the GeekBench 5 platform. And that doesn’t count the “overclocking” of the Samsung model. However, it does give us an idea of the performance boost that can be expected when moving from the Galaxy S22 to the Galaxy S23. Furthermore, even though they use the same carving skill, the Snapdragon chip is more energy efficient than the Exynos.
Judgment : The Galaxy S23 easily wins head-to-head in the performance field. The inclusion of Sapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC in place of Exynos is the big novelty this year. And it changes everything: more power, more stability and better energy efficiency.
Picture
This year, Samsung hasn’t changed the configuration of the rear image sensors. He therefore the same as the Galaxy S22, but the brand is betting on the new Snapdragon SoC and its AI for improved image processing. That’s why we can expect better shots, especially at night and in low light conditions.
But on paper, the Galaxy S23 has the same 50-megapixel primary sensor as the S22, with Dual Pixel autofocus. This is a 24 mm 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 a 4 micron super pixel, which is 12.5 megapixel photos in reality.
This allows the sensor to process more light and therefore improve the quality of images, especially at night. 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.
On the front, however, the Galaxy S23 has a 12 MP sensor versus 10 MP for the Galaxy S22. Find all the characteristics of the sensors in the table of technical sheets above.
Judgment : The Galaxy S23 and S22 have the same image sensors on the back. The only evolution is in the level of the selfie sensor that goes from 10 MP to 12 MP. However, we expect an improvement in the quality of images thanks to the improved processing of the new Snapdragon chip. We’ll tell you more after our Galaxy S23 test.
Read: All about the Galaxy S23 Series
Battery and fast charging
The Galaxy S23 has a bigger battery than the Galaxy S22. From 3700 mAh to 3900 mAh, an improvement of about 5%. And knowing that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is less power hungry, the S23 should offer better battery life than the Galaxy S23.
As for fast charging, Samsung is sticking with 25W power for the Galaxy S23, the same as the Galaxy S22. As a reminder, the latter fully charges in about an hour. Again, Samsung doesn’t provide a compatible charger in the box. So you have to buy it separately if you don’t already have it.
Judgment : The Galaxy S23 wins the battery battle. Its capacity is increasing and the optimization of the new Snapdragon platform should allow it to be more stable. The charging speed is unchanged compared to the Galaxy S22.
Galaxy S23 vs. Galaxy S22: conclusion
If the Galaxy S23 does not change its design compared to the S22, it brings some changes under the hood. As we’ve seen in this comparison, the S23 has a stronger and brighter screen. He is better thanks to the new Snapdragon Gen 2 SoC and includes a bigger battery.
Part of the image should benefit from better treatment thanks to artificial intelligence, but the configuration of the image block does not change. The Therefore, the Galaxy S23 wins head-to-head in several rounds of our comparison. If you already have a Galaxy S22, it’s up to you to decide if these improvements are enough to upgrade to the new version.
The price factor should not be removed. Samsung raised prices by €100 this year. Therefore, from 859 € to 959 € for the basic model. But if you pre-order the Galaxy S23 until February 16, you can get €60 off the 256 GB version of the smartphone. It is actually at the price of the 128 GB version, ie 959 € instead of 1019 €.
Fnac and Darty currently offer the Galaxy S23 at the best price at €709. You get a €100 discount on the cart, which increases the price from €959 to €859. Samsung also offers a trade-in bonus of €150, which means that the Galaxy S23 will cost you €709 with all the bonuses.
