Samsung Galaxy S23 and S23+: subtle changes, but not insignificant

In addition to its new Galaxy Book and its highly anticipated Galaxy S23 Ultra, Samsung is now formalizing two relatively more affordable smartphones in its series: the Galaxy S23 and S23+. Like the Ultra model, these devices are in line with the Galaxy S22 released last year.

Overall, like their predecessors, the Galaxy S23 and S23+ still use a unified design with the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Understand that their photo modules, until now included in a separate block of the back shell of smartphones, are now integrated directly into said shell. The effect is minimalist and, related to being colors (black, cream, green and lavender), everything is successful. The IP68 certification remains, and the two terminals are entitled to two slots for SIM cards, in addition to e-SIM compatibility.

The dimensions of the smartphones are almost identical to their elders: 146.3 x 70.9 x 7.6 mm for 167 g for the S23 (146 x 70.6 x 7.6 mm for the S22), and 157, 8 x 76.2 x 7.6 g mm for 195. for S23+ (157.4 x 75.8 x 7.6 mm for S22+), with unchanged weight. The grip is just as pleasant.

The adoption of Snapdragon 8 Gen 2

Their screens are also the same, 6.1 and 6.6 inches (1080 x 2340 pixels), and still use Dynamic Amoled 2X technology, but there is no LTPO reserved for the Ultra model. Their refresh rate therefore varies from 48 to 120 Hz. On the other hand, we noticed an evolution in terms of maximum brightness, which goes, as in Ultra, up to 1750 nits.

In the same vein as the S23 Ultra, the Galaxy S23 and S23+ are equipped with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip optimized by Qualcomm for Samsung. That’s why it replaces the standard Exynos, not really popular in the S22 series. It is on the side of 8 GB of RAM, regardless of the version of the devices. Because of this, we note that the S23 is offered from 128 GB, while the minimum configuration of the S23 + includes 256 GB of storage. Also note that to ensure higher autonomy, Samsung provides its S23 with a 3900 mAh battery, replacing the 3700 mAh capacity of the S22, and the S23+ with a 4700 mAh battery (4500 mAh for the S22+ ). The charging speed remains limited to 25 W for the first and 45 W for the second, with wireless charging still at 10 W.

An unchanged image block

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

Slightly different in terms of design, potentially more powerful and benefiting from more advanced image processing, the Galaxy S23 and S23+ will be released under Android 13 with One UI 5.1. They will be marketed from February 17, after the pre-order period starting from February 1. On the price side, count the increase of several tens of euros, since the Galaxy S23 was announced at 959 € (128 GB) or 1019 € (256 GB), and the S23 + is shown at 1219 € (256 GB) or 1339 € (512 GB).