Why buy the Samsung Galaxy S23?
Identical processor to the S23 Ultra
Compact - but perfectly formed
Gorgeous camera
Introduction
If you are looking to experience a significant number of the exciting features that are available in the S23 Ultra but prefer your phones more portable - the S23 is for you. With its bespoke Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor (now thankfully also available on this side of the planet), mega 3900 mAh battery and 50 MP triple camera, you are getting plenty of power and a great design, in a much more pocket-friendly size.
Design
The first thing to notice with the S23, which least expensive smartphone of the three models available, is the significant change in design from the S22.
This model takes its lead from 2022’s Ultra with a minimalist array of three camera lenses on the rear rather than the ‘contour cut’ camera module observed on the S22.
The size and weight of the phone have not changed however and the display is the same at 6.1 inches, although it has been reinforced with the toughest glass around; Gorilla Glass Victus 2. It is also worth noting that, for the first time, some of the bodywork is made from recycled materials including the Gorilla Glass itself, volume and power buttons.
Camera
In terms of camera, the S23 boasts a 50 MP (megapixel) main camera, a 12MP ultrawide lens and a 10MP telephoto lens. There has been a slight upgrade to the selfie camera from 10MP to 12MP. There are also several software improvements, especially for low light photography and night shooting including an ‘astrophotography’ mode which allows you to capture nighttime sky sequences that show stars, planes and satellites!
Video
The S23 supports shooting up to a whopping 8K at 30fps (frames per second) which means it is super smooth. There is also a Super Steady video mode which is basically a digital steadicam meaning you can run around while recording without ending up with a blurry mess.
Display
The brightness level on the S23 display is now a whopping 1,750 nits which makes a noticeable difference in bright sunlight. It also has a power saving adaptive 120Hz AMOLED panel which means it can slow its refresh rate down to 48Hz with the same Full HD+ resolution while maintaining a similar brightness. Size wise, it measures a very portable 6.1 inches and a new Advanced Vision Booster automatically adjusts the screen for optimal colour accuracy and contrast against certain ambient lighting conditions.
Processor
All the smartphones in the S23 series have a bespoke processor that comfortably blows most other chipsets out of the water. It is called the ‘Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 For Galaxy’ which means the S23 is much faster than previous models. There are loads of technical reasons for this around efficiency and heat dissipation but if it is maximum power and speed for multi-tasking, gaming and streaming you are after - the S23 is for you.
Thanks to its newer chip, the Galaxy S23 also brings advanced connectivity features like Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2. It also features a more efficient 5G modem that offers faster download and upload speeds if you’re on a 5G network.
Battery
Although the S23 has the smallest battery of the three at 3900 mAh, you needn’t worry for two reasons. Firstly, 3900 mAh is a competitively significant battery size and secondly, the new, mega efficient processor mentioned above gives you an all-day battery life, regardless of which model you choose.
When it comes to charging, there are different charging speeds so the S23 will charge at 25 watts wired. You also have a wireless charging option (which is slower) and wireless power sharing so you can share power with other devices e.g. earbuds.
Colours and options
The entire S23 series comes in the same colours: Green, Lavender, Cream and Phantom Black. Storage wise, you can get up to 256 GB on the S23.