• 

  Supply: Samsung

  Samsung Galaxy S23+

  High notch efficiency

  The candy spot in Samsung’s flagship smartphone lineup for people who need bleeding-edge efficiency with a bigger display screen and a strong digicam system, however do not want all of the bells and whistles of the pricier S23 Extremely.

  professionals

  • Glorious display screen with improved brightness
  • Excellent efficiency
  • 4 years of software program updates

  Cons

  • Solely modest digicam enhancements over final 12 months’s mannequin
  • Battery life should still be an issue

• 

  Supply: Samsung

  Samsung Galaxy S21+

  Nice endurance

  Samsung’s Galaxy S21+ stays a quick, feature-packed cellphone that gives an excellent show and strong battery life. Whereas the digicam configuration is a bit uncommon, it takes first rate pictures, and sports activities a gorgeous design.

  professionals

  • Spectacular AMOLED show
  • 4 years of Android updates
  • Succesful digicam system

  Cons

  • Lacks true optical zoom
  • 12MP main digicam

Samsung’s 2023 Galaxy lineup has arrived, and whereas the brand new Galaxy S23+ comes with few surprises, the iterative nature of this replace serves to solidify Samsung’s flagship smartphone platform. That is to not say that the Galaxy S23+ would not have lots to supply; like its predecessors, it is a well-rounded smartphone and among the finest Android telephones for people who desire a bigger display screen however do not want all the pieces the dearer S23 Extremely gives. Nevertheless, does it pack in sufficient of a punch to make it definitely worth the improve for people toting the 2021 Galaxy S21+?

Worth & availability

Supply: Samsung

The Galaxy S23+ is launching with the identical $1,000 price ticket as Samsung’s prior two plus fashions. It is accessible for pre-order from Samsung now in Phantom Black, cream, inexperienced, lavender, mint, and graphite in your alternative of 256GB and 512GB fashions.

Samsung nonetheless ostensibly sells the Galaxy S21+, though it isn’t simple to get your fingers on one in new situation nowadays. It is accessible solely within the Phantom Black 128GB model.

Design: Borrowing from the Extremely

Supply: Samsung

Whereas the design of the brand new Galaxy S23+ nonetheless unmistakably identifies it as a Galaxy cellphone, Samsung has made one large change this 12 months to unify the look of all the S23 lineup. Gone is the digicam bump from the prior fashions; As a substitute, you are getting the cleaner and extra trendy look of the S23 Extremely, the place the three lenses are set towards a uniform backdrop.

Granted, it isn’t a glance that may enchantment to everybody — many people have been followers of the distinctive digicam bump design. Nevertheless, it is a good change for individuals who choose the look of Samsung’s S-series Extremely however weren’t prepared to drop an additional $200 to get it.

Naturally, Samsung has additionally modified its colour choice this 12 months. The corporate has bee decreasing its assortment of “Phantom” colorways over the previous couple of years, and this 12 months the S23+ limits that to Phantom Black, which is joined by cream, inexperienced, and lavender. The S23+ additionally has a couple of unique colours in the event you purchase instantly by means of Samsung: Graphite and Lime. In sensible phrases, the S23+ gives extra colour choices, as most of the S21+ choices have been unique to on-line orders from Samsung or particular markets like South Korea.

Concerning general sturdiness, the S23+ is fairly evenly matched with the S21+; each telephones supply IP68 water resistance and Gorilla Glass Victus, though the S23+ will get a slight edge due to the cutting-edge Gorilla Glass Victus 2. Glassmaker Corning guarantees that it’s going to survive higher towards drops on tough surfaces akin to concrete, nevertheless it stays to be seen how a lot that may pan out in sensible phrases. Nonetheless, even when it is solely incremental, it is nonetheless nice to have higher safety.

Show: An excellent display screen will get brighter

Supply: Samsung

At a look, the display screen specs between the Galaxy S23+ and the S21+ seem almost similar. Each fashions boast a Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O edge-to-edge show, and you may doubtless have a tough time telling them aside with the bare eye. Samsung gives a number of the finest AMOLED screens on the market, and it naturally places its finest shows ahead on its flagship telephones.

On paper, the Galaxy S23+ has a barely smaller display screen, at 6.6 inches quite than the 6.7 inches of the S21+, however that is a reasonably insignificant distinction that you simply’d hardly discover until you are evaluating the 2 side-by-side. Each fashions supply a 120Hz refresh fee with comparable FHD+ decision and pixel density.

The largest enchancment the S23+ gives this 12 months is in general brightness, which now peaks out at 1,750 nits, which ought to make it a lot simpler to see when utilizing your cellphone open air on a sunny day. That stated, the 1,300-nit brightness on the Galaxy S21+ wasn’t something to scoff at.

software program

The Galaxy S23+ naturally ships with the most recent Android 13 launch with Samsung’s One UI 5, however they will be the primary to ship the most recent OneUI 5.1 replace. Nevertheless, whereas the S21+ shipped with Android 11 and OneUI 3.1, Samsung pushed out its Android 13 and OneUI 5.0 replace late final 12 months, and it is anticipated to get OneUI 5.1 within the coming weeks.

This implies each telephones are on par for now and can doubtless stay so for the subsequent couple of years. Samsung guarantees 4 years of main updates for its telephones (and 5 years of safety updates), which suggests the S21+ ought to be good till at the least Android 15. Nevertheless, the Galaxy S23+ will proceed past that, doubtless making it to at the least Android 17 .

Efficiency

Supply: Qualcomm

Maybe the largest place the place the Galaxy S23+ pulls forward of the S21+ can also be the least shocking. Due to the most recent Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 cell platform, the Galaxy S23+ goes to be some of the highly effective smartphones in the marketplace. In reality, Samsung is utilizing a customized souped-up model of this chip, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Cell Platform for Galaxy. It’ll doubtless widen the efficiency hole much more between the Galaxy S23+ and its predecessors.

That stated, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 within the Galaxy S21+ is definitely no slouch. Hardcore cell avid gamers may discover a slight efficiency improve when pushing the envelope, however the Galaxy S21+ is already snappy and responsive in regular day-to-day use, and each the S23+ and S21+ pack in the identical 8GB of RAM. The place the extra highly effective Snapdragon chip goes to make the largest distinction just isn’t in how briskly your Galaxy smartphone operates however in powering all the opposite issues that it may possibly do. Computational images is the way in which forward to creating the very best use of your smartphone’s digicam, and the Galaxy S23+ guarantees a complete assortment of newer and extra highly effective options akin to Tremendous HDR, Nightography, Auto Framing, and extra. Granted, the S21+ has most of those, nevertheless it’s a protected guess that the S23+ will enhance on them to supply even higher footage.

battery and charging

Supply: Samsung

The Galaxy S23+ packs in a barely smaller 4,700mAh battery in comparison with the 4,800mAh cell discovered within the S21+, however due to the marginally smaller display screen and the enhancements to energy administration that just about at all times include newer chips, this should not make any sensible distinction. The Galaxy S21+ might get most folk by means of a day of heavy use, so we anticipate the Galaxy S23+ to final roughly the identical period of time.

The place the Galaxy S23+ will get an edge is in providing help for 45W Tremendous Quick Charging 2.0. That is a notable enchancment over the 25W Tremendous Quick Charging of the Galaxy S21+, though you continue to do not get a charger within the field. Nevertheless, if wi-fi charging is extra your model, you will not discover a lot distinction as each help the identical 15W Quick Wi-fi Charging 2.0 normal. You additionally get Wi-fi PowerShare 4.5W reverse wi-fi charging to juice up your Galaxy Watch 5, Galaxy Buds 2 Professional, or simply about another machine that helps Qi wi-fi charging.

digicam

Supply: Samsung

The digicam system on the Galaxy S23+ differs considerably from the one discovered on the Galaxy S21+, ditching the 64MP “telephoto” lens in favor of 1 that really gives a real optical zoom. Whereas the alternative of the 64MP shooter on the Galaxy S21+ with a 10MP one might appear to be a step backward, Samsung’s option to put its highest-resolution sensor on an alternate digicam was an odd transfer within the first place. The tactic behind this seeming insanity was to create a telephoto focal size with out the necessity to put in telephoto optics.

By comparability, the Galaxy S21+ solely featured a paltry 12MP main large digicam. The Galaxy S23+ replaces that with a way more respectable 50MP sensor and makes use of correct glass on the telephoto lens to get a real 3X optical zoom. Each fashions function the identical 12MP ultra-wide digicam, whereas the Galaxy S23+ bumps the entrance digicam up barely to 12MP.

Do you have to improve?

Supply: Samsung

On the floor, there’s not a lot that the Galaxy S23+ gives that will make it a “should purchase” over the Galaxy S21+, and that is not a foul factor — it proves that Samsung’s Galaxy lineup has matured and that its telephones have some fairly strong endurance. Two years after its launch, the Galaxy S21+ stays an excellent smartphone, with energy to spare and help for the most recent Android and OneUI variations that may final for an additional two years.

In fact, that does not imply the Galaxy S23+ is not a greater cellphone. Nevertheless, these enhancements are a group of smaller issues quite than any single “wow” issue. The Galaxy S23+ offers you higher efficiency, sooner wired charging, and undoubtedly take higher footage than its predecessors. Nonetheless, none of these items make it a compelling improve for anyone who’s already pleased with their Galaxy S21+. The Galaxy S23+ is a worthwhile improve in the event you’re on a two-year improve plan, and also you definitely will not be disenchanted with it. In any other case, there is not any cause you may’t maintain on to your S21+ for at the least one other 12 months to see what the Galaxy S24+ might have to supply.

Supply: Samsung

Samsung Galaxy S23+

The candy spot in Samsung’s flagship smartphone lineup for people who need bleeding-edge efficiency with a bigger display screen and a strong digicam system, however do not want all of the bells and whistles of the pricier S23 Extremely.