This story is a part of Samsung Event, CNET’s assortment of stories, suggestions and recommendation round Samsung’s hottest merchandise.
With the Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus, Samsung is prioritizing sensible enhancements that would make every day duties extra handy over sweeping modifications. The two new telephones made their debut Wednesday alongside the Galaxy S23 Ultra and a brand new Galaxy Book at Samsung’s Unpacked occasion in San Francisco. The Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus convey a slew of upgrades, together with bigger batteries, higher selfie cameras and a barely up to date design, whereas the Plus mannequin additionally has twice as a lot storage. The Galaxy S23 begins at $800 (£849, AU$1,349), whereas the bigger Plus begins at $1,000 (£1,049, AU$1,649). Both gadgets launch on Feb. 17, with preorders starting right this moment. Those costs are just like what Apple costs for the iPhone 14 lineup, which begins at $799 for the common model and $999 for the Pro. The launch additionally comes as Google has been undercutting Samsung on value with its latest Pixel telephones, which begin at $599 for the Pixel 7 and $899 for the Pixel 7 Pro. The new pair of telephones embody incremental updates in comparison with the Galaxy S22 lineup. But these upgrading from the Galaxy S21 or earlier will seemingly have loads to achieve from the S23’s enhancements. It’s one other signal that phone-makers are focusing extra on commonplace, pragmatic updates for his or her entry-level premium telephones slightly than introducing radical modifications. Apple took an identical method with 2021’s iPhone 13, which featured longer battery life and extra storage on the base stage.
Both new telephones have a battery that is 200 mAh bigger than those in final 12 months’s gadgets, which quantities to a 3,900-mAh capability for the S23 and a 4,700-mAh capability for the S23 Plus. I hope this variation makes for a major enchancment in battery life, since final 12 months’s Galaxy S22 typically struggles to get by means of a day.
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Samsung’s all-new Galaxy S23 flagship lineup is now obtainable to preorder with gadgets delivery on Feb 17. You can save on the newest gadgets with a number of Galaxy S23 preorder offers already obtainable at Samsung, Best Buy, all the foremost cellphone carriers and extra.
Even although it is a small replace, it is one which I feel individuals will recognize — so long as the change in battery life is definitely noticeable. A 2018 survey from YouGov America discovered that 41% of respondents selected battery life as the highest characteristic they needed in a brand new cellphone. Charging speeds stay the identical, with the Galaxy S23 supporting 25-watt wired charging and the S23 Plus able to as much as 45-watt speeds.
The Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus can be found in the identical sizes as final 12 months: 6.1 inches for the S23 and 6.6 inches for the S23 Plus. The base mannequin of the Galaxy S23 Plus has extra storage, now starting at 256GB as an alternative of S22 Plus’ 128GB beginning capability. The common S23 nonetheless begins at 128GB of storage. Samsung’s Galaxy S23 boosts its storage measurement with out elevating the value.
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When I reviewed the Galaxy S22 Plus final 12 months, I wrote that it was my favourite cellphone within the trio as a result of it strikes an ideal stability of offering a big display screen and longer battery life with out feeling overwhelming. It’s good to see Samsung give the Plus mannequin extra consideration by additional distinguishing it from the common model.
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Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Lineup Is Here With Big Camera Upgrades
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The telephones typically look just like final 12 months’s gadgets, till you flip them over and see that the digital camera bump is gone. Instead, Samsung has applied the identical floating digital camera lens design because the Ultra mannequin, which creates a bit of extra consistency all through the road. All three telephones are available the identical 4 colours: black, cream, inexperienced and lavender. From left: The Galaxy S23 Plus alongside the Galaxy S22 Plus.
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The Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus’ digital camera {hardware} is essentially the identical as final 12 months’s telephones. There’s a 50-megapixel essential digital camera, 12-megapixel ultrawide and 10-megapixel telephoto. Samsung says it is made some under-the-hood enhancements that ought to improve dynamic vary and different capabilities like glare discount. The new telephones get a brand new 12-megapixel selfie digital camera that must be higher at figuring out objects in body and optimizing the picture accordingly. The Galaxy S23’s digital camera.
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That upgraded selfie digital camera is thanks partially to the brand new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip discovered contained in the S23 lineup, which is answerable for a few of the S23’s photo-processing enhancements. All three S23 collection telephones run on a personalized model of the processor that Samsung stated has been optimized for sooner efficiency. It’s a novel model of the chip that’s distinct from the one we’ll see in rivals just like the OnePlus 11 5G.The launch comes as smartphone upgrades have begun to really feel much less monumental than in years previous. The Galaxy S23’s upgrades in whole really feel like sensible modifications slightly than groundbreaking ones. That continues a theme we noticed all through 2022, as firms equivalent to Apple, Google and Samsung prioritized elements like privateness, security and longevity of their new merchandise. The S23 Ultra, alternatively, is getting a extra substantial improve to a brand new 200-megapixel digital camera, though we’ll need to attempt it earlier than we all know how a lot of a distinction it makes.Overall, the Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus seem to be small however essential steps ahead for Samsung’s smartphone lineup. These telephones are seemingly greatest fitted to Android followers upgrading from a cellphone that is at the very least two years outdated, however we’ll know extra as soon as we have had the possibility to evaluate them.
Samsung Galaxy S23 lineup specs in contrast
Galaxy S23
Galaxy S23 Plus
Galaxy S23 Ultra
Display measurement, tech, decision, refresh fee, brightness
6.1-inch AMOLED; 2,340×1,080 pixels; 120Hz Adaptive Refresh Rate; 1,750 nits
6.6-inch AMOLED; 2,340×1,080 pixels; 120Hz Adaptive Refresh Rate; 1,750 nits
6.8-inch AMOLED 3,088×1,440 pixels; 120Hz Adaptive Refresh Rate; Edge Screen; 1,750 nits
Pixel density
425 pixels per inch
393 pixels per inch
500 pixels per inch
Dimensions (inches)
2.79 x 5.76 x 0.3 in
3 x 6.21 x 0.3 in
3.07 x 6.43 x 0.35 in
Dimensions (millimeters)
70.9 x 146.3 x 7.6 mm
76.2 x 157.7 x 7.6 mm
78 x 163.3 x 8.9 mm
Weight (ounces, grams)
168 g (5.93 oz)
196 g (6.91 oz)
234 g (8.25 oz)
Mobile software program
Android 13
Android 13
Android 13
Camera
50-megapixel (broad), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 10-megapixel (telephoto)
50-megapixel (broad), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 10-megapixel (telephoto)
200-megapixel (broad), 12-megapixel (ultrawide) 10-megapixel (telephoto) 10-megapixel (telephoto)
Front-facing digital camera
12-megapixel
12-megapixel
12-megapixel
Video seize
8K at 30fps
8K at 30fps
8K at 30fps
Processor
Galaxy-optimized Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
Galaxy-optimized Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
Galaxy-optimized Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
RAM/storage
8GB RAM + 128GB; 8GB RAM + 256GB
8GB + 256GB; 8GB + 512GB
12GB + 256GB; 12GB + 512GB; 12GB + 1TB
Expandable storage
None
None
None
Battery/charging speeds
3,900 mAh (25W wired charging)
4,700 mAh (45W wired charging)
5,000 mAh (45W wired charger)
Fingerprint sensor
In-display
In-display
In-display
Connector
USB-C
USB-C
USB-C
Headphone jack
None
None
None
Special options
5G (mmw/Sub6), IP68 ranking, sooner wired charging, wi-fi PowerShare to cost different gadgets
5G (mmw/Sub6), IP68 ranking, sooner wired charging, wi-fi PowerShare to cost different gadgets, UWB for locating different gadgets
5G (mmw/Sub6), IP68 ranking, sooner wired charging, wi-fi PowerShare to cost different gadgets, built-in S-Pen, 200x Space Zoom, 10x Optical Zoom, UWB for locating different gadgets
US value off-contract
$800 (8GB/128GB)
$1,000 (8GB/256GB)
$1,200 (12GB/256GB)
UK value
£849 (8GB/128GB)
£1,049 (8GB/256GB)
£1,249 (12GB/256GB)
Australia value
AU$1,349 (8GB/128GB)
AU$1,649 (8GB/256GB)
AU$1,949 (12GB/256GB)