Faster than ever
With a design that is not too completely different from an iPhone’s, the Galaxy S23+ additionally has efficiency and battery life on par with what you’d get from an Apple cellphone. Add in a gorgeously shiny and colourful show and 4 dependable cameras, and this cellphone is hard to beat.
ForNew Snapdragon closes the efficiency gapComes with telephoto lensPacks extra RAM, base storageBrighter 120Hz displayAgainstMore costlyDesign is a bit boringOnly FHD show
A giant last-gen cellphone
Apple tried to get away with promoting a reskinned iPhone 13 with a bigger show, and customers largely weren’t fooled. While it is nonetheless a quick and engaging cellphone, it feels prefer it misplaced a step and allowed the Galaxy collection to achieve essential floor. That being stated, it does have just a few benefits.
ForExtra pixel-rich displayLonger software program supportLast-gen Bionic chip nonetheless very fastBetter colorsAgainstThe notch, stillOnly a 60Hz displayOnly two 12MP cameras
The iPhone 14 Plus fairly notoriously fell in need of Apple’s gross sales expectations, as most customers seemed to be bored with a jumbo-sized iPhone 14 in comparison with the revamped iPhone 14 Pro. The Samsung Galaxy S23+ is one other middle-tier cellphone that has to face out in opposition to the petite S23 and upgraded S23 Ultra.We’re not sure if the Galaxy S23+ will share an analogous destiny or if its upsides over a cellphone just like the iPhone 14 Plus will make it a extra interesting — and higher — cellphone. Let’s discover how the Samsung Galaxy S23+ matches in opposition to the iPhone 14 Plus.Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus vs. iPhone 14 Plus: Design and displayWhy you possibly can belief Android Central
Our professional reviewers spend hours testing and evaluating services so you possibly can select the perfect for you. Find out extra about how we take a look at.(Image credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)Ever for the reason that Galaxy S22 collection, Samsung has redesigned its S telephones to look remarkably near the basic iPhone look, full with the flat glass again and flat, angular edges. The Galaxy S22 Plus first utilized this design, and now each the Galaxy S23 and S23+ have continued the brand new custom. Apple hasn’t modified its design language a lot in the previous few generations, and the iPhone 14 Plus isn’t any exception. 2mm wider and 0.2mm thicker than the S23+, with the identical large and flat edges, the iPhone 14 Plus goes to be barely extra uncomfortable to carry. The Galaxy S23+ is not a simple one-handed cellphone just like the S23 or iPhone 14, both, however it’s barely extra comfy to grip.The foremost design distinction is within the cameras. Apple switched to its distinct triangular digicam module look final era and caught with it right here, whereas Samsung continues to make use of the straight-line look. Except this time, Samsung eliminated the aluminum digicam housing across the sensors, leaving them bare for a extra stark look. The Samsung emblem can be a lot smaller than the metallic Apple emblem, and its colours are extra subdued and “professional” trying than the iPhone 14 Plus, which embraces a barely extra enjoyable and colourful look with choices like Purple, Blue, and (Product) Red.Outside of aesthetics, each telephones have the usual IP68 resistance to water and mud. The iPhone 14 Plus makes use of Apple’s commonplace Ceramic Shield safety and “aerospace-grade aluminum,” whereas the Galaxy S23+ has Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and Armor Aluminum safety. Victus 2 is meant to be the most recent and best in fall safety, whereas we’re unsure if Ceramic Shield has progressed a lot since its iPhone 12 reveal.(Image credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)Look on the shows, although, and the variations between the Galaxy S23+ and iPhone 14 Plus grow to be rather more distinct. For starters, the iPhone 14 Plus nonetheless has the identical miniature notch because the iPhone 13 collection, lacking out on the extra delicate Dynamic Island cutout on the iPhone 14 Pro. Galaxy S23+ house owners will fortunately settle for the easy pinhole digicam that takes up a lot much less room on the show, given it additionally has facial recognition as an unlock choice along with an in-display fingerprint sensor. The one upside to the iPhone 14 Plus, except for the additional 0.1 inches of show area, is that it has 65 extra pixels per inch (PPI) than the S23+, falling in-between FHD and QHD decision. But Apple gave this pretty high-priced cellphone a 60Hz refresh fee, one thing we have solely come to anticipate from mid-range telephones at worst. You’ll positively discover extra jittery scrolling and swipes than on the S23+, which makes use of a buttery 120Hz refresh fee. You’ll additionally take pleasure in a a lot brighter display on the Galaxy S23+. Our mother or father firm Future Labs measured each adaptive and HDR brightness on each telephones and located the S23+ gained for each (1012 vs. 764; 1345 vs. 1100). Its sRGB and DCI-3 shade gamuts additionally sweep the desk in comparison with Apple’s, that means you may take pleasure in richer shade arrays for gaming and streaming. Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus vs. iPhone 14 Plus: Performance and battery lifeApple’s 2022 telephones have been the primary era to make use of completely different chips for its commonplace and Pro lineups. Still, even with the “last-gen” Apple Bionic A15 chip first discovered within the iPhone 13 collection, the iPhone 14 Plus is an exceedingly quick cellphone. What’s stunning is after years of Android flagships lagging behind Apple telephones, the Galaxy S23+ really closes that hole.Future Labs bookmarked each telephones extensively, and we’re itemizing their close-fought battle beneath:Swipe to scroll horizontallyBenchmarkSamsung Galaxy S23+Apple iPhone 14 PlusGeekbench 5 (Single-Core)15241735Geekbench 5 (Multi-Core)46424473CrossMark (Overall)135211943DMark Wild Life Original Limitless14509115123DMark Wild Life Extreme Limitless37302792While benchmarks can solely be trusted thus far, you possibly can typically see that due to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and further RAM, the Galaxy S23+ wins for general efficiency, its CrossMark rating barely beating what we measured within the iPhone 14 Pro with matching RAM (1328). As a gaming system or for demanding apps, the Galaxy S23+ seems to simply win the day. To be clear, the iPhone 14 Pro is rather more aggressive in efficiency than the Plus, however that is a a lot smaller system. You’d want the 256GB iPhone 14 Pro Max to match it for show measurement and storage, and that cellphone is priced $200 greater than the Galaxy S23+. The 256GB Plus prices the identical because the S23+ (which begins at that storage measurement), so these are the 2 telephones we’re evaluating right here.Swipe to scroll horizontallySpecGalaxy S23 PlusiPhone 14 PlusChipsetSnapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy DevicesA15 BionicDisplayFlat 6.6-inch AMOLED (Up to 1,750 nits)6.7-inch Super Retina XDR Display (Up to 1,200 nits)Decision2340 x 1080 (393ppi)2778 x 1284 (458ppi)Refresh fee120Hz (48-120); 240Hz contact sampling60HzMemory8GB6GBStorage256GB/512GB UFS 4.0128GB/256GB/512GB NVMeMain rear digicam50MP (OIS), ƒ/1.812MP (OIS), ƒ/1.5Telephoto digicam10MP (OIS), f2.4, 3x optical zoomN/AUltra-wide angle digicam12MP, ƒ/2.212MP Ultra Wide, ƒ/2.4Front Digital camera12MP, ƒ/2.212MP, ƒ/1.9Battery4,800mAh, 45W USB-C Fast Charging, 15W Wireless Charging, 5W reverse wi-fi charging4,323mAh, 20W Lightning wired charging, 15W wi-fi charging, 7.5W reverse wi-fi chargingUpdatesUp to Android 17 (4 updates), safety by early 2028Up to iOS 21 or 22 (5 or 6 updates); safety by late 2028SafetyUltrasonic in-screen fingerprint sensorFace IDConnectivityWi-Fi 6E, sub-6 and mmWave 5G, UWB, NFC, Bluetooth 5.3Wi-Fi 6, sub-6 and mmWave 5G, NFC, Bluetooth 5.3Dimensions157.8 x 76.2 x 7.6 mm160.8 x 78.1 x 7.8 mmWeight196 g203 gColorsPhantom Black, Cream, Violet, GreenMidnight, Purple, Starlight, (Product) Red, BlueProtection IP68, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 IP68, Ceramic ShieldApple has all the time benefitted from NVMe storage, providing you with quicker learn/write speeds than the UFS 3.1 commonplace may. Now Samsung has upgraded to UFS 4.0 storage, which basically doubles the learn and write speeds in comparison with the final era of telephones. We haven’t got official Apple numbers for a straight comparability, however it’s clear this Galaxy era additionally closed the efficiency hole on this space.As for battery life, Future Labs stress-tested the Galaxy S23+ and iPhone 14 Plus’ longevity, measuring 11:24 and 11:57, respectively. Neither is the perfect battery rating we have ever seen, however that display time is greater than sufficient to final you thru the day. Apple’s Pro collection is notoriously battery-deficient, however the 60Hz Plus is rather more environment friendly. Similarly, the Galaxy S23+ lasted about 90 minutes longer than the S22+, which tended to overheat with heavy use, and has created a extra reliably long-lived system.As for charging, Samsung unquestionably wins on this entrance with 45W USB-C charging over Apple’s 20W Lightning charging. In follow, the Galaxy S23+ will refill about 25% extra of its battery in 30 minutes than the iPhone 14 Plus. Both telephones supply 15W wi-fi charging, and lots of favor MagSafe charging to Qi charging. But solely Samsung affords reverse wi-fi charging to your different units.Apple all the time provides its telephones at the least 5 OS updates and long-lasting safety updates, and that hasn’t modified. But the Galaxy S23+ will get 4 OS updates and 5 safety updates, that means you are getting significantly better worth to your buy than you probably did with Android telephones of the previous. Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus vs. iPhone 14 Plus: Cameras(Image credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)Until we’re capable of evaluation the Galaxy S23+, we will not give a definitive judgment for the way good its cameras are. Its three rear cameras are largely unchanged from the S22+; in our S22+ evaluation, we stated the cellphone captured “perfectly respectable photos with good color accuracy and decent detail,” however that it did not take true “flagship-quality” images and its selfie images have been solely common. Thankfully, it did get a revamped selfie digicam, and our Galaxy S23 Ultra digicam evaluation famous how incredible the selfie digicam is, with “superb dynamic range” and glorious element and focus. The S23+ has the identical selfie digicam, so we’re optimistic; and as for the opposite cameras, the improved AI high quality of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 may result in significantly better picture post-processing. Our iMore colleagues reviewed the iPhone 14 — which has the identical cameras because the Plus — and praised the standard of low-light pictures, brighter and extra detailed daytime pictures, and high-quality Cinematic Mode video, whereas criticizing the element high quality in selfies. But and not using a telephoto lens just like the S23+ has, you will not get the identical optical zoom for farther-away topics. Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus vs. iPhone 14 Plus: Which do you have to purchase?(Image credit score: Brendan Griffiths / Android Central)With most of those comparisons, we finish with the legitimate level that Apple and Android telephones are a bit like apples and oranges. If you favor one ecosystem or the opposite, each choices are legitimate; that definitely applies whenever you examine the iPhone 14 Pro vs. Galaxy S23 Ultra, two incredible and top-tier units. With this comparability, it is really rather more clear-cut than standard. Apple normally holds a considerable lead for efficiency, battery life, and software program updates, however the S23+ both wins or falls very shut behind in every space. The Plus is arguably a extra engaging cellphone from the again, however it’s robust to get previous the notch, Lightning port, and 60Hz refresh fee in 2023 — making the cellphone really feel dated proper out of the field. That’s why so many Apple followers upgraded to the Pro.The Galaxy S23+ misses out on the next-gen cameras and better decision of the Ultra, however in any other case, it nonetheless looks like a “current-gen” system that does not maintain a lot again. It’s an all-around performer and can probably be the most effective Android telephones of 2023.
Choose the Galaxy S23+ for the perfect unblemished visible expertise, quickest multi-core efficiency, and (arguably) higher cameras. Avoid the S23+ if you’d like a one-handed cellphone or the best-possible Samsung expertise.
Choose the iPhone 14 Plus if the 14 is just too small, the iPhone 14 Pro Max is just too costly, and also you need a quick and long-lasting system. Don’t select it for Apple’s newest show, processor, or digicam tech.