Review of the Samsung Galaxy S23+: A competent device that probably isn't worth the upgrade

 

You don't necessarily need to buy a new phone every year or two, despite what certain corporations would have you believe. Hence, although if Samsung's portfolio of Galaxy S flagship phones for 2023 may look unimpressive when compared to the previous generation, it's actually a good thing that these handsets don't give users many reasons to upgrade. It's just that it's now challenging to be enthusiastic about non-folding smartphones after having stated the same thing about the 2022 versions as well as rival phones from Apple and Google.

Samsung has concentrated on fine-tuning the camera and software capabilities of the S23 series, coupled with minor changes to the display and appearance, much like the majority of the competitors. Also, there has been a standard processor upgrade and claimed battery life improvements, both of which are objectively positive developments on paper but have little practical effect on day-to-day use.

We've already examined the S23 Ultra, which is aggressively marketed towards power users due to its huge screen, built-in S-Pen, and 200-megapixel camera. The S23+ or the S23 are available for anyone else wishing to get a new Android phone. We're concentrating on the Plus model here because Samsung hasn't yet made the smallest variant accessible for review. It's probably only worthwhile to consider Samsung's middle kid if you're using a device that is at least three years old or if you live outside of the US.

Design

This year's S23+ has a cleaner appearance than its predecessor, which is one of the most obvious differences. The only noticeable difference between the two phones is the older model's sleek camera casing on the back, which wraps around the top left corner. I started to like the design of Samsung's "contour cut" casing on the S21, especially in the lavender and pink colours.

I have mixed feelings about the S22+ and S23+ because they are both neutral. Your personal preference will determine if you like the cleaner look better. Functionally, there aren't many differences between the two designs; the S23+ wobbles a little less than the S22, but it wasn't a big concern. The lavender hue of our review device and the green model I saw at Samsung's hands-on event both appealed to me, but I found the cream and black colours to be uninteresting.

The variations between the two generations are minimal in terms of physical dimensions. They are virtually the same size in terms of weight, width, and length, as well as thickness. Despite having larger displays, the S23+ is lighter and smaller than the Pixel 7 Pro and iPhone 14 Plus.

Display and audio

Speaking of which, Samsung did make some improvements to the S23screen. +'s Indeed, the size, FHD+ resolution, and refresh rate are all largely the same as they were previously. You've definitely heard reviewers like myself praise screens with fast refresh rates and how amazing they are for skimming Instagram or Reddit feeds by this point. This is also true of the S23+.

But, it can now reach 1,750 nits when used outside, up from 1,200 nits previously, so it should be easier to read in bright light. It has been challenging to put this to the test recently because there haven't been many sunny days. The S23screen +'s is still brilliant and colourful, as is customary for Samsung mobile devices.

The Galaxy S23+, on the other hand, offers superior audio quality to any premium smartphone. That is to say, it has loud, clear vocals, but the bass is a little underwhelming. The voices of The Weeknd, SZA, and Rihanna were all audible in the songs I listened to, however the latter's cover of "Love On The Brain" had some muddy sounding instrumentation.

Cameras

The S23+ uses the same triple-camera setup as before. In other words, in addition to its primary 50-megapixel sensor, it also has a 10MP telephoto and a 12MP ultrawide sensor. But, the S23new +'s 12MP front-facing sensor boasts an f/2.2 aperture and an 80-degree field of view.

I could see the tiniest difference in sharpness between selfies taken with the S22+ and S23+, notably in the highlighted strands of my hair, and I'm a professional pixel peeper (TM). The lines in the photos shot with the older phone had some distortion, but they were razor sharp with the 12MP model. Generally, though, it was difficult to distinguish between the two photographs, save for some minor colour temperature differences.

Due to its dual-pixel autofocus as well, the S23+ has a tiny advantage over the Pixel 7 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro in terms of maintaining detail. One night, my friend and I took a few pictures while laughing uncontrollably, and Samsung's flagship was the only one that managed to preserve the stunning greens, purples, and blues in her hair while capturing each each strand of her eyelashes. Even the structure of the pigment in her purple makeup was visible.

Her hair's colours were also captured by the 10.8MP front camera on the Pixel, although the image it produced was less crisp and detailed. The 12MP iPhone photo, on the other hand, hardly captured any of the hues in my friend's hair.

The S23rear +'s cameras are still rather capable despite staying unaltered. They produce images that are comparable in quality to those taken by the Pixel 7 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro in the majority of circumstances with sufficient light. On a cloudy day, I took pictures of the New York cityscape, and each one had a little different colour. The Pixel was the most neutral, while the S23+ exhibited the deepest, brightest blue. Although Google's algorithms still produced clear images, Samsung's 3x telephoto lens allowed me to get the closest to distant buildings while still getting clear pictures.