Samsung Galaxy S23, S23+, S23 Ultra: Differences explained

• 

  Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

  Best Overall

  $1099 $1199 Save $100

  The Ultra is at the top of its class with a great camera experience. It’s clearly the flagship of the series, with the S Pen as an added skill. It’s flagship priced, but if you want the best, go for the Ultra.

• 

  Samsung Galaxy S23+

  Big display, lower cost

  $849 $999 Save $150

  On the one hand, the S23+ has the same screen space and features as the Ultra in a more compact package, and on the other hand, it’s just a more expensive S23. The S23 will be the phone of choice for many and is a great all-around phone.

• 

  Samsung Galaxy S23

  best budget

  $599 $699 Save $100

  It’s the smallest and cheapest model of the Galaxy S23, offering all the features of the S23+ (except faster 45W charging), but in a more pocket-friendly format and with a smaller display. It’s also cheaper.

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Samsung showed off its 2023 flagship smartphone Galaxy S23 series at Galaxy Unpacked in early 2023. Three devices have been announced – the Samsung Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23+ and Galaxy S23 Ultra – following last year’s Galaxy S22 crops. Fast forward to today, and Samsung has announced the Galaxy S24 series, which is arguably the best Android phone you can buy right now, with the same naming scheme it usually uses.

These three Galaxy 23 phones can keep up with the S24 series and get many of the same Galaxy AI features that the S24 launched with.

However, that doesn’t mean the Galaxy S23 series is outdated. Instead, these three Galaxy 23 phones can keep up with the S24 series and get many of the same Galaxy AI features that the S24 launched with. Not to mention, you can often find the Galaxy S23 series on sale, which could save you a ton of money compared to the newer S24 series.

If that sounds appealing, here’s an overview of each S23 device to find out which Samsung Galaxy S23 device is best for you? We’ve reviewed each device in full, and now we’re comparing them to highlight the differences and help you decide which is the best Galaxy S23 to buy.

Price and specs comparison

The Samsung Galaxy S23 series was released on February 1, 2023, and is still on sale globally. Let’s quickly start with price, as that may determine which of the three Galaxy S23 devices is best for you based on your budget. The Samsung Galaxy S23+ and Ultra are no longer available directly from Samsung, but you can still find them on sites like Amazon and Best Buy. Samsung is selling the regular version of the S23, starting at $699.

Here are the key specs of the phone so you can compare the devices directly before we get into the details.

• Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

  system on chip

  Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy

  exhibit

  6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 3088×1440, 120Hz adaptive

  Battery

  5,000mAh

  operating system

  One UI 5.1 with Android 13

  Front camera

  12MP, f/2.2

  aspect

  163.4×78.1×8.9mm

  memory and storage

  8/256GB, 12/256GB, 12/512GB, 12/1TB

  rear camera

  200MP f/2.2 main camera, 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle, 10MP f/2.4 3x telephoto, 10MP f/4.9 10x telephoto

  Protection level

  IP68

• Samsung Galaxy S23+

  system on chip

  Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy

  exhibit

  6.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 2340 x 1080, 48-120Hz

  Battery

  4700mAh, 45W wired, 15W wireless

  operating system

  Android + One UI

  Front camera

  12MP, f/2.2

  aspect

  76.2×157.8×7.6mm, 196g

  memory and storage

  8/256GB, 8/512GB

  rear camera

  50MP f/1.8 main camera, 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle, 10MP f/2.4 3x optical telephoto

  Protection level

  IP68

• Samsung Galaxy S23

  system on chip

  Snapdragon 8 second generation

  exhibit

  6.1 inches, 120 Hz, AMOLED 2X

  Battery

  3900mAh, 25W wired, 15W wireless

  operating system

  Android + One UI

  Front camera

  12MP, f/2.2

  aspect

  70.9×146.3×7.6mm, 168g

  memory and storage

  8GB、128/256/512GB

  rear camera

  50MP f/1.8 main camera, 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle, 10MP f/2.4 3x optical telephoto

  Protection level

  IP68

design

Apart from the physical size, the Samsung Galaxy S23 and S23+ have the same design, while the Galaxy S23 Ultra has a slightly different look, like what we saw on the Galaxy S22 series. All three devices have separate cameras on the back. The design was first introduced on the Galaxy S22 Ultra, with the S23 and S23+ ditching the camera housing this year. There are three lenses on the S23 and S23+, while the S23 Ultra has an additional sensor to the right of the three main lenses.

S-Pen compatibility and IP rating

The S23 Ultra also has a built-in S Pen. Its frame looks squarer compared to the rounder, softer looks of the S23 and S23+. All three Galaxy S23 devices are IP68 water and dust resistant and feature a centralized hole-punch camera at the top of the display. All backs feature recycled aluminum frames and glass.

The Galaxy S23, S23+ and S23 Ultra are all available in black, cream, green and lavender, with a range of exclusive colors available through the Samsung Store, so there are no color differences between the three models.

While all models share the same design features, the Ultra stands out. It’s bigger and boxier, but it definitely lives up to its name.

exhibit

The Samsung Galaxy S23 has a 6.1-inch display, while the S23+ has a slightly larger 6.6-inch display. The S23 Ultra is larger, with a 6.8-inch display. Both the S23 and S23+ offer Full HD+ (2340 x 1080) resolution, with pixel densities of 425ppi and 398ppi respectively. The S23 Ultra, meanwhile, sticks to the same Quad HD+ (3088 x 1440) resolution as its predecessor, with a pixel density of 500ppi. So Ultra delivers the sharpest display, as you’d expect. It also curves towards the edges and supports the S Pen, whereas both the S23 and S23+ have flat displays that don’t work with the S Pen.

Screen durability and refresh rate

All three devices support HDR10+ and feature Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection, and all offer variable refresh rates. The Galaxy S23 and S23+ have adaptive refresh rates between 48Hz and 120Hz, while the S23 Ultra has between 1Hz and 120Hz. This means Ultra phones are more versatile when it comes to handling different content types.

However, all of these displays look great, with typical Samsung vibrancy and plenty of brightness. Samsung has long been a leader in smartphone displays, and these devices are no exception.

Hardware and performance

Taking a look at the internals of the three flagship devices, it’s no surprise that all S23 models run on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 platform, with no Exynos models this time around. It’s a custom Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, which Samsung calls the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy, with slightly higher clock speeds than the standard Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 platform announced in November 2022.

Storage options and battery performance

The S23 comes with 8GB of RAM and comes in 128GB or 256GB storage options. The S23+ also comes with 8GB of RAM, but is available in 256GB or 512GB of storage. The S23 Ultra, meanwhile, comes with a choice of 8GB or 12GB RAM, and storage options of 256GB, 512GB or 1TB. None of the S23 models offer microSD support for storage expansion, so if you need enough storage, you’ll want to think carefully before buying.

Elsewhere, on the hardware front, all three devices support Dolby Atmos, as well as support for Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. The Samsung Galaxy S23+ and Galaxy S23 Ultra also support ultra-wideband (UWB), but the standard Galaxy S23 does not.

The battery capacity of the S23 Ultra is 5000mAh, while the battery capacity of the S23+ is 4700mAh. Both support 45W wired charging. The battery capacity of the S23 is the smallest among the three models at 3900mAh, and the charging speed is also slower, with a maximum of 25W. Both provide 15W wireless charging. All three models are equipped with under-screen fingerprint sensors and are eSIM compatible.

In fact, in terms of hardware, there is no significant difference in the performance of these devices. Since they’re all on the same platform, the experience is very similar, and all three are fast and smooth. Battery life depends a lot on what you use the phone for, but we found that all three phones easily lasted a day. Of course, the biggest drawback is that the charging speed is quite slow compared to others in the industry.

camera

The camera features of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra are still top-notch. It offers a 200-megapixel main camera with f/1.7 aperture, and a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera with f/2.2 aperture and 120-degree field of view. It also has two 10-megapixel telephoto lenses, one with f/2.4 aperture and the other with f/4.9 aperture, offering 3x and 10x optical zoom and 100x space zoom respectively.

Portrait mode, 8k video and zoom are all impressive

This camera system is one of the most complete on a smartphone right now, and it’s easily the best among the best models on offer. What sets the S23 Ultra apart from other models is the excellent zoom capabilities. It offers some great shooting options – we’ve even compared it to the Pixel 7 Pro here if you want to see what it can do.

Meanwhile, the S23 and S23+ come with triple rear cameras, including a 50-megapixel primary sensor with f/1.8 aperture, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera with f/2.2 aperture, and a 10-megapixel sensor with f/2.2 aperture. Megapixel telephoto sensor. 2.4 aperture and 3x optical zoom function.

All three devices share many of the same features, including portrait and video portrait modes, and 8K video recording at 30fps. There’s also a new AstroHyperlapse mode that lets you take photos of moving stars, and you can also get 50-megapixel RAW files from the ExpertRAW app, whereas previously you could get 12-megapixel files from the Galaxy S22 series. .

On the front, all three devices feature a 12-megapixel front-facing camera with f/2.2 aperture and 80-degree field of view, which is an upgraded sensor from the Galaxy S22 model.

in conclusion

The Samsung Galaxy S23 and S23+ are almost identical devices, save for physical size, display size, and battery capacity. The Galaxy S23 Ultra, meanwhile, not only offers a different design and larger size, but also better camera features on paper, more storage, more RAM, and more battery capacity, as well S for added convenience. Pen.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is the most desirable of the 2023 lineup. It’s the most powerful and exciting of the three phones. Through our review, we found it to be the best Samsung Galaxy S23 model. However, the Galaxy S23+ offers much the same day-to-day experience with its nice big Samsung display, but it can’t match the Ultra’s camera capabilities. However, it’s more affordable, so this is still a top-tier phone and a good choice if you’re not too worried about camera performance.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 is the smallest, most affordable device yet, delivering all that power in a more compact package. It matches the features of the Galaxy S23+, but if it’s out of your price range, you might consider the Galaxy A54.