Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus review (2023): with excellent colors

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus feels eerily familiar. Fortunately, it has incredible performance, improved camera software, and much better battery life than its predecessor. The display is also top-notch. We already have the Galaxy S23 and S23 Ultra in our office. Now it’s time for the Galaxy S23+ to round out the set. As we give the phone to our review team, we thought we’d give you a sneak peek at the S23 in the middle.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus: Description

The Galaxy S23 Plus is a lot like its predecessor, with the exception of a redesigned camera bump, an updated Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, and a small increase in battery size. Without the curved camera island, the back looks and feels more simple. But even though we have the exact same camera setup, we hope that the new chip and its faster processing will improve the image quality. The backs of all three S23 models are now made of Gorilla Glass Victus 2. The days of plastic backs are long gone.

The 6.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, on the other hand, has a refresh rate of 120Hz, HDR 10+, and Full HD+ resolution, which are all familiar features. We’ll put the Galaxy S23+ through our usual tests and analyses so that we can tell you if it’s a good phone to buy. If you haven’t already, check out our summary of all the news from Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event this week.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus: Pros and Cons

Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus: Specifications

Design and Display

This year’s S-series phones from Samsung aren’t much different from the ones we got in early 2022. The S23 and S23+ don’t look quite as much like their predecessors as the S23 Ultra does, but they aren’t hugely different either. The S23+ looks almost the same as the S22+, but its cameras no longer have a raised island around them. Samsung has been making phones with these small camera bumps for a while, like the S22 Ultra from last year and many of its cheaper A-series phones like the Galaxy A14. It looks better.

The back of the Galaxy S23+ is made of flat glass with a matte finish. Near the bottom, Samsung’s logo is etched in glossy letters. Matte glass is less gripping on bare skin than glossy glass. This makes the phone a little less stable in your hand than a Pixel 7 Pro. But it is also less likely to show fingerprints, which makes the phone look more expensive.

You should probably get something to protect it, but the S23+ will look great with its box and whatever case you get. The phone’s metal side rails are polished, and the power and volume keys are on the right side. Both are very firm and click when you press them. The bottom edge has one of the two speakers, which is surprisingly loud, the SIM tray, and the USB-C port.

The S23+ comes in Phantom Black, Green, Cream, and Lavender colours “Green” could use a little more color, because it’s mostly grey. Still, I really like the Lavender finish I’ve been using. I usually think of lavender as a little more purple than this phone is. My S23+ looks pastel pink in most light, but this phone has a unique finish that is just eye-catching enough.

The S23+ is Samsung’s 2023 flagship phone in the middle size range, between the 6.1-inch S23 and the 6.8-inch Galaxy S23 Ultra. At 6.6 inches, the S23+ is a good size for a large phone. It has more screen space than the S23, which is small by 2023 standards, but it doesn’t have the extra bulk of the S23 Ultra, which some users, including myself, might not like. It feels solid and dense, and it doesn’t crack or bend when you push on it. It’s a joy to hold, and Samsung’s build quality is the best in the Android world.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus: Camera

Even though the Galaxy S23 Ultra has a 200MP main camera and a lot of new features, the Galaxy S23 Plus camera hasn’t changed much. The Galaxy S23 Plus comes with a 50MP wide-angle main camera with an f/1.8 aperture, a 12MP ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 10MP 3X optical telephoto camera with an f/2.4 aperture that can zoom up to 30X.

There are a lot more changes on the front, where Samsung has added a new 12MP selfie camera with dual phase-detection autofocus. This should keep your selfies sharp even in bad lighting, and it can also shoot Super HDR videos and 4K@60fps videos that you can share on social media. Portraits taken in low light have also gotten a lot better.

Overall, the camera app is as good as it gets. All the important features are laid out in a way that makes sense, and there are a lot of advanced features spread out all over the interface. Samsung newbies will probably need to learn about all the different shooting modes and options, but Galaxy veterans will be able to use all the new features right away.

Performance and Software

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 runs the great screen and everything else on the S23 Plus. This isn’t just any Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, as Samsung is quick to point out. Instead, it’s a version of the chip that Qualcomm and Samsung worked together to make especially for the S23 line.

It’s mostly the same chip that’s in phones like the OnePlus 11 and Iqoo 11, but it has a faster CPU clock speed and better image processing software. The most important thing to know is that it makes the Galaxy S23 Plus way faster than it should be.

When you open an app or game, it loads right away. The S23 Plus can keep up with you even if you switch back and forth between apps at the same time. Even when the graphics settings for Marvel Snap or Call of Duty: Mobile are turned all the way up, the Galaxy S23 Plus can handle everything without a problem. I’m always and completely amazed by how much this phone can do, especially since it does all of these things without getting too hot.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 comes with 8GB of RAM and either 256GB or 512GB of storage space. This year, the S23 Plus and S23 Ultra now come with 256GB of storage as standard, which is a great change. That’s a big difference from most flagship phones, like the Pixel 7 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro, and others, which all come with 128GB of storage at the very least. Even though getting 256GB for the same starting price as last year’s 128GB Galaxy S22 Plus may seem like a small upgrade, it’s a very important one that you’ll appreciate more and more the longer you keep the phone.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus: Battery life

The Samsung Galaxy S23+ has a 4,700mAh battery, which is just a little bit more than the 4,500mAh battery in the S22+. I’m not usually picky about how long a phone’s battery lasts, but this one is about what I’ve come to expect from a flagship phone this size. My phone usually lasted a little more than 24 hours without a charge, which was enough time for me to use the screen for six or seven hours.

That’s just an average, though. I’ve been using my phone less over the past few days, and as I write this on a Sunday afternoon, the S23+ still has 29 percent battery life left. Since I charged it last on Friday night, that’s not bad at all. You could drain the battery in a day if you played a lot of games or used Google Maps for a long time, but other than that, you won’t have any trouble getting from morning to night on a single charge.

On paper, a compatible PPS charger can support charging speeds of up to 45 watts, and wireless charging can go up to 15 watts. The Galaxy S23+ doesn’t come with a charging brick, and it’s likely that the ones you already have won’t be able to give you the full 45-watt speed. Samsung phones have a history of being picky about chargers. I’ve seen charging speeds as high as the mid-30s on the S23+, but I haven’t used the phone long enough to know everything there is to know about the battery and charging. We’ll soon add more information to this review about how well the battery works.

Price & Availability

On February 17, the Galaxy S23 Plus went on sale to the public, and the starting price was $999. That gets you 256GB of storage, a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset, and a triple camera setup with a new 12MP front selfie camera. The phone also comes in a 512GB version you can buy this smartphone directly from Samsung’s website.

The Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Ultra are on either side of the Galaxy S23 Plus. The Galaxy S23 Plus is in the middle of the other two models. It’s a bigger Galaxy S23 with a bigger battery, twice as much storage at the start, and 45W wired charging that’s much faster. The 6.6-inch Super AMOLED screen has the same FHD+ resolution and 48-120Hz refresh rate. The front and back cameras are the same as the ones on the Galaxy S23.

You can get the Galaxy S23 Plus from most carriers and stores that sell electronics, as well as from Samsung’s own online store. Your old device might be worth a lot when you trade it in, so check out our best Galaxy S23 deals page to make sure you save as much money as possible.

Final Words

Most of the time, the Galaxy S23 Plus is a good phone. The only real problem is that it doesn’t last long on a charge, but that can be fixed with an update. Then again, it must be pretty good if I’m complaining about 8 hours of screen time. Most people won’t need the Galaxy S23 Ultra because this is a good enough phone. They can save $200 by not getting it. It has a great camera, great software, and even great hardware.

FAQs

Is it worth buying S22 Plus?

Most Samsung flagship phones have great front-facing cameras, and the Galaxy S22 Plus is no exception. You will want to take more and more selfies with this phone because it has great detail without being too sharp, great colours, and great subject separation in portrait mode. Also to die for is the 4K 60fps selfie video.

Why is Samsung removing the headphone jack?

Instead, it said that it took out the headphone jack to make room for a bigger battery, which would give Note power users a longer battery life. It’s a good idea. Most people tell me that they only want longer battery life out of all the new features that are coming out. There could be pushback, though.

Does S23 cause infertility?

It is true that S23 has shown promise so far as a male pill. This is because it is thought to slow down the changes in hormones FSH and LH, which are needed to make sperm. When SARM S23 was given to rats in a study, their sperm count dropped so much that they had the highest rate of not being able to have children.

Which Samsung Galaxy has no headphone jack?

The new Samsung Galaxy S22 series doesn’t have a 3.5mm headphone jack, that’s right. The fact that the new Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22 Plus, and Galaxy S22 Ultra don’t have a 3.5mm headphone jack doesn’t really come as a surprise