The trend for many years has been that mobile phones are getting bigger, and most are no longer usable with one hand. An exception is the base model in Samsung’s Galaxy S series, which continues to adhere to a slightly more compact format. Last year’s Galaxy S22 was even slightly smaller than its predecessor, partly thanks to the screen being in 19.5:9 format instead of 20:9.
Samsung Galaxy S23
Now, the Samsung Galaxy S23 is here, and it is very similar to its predecessor, the Galaxy S22. The difference in size, with the S23 being a third of a millimeter wider and higher and weighing one gram more, is not noticeable, and for the most part, the design is nearly identical.
The main difference is that they have removed the distinctively shaped camera bump on the back and given the phone standalone camera lenses instead. It feels like an improvement. Even though the design is a bit more anonymous, the phone sits better in the hand without the camera bump, and the cameras protrude surprisingly little from the back of the phone. However, the Samsung Galaxy S23 still does not sit steadily if used on a table without wobbling.
The shape consists of two flat glass panels, with the back made of frosted glass, and a slightly curved frame. It is comfortable to hold, albeit a bit slippery, especially when using it with one hand. The glass on the screen is the latest Gorilla Glass Victus 2, which is supposed to be even more durable than the one on its predecessor.
The Samsung Galaxy S23 costs the same as its predecessor, the S22, did at launch. In Euros, that is. Furthermore, since the phones are so similar to each other, it is necessary for the Galaxy S23 to have some real advantages to offer compared to its predecessor.
It has the latest generation chipset, of course. Additionally, Samsung has abandoned its own Exynos chipset in favor of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 gen 2, in a special edition for Samsung. Since the Exynos chipsets were slower than the Snapdragon chipsets, the performance boost is noticeable in our performance tests.
Do you notice it in practical use?
I have a Samsung Galaxy S22 personally, and to really compare, I have copied all the apps that I use on S22 to S23 and used the phones interchangeably. If anything, it reinforces the impression of how similar the two phones are – if I don’t look at the back, I have a hard time determining which of the phones I’m using. I have a hard time perceiving any actual increase in speed in the phone’s use. If it’s there, it’s so subtle that I don’t think about it. The Galaxy S22 was simply as fast as it needed to be.
However, there is a difference in the screen between the two phones. Samsung makes excellent mobile screens with high refresh rates that provide smooth scrolling. Samsung Galaxy S23 has primarily received a higher maximum brightness on the screen, which among other things makes the screen really good in direct sunlight.
Identical camera with different results
The camera setup is almost identical on paper between Samsung Galaxy S22 and S23, so I don’t expect any differences there. I am surprised, however, as there are clear differences in both color calibration and sharpness. Overall, S23 takes sharper pictures than its predecessor, even though it is partly due to being digitally sharpened more in post-production, which is more of a matter of preference. The color reproduction is warmer and feels more natural. It is small differences in sharpness that require you to zoom in on the picture to even notice them.
Samsung Galaxy S23 takes acceptable pictures in low light. However, if you turn on the night mode, the camera is really good at low light photography, even though it takes four seconds to take a picture. The result is noticeably better than in the previous model.
There are three cameras on the back of the phone, in addition to the main camera, a wide-angle camera, and a camera with three times optical zoom. The latter offers the single biggest improvement compared to the previous model in terms of sharpness and detail reproduction, likely because the zoom camera has received optical image stabilization. It’s a really good zoom camera. The wide-angle camera is a bit simpler without autofocus, but takes acceptable pictures when needed.
The fingerprint reader is located in the screen, relatively high up so that it is comfortable to reach with the thumb. It also responds quickly, and I notice no issues with the slow and less accurate early in-screen fingerprint readers here.
Bloatware on Android
Samsung’s One UI is a nice dialect of Android 13, where they have made an effort to place the buttons you interact with at the bottom of the screen so that the phone is easier to use with one hand. Samsung also has a large number of preinstalled apps and services, both their own and others. Samsung duplicates many of Google’s system functions. Sometimes for the better, such as Samsung Pay, which has more bank support than Google Pay, and sometimes unnecessarily, such as with the proprietary app store and browser. There are also a large number of Microsoft apps included. Outlook has replaced Samsung’s own email app, and instead of the proprietary cloud service, Microsoft’s Onedrive is integrated into the system. Samsung promises four major system updates and five years of security updates.
Battery life
Battery life can be a sensitive issue for compact phones. My Samsung Galaxy S22 rarely lasts all day, but of course, I use it quite intensively. The S23 has a battery that is 5 percent larger than its predecessor, which is also noticeable in our battery test. Not much, but still welcome. If you don’t use the phone as frequently as I do, it should still last for a day.
Fast charging is not Samsung’s specialty, and the S23 is not Samsung’s fastest charging phone either. If you have a 25-watt charger, which is the fastest supported, it charges from 0 to 25 percent in about 15 minutes and a full charge takes a little over an hour.
I think the Samsung Galaxy S23 is a really nice compact phone, with cameras that are above average and excellent screen and performance in an almost one-hand-friendly format. However, it’s a bit expensive, especially since there is a much cheaper and almost identical phone to buy. But that’s for now, in February 2023. If you’re reading this later, different prices may apply. However, it will still be an excellent phone.