The Samsung Galaxy S23 is the smallest and most affordable model in Samsung’s latest Galaxy flagship trio. While it may not offer all the premium features of the Galaxy S23 Ultra, it still brings significant improvements over its predecessor, the S22, making it a compelling choice for many users.
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Design and Display
The Galaxy S23 maintains its compact form factor, but with a few notable design changes. Both the front and back are now crafted from more durable Gorilla Glass Victus 2, and Samsung has done away with the camera bump that wrapped into the aluminum frame — each camera now protrudes individually from the back. The phone retains its IP68 rating for water and dust resistance and uses even more recycled materials to reduce waste.
The display is a 6.1-inch Dynamic AMOLED with a 1080p resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate, offering vibrant colors and sharp detail at over 420 PPI. The maximum brightness has been boosted to 1200 nits in auto mode, compared to the already impressive 980 nits on the S22. This improvement ensures that the display remains highly visible even in bright sunlight. The refresh rate adjusts dynamically, providing smooth scrolling at 120Hz and conserving battery life by dropping as low as 10Hz when idle.
Performance
A major highlight of the Galaxy S23 is its custom version of Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, with higher CPU and GPU clock speeds. This makes the S23 one of the most powerful smartphones available, only outperformed by dedicated gaming phones like the Red Magic 8 Pro. It supports advanced memory technologies like UFS 4.0 and LPDDR5X RAM, contributing to its impressive performance.
The S23’s 3,900 mAh battery is 200 mAh larger than its predecessor, contributing to significantly improved battery life. The phone earned an endurance rating of 101 hours in tests, with web browsing time up by 30% compared to the S22. The device supports 25-watt charging, capable of charging from 0 to 57% in half an hour with a proper adapter, although none is included in the box.
Camera System
The Galaxy S23 carries forward the same three-camera setup as the S22: a 50-megapixel main camera, a 10-megapixel 3x telephoto lens, and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera. The main camera consistently delivers high-quality 12-megapixel photos, with great detail, sharpness, contrast, and vibrant colors. Portraits are particularly impressive, offering great subject separation and natural background blur.
The telephoto lens produces excellent 3x zoom photos, while the ultra-wide camera delivers detailed images with low noise and good dynamic range. However, the ultra-wide camera still lacks autofocus, limiting its macro photography capabilities. In low-light conditions, the Galaxy S23 performs admirably with automatic night mode, producing well-exposed photos with realistic colors, high contrast, and good detail.
Video Recording
The Galaxy S23 can now record 8K video at 30fps, an upgrade from the 24fps offered by the S22. The 4K video quality from all three cameras is outstanding, featuring plenty of detail, low noise, and vibrant colors. The phone also has excellent electronic stabilization for smoother video recording.
Software
The Galaxy S23 runs on Samsung’s One UI 5.1, based on Android 13. This version brings enhanced optimization, making the interface feel faster and more fluid. New features include a battery widget, more wallpaper options, and a mode that allows continued browsing on a PC if you’re using the Samsung web browser.
Conclusion
While the Galaxy S23 may not introduce revolutionary changes compared to its predecessor, it does offer meaningful upgrades, including a brighter display, improved battery life, a new selfie camera, and a more powerful chipset. These enhancements make the S23 a strong contender in the compact flagship category, even if it lacks some of the cutting-edge technology found in the S23 Ultra. If you’re looking for alternatives, consider the Asus Zenfone 9 or the iPhone 14, but the Galaxy S23 remains a well-rounded choice worth recommending.
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