Alongside the ultra-premium Galaxy S23 Ultra, Samsung is also ushering in the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23+. Of course, the successors to the S22 and S22+ but now more uniform as one whole family.
As far as changes go, this isn’t a redesign year or some wild new spec, but rather refinements throughout. But if you’re rocking an older Galaxy, there’s definitely a slew of improvements, just not year over year.
So let’s unpack everything you need to know about the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23+. For everything on the S23 Ultra, check out our hands-on here.
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How to Preorder the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23+
Samsung is wasting no time and has already opened preorders for the Galaxy S23 and S23+. They will begin shipping on Feb. 17 as well, so only a few short days away.
You can get the S23 with 128GB or 256GB of storage, while the S23+ comes with 256GB or 512GB. Both devices come in Lavender, Phantom Black, Green, or Cream. Additionally Samsung will offer Lime, Graphite, Sky Blue, and Red shades exclusively. The Galaxy S23 starts at $799 and the S23+ at $999.
During the pre-order period, Samsung will double your storage automatically and give you up to a $100 instant credit. Exclusively with us though, you’ll score an additional $50 instant credit bringing the total to $150 of instant credit, and that free storage upgrade.
- Samsung Galaxy S23 (Starting at $799.99 at Samsung)
- Samsung Galaxy S23+ (Starting at $999.99 at Samsung)
What You Need To Know About the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23+
Display and Design
Just like the S22 and S22+, the Galaxy S23 comes with a 6.1-inch display and the S23+ hits big with a 6.6-inch display. Sizes aside, these deliver a Full HD resolution experience with poppy colors and buttery smooth visuals. Specifically, these sport up to a 120Hz refresh rate and utilize a Dynamic AMOLED 2x panel. In my brief hands-on the S23 and S23+ got plenty bright and taking in a quick video looked great.
There is still an embedded fingerprint sensor built into the bottom of the display and up-top you’ll find a pinhole notch. This year it’s a 12-megapixel ultra wide lens with a revamped sensor. I snapped a few selfies and I looked good enough here. If this is your first phone with a cutout for the selfie camera, I wouldn’t be concerned about it blocking any part of the software either.
The camera bump on the back is out and there are just three lenses that rise slightly from the matte, aluminum finish of the S23 and S23+. These phones are mostly built from glass and aluminum, along with recycled plastics on the inside for various components. You can get the S23 and S23+ in a lovely Lavender, Green, Cream, or Phantom Black. In fact, you can also get the S23 Ultra in any of these shades.
Cameras
You’re also left with three very capable lenses that make the S23 or S23+ a versatile camera. You still get a 50-megapixel wide camera, a 12-megapixel ultra wide camera, and a 10-megapixel telephoto camera. Within the Camera app you can swap seamlessly between the lenses and use a bunch of modes, including some new Nightography ones.
Related: Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra Sharpens Its Focus On Photography
It’s not a giant leap or substantial change over the cameras on the S22 or S22+, but these will still be some of the best cameras available on a smartphone.
Software and Performance
At launch the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23+ will be running Android 13 with Samsung’s custom One UX 5.1 on-top. This is the technology giant's custom flavor of Android and makes some customizations. You’ll find a deep integration with SmartThings, new widget options, and an overall swiftness.
Samsung is promising four generations of Android updates and five years of security updates with every S23 model. This is pretty stellar and stretches the value of both of these devices much farther.
Powering everything on the S23 or S23+ is a custom processor built with Qualcomm for Galaxy phones. Specifically, it’s the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy and comes paired with 8GB of RAM. This should be plenty for any task like snapping photos or videos, multitasking, gaming, and even live streaming.
Both the Galaxy S23 and S23+ charge via a USB-C port or wirelessly through the Qi standard. The S23 features a 3,900mAh battery, while the larger S23+ gets a bigger 4,700mAh battery. Both should last all day according to Samsung, and we’ll be putting this to the test.
Every Galaxy S23 also supports Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, and the major 5G bands in the United States.
Prices are accurate and items in stock at time of publishing.
