Samsung Galaxy S23+ Review: What’s Not to Like?

2023 is off to a stable begin. We simply bought completed trying on the very-nice OnePlus 11, are nonetheless loving the Pixel 7 line, and now we get to have a look at Samsung’s Galaxy S23 sequence.

For many who missed it, Tim has already fully reviewed the Galaxy S23 Ultra and gave it excessive marks. For my duties, I’ve been on the Galaxy S23+ for a number of weeks making an attempt to determine if this telephone has any downsides. To place it merely – it doesn’t.

And with that, put together for one of the straight ahead Galaxy S23+ evaluations you’ll discover.

What do I like concerning the Galaxy S23+?

Show. Samsung slapped one other 6.6″ Dynamic AMOLED show within the Galaxy S23+, because it did with final 12 months’s S22+, and it’s expectedly nice. It maxes out at 1080p in decision with 120Hz refresh fee. You’ll discover a peak out of doors brightness of 1,750nit, so it’s simple to make use of when outdoors. It’s flat, in order that’s one other bonus, and yeah, there’s completely nothing to complain about.

At 6.6″, the show is on the big measurement, resulting in a big telephone. I’m not right here to inform you that giant telephones are unhealthy, simply mentioning that this show means a enjoyable viewing expertise when watching video or taking within the pictures you latterly snapped. It additionally means that you could be battle to achieve all corners with a single hand.

Samsung’s shows are tuned so properly today that I not often have a look at them and go, “Wow, this has actually punchy colours!” As an alternative, I have a tendency to come back away from a Samsung telephone overview critiquing different gadgets as a result of they typically look awkwardly colourful. Samsung will get colours proper even with the colour setting on “Vivid.”

I discussed brightness above and the way it has loads of it when outdoor. I additionally must level out that the auto-brightness is great at adjusting to darker conditions. and it’ll even allow you to swipe the brightness bar one notch additional to the left to actually drop the lighting down when laying in mattress within the darkness. Samsung’s brightness ranges from high to backside stay one of the best.

The opposite factor I’d level out is that bizarre viewing angle speaking level that’s so typically talked about. While you have a look at the Galaxy S23+ at an off angle, it barely reveals a colour shift. Irrespective of the way you have a look at this telephone, the colours maintain and look good.

At 120Hz, this telephone seems insanely easy and has stable contact responsiveness. I don’t assume it’s fairly as snappy because the OnePlus 11 or Pixel 7 Professional, however it received’t disappoint. My professional tip right here is to scale back animations down so far as you’ll be able to to make the UI and expertise only a tad bit snappier.

There isn’t a lot new with this show in comparison with final 12 months’s 22+ and that’s OK. It’s an incredible show.

Efficiency. I at all times want I had extra to say in efficiency sections of evaluations, however you’ll be able to solely say “quick and easy” in so some ways. The Galaxy S23+ is as soon as once more very quick and easy, because of its quick RAM, quick storage, quick show (120Hz), and quick processor (Snapdragon 8 Gen 2). With the Galaxy S23+, the One UI software program on it additionally feels very optimized to the purpose the place I’m undecided it may get a lot sooner.

We frequently check telephones that can showcase a hiccup or stutter throughout essentially the most random of conditions or app launches or when swiping into the app overview, however not this one. I, actually, don’t have anything however constructive marks to blanket this telephone with on the subject of every day usability. Guys, it’s quick, it’s easy, it’ll run something you need it to.

Battery life. I’ve bought to apologize upfront for this one, as a result of I’ve zero every day screenshots of battery life. I do know, that appears like I didn’t do my job, however I by no means felt like I wanted to snap one since battery life was by no means in query. I do have the 7-day common beneath and can spotlight a pair that have been on the heavier facet (ignore the final 2 days).

Samsung elevated the battery measurement to 4700mAh from 4500mAh (S22+) and tossed in a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and I by no means sniffed a low battery discover. After I was approaching 4 hours of display screen on time in a day (usually from 6AM to 11PM), I used to be simply barely passing the 50% mark. As lots of you already know, a typical day for me includes a ton of Chrome, Twitter, Instagram, and Google Information utilization. I spend numerous time in Telegram, speak to my spouse over Google Duo video, and let me child run a sport once in a while. I’m not the heaviest person on the planet, however I’m constant and really feel like that enables me to know whether or not or not a telephone has good battery life.

I don’t understand how else to say this, however holy sh*t, man. I’m principally able to name this telephone the battery life king – it’s that spectacular on battery life. I’m additionally contemplating shopping for the smaller Galaxy S23 as my every day telephone as a result of if it might probably match this, then why not? And that’s after me getting unbelievably aggravated eventually 12 months’s Galaxy S22 and its horrible battery situation.

On a charging entrance, the Galaxy S23+ is meant to assist 45W quick charging and “quick” wi-fi charging. I haven’t wanted to cost at 45W speeds but, as a result of the telephone simply by no means appears to expire of juice throughout a day. I’ve solely wanted to wirelessly cost (high off) at night time after which go about life.

Design. The largest change in design for the Galaxy S23+ over the Galaxy S22+ is within the digital camera housing and that’s about it. For the S23+, Samsung went forward and matched the type of the Extremely sequence, forsaking the digital camera housing that blended into the facet body of the telephone. Now, you simply have a floating digital camera array that showcases the telephoto, extensive, and ultra-wide lenses, leaving the remainder as minimal as it might probably get.

General, I do actually like this design from Samsung even when it’s a contact boring. This inexperienced mannequin that I’ve been testing is sort of pleasant, with the matte inexperienced end and black body, largely flat edges to present you loads of grip, and sufficient coating on the again to dam most fingerprint marks.

Samsung is leaning into the flat sides to offer you area to carry. Not like Google and OnePlus telephones, there’s a sharpness to the sides that might irritate you throughout prolonged classes or it’s possible you’ll respect the added grip. There’s sufficient weight right here with out being extreme, a great stability to all of it when holding, and buttons in the suitable locations which can be simple to achieve.

It is a well-designed telephone that isn’t making an attempt to be extreme in type just like the OnePlus 11 and doesn’t have the goofy digital camera bar of the Pixel 7 sequence. Samsung went minimal and I’m a fan.

Availability. On the subject of availability, that is a type of areas of concern that long-time Samsung followers most likely aren’t aware of. If you happen to purchase Samsung telephones, you already know which you can purchase a Samsung telephone nearly wherever. Whether or not that’s as an unlocked mannequin by way of Samsung or Greatest Purchase shops or by way of your provider, the telephones are merely accessible. I convey availability up for the Galaxy S23 sequence as a result of nothing has modified and that’s a great factor. Nevertheless, it’s price pointing this out as a constructive when the OnePlus 11 additionally simply launched and is simply accessible unlocked by way of a handful of retailers, none of that are your provider. Fortunately, Google has been in a position to promote its Pixel telephones the place they have to be bought within the US lately, however that wasn’t at all times the case.

So yeah, Samsung as soon as once more is delivering their telephones the place they have to be, with a constant stream of deals and a ok quantity of inventory that you shouldn’t have any issues discovering one in your colour of selection.

Software program. The Galaxy S23 line ships with Samsung’s One UI 5.1, the latest model of its customized pores and skin that sits atop Android. Yeah, it’s getting bloated and possibly crammed with an excessive amount of stuff that the majority of us won’t ever use, however it’s additionally largely good. Possibly I’m simply over complaining about included stuff that I don’t use or possibly it’s the truth that this telephone nonetheless runs this good with all the further crap, however I don’t have so much to whine about right here.

With One UI 5.1 (below Android 13), Samsung not less than sticks to Android working correctly in locations just like the notification space, not like OnePlus who purposely butchered how a very powerful piece of Android works. My solely actual complaints stay within the horizontal app drawer (can we get a toggle already?), unhealthy folder structure, and gradual animations that I dialed manner down in developer settings. The whole lot else is there for those who want it and never essentially in the way in which for those who don’t.

Samsung allows you to actually customise the lock display screen, residence display screen, and show experiences. One UI has top-of-the-line darkish themes within the enterprise, numerous helpful sound and vibration settings, some attention-grabbing superior and Labs toys, and a extremely helpful Linked Gadgets space, since all of us proceed so as to add increasingly more related gadgets to our lives.

I most likely use 1/10 of the software program options that Samsung has inbuilt right here, whilst you might find yourself utilizing way more. Why that’s nice is as a result of all of us use our telephones in a different way. Having options, even when they’re for a small group, shouldn’t be faulted.

For a full software program tour, watch our Galaxy S23 Ultra First 10 Things video.

On high of the stable One UI 5.1 expertise, I’ve to level out that Samsung remains to be king of Android updates. With the Galaxy S23+, that doesn’t change in any respect and also you get 4 years of massive OS updates, together with 5 years of safety patches. OnePlus is matching Samsung on paper now, be everyone knows they received’t in actuality, not less than when it comes to speediness. Shopping for a Samsung telephone means one of the best software program assist in Android.

Digital camera. Samsung gave us the identical digital camera setup within the S23+ because the S22+, so meaning a predominant 50MP sensor at f/1.8 and with OIS. That predominant digital camera is joined by 12MP ultra-wide and 10MP zoom lenses. Like final 12 months, the digital camera is sort of good and I’ve discovered it to finest Google’s Pixel 7 Professional once in a while.

While you use a high-end Samsung digital camera like this, you get extra settings than you’ll know what to do with. There are commonplace modes (Portrait, Evening, Video, Panorama, Gradual-Mo, and so on.), however Samsung additionally tosses in Professional and Professional Video and Professional RAW and its actually enjoyable Single Take mode. There’s a mode for nearly any scenario you may end up in. For my testing, I identical to to shoot in commonplace, with loads of portrait and night time photographs.

The Samsung digital camera app is simple sufficient to make use of. You possibly can rapidly toggle between lenses and zoom lengths, flip over to a brand new mode utilizing a swipe motion, and regulate all kinds of settings from excessive effectivity photos to monitoring auto-focus and burst photographs. Oh, sure, the digital camera can also scan QR codes by default.

I believe Samsung’s night time mode has actually began to catch as much as Google’s and may be higher at bringing to life colours. That always occasions implies that the processing is cranking the heat, which I don’t at all times love, however it does get up the shot. There’s a bit of additional sharpening occurring, so that you lose some particulars and photos might have that appealing-in-process look vs. actuality. Some might love that greater than others.

On the subject of outcomes, I discovered the digital camera system to be quick sufficient. We aren’t speaking Pixel 7 Professional quickness, however there wasn’t sufficient shutter lag that I missed too many photographs or discovered too many with blur. I did miss some, although, don’t get it twisted. General, I pulled this digital camera out when wanted, took photographs on photographs, and have been happy after trying again by way of them. I’d nonetheless most likely attain for a Pixel or iPhone or S23 Extremely earlier than this one if I had the selection, but when that is your solely digital camera, don’t fear an excessive amount of.

Different notes:

• Fingerprint reader: The in-display fingerprint reader on the Galaxy S23+ works properly. I haven’t had the problems with it that different telephones have given me, so I’d give it a thumbs-up. It’s most likely not so good as the reader within the OnePlus 11 and is about as fast because the Pixel 7 Professional’s. It really works.
• Haptics: Haptics in telephones can actually improve an expertise, as a result of they will offer you such a satisfying click on or buzz below your finger that confirms the motion you simply accomplished. For the Galaxy S23+, the haptics are beneath different high tier telephones. The OnePlus 11 and Pixel 7 Professional and iPhone 14 Professional have much better haptics.

What’s bugging me about it?

Umm, nothing? That’s going to appear like a lazy take and I get that. The factor is, there actually isn’t something to complain about with this telephone. It has no actual flaws and is nice within the areas it must be good at that we glance severely into when testing. The show and efficiency and battery life are glorious. The software program is stable. The digital camera is stable. You should buy it wherever and usually with a good low cost. The design may be too minimal for some, however I form of adore it in a world of telephones which can be all extreme.

If there’s a criticism, it’s most likely round the truth that this isn’t a lot of an improve over the Galaxy S22+. Like, for those who personal a Galaxy S22+, don’t purchase this telephone. You don’t want it. However you probably have something previous to the S22, what’s to not like right here?

Severely, Samsung, you’ve completed properly.

Can purchase the Galaxy S23+?

It is a easy one – able to improve and don’t wish to spent $1,200 on the S23 Extremely, however do need one of the best of the common S23 line? Purchase the Galaxy S23+. Do you personal a Galaxy S22+ and are questioning for those who ought to improve? You shouldn’t. Personal a Galaxy S21 or S20 or another 2-3 12 months outdated telephone? Yeah, it is a telephone it is best to strongly think about shopping for. It does all the stuff very well and has next-level battery life. Go get one.