Samsung just rolled out the early release on February 1st of the Samsung S23 line up, now available on pre-order. If you haven’t yet ordered yours, you’ll still have to wait a few more days before you can get your hands on one as the official release date is February 17th. 

Last year, Samsung released the S22 line up in January which gave us incredible specs and features. If you’re considering an upgrade and want something similar to the retired Samsung Galaxy Note that came with a pen, or an Android that’s on the same level as the latest iPhone, you may want to read more about the Samsung Galaxy S23. 

Although the new and improved S23 shares some features with the S22, it is still no doubt an upgraded version with better camera specs, improved chipset, longer battery and more storage options. 

Without being biased, we wanted to give you an honest opinion of what we thought about the new S23. There are plenty of great reasons for getting the new Samsung but if you’re not in the market of getting a new phone just yet - the S22 is just as good. 

Samsung Galaxy S23 vs Samsung Galaxy S22

If you’re considering the S22 and new S23, we recommend getting a model from the S23 all the way. The S23 will be an amazing addition to the Samsung family but the S22 remains a great phone, if you’re not interested in an upgrade just yet. 

For one, the battery on the S23 line up is better than the Galaxy S22 and comes with the latest hardware and software. You can expect a Galaxy-optimized Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset for all models in the S23 line up, across every country. This chipset is far superior than the previous Exynos chipset for overall performance and device speed. And unlike before, it’s available to us in Europe! 

Undoubtedly, the S23 is the better phone to the S22 with improved cameras, faster processors, larger batteries and brighter display. But if you’re on a budget, the S22 is still a great option and you won’t be missing out on too much. 

We put together a chart that will give you an insight of the differences between the two models including the upgraded front camera and video settings. 

	Samsung Galaxy S23	Samsung Galaxy S22
Processor	Galaxy-optimized Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2	Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
RAM	8GB	8GB
Storage	120GB / 256GB	128GB / 256GB
Display	6.1-inch AMOLED; 2,340x1,080 pixels; 120Hz Adaptive Refresh Rate; 1,750 nits	6.1-inch AMOLED; FHD+ (1080x2340); 120 Hz
Rear Cameras	50-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultra-wide), 10-megapixel (telephoto)	50-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultra-wide), 10-megapixel (telephoto)
Front Camera	12-megapixel	10-megapixel
Video Capture	8K at 30fps	8K at 24fps
Battery	3,900 mAh (25W wired charging)	3,700 mAh (25W wired charging)
Special Features	5G (mmw/Sub6), IP68 rating, faster wired charging, wireless PowerShare to charge other devices	5G (mmw/Sub6), 120Hz display, IP68 rating, 25W wired charging, 15W wireless charging
Colors	Phantom Black, Cream, Green, Lavender	Cream, Graphite, Sky Blue, Violet

S23 vs S23 Plus vs S23 Ultra

{Image from Samsung}

The S23 line up is quite promising and is definitely an upgrade to the S22 line up, as we mentioned. Between the three models, the S23 Ultra proves to be the best with greater camera specs, higher performance and even the S Pen. Here is a chart that breaks down the differences between the three models available on the Galaxy S23 line up. 

	S23	S23 Plus	S23 Ultra
Processor	Galaxy-optimized Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2	Galaxy-optimized Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2	Galaxy-optimized Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
RAM	8GB	8GB	12GB
Storage	128GB / 256GB	256GB / 512GB	256GB / 1TB
Display	6.1-inch AMOLED; 2,340x1,080 pixels; 120Hz Adaptive Refresh Rate; 1,750 nits	6.6-inch AMOLED; 2,340x1,080 pixels; 120Hz Adaptive Refresh Rate; 1,750 nits	6.8-inch AMOLED 3,088x1,440 pixels; 120Hz Adaptive Refresh Rate; Edge Screen; 1,750 nits
Rear Cameras	50-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 10-megapixel (telephoto)	50-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 10-megapixel (telephoto)	200-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide) 10-megapixel (telephoto) 10-megapixel (telephoto)
Front Camera	12-megapixel	12-megapixel	12-megapixel
Video Capture	8K at 30 fps	8K at 30 fps	8K at 30 fps
Battery	3,900 mAh (wired)	4,700 mAh (wired)	5,000 mAh (wired)
Special Features	5G (mmw/Sub6), IP68 rating, faster wired charging, wireless PowerShare to charge other devices	5G (mmw/Sub6), IP68 rating, faster wired charging, wireless PowerShare to charge other devices, UWB for finding other devices	5G (mmw/Sub6), IP68 rating, faster wired charging, wireless PowerShare to charge other devices, integrated S-Pen, 200x Space Zoom, 10x Optical Zoom, UWB for finding other devices
Size	5.8 x 2.8 x 0.3 inches	6.2 x 3 x 0.3 inches	6.4 x 3.1 x 0.35 inches
Colors	Phantom Black, Green, Lavender, Cream	Phantom Black, Green, Lavender, Cream	Phantom Black, Green, Lavender, Cream

{Image from Samsung}

S23 vs S23 Plus vs S23 Ultra: Design and Display

The new Samsung Galaxy S23 is not too different from what we saw with the display and design of the S22. The display sizes of 6.1inches on the S22, 6.6 inches on the S22 Plus and 6.8 inches on the S22 Ultra remained the same for the new S23. The S23 line up offers a peak brightness of 1750 nits which is greater than the S22 and S22 plus which gave us 1300 nits. 

Aesthetically, we think that the S23 line up looks great. Unlike before where the lenses were separated from the phone on a rectangular block, they will stand alone on the phone and blend into it. Instead, the design of the new S23 line up has adopted the look of the Ultra models where the rear camera lenses are stacked vertically and without the rectangular block. The models will be available in the same color options of Phantom Black, Cream, Lavender and Green which are slightly different from what has been offered on the S22 line up. 

It’s also worth knowing that the S23 lineup uses Gorilla Glass Victus 2 across all models which provides increased toughness against dropping; an improvement from the S22 which uses Gorilla Glass Victus. 

 

{Image from Samsung}

S23 vs S23 Plus vs S23 Ultra: Cameras

The biggest upgrade for the camera is found on the S23 Ultra. The main 108MP camera on the S22 Ultra has been replaced by a huge 200MP shooter which you’ll be able to switch with 50MP and 12.5MP, depending on how you would like the details or brightness to appear in your snapshots. 

The S23 Ultra has kept the same 12MP ultrawide shooter and dual 10MP telephoto lenses but with features such as the AI camera and the Expert RAW app, you can definitely produce amazing images. 

The new front camera of 12MP on the S23 line up comes with enhancements through AI-powered software that improve the quality of your selfies and a serious upgrade compared to previous models. 

 

{Image from Samsung}

S23 vs S23 Plus vs S23 Ultra: Performance

Unlike before, Samsung has rolled out the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset from Qualcomm into the entire S23 line up. This is a massive upgrade for the European market where we previously received a different chipset (Exynos) to other countries which do not necessarily perform as well as the Qualcomm chipsets. The new chipset matches the capabilities of the Apple A15 Bionic chip in the iPhone 14 and will be more powerful than any other Android phone on the market. 

Out of the three, the S23 Ultra features two RAM options: 8GB and 12GB but the S23 and S23 Plus offer 8GB. The S23 offers both 128GB and 256GB storage where the standard is 256GB for the two other models; however, you can upgrade your S23 Ultra to 1TB with the 12GB RAM.

S23 vs S23 Plus vs S23 Ultra: Battery & Charging

Out of all three models in the line up, the S23 Ultra comes with the biggest battery of 5,000mAh compared to the power pack found in the S22 Ultra. Samsung is claiming that the Ultra will achieve an “all-day battery” function, most probably due to the upgraded chipset and cooling features in the design.

Both S23 Plus and Ultra also come with bigger battery packs to their predecessors which have been upgraded to an addition of 200mAh. The S23 Plus and Ultra allow for faster wired charging of 45W but the S23 remains at 25W. Unfortunately, Samsung won’t be rolling out any chargers in the box - just the USB-C cable. 

Shop the Neofier USB-C Charger Plug, compatible with the S23 line up. 

S23 vs S23 Plus vs S23 Ultra: Special Features

The biggest difference between the S23 Ultra versus the other two models in the line up is the S Pen. Other than that, you won’t find major differences between the three models in the features or software which guarantees an all-rounded experience for the line up. 

The three models will ship with Android 13 with the Samsung’s One UI 5 interface. 

 

S23 vs S23 Plus vs S23 Ultra: European Prices

Compared to the US price guides where the S23 is said to start at just $799, the European market will see higher prices with the S23 starting at €949. 

	8GB + 128GB	8GB + 256GB	8GB + 512GB
S23	€949	€1,009	-
S23 Plus	-	€1,199	€1,319
S23 Ultra	-	€1,399	€1,579

S23 vs S23 Plus vs S23 Ultra: Overall

Overall, the S23 Ultra remains the best out of the three models in the S23 line up with its powerful camera, upgraded RAM, larger battery pack and S Pen. 

The S23 and S23 Plus have a few similarities although the S23 Plus may be the most considerable out of the two. You are guaranteed a better display, greater battery life and more storage than the base model S23; however, the S23 will work best for all audiences against other phone brands.