by Samsung seems to have perfected its flagship designs and build quality enough that the company can focus more on the software experience and quality of life improvements.
The leading manufacturer of Android smartphones announced the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23+ at Unpacked on February 1st. And while the new phones look like they’re cut from the same cloth as the 2022 models, they bring several sensible upgrades in a more minimalist design.
Here are some of the best Galaxy S23 and S23+ features, or some of the reasons they might be the best non-Ultra Galaxy S models right now. Certainly the main reasons why we are already falling in love with these two phones.
Incredible performance thanks to faster storage and a strong partnership with Qualcomm
For the first time in ages, a new Galaxy S series is no longer split between different chipsets for different markets. Samsung has partnered with Qualcomm to roll out the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 “for Galaxy” chipset so every Galaxy S23 buyer can have the same experience, no matter where they are in the world.
Furthermore, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC and especially the variant used by the Galaxy S23 series is a beast. The chipset outperforms benchmarks and delivers high levels of performance while improving battery life. Using an overclocked version of the SoC with higher primary CPU and GPU frequencies, Samsung has equipped the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23+ with larger vapor chambers for optimal cooling.
In addition to the new Samsung-exclusive chipset, the Galaxy S23 and S23+ use faster UFS 4.0 storage that enables faster file transfer speeds. With one restriction: UFS 4.0 is not supported by the basic variant of the Galaxy S23 with 128 GB.
Fantastic color accuracy with great peak brightness potential
While the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23+ displays don’t have the highest peak brightness in the industry (almost there), they’re still nice and bright and color-accurate in all lighting conditions thanks to Samsung’s improved Vision Booster technology, which it introduced last year . Vision Booster analyzes the ambient brightness and remaps the tone of the image to deliver the same high color accuracy in all lighting conditions.
Both the Galaxy S23 and S23+ have displays that can reach peak brightness of 1,750 nits. That’s nothing new for the Galaxy S23+, but it’s a big deal for the Galaxy S23 considering the S22’s 1,300 nits cap.
Needless to say, the HDR10+, fine-tuned Dynamic AMOLED 2X displays with a refresh rate of up to 120Hz are a treat and one of the best features of the new flagship phones.
Better cameras with more powerful recording capabilities
The Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23+ didn’t get much of a camera pixel count upgrade from their S22 predecessors, aside from a 2MP increase in the selfie camera. And they didn’t get Samsung’s new 200MP ISOCELL HP2 sensor either. This was reserved exclusively for the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Still, the new Galaxy S23 and S23+ borrow a few camera tricks from the Ultra model, particularly when it comes to video recording. You’re now able to shoot 8K video at 30 fps without as much cropping and with better image stabilization. In addition, the selfie camera of the Galaxy S23 and S23+ supports HDR10+ video recording.
Great firmware and unmatched support
Samsung’s new Galaxy S23 flagships go on sale with a new version of One UI on board. It’s still based on Android 13, but One UI 5.1 adds tons of meaningful additions and quality of life improvements to the already excellent One UI 5.0 update.
One UI 5.1 brings better multi-window support for Samsung DeX, Camera app improvements, a new shared family album for Gallery app, more ways to customize the phone, scene-specific wallpapers, better connection options with devices like Wi-Fi speakers, and numerous minor design improvements.
In addition, the Galaxy S23 series will receive support for four major operating system upgrades. And since they all share the same chipset everywhere, Samsung will likely offer some of the best firmware support you can get. And that’s saying something, considering Samsung already dominates the Android firmware update game.
Some of the most durable non-rugged smartphones on the market
Last but not least, the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23+ are among the most durable non-rugged smartphones money can buy, Samsung or otherwise. And that incredible build quality provides security, especially for devices that have become pocket PCs with a relatively high price compared to what the Android market offered a decade ago.
The armored aluminum frame and low-profile design make them less susceptible to damage from accidental drops, and the latest Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection makes them even more resilient. And as usual, these phones are dust and water resistant to IP68, which means they should easily survive dusty environments or rapid immersion in water.
Samsung hasn’t closed the pre-order window for the Galaxy S23 yet, but it will on February 17th. And if you’re planning on buying one of these flagships, you might want to pre-order for extra perks.
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