Samsung Galaxy S23 Specifications
The Samsung Galaxy S23 can be a tempting flagship designed for one-handed use, featuring a compact design that doesn't compromise on features.
Key features
Pocket design makes small dimensions and Galaxy S23 display easy to use with one hand
Great performance Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy delivers top-notch performance
Capable cameras Although it lacks the 200MP camera and Ultra zoom lenses, the Galaxy S23 still has great photography capabilities
Samsung Galaxy S23 256GB and Galaxy Buds 2
Amazon has the Samsung Galaxy S23 256GB version available with a pair of Galaxy Buds 2 wireless headphones for just £889.20. That's £40.20 more than the base price of the 128GB Galaxy S23 without the built-in headphones, so you're basically getting a pair of earbuds worth £139 for less than £50.
Introduction
The Samsung Galaxy S23 is considered official, and it may be the small phone that Samsung fans are waiting for.
With a smaller space and a lighter build than the rest of the collection, there's definitely the appeal of the 6.1-inch Samsung Galaxy S23, but is there a compromise to achieve such a compact size? I was invited to a hands-on training session before Samsung launched, and here are my early thoughts on Samsung's flagship Galaxy S23.
Design & Display
The Samsung Galaxy S23 may look similar, but there are major changes on offer from this year's flagship.
The most immediate obvious change for many will be to remove the surrounding camera cover on the back, replacing it with a simple line of cameras that emulate those of the Galaxy S23 Ultra . It's a nice move considering that the standard Galaxy S22 looks like a different beast than the Galaxy S22 Ultra, and although I personally find it very simple, I'm sure there will be many consumers who like a cleaner aesthetic.
There is a more dramatic curvature not in the screen, which has become flat again, but in the corners. Besides the flat sides, it makes the Galaxy S23 look closer to the iPhone 14 than the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Other than that, the Galaxy S23 could be the perfect smartphone with a small screen design that is incredibly easy to use with one hand, and feels much nicer in the hand than larger models. This is especially true when compared to the S23 Plus with noticeably sharper edges when trying to use it with one hand.
It will be available in the same colors as the Plus and Ultra models, with black, cream, green and lavender phantom finishes available. It's good that you don't have to upgrade to a more expensive model just to get the color you want, right?
The main reason why the Samsung Galaxy S23 is so easy to carry is a 6.1-inch AMOLED display, Full HD, 120Hz refresh rate and support for HDR10+ content. As you'd expect from Samsung's screen, the S23's screen is vivid, detailed, and bright enough that I don't have to worry about using it outdoors – though I'll have to test this once I get a sample.
This small but powerful display features a new level of protection too, with Corning's latest and largest Gorilla Glass Victus 2. Corning claims that the new glass has been tested specifically against concrete floors, also known as the archenemy of any smartphone screen.
It's peace of mind, sure, though let's see how it works once it ends up in the hands of consumers in a few weeks.
Camera
Camera setup is almost identical to last year
Expert RAW Enhancements
New 12MP selfie camera
While the S23 Ultra gets an all-new 200MP upgrade, the same can't be said for the standard Galaxy S23, which features the same set of 50MP main camera with dual-pixel PDAF and OIS along with 12Mp, 120 ultra-wide degrees and 10MP 3x telephoto with OIS.
While this will be disappointing for those looking for a real camera upgrade, Samsung has made great strides in the AI section that will enhance the quality of captured images. The photos I took during the hands-on event certainly look promising, but I'll be keeping my reservations for now.
There's also a new Expert RAW capabilities, a feature first introduced in the S22 series. While last year's model culminated in taking 12MP RAW images despite including a 50MP main sensor, that was corrected this year with full 50MP RAW images available at the click of a button.
The selfie camera also has a tiny amount of TLC with a megapixel bump of 10 megapixels to 12 megapixels, and while that doesn't sound like much, the new camera setup enables new features like Samsung's 'Super HDR' video recording capabilities and 60 frames per second.
It will be interesting to see how it compares to last year's selfie camera in a more thorough test, since it is similar to what you will find in the Galaxy S23 Ultra this year's best.
performance
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy
A great promise of a multi-year program
Battery capacity has been slightly enhanced
At the heart of the Samsung Galaxy S23 is Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy, a unique chipset exclusive to Samsung smartphones.
According to Qualcomm, the upgraded chipset boasts improved CPU performance with 3.36GHz peak speeds increasing compared to the 3.2GHz you'll find in the already higher standard version of the second-generation Snapdragon 8. It's a similar story of GPU performance, with an Adreno GPU upgrade that has better performance and more energy efficiency than the standard variant.
It's also the same chipset as the Plus and Ultra models, and no Snapdragon and Exynos split this year either, which means you'll get the same level of power no matter which model you choose.
It is paired with the same storage capacity of 128GB or 256GB as last year, which although it is not like the 512GB option of the S23 Plus and 1TB of the S23 Ultra, it should be enough for the majority of users.
Regardless of the chipset, the Samsung Galaxy S23 will come Android 13 out of the box with Samsung's new OneUI 5.1 app at the top. The main new features of the update include customizable modes and actions that work in a similar way to the focus modes on the iPhone, along with the ability to answer incoming calls with text via Bixby and new customization options to further customize the appearance of the interface.
Samsung is also offering four years of operating system upgrades and five years of security updates, which are supposed to comfortably move the Galaxy S23 to Android 17. Android manufacturers are raising the bar for their game when it comes to multi-year promises, but Samsung is among the best.
The battery life should be slightly better than the previous model with an increase of 200 mAh, bringing the total capacity to 3900 mAh. It's still far from the 4700mAh Plus model, but there's not much you can do with the relatively small dimensions of the standard S23. There's no way for me to tell if it has any impact on overall battery life, but I'd expect something no different from the Samsung Galaxy S22.
While there aren't many differences between the S23 and Plus, the charging speed is one of them; the Plus model gets the same 44W charging as the S23 Ultra, while the standard Galaxy S23 is covered with a rather slow 25W power.
That's not bad with a relatively smaller battery, but that means your S23 won't charge as fast as others in range, and it's also much slower than most Android competitors. We will put this to the test once we have a review form in the trusted office.
Early judgment
The Samsung Galaxy S23 is a pocket-friendly charm with a simple and sleek design, a gorgeous 6.1-inch AMOLED display, and while not quite as capable as the S23 Ultra, it should be able to keep it in the camera section as well – though I'll keep the final verdict for my full reviewer.
However, it looks promising, especially for those who are looking for a high-end smartphone that is easy to use with one hand and will slip into small pockets without complaint.