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Samsung Galaxy S23 vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus: What’s The Difference?
How do the Samsung Galaxy S23 and Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus compare? We break it down.
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Samsung has gotten the year off to a good start with the release of the Samsung Galaxy S23 lineup. This means the iPhone 14 series is no longer the newest, hottest flagship on the block. It’s got serious competition from the Samsung Galaxy S23 series.
But iPhones aside, the Samsung Galaxy S23 series comprises three different phones: the Samsung Galaxy S23, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus, and the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is in a league of its own, so what we want to focus on for this piece is how the Samsung Galaxy S23 compares against the Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus.
Let’s dive in…
Samsung Galaxy S23 vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus: Specs
Let’s get started with the specs of the Samsung Galaxy S23 and Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus:
Samsung Galaxy S23 Specs
- Display: 6.1-inch 2340 x 1080 (Flat FHD+)
- Colors: Lavender, Cream, Phantom Black, Green, Lime, or Graphite
- Storage: 128GB or 256GB
- Front Camera: 12MP selfie camera
- Rear Camera: 12MP ultra wide, 50MP wide, and 10MP telephoto
- Battery: 3900 mAh. Up to 22 hours of video playback
- CPU: Octa-Core Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
- Connectivity: 5G
- S Pen compatible? No
Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus Specs
- Display: 6.6-inch 2340 x 1080 (Flat FHD+)
- Colors: Lavender, Cream, Phantom Black, Green, Lime, or Graphite
- Storage: 256GB or 512GB
- Front Camera: 12MP selfie camera
- Rear Camera: 12MP ultra wide, 50MP wide, and 10MP telephoto
- Battery: 4700 mAh. Up to 27 hours of video playback
- CPU: Octa-Core Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
- Connectivity: 5G
- S Pen compatible? No
Design
When it comes to design, the most noticeable thing about the two phones is their different size. We’ll go into the display specs below, know the Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus, at 6.6-inches, is physically larger than the Samsung Galaxy S23 at 6.1-inches.
What this means is if you want a smaller phone, the Samsung Galaxy S23 is for you. If you like the larger kind, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus may hit the sweet spot.
Besides the size difference, much of the rest of the design of the two phones are the same. Both come in the same color options. Both also have an Armor aluminum frame and both are IP68 water resistant. But you will still want to use your Galaxy S23 in a decent quality case.
There have, however, been plenty of reports about problems with ALL of Samsung’s new Galaxy S23 models.
Display
As already stated, the display is the biggest difference between these two phones. The display on the Samsung Galaxy S23 is 6.1-inches, while the display on the Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus is 6.6-inches. That extra half-inch will be noticeable in your hand.
But what’s interesting is that while the phones have different-sized displays, their display tech is the same. Both have a Flat FHD+ display at 2340 x 1080 resolution.
This means that the smaller Samsung Galaxy S23 actually packs more pixels per square inch, making it technically superior. However, your eye will probably have a hard time seeing this.
CPU & Storage
The Samsung Galaxy S23 and Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus are also similar when it comes to the CPU. Both feature the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset. It’s a speedy chip to be sure, but as it’s the same in both phones, you shouldn’t notice a difference between either one.
It’s also worth noting that ALL of Samsung’s Galaxy S23 phones now run on the same chipset. Previously, all models outside the USA ran on Samsung’s Exynos platform. But after years of fluffed development and performance issue, Samsung has finally nixed its Exynos platform.
That’s not to say that Samsung’s aspirations of making its own chipsets is over. Far from it. In fact, Samsung is reportedly working on a next-gen chipset, similar to Tensor and Apple’s A-Series, that’ll potentially run inside the Galaxy S24 in 2024.
Battery Life
Where you will notice a difference between the two phones is in the battery life. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus packs a larger 4700 Mac battery, giving it up to 27 hours of video life.
The Samsung Galaxy S23 has a smaller 3900 mAh battery, giving it 22 hours of battery life.
This longer life in the larger phone isn’t unexpected. As the phone is physically larger, Samsung can pack a larger battery into the Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus.
Camera
- Front Camera: 12MP selfie camera
- Rear Camera: 12MP ultra wide, 50MP wide, and 10MP telephoto
Normally the camera system will differ between models of most flagship phones. But for this release, Samsung gave the same camera system to each phone.
That means the Samsung Galaxy S23 and the Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus each have a 12MP selfie camera and a triple lens rear camera system that is the same: 12MP ultra wide, 50MP wide, and 10MP telephoto.
Cost
Finally, we get to cost.
- The Samsung Galaxy S23 costs $799.99 for the 128GB model and $859.99 for the 256GB model.
- The Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus costs $999.99 for the 256GB model and $1119.99 for the 512GB model.
And check out how the Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra compare!
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