There’s a superb probability that you just already know what the deal is with the Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus. You’ll should pay for the privilege, after all, however that extra cash will get you an even bigger display and an even bigger battery, alongside among the different new ins and outs shared throughout the S23 vary.
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Besides the Extremely remains to be the top-end flagship Samsung desires you to purchase. Sure, the Plus isn’t fairly as costly – though it’s nonetheless very expensive – but it surely lacks the S Pen stylus and fancy new 200MP digital camera of the Extremely. For a distinction of £200, you is likely to be higher off stretching your finances just a bit additional.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus hands-on assessment: Key specs, UK worth and launch date
- 6.6in, 120Hz HDR10+ FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X show
- Qualcomm Snapdragon Gen 2 for Galaxy
- 256GB or 512GB of storage
- Triple rear digital camera: 50MP, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP telephoto
- Selfie digital camera: 12MP
- 4,700mAh battery
- IP68 waterproofing
- Gorilla Glass Victus 2
- Colors: Phantom Black, Cream, Inexperienced and Lavender
- UK launch date: Preorder from 1 February, obtainable from 17 February
- UK worth: £1,049 (256GB), £1,149 (512GB)
Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus hands-on assessment: Design, key options and first impressions
Nonetheless, if you happen to can’t justify the additional price, there’s nonetheless quite a bit to love concerning the S22 Plus. It’s not the very top-end of Samsung’s newest smartphone output however for lots of people, that’s completely superb.
Let’s begin with what’s new for 2023. The very first thing you’ll discover is that the S23 Plus seems barely totally different from the again, with Samsung selecting to take away the ‘Contour Lower’ digital camera housing. This yr, we merely have the three vertically positioned lenses on the rear with out even a faint whiff of a digital camera encompass.
It’s a cleaner look, however I’d argue that the S23 loses fairly a little bit of its predecessor’s charms because of this. The S22’s Contour Lower digital camera housing matched the color scheme properly, and this new look is somewhat plain by comparability. I do just like the collection of new colors, although – it may be picked up in both Phantom Black, Cream, Inexperienced or Lavender.
It’s additionally a somewhat massive telephone, particularly if you happen to put the cheaper S23 in your different hand. The FHD+ 120Hz AMOLED show measures 6.6in (in comparison with 6.1in on the common mannequin), and whereas this is similar dimension, decision and refresh fee as earlier than, it’s nonetheless arguably among the best smartphone screens round.
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 may be discovered inside, which remains to be so new that we haven’t put it to the take a look at simply but. It additionally has a particular “for Galaxy” designation, which mainly means it runs at 3.6GHz as a substitute of a base clock pace of three.3GHz. We’ll have to attend and see what impact this has on efficiency and battery life, however you’d count on an uptick within the former and maybe somewhat drop within the latter.
The excellent news is that the S23 Plus’ battery has jumped up in capability to 4,700mAh, which is a 200mAh bump and a fair greater distinction in comparison with the three,900mAh cell on the traditional mannequin. The S23 Plus additionally comes with Android 13 pre-installed, with Samsung’s OneUI 5.1 software program tweaks plastered excessive.
Digicam-wise, we’re taking a look at a 50MP foremost, 12MP ultrawide and a 10MP telephoto. The selfie digital camera has been upgraded to a 12MP shooter (up from 10MP). New digital camera options embody starry evening taking pictures Astro Hyperlapse and Astrophoto modes, Tremendous HDR selfie video at 60fps in addition to extra correct pores and skin tone seize – just like the Pixel 7’s Actual Tone.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus hands-on assessment: Early verdict
Clearly, the S23 Plus is extra of an iterative change than an entire reinvention. That’s not a massively dangerous factor – in any case, we favored final yr’s S22 Plus – however it might have been good for Samsung to introduce at the least one thing particular right here, somewhat than merely play it protected and keep on with its tried-and-tested “greater display, greater battery” components.
In spite of everything, the S23 Plus isn’t precisely low cost. It begins at £1,049 for the 256GB mannequin, which is £100 costlier than final yr’s telephone. Need extra storage? Count on to pay £1,149 for the privilege when it releases on 17 February.
