Samsung's Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus are very similar phones that only differ in size, battery life, and storage and pricing tiers.
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The Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus are fundamentally very similar phones.
Antonio Villas-Boas
Samsung's Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus only differ in size, battery life, and storage options.
Otherwise, they offer identical performance and camera quality, and you can make your decision based on your phone size preference.
If you prioritize battery life, though, you should opt for the larger Galaxy S23 Plus.
Samsung's Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus may not have the quad-lens camera, giant 6.8-inch screen, or subjectively fancier design of the Galaxy S23 Ultra, but they're less expensive options that offer an undoubtedly premium experience.
Choosing between the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus can simply boil down to size preference — if you prefer smaller phones, the Galaxy S23 is your champion, and those who prefer larger screens should gravitate toward the Galaxy S23 Plus.
Whichever model you choose, rest assured that you're getting exactly the same performance and cameras. Just know to expect longer battery life on larger phones, like the Galaxy S23 Plus.
Samsung Galaxy S23 vs. Galaxy S23 Plus: Specs
Specs
Galaxy S23
Galaxy S23 Plus
Display
6.1 inches OLED, 1080p, 120Hz
6.6 inches OLED, 1080p, 120Hz
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Optimized for Galaxy
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Optimized for Galaxy
Storage
128GB, 256GB
256GB, 512GB
Battery and charging
3,900mAh
4,700mAh
Rear cameras
50MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP 3x zoom
50MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP 3x zoom
Selfie camera
12MP
12MP
Dimensions and weight
5.76 x 2.79 x 0.30 inches, 5.93 ounces
6.21 x 3.00 x 0.30 inches, 6.91 ounces
Starting price
$799.99
$999.99
Samsung Galaxy S23 vs. Galaxy S23 Plus: Design and screensThe Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus have identical designs and screens, and only differ in size here.
Antonio Villas-Boas
The Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus sport identical designs, aside from the clear size difference.
Both models look very similar to the previous Galaxy S22 generation with their flatter frame edges. The rear cameras have been redesigned where each individual lens protrudes slightly rather than being part of a larger camera module. It's a smart, minimalist look that's easy to love.
As is typical with smaller phones, the Galaxy S23 offers a more comfortable and lighter weight at 5.93 ounces. Yet, the Galaxy S23 Plus is still comfortable and lightweight for a larger phone at 6.91 ounces compared to the Galaxy S23 Ultra's 8.04 ounces and iPhone 14 Pro Max's 8.47 ounces.
In fact, the Galaxy S23 Plus straddles the best balance of size, weight, and features for a phone — the iPhone 14 Plus with a dual lens camera and lesser 60Hz display compared to the Galaxy S23 Plus' triple lens camera and 120Hz screen still weighs more at 7.16 ounces.
Samsung Galaxy S23 vs. Galaxy S23 Plus: Performance and battery lifeThe Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus have identical performance, but the Galaxy S23 Plus expectedly has longer battery life.
Antonio Villas-Boas
Both the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus run on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Optimized for Galaxy processor. Incidentally, the Galaxy S23 Ultra also runs on the same processor. It means all of Samsung's Galaxy S23 phones are equally powerful for running any app or game in your library. It also means each Galaxy S23 model will last as long as the other in terms of performance.
Apart from screen size, battery life is where the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus differ the most, and it comes as expected. In our battery stress test, the standard Galaxy S23 had 56% remaining while the Galaxy S23 Plus had 67% remaining.
If battery life is a high priority, you'll always be better off with a larger phone like the Galaxy S23 Plus. Still, if you like smaller phones, the standard Galaxy S23 performs as well as the iPhone 14 Pro that sets the standard for battery life.
Just note that the Galaxy S23 only supports up to 25W charging speeds compared to the Galaxy S23 Plus' 45W charging speeds. It's a bummer that Samsung limited the Galaxy S23 in this way, but it's not a major deal breaker.
Samsung Galaxy S23 vs. Galaxy S23 Plus: Cameras and storageThe Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus have identical cameras, but the Galaxy S23 Plus has more options for higher storage.
Antonio Villas-Boas
The cameras on the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus are identical — you get the same 50 megapixel (MP) main, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP 3x optical zoom, and 12MP selfie cameras, no matter which model you pick. That means both phones take the same quality photos.
That's all to say the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus cameras produce identically excellent results, even in low light settings. However, both can still produce blurry images of moving subjects — more so than my experience with iPhones.
As for storage, the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus differ slightly. The Galaxy S23 base model has 128GB of storage, and it "only" goes up to 256GB, both of which should be plenty for most people. The base Galaxy S23 Plus has 256GB and goes up to 512GB, which is more than enough for most people.
Samsung Galaxy S23 vs. Galaxy S23 Plus: PriceThe Galaxy S23 is $200 less expensive than the Galaxy S23 Plus, which is a typical price difference between a smaller and larger phone.
Antonio Villas-Boas
Samsung follows a typical pricing scheme for the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus, where the base version of the smaller model costs $200 less than the larger one.
Galaxy S23
Galaxy S23 Plus
128GB
$799.99
N/A
256GB
$859.99
$999.99
512GB
N/A
$1119.99
Both the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus are on the high end of the premium spectrum, at least when you compare them to Google's Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, which start at $600 and $900 respectively. However, I'd still recommend the Galaxy phones for their superior performance, and their even more reliable cameras. The Pixel 7 Pro also has disappointing battery life for a large phone.
Samsung Galaxy S23 vs. Galaxy S23 Plus: Which should you buy?Which Galaxy S23 model you go for depends on your preference for screen size and your priority for battery life and storage.
Antonio Villas-Boas
You can't go wrong with either model, as the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus are nearly identical in performance and camera quality. They only differ in screen size and battery life, as well as storage and pricing tiers.
If you prefer smaller phones, the clear option is Samsung's standard Galaxy S23. However, if you also prioritize battery life, you might consider upgrading to the Galaxy S23 Plus, even if the Galaxy S23 has good battery life for its size.
If you prefer larger phones, the choice should also be pretty simple — the Galaxy S23 Plus ticks all the boxes with very few compromises, if any.
If you need more than 128GB of storage, I'll also point you to the Galaxy S23 Plus for its 256GB to 512GB storage capacity. And if you need more than that, you'll have to look to the Galaxy S23 Ultra, which goes up to one terabyte.
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