Samsung Galaxy S23+ vs Samsung Galaxy S22+

The Samsung Galaxy S23+ is one of the company’s flagship smartphones at the moment. It’s the middle-of-the-road model, between the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Ultra. This handset basically lives in the Galaxy S23 Ultra shadow, even though it’s a great phone, as we were able to find out during our time with the device. That being said, we will compare it to its predecessor here, just to see how they compare, and if it’s worth upgrading. We’ll compare the Samsung Galaxy S23+ vs Samsung Galaxy S22+.

These two phones are very similar, in a lot of ways. There are some differences worth noting, though, and we’ll try to do that here. We’ll first list their specifications, side-by-side, and will then move to compare them across a number of other categories. We’ll talk about their designs, displays, performance, battery life, cameras, and audio performance. So, let’s get started, shall we?

Specs

Samsung Galaxy S23+ vs Samsung Galaxy S22+: Design

These two phones are quite similar design-wise. In fact, it would be difficult to set them apart if not for the rear camera differences. They both have three cameras, and they’re placed in the same spot, but the setups look different. The Galaxy S23+ has three cameras that protrude directly from the backplate. The Galaxy S22+, on the other hand, has a dedicated camera island, which connects to the phone’s frame.

From the front, the two phones look very similar. They both have curved corners, and rounded display corners. The bezels are very thin all around, on both phones, while a display camera hole sits up top. Even the buttons are on the same side. Both phones have a frame made out of aluminum, though they do come with different glass on the back. The Galaxy S23+ has Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the back, while the Galaxy S22+ includes Gorilla Glass Victus+.

The two phones are almost identical in terms of height, and the same goes for width. Well, the Galaxy S23+ is technically a bit taller and wider, but the difference is so small, you won’t even notice it. They’re both 7.6mm thick, and weigh the same. They weigh 196 grams. IP68 certification is also included with both phones, while both devices are quite slippery. Using a case may not be a bad idea, at all. They are definitely premium-feeling phones, that’s for sure.

Samsung Galaxy S23+ vs Samsung Galaxy S22+: Display

The displays on these two phones are basically identical, right down to their peak brightness. They both feature a 6.6-inch fullHD+ (2340 x 1080) Dynamic AMOLED 2X display. That is a 120Hz panel that supports HDR10+ content. It gets up to 1,750 nits of peak brightness, though do note you can reach that only via the automatic brightness setting. The manual slider will get you up to 1,200 nits.

This display has a 19.5:9 aspect ratio, and we’re looking at a 393 ppi, in both cases. The Galaxy S23+ does have better display protection, as it includes Gorilla Glass Victus 2. The Galaxy S22+ features Gorilla Glass Victus+. The difference here is really small. Both devices have flat displays, by the way, unlike their ‘Ultra’ siblings.

That display looks the same on both phones, though that’s not a bad thing, as it looks great. It’s more than bright enough, and the viewing angles are great. It is quite vivid, and more than sharp enough, even though we’re looking at “only” fullHD+ resolution here. The blacks are deep, and the touch response is also great. Scrolling is quite smooth, and we don’t really have any major complaints here. You can even fine-tune both displays via the phone settings.

Samsung Galaxy S23+ vs Samsung Galaxy S22+: Performance

The Galaxy S23+ is fueled by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy processor. It includes 8GB of LPDDR5X RAM and utilizes UFS 4.0 flash storage. The Galaxy S22+ comes with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC, and includes 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM, along with UFS 3.1 flash storage. The Galaxy S23+ definitely has the advantage in this regard, in every way imaginable. Does that mean it’s utterly superior performance-wise? Well, no, not really.

Both phones perform really well. The Galaxy S22+ is immensely powerful too, and you won’t really see a great difference in day-to-day performance. The processor inside the Galaxy S23 is not only more powerful, but better with power consumption, and it also gets less hot during intense tasks. The Galaxy S23+ also has the advantage in the RAM and storage departments, so it’s more future-proof, in case you’re worried about that sort of thing.

We did notice fewer stutters on the Galaxy S23+ during intense gaming sessions, with graphically-intensive games. It also did get slightly less warm during strained usage, but the difference wasn’t that big, to be quite honest. The Galaxy S23+ will stay fluid for longer, though, of course. It may be worth getting over the Galaxy S22+ just for the sake of its upgraded performance-related components.

Samsung Galaxy S23+ vs Samsung Galaxy S22+: Battery

The Samsung Galaxy S23+ features a 4,700mAh battery on the inside. The Galaxy S22+ has a 4,500mAh battery included. So, the Galaxy S23+ not only has a larger battery, but better power consumption in general. That has to mean it offers better battery life, right? Well, yes, it does. We were able to push the Galaxy S23+ over the 8-hour screen-on-time mark, while the Galaxy S23+ always lingered between 6 and 6.5 hours.

Do note that your mileage may vary, however. Another thing to note is that this does not include gaming, we only played games for testing purposes. The Galaxy S23 Ultra does offer a lot more in the battery life department, even though the Galaxy S23+ should be able to match that, based on specs alone. So, that’s a bit weird. Still, the Galaxy S23+ does offer noticeably better battery life than its predecessor.

When it comes to charging, they’re identical. Both phones support 45W wired, 15W wireless, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging. Do note that you won’t get a charger in the box, though. So, if you’d like to take full advantage of what either phone has to offer, charging-wise, you’ll need to get a proper PD3.0 charging brick separately.

Samsung Galaxy S23+ vs Samsung Galaxy S22+: Cameras

Both of these phones feature a 50-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide unit (120-degree FoV), and a 10-megapixel telephoto camera (3x optical zoom). Are the sensors here the same? Yes. Is the performance identical? No. The Galaxy S23+ does offer better camera performance in a number of ways. We did notice some improvements in the HDR department, and also in low light.

Low-light images do churn out more details more often than not. They’re also better balanced in general. You’ll hardly be able to see a difference during the day, however, as both phones do a great job. Both devices tend to provide vivid photos, which do look slightly processed, but in a good way. Not many people love bland, close-to-real-life images. So, this is what most users will prefer.

The Galaxy S23+ also offers better selfie camera performance. The video recording didn’t change much, but the footage from the Galaxy S23+ does seem to be slightly more stable during harsher shaking. The difference is so small, though, that it’s not even worth noting. They’re both quite good in that regard, but not to the level of the Galaxy S23 Ultra.

Audio

Both phones feature a set of stereo speakers tuned by AKG. Speakers on both phones are very, very good. They are loud enough, and also detailed enough. There’s even some bass in both cases, and the sound is well-balanced. The difference between them is very small, but the Galaxy S23+ does seem to provide slightly clearer sound with slightly more powerful bass. It could be just a placebo effect, though.

You will not find an audio jack on either phone. There is a Type-C port on each of them, so you can connect your wired headphones that way. If you opt for Bluetooth, however, do note that the Galaxy S23+ supports Bluetooth 5.3, while the Galaxy S22+ has support for Bluetooth 5.2.