After using and reviewing the Samsung Galaxy Flip 4 not too long ago, I’m back in the Samsung family with the S23+ which I’ve been using since launch. As always with Samsung flagship, it is a great lifestyle device for work and entertainment. I’ve seen several of my fellow reviewers mention that this is one of the best Android phones in the market and I agree with them fully. I feel that with the S23+ as with other flagship devices, Samsung has ticked all the major boxes in terms of performance, cameras, size, weight, and general look and feel.
Here are a few of my thoughts.
Design
The Samsung S23+ is a premium looking device that communicates class and sophistication. With a glass front, glass back and aluminum frame, it gives off an air of solid construction and sturdiness without being too heavy. The rounded edges give it some softness that fits right in with my feminine self, and I love that. The overall design is minimalistic and that leaves the beauty of the phone to shine without being cluttered.
The left side of the phone for instance is completely free of buttons, and at the top there is only a tiny mic. On the right side there is the power button and one more button that combines volume up and down. At the back we have the triple camera, barely there Samsung branding and some manufacturer information. At the bottom is where we have the charging port, SIM tray and loudspeakers.
My unit came in a soft cream colour, with a soft gold aluminum band on the sides that blends nicely with the phone. This gives users a polished device that looks and feels great to carry around. Other colour options are lavender, graphite and green.
Display
Samsung remails the king of phone displays and the S23+ is no exception. With a 6.6-inch display, AMOLED panel, 1080*2340 resolution and 1750 nits brightness, I’ve had a pretty pleasant and satisfying user experience for media consumption, video communication and general use. I’ve had a particularly good run with Netflix which is usually among the first apps I download when a new phone checks in. I’m getting a high-resolution viewing experience and good sound from the phones loudspeakers though most of the time I use Bluetooth buds.
I’m not much of a gamer but my colleague is, and I know from him that gaming on the Samsung S23+ is a great experience especially because of the combination of the above screen features, a refresh rate of 120Hz and a fast processor.
Note: A nit is a measurement unit for how bright a device is, including TVs, laptops, monitors, and other types of displays. The higher the number of nits the brighter the device. 1750 nits is a good score.
Cameras
As always, the first feature I go to when a new phone checks in is the camera. Samsung phones have always come with an assurance of good photography and I could not wait to take some pics with the S23+. The phone has a 50MP primary camera, a 12MP ultrawide and an 10MP tele photo lens with 3X optical zoom. The cameras also have options like hyper-lapse, slow motion, super slow-mo, and scene recognition like for food.
There is a whole lot that the camera can get upto especially if you tinker with the settings. Under the Pro mode for instance, users have ISO, shutter speed, white balance and exposure to play around with. These are settings which can be adjusted to transform the photography game from basic to professional. The front camera is 12MP, quite a win for selfie lovers and video calls. It also has settings for photo customization.
Samsung has also really done good with the video as always. The back camera will shoot in 8K and the selfie camera 4k and have a super steady feature for smooth videos without shake.
I took the phone with me to Diani and here are some photos I took with it.
Battery
The phone comes with a 4500mAh battery with 15W wireless charging capabilities and 45W adaptor charging. As an estimate and depending on the adaptor brick, you can charge from 0-100% in about an hour.
Battery use depends to a large extent on user habits and for me, I’m able to go around seven hours without any battery anxiety. And even then, it is not that it goes off after those seven hours, rather I start getting anxious. To be fair, I’m using it alongside another device so workload is divided though I tend to lean more on the S23+. I can however tell that even as an only phone, it would still carry me through most of the day and I’d only start worrying towards evening.
Performance
My unit has 256GB ROM and 8GB .There is no slot for MicroSD and therefore no storage expansion, but I’m not really worried about that. 256GB is quite a lot of storage and besides, there are lots of options for transferring data to cloud.
The Samsung S23+ features a Qualcomm SM8550-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen chipset and as mentioned earlier, it has a 120Hz refresh rate. With the combination of good storage, a good chip, and Android 13, it is a fast secure phone with zero lags even for the most ardent multitaskers and gamers.
Being a Samsung, users have the power of Bixby in their hands and can make use of voice commands for tasks ranging from making calls to managing other smart devices.
Additional features
With all phones, there is always something new to discover and the full range of use gets clear with time. In this article we have explored the features that stand out and that are the backbone of any device.
The S23+ has a lot of other features for users to explore and tweak, and eventually get a phone that is a true representation of themselves. To kick users off, the device comes with expert tips to help users learn it and to customize as per liking. These are under the Tips And User Manual in the settings tab. I feel this is a very good place to start in the initial stages of using the phone. The Samsung S23+ is going for 154,000/- give or take.
Some more photos…