Samsung Galaxy S23 vs Galaxy S22: 5 key specs

The Samsung Galaxy S Series is back, with the Galaxy S23 Series being this year’s edition - but what are some of the main changes and what might they mean when using the phone?

To get a better idea, let’s look at how five of the key specs for this year’s regular Galaxy S23 compare to last year’s equivalent, the Galaxy S22.

1. Size and display

The S23 and S22 are practically identical, with the S23 being larger by mere millimetres. Both have a 6.1-inch display and 2340x1080 resolution, so you could expect similar visual quality. However, the S23 has a higher High Dynamic Range (HDR). This means there should be more distinction in light and dark tones on the screen, so you should be able to see a wider range of colours that could help the display to show images and videos more vividly and realistically.

2. Storage

While you can get 128 gigabyte (GB) and 256GB versions of both the S23 and S22, you can only get a 512GB model of the S23. You will immediately lose some GB on most phones because of pre-installed system software, but each of these options provide plenty of storage. Going by some averages, here’s what you could store with 128GB of storage:

• Assuming an average MP3 song or image is around 4 megabytes (MB), you could store 32,000 songs and/or images.

• Assuming an average app on the Google Play Store is around 64MB, you could store 2,000 apps.

• Assuming an hour of HD video is typically 3GB in size, you could download 21 two-hour films – that would make quite a binge watch!

3. Camera

Samsung have promoted the S23’s camera a lot, focusing on its impressive ability to capture clear, high-quality photos and videos in low light. If this is particularly important to you, the S23 series should produce the best results. If not, you could likely find a capable alternative in the range, given night mode is available on many Samsung phone cameras.

Also, the specs of the S23’s cameras show little difference to those of the S22. The front (or selfie) camera is a 12-megapixel (MP) camera, which is 2MP more than on the S22. Aside from that, the back cameras all have the same MP and zoom capabilities as they did on the S22. Going by this, it seems reasonable to expect there may not be massive differences in quality between the two models’ captures. Similarly to the storage options, you’d probably be more than ok with either phone!

4. Battery

Battery capacity is measured in milliampere hours (mAh) and the S23 has a capacity of 3,900mAh. This is 200mAh higher than the S22’s 3,700mAh, so there’s a small improvement. Surprisingly, both devices actually rank in the bottom half of recent Samsung phones for battery capacity. Upgrading to the Plus and Ultra ranges boosts the battery capacities significantly, but also at a high cost. The mid-range Galaxy A53 and Galaxy A33 are both also among the top Samsung phones in this regard and are significantly cheaper. This highlights why you should consider how important having a flagship phone may be to you, as it shows how effectively mid-range phones can compete with their big-name counterparts in some areas despite costing much less.

Side note: if you find your phone battery declining faster than you’d like, check our 17 easy ways to save battery life.

5. Processor

The S23 uses a new processor that creates a number of performance improvement possibilities. The processor is driven by artificial intelligence that will not only help the phone to generally run faster, but also to achieve faster connectivity over data and Wi-Fi, apply camera enhancements in real time, and even apply ray tracing in mobile games – a graphical feature that’s only become possible in the latest generation of games consoles. Faster speeds, greater pictures and videos, and impressive gaming performance – what’s not to like? The new processor is perhaps the most exciting addition to the S23.

Conclusion

The strengths of the S23 Series are clear and reviews are positive. Regardless of which edition you were to get, you would be getting one of the best phones around. However, given the high costs of each, it’s worth asking yourself if you really need the highest-end model.

Some improvements made this year appear relatively small compared to last year’s S22 series, which will also still be among the best smartphones currently available. If you only use your phone for browsing social media, texting and a few other basics, you would be fine with a previous S series phone or even one from the mid-range A-series.

If you’re looking to buy a Samsung phone, here are our top tips to save some money:

• Samsung Trade-In: Samsung offer a trade-in service, granting discounts when trading in a smartphone, tablet or smartwatch. These aren’t limited to Samsung devices and can grant significant savings – the largest discount we found was £630!

• Shop refurbished Samsungs with Reboxed: Buying refurbished phones from reboxed can save up to 40% compared to the full price of a new phone – plus, SMARTY customers can get up to an additional £50 off! You won’t be able to get the S23 series here just yet, but could make significant savings on older Samsung phones. For example, depending on the chosen condition, you can get last year’s S22 Ultra for £819 rather than £1,149 when bought new. All reboxed phones go through a rigorous 70-point check that ensures hardware is fully working, tested, checked and cleaned, so you can shop second hand with confidence.

• Shop S22 or A series: The prices of previously released phones tend to drop after new models release. If you’re happy to wait a little before buying, you may soon see some considerable S22 discounts, while buying a mid-range A-series phone could save you at least £480 compared to what you’d spend on an S23. Our sister-brand Three stock a wide range of Samsung phones available on highly customisable plans here.