The regular Galaxy S23 is the best compact flagship Samsung has ever produced. The Galaxy S23 Ultra is among the best large flagship phones Samsung has ever produced. But what about the middle child, the Galaxy S23+?
The S23+ is sized similarly to the S23 Ultra, and its specs are more in line with the base Galaxy S23 model, even though it does offer some features from the S23 Ultra, like 45W charging and UWB (Ultra Wideband) support. With the regular Galaxy S23 and the S23 Ultra both being such excellent devices, the S23+ has a more difficult task than its predecessors to prove that its existence makes sense.
So does its existence make sense, or is the Galaxy S23+ overshadowed by the other two Galaxy S23 models? Well, this review of the Galaxy S23+ has a simple answer: Whether or not you should consider the S23+ depends on whether you need the 200MP main camera and high-range zoom capabilities of the Galaxy S23 Ultra and Samsung's S Pen stylus.
Because, frankly, if you remove those features from the equation, the Galaxy S23+ becomes the best option for most people. It has an amazing (flat) display and good stereo speakers, superfast performance thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip (which powers the S23 series everywhere), an excellent and versatile camera setup, and five years of software support (four years of major OS upgrades and five years of security updates).
More importantly, the S23+ can last for two days or more on a single charge depending on how you use it and can charge to 100% in less than 70 minutes with a 45W charger (which has to be purchased separately). Oh, and the Galaxy S23+ has the traditional rounded corners used on all Galaxy S series phones except Samsung's Ultra-branded flagships because it doesn't have an S Pen and is not meant to be a Galaxy Note replacement, so it's more comfortable to use.
To sum it up, the Galaxy S23+ is the phone you should be buying if you want the latest large flagship from Samsung but aren't interested in huge megapixel counts or the S Pen and are perhaps looking for a large phone with a relatively comfortable-to-use design. The Plus model, as usual, is for that distinct userbase that doesn't feel the need to go all in but also doesn't want the compact model in the lineup, and this year Samsung has given that userbase a real treat with the Galaxy S23+.
Note: Since the Galaxy S23+ shares most of its specs except battery capacity, charging speed, and screen size, we've kept this review short and recommend that you read our Galaxy S23 review for details on the kind of experience the S23+ will provide in various areas, such as display quality, software, performance, and more. Also, almost all the pros and cons of the regular S23 apply to the S23+ as well, with the exception of battery life, charging speed, and base storage (all of which are superior on the S23+, as mentioned above).
