Being on the move for almost a fortnight, with two back-to-back trips, I realised how I had been ignoring some key phone features for years. I had settled for less, thinking I wouldn’t need those features but I was wrong. While using the Galaxy S23 Plus, I realised that there is no substitute for a good smartphone experience. The last generation Galaxy S22 Plus was a bit underwhelming but the S23+ surprised me with its performance even though some may question the awkward positioning of the phone that falls between the cheaper Galaxy S23 and the slightly more expensive, but top-grade Galaxy S23 Ultra. Here’s my review of the Galaxy S23+. Samsung Galaxy S23+ price in India (as reviewed): Rs 94,999 How does the Galaxy S23+ look? The Galaxy S series has been the poster child of Android flagships for many years now - and that continues with the Galaxy S23+. Just look at the phone. The Galaxy S23+ is the nicest Android flagship I have held in my hand in years. It’s a quintessential Samsung phone the way it looks and feels. The design is simple and easy on the eyes, with a matte rear panel and three cameras adorning the back, which sticks out of the back, offering a seamless experience. I have to say this arrangement of the cameras looks so much better than the Contour Cut camera island on last year’s Galaxy S22 Plus. Meanwhile, the front and back of the phone are fully flat but Samsung made them more rugged and shatterproof, thanks to Corning's Gorilla Glass Victus 2. But I must say the Galaxy S23+ is no small phone. With a 6.6-inch screen dominating the front, the phone can feel quite big in the hands - at least I felt so while using the phone, especially when taking photos. It’s too large for comfortable single-handed use but that’s also true of the iPhone 14 Plus and OnePlus 11. But despite being a large phone the Galaxy S23+ doesn’t feel too heavy in the hands. It’s also worth noting since the phone has curvy, glossy edges - the device felt a bit slippery. The Galaxy S23+ definitely needs a case for added protection. Barring that, the Galaxy S23 + is exactly how a premium smartphone should be. It’s a beautifully designed phone, effortlessly made, with IP68 water- and dust-resistance protection that feels cool and smooth to the touch. How is the good display on the Galaxy S23+? I was impressed by the 6.6-inch FHD+ display. It’s an AMOLED screen with a resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels and supports up to 120Hz high refresh rate and HDR. It’s brighter, more colourful and has a higher contrast level- perfect for checking locations on Google Maps and finding restaurants on the go which I did a lot to navigate in a new city. The Galaxy S23+ also offers an always-on screen, meaning a quick glance at the device will reveal all of the notifications piling up at the bottom of the display without touching the phone. The device has up to 120Hz refresh rate support, which is a plus point in my opinion. Games that support 120 fps look great on the Galaxy S23 Plus display. Smooth scrolling makes both browsing and user interface ultra-smooth. How reliable is the performance of the Galaxy S23+? The Galaxy S23 Plus uses Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor. The phone gets exactly the same chip as the pro-grade Galaxy S23 Ultra, so it’s no surprise that their benchmark performance is very similar. In terms of real-world performance, the Galaxy S23 Plus feels snappy and doesn't stutter even under heavy tasks. I tried editing videos and photos I shot in Barcelona and the processing was quick and lag-free. Since I continuously travelled for weeks and was literally on the go for most days, I relied completely on the Galaxy S23 Plus for the tasks I need a phone for everyday use. The new chip does seem a lot better than last year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, which had a lot of issues. The snappy OneUI 5.1 software, which is a Samsung-baked skin on the latest Android 13 operating system also complemented the performance. It may look busier than the stock user interface on the Pixel 7 but the OneUI 5.1 offers many small(ish) tweaks that are designed to make the phone more personal in nature. How long does the battery last on the Galaxy S23+? The Galaxy S23 Plus not only has a bigger screen than the standard Galaxy S23 but also packs a larger 4700mAh battery. I had used the Galaxy S23 Plus for a few days and I was surprised to find that the phone’s battery lasts longer on a single charge. I typically finished the day with more than 20 per cent battery life left. It should comfortably last a day between charges, even if you are a big Apple Music buff like me. That’s one of the benefits of carrying a large phone. Like other recent Galaxy flagships, you can charge the Galaxy S23 Plus with either a Qi wireless dock, or via its USB-C connector. It still supports fast 45W wired charging (a 25W wired charger is also available), but the fast charger needs to be bought separately. This will add Rs 3499 extra cost if you buy the fast charger from Samsung’s online store. How good are the cameras on the Galaxy S23+? When I reviewed the Galaxy S22 Plus last year, I was pretty impressed by its cameras. They were the top reasons for buying the Galaxy S22 Plus, despite the phone not coming close to my expectations. Anyway, the Galaxy S23 Plus, in all honesty, does seem equally impressive in the camera department. The phone comes with a 50MP main wide-angle camera boasting an f aperture, a 12MP ultra wide-angle lens, and finally, the 10MP 3X optical telephoto boasting an f aperture and capable of pushing the maximum zoom up to 30X. Although the Galaxy S23 Plus doesn’t match the Galaxy S23 Ultra in the camera department, it does manage to hold its own. Overall image quality, however, has improved in both photos and videos. The main camera captures tons of fine detail—especially shadows. The detail produced is wonderful, and it’s great to have that level of the camera quality on a smartphone. While it’s not a particularly big leap in quality from its predecessor, I did see a stable camera experience from the Galaxy S23 Plus. I found the Galaxy S23+ shining in bright daylight, capturing extremely rich landscape shots, with a sunny blue sky. The ultra-wide-angle lens also produces excellent results, with little distortion, though it struggles a little in very low light to produce the same kind of clean images that the main sensor can capture. The Galaxy S23 Plus takes much better zoom photos whereas the iPhone 14 falls flat on this count. I could capture close-up shots of the subject far away in distance using the 3X telephoto lens. Everything looks more colourful and vibrant than what I got from the iPhone 14. People have personally reached out to me saying they liked images taken from the Galaxy S23 Plus more than the iPhone 14. I beg to differ, though. Photos have an extra dash of colour - far from reality but it works for many people I believe. Night mode is strong, particularly when using the rear camera. Portrait mode (for creating shallow depth of field effects) also works well with subjects such as pets and flowers. So, should you buy the Galaxy S23+? The Galaxy S23 Plus is a high-end Android smartphone and that shouldn’t come as a surprise. If you’re already using a Galaxy S21 Plus or later, there probably isn’t quite enough reason to spend Rs 94,999 on a new Galaxy S23+. But if you’re coming from an older device and can't stomach the cost, I think the Galaxy S23 Plus is a great Android flagship to own, given you want to live in Samsung’s ecosystem. And if you are trying to decide between the standard Galaxy S23 and the Galaxy S23 Plus, the latter offers a larger screen and a battery advantage due to its sheer size, but the hardware remains the same otherwise.
