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Samsung has set the flagship benchmark with the Galaxy S23 Ultra this year but the company does have two more devices that can be ranked in the premium category. We are talking about the Galaxy S23 and the S23 Plus but over here our focus is on the latter. While all the limelight has understandably been on the Ultra, the Plus variant is no slouch, as it uses the same hardware as the other two, but the screen size differs and its functional purpose as well, i.e. no S Pen support.

Compared to the vanilla Galaxy S23, the Plus model is priced higher which means it has to live up to the price tag not only in terms of the performance but the overall package. So, does the Galaxy S23 Plus manage to meet those demands and succeed to impress us? We tell you the answer in this review.

Samsung Galaxy S23+ Review: What’s Cool?

Samsung phones never disappoint with their display and the Galaxy S23+ is no different. The 6.6-inch AMOLED 2X panel is bigger than the 6.1-inch AMOLED display you have on the Galaxy S23. The colours are crisp and vibrant while the blacks are deep like every AMOLED panel delivers.

The screen gets Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection and the peak brightness of 1750 nits means you can easily use it when it is bright outside. Very little to complain on that front.

Similarly, you have the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset powering the phone, and giving you flagship-grade performance without any issues to point out.

You can enjoy power-intensive games on the phone and face no disruptions of any kind. You can go through any benchmark results, and the Galaxy S23 Plus shows itself as an honest flagship device. Even the thermal management has improved which means you don’t feel the device heating up or affecting the battery life in any way.

The cameras are once again a strong point for the Galaxy S23 series and even though the Plus variant has the same sensors as the vanilla model, the improvement in quality over Galaxy S22 Plus is visible.

The other important points to note about the phone is the software which is the One UI version based on Android 13. Samsung has been offering the customised UI for many years and we have seen it improve on multiple fronts.

The company gives you 4 years of OS updates and 5 years of security updates, which very few brands can offer in the Android market. The phone will run up to Android 17 version which is quite impressive.

The battery on the phone is a 4700mAh unit that supports 45W wired charging and 15W wireless charging speed.

When you combine the hardware and the battery, the results are positive. We mostly got 6 hours screen-on-time which should easily manage a day’s support or even more based on how much you push the device. Obviously, gamers will need to charge it once during the day, but that too only if you go full throttle for long hours and play at the highest settings.

Samsung Galaxy S23+ Review: What’s Not So Cool?

Now, let’s talk about some of the drawbacks that Samsung has passed on with the Galaxy S23 Plus. While the main camera clicks impressive photos, you tend to feel the other two sensors are not equipped or tuned to work well in low light conditions. It is not exactly a deal breaker by any means but still we felt the need to point out, considering how much you pay for the device.

Samsung One UI is fluid but the presence of bloatware continues to be an issue. You have the option to uninstall them but for a premium phone the buyers would demand a clean experience, and the company should now adhere to those needs, at least with the next iteration.

Samsung’s premium phones cost a bomb but the company is still not ready to enter the charging battle. The battery on the phone supports a maximum of 45W charging speed, which an Android phone gives you for 15,000 these days. And if that wasn’t enough, there is no charger in the box ala Apple, which means you have to spend a grand or two extra for the adapter.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus Review: Should You Buy?

Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus would be our ideal pick in the premium category thanks to its refined design, excellent display, quality cameras and decent battery life. It does cost a lot more than the vanilla model with very few changes to note. Having said that, the Galaxy S23 Plus looks to compete with the likes of the iPhone 14 Plus, Google Pixel 7 Pro and even options like the Xiaomi 13 Pro and gives a decent account for its standing as a flagship device that still costs less than a lakh.

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