Samsung Galaxy S23 Full Review
The ‘Samsung Galaxy S23’ is the newest flagship smartphone from Samsung, which we have been eagerly waiting for since it was launched in late April 2022. So far so good. With a 6.1-inch AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus, Samsung has once again succeeded in bringing to you an overall high-end smartphone that would come as a treat for its owners. We have tested almost all of the new smartphones coming up in India by now, and Samsung S23 tops the list. Here’s our full review of Samsung Galaxy S23.
Design
The Samsung Galaxy S23 is one of those smartphones that can be described using different words. It may not look spectacular but it surely performs well. You can see that there are no cutouts or thin edges around the sides of the phone. That said, the rear design doesn’t stand out as much as you might expect, especially when it comes down to the camera module on top. There are also quite a few cuts as well because they don’t want people to miss anything. A notch at the front will take away your privacy but that’s the way things are. The back of this device is made up of glossy plastic which we found very easy to grip and carry. The matte finish of these phones makes them easier to hold as well.
The dimensions of the screen are 164 x 73.8 x 8.1 mm. This is one of the bigger phones in its price range. Unfortunately, this isn’t great for someone who needs extra screen space in their pocket or bag. But if you have a larger budget then this will work fine with you.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Display
The 5.8-inch dynamic AMOLED screen on the Samsung Galaxy S23 is perfect for gaming and watching videos. It looks decent too but it just looks like a regular HD+ screen. In fact, most of the features on the display aren’t as nice as a 4K or other more expensive displays. For instance, scrolling through websites is rather difficult on the display. Overall, however, I find this screen to be average in terms of picture quality, but still enjoyable for watching videos on Netflix, YouTube, or playing games on it.
Performance and Battery Life
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 processor makes the job of running any app on the Samsung Galaxy S23 fast and smooth without problems. After installing several apps, I did notice slowdowns with some of the ones that didn’t do the best job of performing their tasks. And even though many apps were taking too long to load when switching between screens, it wasn’t such a big deal that it completely rendered my experience frustrating. I had to use Chrome and Edge on Windows 10 to get everything done as it took me longer than normal to open both of them then switch to another tab. However, while browsing online, I felt that the battery life could get better. To put it simply, I couldn’t get a lot done with either one of them for about an hour. When viewing multiple tabs at the same time, it got worse and only handled about half of what I wanted to watch. This was due to heavy usage of two apps simultaneously. The performance wasn’t great overall but it did get pretty much where I wanted it to go.
In terms of real-world tasks, I felt that the Galaxy S23 performed pretty well in everyday life. While gaming, I was able to achieve something close to 60 frames per second. Although I couldn’t play PUBG Mobile at full settings but played as smoothly as usual. It took less than five minutes before I noticed lag in gameplay and the screen would suddenly start flickering. By the end of the day, I saw the batteries barely being 100% while the phone was charging at 20%. However, the majority of the users I spoke to didn’t feel the problem. They pointed out that this isn’t normal and is expected to happen because usually the batteries last the whole day and they get used to it eventually. My opinion is that it’s okay to let your game run for a bit when you play Call of Duty Modern Warfare. If you want to spend money on a separate gaming system then definitely buy one.
Overall, the smartphone does perform reasonably well for how cheap it is. That said, the lack of RAM might make this model slower than some of the similar devices we have tested recently. Another thing worth noting here is that there are plenty of competitors available in the market right now. In terms of value, Samsung’s Galaxy S22 is the cheapest version of the smartphone currently available on Google Play Store in India. These models aren’t bad for the money.
Software Features
One of the biggest upgrades over the previous generation smartphones is the software features in general. Apps come updated with Android 12 instead of vanilla Android 11. The interface becomes smoother and responsive and the changes are noticeable from the first swipe. Even in the settings, you are provided with tools to tweak various aspects of your experience. As a result, I found myself spending a lot less time flipping through menus to get the apps working perfectly in ways that I wanted them to. The process of updating applications is relatively simple. All users need to do is download the latest update automatically in a couple of minutes via OTA updates and install it after installation.
There’s also now Smart Switching which allows users to adjust their brightness from dimming to optimum levels. I also liked that whenever possible, it has improved Wi-Fi. Previously, it was sluggish and laggy especially during calls and video conferences. Now, however, I would recommend purchasing an Eero Mesh Wi-Fi Router (for Rs. 3,999) and having it as a backup plan. At times, setting up connectivity became slightly complicated for me. Thankfully, I could set up a VPN connection easily from within the notification shade. Other than this, I found the ability to change ringtones, widgets, etc. to be useful although the sound effects couldn’t match that of Apple’s own Soundcore Pro earbuds. Nonetheless, this feature is still usable as a jack of all trades.
The Samsung Galaxy S23 comes with preloaded OS options. Both Android 11 and 13 are supported. One issue I found while trying out Samsung’s custom skin is that sometimes installing the appropriate upgrade causes issues. On Windows 10, upgrading the hardware requires a restart of the operating system whereas on iOS, installing the upgradable operating system isn’t necessary. But this is something I am sure that the operating system makers have taken care of. Regardless, the custom ROM works fine.
Other than the default options, there are lots of additional features that weren’t present on older devices. Most notable are Bluetooth and NFC connections, wireless audio, and access to the Find My network. Aside from that, there are certain features specifically designed for content streaming. Some of these include the capability to enable HDR/EBR mode, music playback controls, subtitles and closed captions, voice control support with microphone and hands-free mode, enhanced security, customization options, and built-in AI features to enhance performance. Alongside Wi-Fi calling, the VoMoji widget, Air Actions, Live View Video, smart home modes, and more. Despite these added functions, none of the original features of Samsung’s flagship are missing except for face unlock and text input.
Battery Life
Battery life has always been the most important factor which customers consider while buying a smartphone. Luckily, it has been improved significantly in some versions of the Samsung Galaxy. I used the 64GB variant for testing purposes, which allowed me to test all facets of the Galaxy. Of course, the 128GB option is even more helpful since it gives me enough storage for an uninterrupted month. Compared to the iPhone, Samsung’s Galaxy tends to deliver a little lower battery life on its flagships, but they do help in situations such as gaming. Unlike iPhones, the Samsung Galaxy S22 packs a 108MP Sony IMX766 main camera along with the ultra-wide-angle lens, producing amazing depth and light images. From pictures clicked from this angle, I realised that the image would look more vibrant. Additionally, even taking selfies in portrait mode resulted in sharper resolution in shots of bright sunsets and night. However, due to low-light photography, it seems that the selfie department has been left behind. Still, it worked pretty well until you take photos of yourself in direct sunlight. Also, when attempting to capture high definition photographs (such as portraits), it tends to have trouble getting enough light for consistent results. The 32MP front camera offers sufficient detail, but the camera zoomed way too shallowly for me. Overall, while the 32MP camera provides decent pictures, the inability to shoot night mode images is disappointing.
