Another year, another set of Galaxy phones. When it comes to the Samsung Galaxy S23 series, more people will pay attention to the cutting-edge S23 Ultra or affordable, one-handed S23. But you shouldn't sleep on the S23+, which takes the template of the respectable Galaxy S22+ and augments it in a few key ways.

Samsung has only just announced the Galaxy S23+, but as the person who got an early Galaxy S23+ hands-on courtesy of Samsung, as well as reviewed the Galaxy S22+, I can confidently speak to both phones and how they compare. Samsung will release the S23 series on February 17, but it's also selling the S22+ at a discount right now. So should you upgrade, or stick with the older model? This Galaxy S23+ vs. S22+ guide should tell you everything you need to know to decide. 

Samsung Galaxy S23+ vs. S22+: What's the same?

The Samsung Galaxy S23+ (right) and the Galaxy S22+ (left) (Image credit: Michael Hicks / Android Central)

Before we begin to dive into what makes the newer Galaxy S23 Plus a tempting upgrade, let's discuss the many ways Samsung used the same template for its S23+ and S22+ phones.

Display: Like the Galaxy S22+, the Galaxy S23+ has a 6.6-inch AMOLED display with 2340 x 1080 (FHD) resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate that can dip as low as 48Hz for battery-saving purposes with less demanding apps. Its brightness hits 1,200 nits for HDR or 1,750 at its peak for outdoor use. 

Rear cameras: Ignoring the selfie camera for now, both the Galaxy S23+ and S22+ share 50MP/ ƒ/1.8 main, 12MP/ f2.2 ultrawide, and 10MP/ ƒ/2.4 telephoto lenses. Samsung put most of its focus into improving its cameras through software rather than hardware. 

RAM: Unfortunately, Samsung chose to restrict both phones to 8GB. That's certainly enough to deliver fast performance, but many other comparably priced phones have 12GB of RAM. Even though both phones share this shortcoming, it's worth keeping in mind since the Galaxy S23 Ultra would give you that extra 4GB RAM.

Connectivity: Both phones have Wi-Fi 6E support — Samsung isn't supporting the new Wi-Fi 7 standard just yet — Ultra Wideband, and both mmWave and sub-6 5G.

Charging: You can count on 45W wired charging, 15W wireless Qi charging, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging on both Galaxy Plus phones.

Size: Despite their internal differences, both the Galaxy S22+ and S23+ weigh about 196g. The newer phone is 0.4mm wider and taller, a size difference that almost no one would ever notice. Both have the same width.

That's a pretty thorough list! So if you own the Galaxy S22+ already, your choice of whether or not to upgrade will depend strongly on the few upgrades outlined below and whether or not you like Samsung's new design aesthetic. 

Samsung Galaxy S23+ vs. S22+: A new look

(Image credit: Michael Hicks / Android Central)

The first significant difference between the Galaxy S23+ and S22+ is the redesigned rear camera module. Both have the same vertical layout with three sensors and a small LED near the top, but the S23+ removed the metal housing around the sensors, mirroring the look of the Galaxy S22 Ultra and S23 Ultra.

Our S22 Ultra reviewer wasn't a fan of this design, noting that the gaps between cameras "are going to attract every little bit of dust, lint, and hair that your pockets can gather," and are difficult to clean even with a microfiber cloth. 

Having a Galaxy S23+ case or screen protector should help mitigate this problem somewhat, and you also have fewer cameras to clean between than the S23 Ultra, which will make it less of a concern. But generally speaking, some people will find the sleek, metallic look of the Galaxy S22+ more attractive, giving the phone's rear a bit more texture. It's truly a matter of preference.

Samsung Galaxy S23+ vs. S22+: Gauging the performance boost

Samsung Galaxy S22+ (Image credit: Michael Hicks / Android Central)

Last year, Galaxy S22+ buyers in North America and Europe received models with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and Exynos 2200, respectively. Qualcomm's chip had notorious issues with overheating which led to Samsung closely throttling Android apps on the S22 series. 

Meanwhile, the Exynos 2200 failed to live up to its potential and performed worse than the 8 Gen 1 in benchmarks despite a promising AMD partnership for gaming. This S22 variant also had worse battery drain issues.

I personally tested the Snapdragon variant, and frankly had few complaints with performance, noting how "both the fingerprint sensor and Face Unlock open the phone faster than you can snap your fingers. Scrolling and swiping look smooth and stylish, hitting the 120Hz max. Apps or Chrome web pages load faster than on any phone I've tested before. Even downloading Play Store apps takes less time than on other Android phones, possibly due to the Wi-Fi 6E support."

The only issue was that the Galaxy S22+ truly did tend to overheat when playing demanding games like Genshin Impact, and it couldn't hit the higher graphical settings that you'd get on the Galaxy S22 Ultra.

Samsung Galaxy S23+ (Image credit: Michael Hicks / Android Central)

This year, Samsung will use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 globally — specifically an overclocked version exclusive to Samsung that hits up to 3.36GHz (compared to 3GHz on the 8 Gen 1). Aside from the performance boost, my colleague Harish Jonnalagadda explains in that announcement post how using two separate chips held the Galaxy S22 series back:

"Samsung had to maintain feature parity between the Exynos and Snapdragon versions, it couldn't leverage all the features Qualcomm offered on its chipsets, and that led to devices that didn't hit their full potential." Now, Harish argues, the Galaxy S23 can have unleashed performance and features because the Exynos version didn't complicate things. 

I'll receive the Galaxy S23+ soon to properly test its performance, but Wonjoon Choi, EVP and Head of R&D Mobile for Samsung, assured me that throttling will be less of an issue with the Galaxy S23 series. Aside from basic hardware efficiency improvements, Samsung has also allegedly optimized the software backend and heat dissipation so that there are fewer cases where throttling is needed. 

I'm hoping this proves true, and that the Galaxy S23+ does better with performance than its predecessor. But since it sticks to 8GB, there likely won't be a dramatic difference between the two...unless you owned the Exynos-variant S22+. 

Still, the increased processing and AI power will make a difference in photo quality, even though the two phones use most of the same camera sensors. 

Samsung Galaxy S23+ vs. S22+: Other key differences

While you won't find a lot of differences when comparing the Galaxy S23+ vs. Galaxy S22+ in specs, there are a few key upgrades considering they cost the same. For starters, the Galaxy S23+ defaults to 256GB. Samsung originally gave the 256GB 22+ away for the same price as a pre-order perk, but otherwise, you'd have to spend $80 for that extra storage space. And right now, Samsung will give the 512GB S23+ to anyone who preorders it from them directly before February 17, 2023. 

Samsung also increased the Galaxy S23+ battery size to 4,700mAh, after the Galaxy S22+ dropped 300mAh from the S21+ battery. I was actually quite happy with the battery performance on the S22+, which does much better than the stock Galaxy S22 for both active use and idle time. But that little bit of extra capacity, along with an 8 Gen 2 model that's allegedly more efficient, could make the Galaxy S23+ an even better option.

(Image credit: Nick Sutrich / Android Central)

If you're someone who likes to live dangerously and won't buy a Galaxy S23+ screen protector or case, you'll benefit from the new Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection, rated to withstand one-meter falls to concrete or two-meter drops onto asphalt and better protected against scratches and cracks. For comparison, the Galaxy S22 series had Gorilla Glass Victus+; the company never really explained how much better the "+" model was compared to Victus, but it was considered reliable enough.

The last major change is to the selfie camera, as the Galaxy S23+ has a 12MP sensor with dual-pixel auto-focus compared to the 10MP sensor on the S22+. I haven't had the chance to test the new camera properly, but Joshua Cho, Samsung EVP and Head of Visual Software R&D for Cameras, explained how the selfie sensor adds Super HDR and access to the Expert RAW app for the first time, as well as new "natural" or "warm" selfie modes and AI object recognition to sharpen specific "objects" like your face or the background. 

Beyond that, the Galaxy S23+ jumps from Bluetooth 5.2 to 5.3 — which could make using Bluetooth accessories like wireless earbuds slightly more efficient — and has some slight color tweaks (Violet instead of Pink Gold, Cream instead of Phantom White).

Samsung Galaxy S23+ vs. S22+: Which should you buy, and should you upgrade?

The benefit of buying a Samsung phone is that they're long-lived. Although the Galaxy S22+ is a year old, it'll receive three more updates to Android 16 and security updates through early 2027. That's longer than many new 2023 Android phones will get. So there's no rush to upgrade to the Galaxy S23+. 

In terms of Galaxy S23+ deals, you can trade in your S22+ and get the S23+ for free with AT&T or T-Mobile, for $200 with Verizon, or for $650 with Samsung if you want it unlocked with no contract extensions. That could help you decide if the improvements to performance, battery, selfies, and storage matter enough to upgrade.

I can't say for certain yet if the Galaxy S23+ is worth trading in your S22+ until I can review it, or how it'll compare to the best Android phones. But I will say that if you're considering buying the Galaxy S22+ refurbished, just go ahead and upgrade to the S23+. The switch to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and extra storage will definitely help the phone stand the test of time better than the S22+ did.