How to order the Samsung Galaxy S23—and which model to buy

Samsung has three New flagship smartphones to mark 2023—Galaxy S23, S23+ and S23 Ultra. They are available for pre-order now and will go on sale officially from February 17th. But should you upgrade? If you need a new phone, which Galaxy S23 model is right for you? We break down the differences between each model, what’s new, and which one is right for you. We’ve rounded up some of the Galaxy S23 promotions from Samsung and mobile carriers so you can get the most out of your purchase.

Check out our best Android phones and best cheap phones guides for more tips. If you’re downing last year’s Galaxy S22 on the cheap, well, we’ve got more tips, too.

Special offer for Gear readers: Get a 1-year subscription to WIRED for $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com and our print magazine (if desired). Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.

We may earn a commission if you purchase something using the links in our stories. This helps support our journalism. know more.

The new tech in all 3 phones

The Galaxy S23 series has the same design philosophy across all three devices, although the Ultra has more squared edges. They all have the same bright AMOLED screen, 120-Hz screen refresh rates, and features like wireless charging, strong 5G and Wi-Fi 6E support, in-display fingerprint sensors, and IP68 water resistance. They are made of aluminum and the glass protecting the screen and back is Corning’s latest Gorilla Glass Victos 2. You can get them all in Phantom Black, Cream, Green and Lavender and you get Lemon, Graphite, Sky. Blue and Red color options purchased directly from Samsung.com.

These phones are powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chip with 8GB of RAM – not just in the US, but globally. The “Galaxy” moniker indicates that the chips have slightly higher clock speeds than the base Snapdragon chips, so they’re slightly faster and have additional optimizations to make them more efficient. The lineup also features a cooling chamber that’s twice as large, which should keep the phone cool while gaming for extended sessions. Camera-wise, all three models share the same 12-megapixel ultra-wide, the same 3X optical telephoto camera and a new 12-megapixel selfie camera.

All three S23 phones get five years of security updates and four Android OS updates (starting with Android 13), which is the best software policy you’ll find on Android phones. That’s about where the similarities end. Here’s how they all differ.

The Galaxy S23 is the smallest in the lineup with a 6.1-inch screen, so if you use a phone you can comfortably use it with one hand, that’s the way to go. While not “cheap” by any means, it is the cheapest. It’s the only S23 model to start with 128GB of internal storage – the other two now start with 256GB – but Samsung has increased the battery capacity by 200mAh from the Galaxy S22 to 3,900mAh. Since this phone is limited to 25W charging in the group, charging isn’t that fast when plugged in. One yourself.) The biggest change is the main camera, which uses a new 50-megapixel sensor for improved dynamic color range.

The S23+ is an awkward middle child. as a As feature-packed as the Ultra, but not so different from the regular S23 as to justify the $200 crash price. Still, this phone is larger at 6.6 inches and has a larger 4,700-mAh battery capacity than the previous phone. Internal storage starts at 256GB, which is important since Samsung will stop including microSD cards in its high-end phones in 2021. The S23+ has the same exact camera setup as the S23, with the only major difference being the charging speed – which it supports. A 45-watt charger (charger not included) is therefore slightly faster than the S23. In our previous experience, the charging speed isn’t much different, so this shouldn’t really factor into your decision. If you need more battery or a slightly bigger screen, get it.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra is the cream of Samsung’s lineup. It retains the 10X optical zoom camera that lets you take sharp photos of subjects from far away. He as well It has 3X optical zoom, and who doesn’t like options? If you’re a fan of the S Pen, this is the only Samsung phone with a built-in stylus on the bottom edge of the device. It’s the largest phone of the three at 6.8 inches (and the heaviest), and while it has an adaptive refresh rate like the other two, it switches between 1 and 120 Hz when needed, meaning it’s a bit more battery-efficient. It has a 5,000 mAh battery, which Samsung says is 20 percent longer than last year’s S22 Ultra, despite having the same capacity.