Samsung Galaxy S23 Long-Term Review – Still One Of The Best Compact Phones?

The Samsung Galaxy S23 comes in two storage variants. The base variant with 8GB RAM and 128GB internal storage costs Rs. 74,999, while the 256GB internal storage variant costs Rs. 79,999.

The phone comes in four different colour options: Cream, Green, Lavender and Phantom Black. You can buy the phone directly from the official website of Samsung or other platforms like Flipkart and Amazon.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 packs the following items inside the box:

• Phone
• Type-C cable
• SIM ejector tool
• Documentation

Before we talk in detail about the Samsung Galaxy S23 long-term review, let’s see what the on-paper specs look like:

• Display: 6.1 inches AMOLED
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
• RAM & ROM: 8GB 128GB, 8GB 256GB
• Software: Android v13
• Rear camera: 50MP + 12MP + 10MP
• Selfie camera: 12MP
• Battery: 3900 mAh
• Weight: 168 grams
• Dimensions: 146.3 x 70.9 x 7.6 mm

Samsung Galaxy S23 comes packed with a flagship-grade triple-camera setup on the back which includes a 50MP main camera. The other two lenses include a 12MP ultra-wide lens and a 10MP telephoto lens. The front side has a 12MP camera for taking selfies.

The 50MP main camera takes absolutely stunning photos in daylight conditions. I took multiple shots inside and outside the DLF mall, which came out lively and vibrant. The images were packed with details and looked punchy.

Well, I have to say that though the images look very pleasing to the eye, the colours were somewhat boosted and thus appear vibrant. For someone who wants more natural-looking photos, maybe look at an iPhone. The telephoto lens does a fabulous job of capturing zoom shots.

Low-light shots were good as well. The details were retained and the noise suppression was done pretty well.

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Ultra-wide shots were also nice. While the details take a dip compared to the main camera, the colours remain the same. Portrait shots were spot-on. The edge detection was solid and the background blur looked natural.

Coming over to the front, the 12MP camera captures sharp selfies. The selfies I took were detailed and didn’t lose details even after zooming in. Strands of my facial hair were clearly seen. Skin tones appear natural as well. Portrait selfies were looking great, similar to the main camera.

Due to its compact and lightweight design, the S23 packs a relatively smaller battery of just 3900 mAh. As a result, of course, the battery backup is not the best compared to other flagship phones.

However, I still get around 5 hours of screen on time, which is impressive for this battery size. The battery optimisation is done very well which leads to a decent battery backup. A light user can easily use the phone for a whole day without worrying about the need to charge.

Well, what disappoints me is the 25W charging speed which is pretty slow. It also comes with wireless charging, but that is even slower.

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Well, I need not say this, but Samsung tends to go all out when it comes to the display part. It boasts a magnificent 6.1-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED display that is definitely one of the best displays ever.

It comes with a 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 1750 nits, which makes it easy to use and read contents on the screen even in broad daylight conditions. You can even choose between two screen modes: vivid and natural. I liked using the vivid settings.

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The contents on the screen look sharp and crisp. Always on display works like a charm, and you can customise it fully the way you want. It does suck up the battery, so keep that in mind.

Other than that, navigating through the UI was a breeze. Even scrolling reels on Instagram was super smooth, thanks to the 120Hz refresh rate. Watching videos on YouTube and playing content on OTT platforms was a great experience. The content looks vibrant and the blacks were deep.

Samsung Galaxy S23 packs a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset which is currently the most powerful chipset in an Android phone. It is paired with 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of internal storage. I wish there was a 512GB storage variant but it’s okay.

Nonetheless, the S23 is blazing fast and handles everything you throw at it with ease. Opening apps and closing them is smooth and swift. RAM management is good as well. It also comes with a RAM Plus feature that further extends the RAM by 8GB. Most of the apps stay open in the background for quite some time.

I have not faced any lags or app crashes while using the phone for the past couple of months. However, one thing that I wish could be better is temperature control. Although the performance is superb, it quickly heats up the back panel which can be felt while holding it.

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It doesn’t happen in normal usage; but as soon as I perform an intensive task like taking photos, playing games or multitasking, I can feel the heat.

Talking about gaming, the S23 can run all the demanding games out there. I played COD Mobile, BGMI, and even Asphalt 9. All the games ran smoothly without any issues. BGMI can run on Smmoth + 90 fps settings. I did not notice any major frame drop or lag while playing games.

Samsung Galaxy S23 runs on One UI 5.1 which is based on Android 13. I personally like One UI very much due to its simple and straightforward interface. The icons appear big and sharp.

You can customise and personalise the theme, wallpaper, colour palette, home screen and other things as per your liking. I absolutely love swiping and scrolling through the snappy UI. The notification panel has all the necessary shortcuts you need.

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What’s even better is that the UI does not include any unnecessary bloatware that we see in other budget and mid-range phones. It’s clean and clear.

Moreover, you get features like the Side key, gestures, one-handed mode, screen recorder, split screen and more. You can customise the power button using the side key and assign it for executing your desired actions. Like double press to launch the camera app and press and hold for Bixby.