Any Samsung Galaxy S23 vs Galaxy S23 Plus vs Galaxy S23 Ultra comparison right now will be based on leaks and rumors – because Samsung has yet to reveal its three new flagship phones.
But rumors or not, we can be pretty certain about many of the details surrounding this trio of high-end Android handsets, not least because the launch is almost certainly set for the next Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event, on Wednesday, February 1.
As you’d expect – given the narrowing timeframe – there have been a flurry of leaks over the past few days that have laid bare almost everything there is to know about the S23 series, from its probable price to its most likely specs and design details.
So, how do these three phones stack up against one another? And which one looks most deserving of your cash? Read on for all the latest details.
Samsung Galaxy S23 vs S23 Plus vs S23 Ultra: rumored specs
S23 | S23 Plus | S23 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|---|
Rumored price | from $799 | from $999 | from $1,249 |
Screen size | 6.1-inch AMOLED (2,340 x 1,080) | 6.6-inch AMOLED (2,340 x 1,080) | 6.8-inch AMOLED (3,088 × 1,440) |
CPU | Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 | Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 | Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 |
RAM | 8GB | 8GB | 8GB, 12GB |
Storage | 128GB, 256GB | 128GB, 256GB | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
Rear cameras | 50MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP telephoto (3x zoom) | 50MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP telephoto (3x zoom) | 200MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP telephoto (3x zoom), 10MP telephoto (10x zoom) |
Front cameras | 12MP | 12MP | 12MP |
Battery | 3,900 mAh | 4,700 mAh | 5,000 mAh |
Charging | 25W wired | 45W wired | 45W wired |
Size | 146.3 x 70.9 x 7.6mm | 157.8 x 76.2 x 7.6mm | 163.4 x 78.1 x 8.9mm |
Samsung Galaxy S23 vs S23 Plus vs S23 Ultra: price and availability
The biggest hint yet we’ve had towards the relative prices of the Samsung Galaxy S23 range come from NotebookCheck, which has published what it claims are the figures for each of the three models and their various variants.
The details comes via Twitter leaker @RGCloudS (opens in new tab) and range from a reasonable $799 for the base model up to a hefty $1,499 for the 1TB version of the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Samsung Galaxy S23 rumored prices
- Galaxy S23 8GB / 128GB: $799
- Galaxy S23 8GB / 256GB: $849
Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus rumored prices
- Galaxy S23 Plus 8GB / 128GB: $999
- Galaxy S23 Plus 8GB / 256GB: $1,049
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra rumored prices
- Galaxy S23 Ultra: 8GB / 256GB: $1,249
- Galaxy S23 Ultra: 12GB / 512GB: $1,349
- Galaxy S23 Ultra 12GB / 1TB: $1,499
If the figures are correct, then the standard S23 and S23 Plus would be the same price as last year’s Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus models, while the Ultra lineup would feature a few changes.
For instance, the cheapest S23 Ultra would be $50 more expensive than its Galaxy S22 Ultra equivalent, albeit with more storage space. The top-tier 1TB version, though, would supposedly be $100 cheaper.
There’s no rumors around UK or Australian pricing at this stage, but based on the prices above, you could expect the S23 to start at £769 / AU$1,249, with the Plus model arriving at £949 / AU$1,549 and the Ultra at £1,200 / AU$1,999.
As with everything here, these are just rumors at this point and indeed other reports have suggested that the Galaxy S23 could get a price rise across the board; let’s hope that’s not the case.
As far as release date goes, we now know that a Samsung Unpacked 2023 event will take place on February 1, and we’d be absolutely amazed if all three models were not unveiled then. If they are, then the smart money says they’d start shipping on Friday, February 17.
Samsung Galaxy S23 vs S23 Plus vs S23 Ultra: design
Image 1 of 2
The designs of all three models have been heavily leaked in recent weeks, so there’s not much left to find out about the stylings of these three phones. Nor is there likely to be that much difference from last year’s models; the Galaxy S23 looks like an evolution, rather than a revolution.
The most recent Galaxy S23 leak revealed the phone from all angles – thanks to Evan Blass, aka EVLeaks, for that one – and it suggests the three models will actually look even more similar to each other than last year’s trio.
That’s because the S23 and S23 Plus are rumored to be getting the same integrated camera module as that on the S23 Ultra, rather than having a raised ‘contour cut’ bump like their S22 and S21 equivalents. It’s a look we liked very much on the S22 Ultra, so fingers crossed that the more modest models do indeed get the same design.
Assuming that report is correct, the main difference between the phones’ appearance is that the S23 Ultra looks to have curved glass round the front rather than the flatter design sported by the S23 and S23 Plus.
What about the Galaxy S23 rumored colors? Well, multiple sources have mentioned Cotton Flower (or beige), Misty Lilac (pink), Botanic Green and Phantom Black; although some also suggest there’ll be a white version and potentially others.
Samsung Galaxy S23 vs S23 Plus vs S23 Ultra: display
As you’d expect, the Galaxy S23 phones are likely to come in small, medium and large sizes, in line with their prices. The base Galaxy S23 is rumored to be 6.1 inches with a 2,340 x 1,080 resolution, while the S23 Plus is said to be 6.6 inches, with the same resolution. The S23 Ultra, meanwhile, is tipped to get a 6.8-inch display with 3088 x 1440 pixels, which is the same as last year.
All will reportedly be AMOLED screens, with 120Hz refresh rates. However, the Ultra will almost certainly be able to drop down to 1Hz as per last year’s model, giving it an advantage over the other two. That said, there are rumors that this year the S23 and S23 Plus will get refresh rates that can drop as low as 24Hz, rather than the 48Hz of the S22 / S22 Plus (potentially improving battery life). The S23 Ultra may well have a brightness advantage, too, with suggestions that it may be able to hit 2,150 nits at its peak.
Finally, we’re hoping that new Gorilla Glass Victus 2 will be present on all three phones, although once again, it’s possible that this upgrade will be reserved for the more expensive Ultra.
Samsung Galaxy S23 vs S23 Plus vs S23 Ultra: cameras
Cameras have always been one of the key differentiators between the base, Plus and Ultra models of Samsung’s Galaxy S range and this year looks like it’s continuing that trend. In fact, the gap could be even wider than it was last year.
The leaked images tell part of the story: as with the S22 range, the Ultra will almost certainly get an extra telephoto lens round the back, giving it a combo of 10MP at 3x zoom and 10MP at 10x. The S23 and S23 Plus, meanwhile, are expected to keep the sole 10MP / 3x zoom telephoto.
All three phones will likely keep the 12MP ultrawide from the S23, but if the rumors are true then there’ll be an even bigger boost for the Ultra when it comes to the main lens. While the cheaper phones are tipped to stick with a 50MP main snapper, the S23 Ultra is rumored to be the first phone to use Samsung’s newest 200MP sensor.
Round the front, there’ll reportedly be a better selfie camera on the Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus, with both phones jumping from 10MP to 12MP. Perhaps surprisingly, there are also rumors that the S23 Ultra will get a selfie sensor resolution downgrade from 40MP to 12MP, which would mean it would share the same front camera as the cheaper phones.
Hardware only tells half the story, of course, and the Ultra is expected to have a couple of other upgrades over the S23 and S23 Plus, including the ability to take hyperlapse videos of the sky. It could also sport better anti-shake, especially with video. Meanwhile, all three could get the ability to save RAW photos at 50MP, rather than the existing 12MP.
Samsung Galaxy S23 vs S23 Plus vs S23 Ultra: performance
With all three models expected to get Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 flagship-class chipset, there shouldn’t be a massive performance difference between the S23, S23 Plus and S23 Ultra. Nor should there be any variation around the world, with the Galaxy S23 rumored to have a Snapdragon chip in all regions. That would be a major change from previous years; traditionally, Samsung has used its own Exynos chipset outside of the US, much to the chagrin of tech-savvy Galaxy fans in those other markets.
That would be good news if true, because leaked Galaxy S23 benchmark scores show the new phones closing the performance gap on Apple’s own silicon. And indeed, another rumor suggests that the Galaxy S23 range will get a major perfomance boost, with all three models seeing a 36% increase in processor speed, a 48% increase in graphics performance, and a 60% increase in neural processing, compared to the S22 models.
How will they differ? Well, based on the rumors so far, the S23 and S23 will apparently come with 8GB of RAM, while the Ultra will have either 8GB or 12GB. There are differences with storage, too, with reports that the base and Plus models will be available in 128GB or 256GB variants, while the Ultra will get 256GB, 512GB or 1TB models – though the latter might be exclusive to the Samsung store.
Another rumor suggests that the S23 Ultra will have better speakers and a better microphone than its predecessor, and than the other two models too.
Samsung Galaxy S23 vs S23 Plus vs S23 Ultra: battery
No major surprises here: the S22 is rumored to have a 3900mAh cell, with the Plus having a bigger 4700mAh offering and the Ultra weighing in at 5000mAh – in line with the phones’ respective screen sizes.
It’s worth noting, however, that if those figures are true, it will mean that the Galaxy S23 and the Galaxy S23 Plus will get a minor battery size increase, while the Galaxy S23 Ultra will stick with the same capacity battery as last year.
That’s no bad thing, as we were slightly underwhelmed by the S22 and S22 Plus last year, so the extra 200mAh would be welcome, especially if the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip is more power-efficient than last year’s chipsets. We wouldn’t mind extra for the Ultra too, of course, but we got around 18 hours of use from it last year, so if this one stays the same, that’s acceptable.
In terms of charging, the base S23 looks set to lose out again, with the rumor being that the Galaxy S23 will supposedly charge at 25W, compared to 45W wired on the other two – the same as last year. All three are again tipped to get 15W wireless charging.
Samsung Galaxy S23 vs S23 Plus vs S23 Ultra: features
The obvious other difference between the Galaxy S23 Ultra and the S23 / S23 Plus, in terms of features, will be that the former will get the Samsung S Pen while the latter two will most definitely not. And we don’t need rumors to back that up – the S Pen is integral to the Ultra’s identity and marks it out as the Galaxy Note in all but name.
That aside, there shouldn’t be too many other differences between these three phones. All should ship with Android 13 and Samsung’s One UI 5 skin atop it, while a rumored partnership with Iridium Communications suggests the S23 range will be able to use low-orbit satellites to send text messages and low-res images. It’s possible that feature will be reserved for the Ultra, but we think it’s more likely to be available on all three phones.
Samsung Galaxy S23 vs S23 Plus vs S23 Ultra: outlook
While the Samsung Galaxy S23 range overall looks to be every bit as strong as last year’s S22, it’s once again the Ultra model that appears to be the chief contender for our best phones list, and a handset that could potentially take on and beat the almighty Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Based on the rumors, the differences between the standard S23 and the S23 don’t appear to be huge. The latter looks set to have a bigger screen and a bigger battery to go with it, but it’s otherwise much of a muchness: same processor, same RAM and storage options, same cameras, same design. Sure, it’ll also seemingly get 45W charging compared to 25W – as with the S22 models – but it’ll also have a higher price tag. It’s enough to make one TechRadar editor demand that Samsung needs to kill its Plus phones after the Galaxy S23.
The S23 Ultra, meanwhile, looks to be in a class of its own again. Its photographic skills could be even more impressive, thanks to the rumored addition of a 200MP main camera versus the 50MP unit on the other two phones, and it seems certain to keep its advantages regarding battery size, screen size, display tech and of course the S Pen.
We’ll know a lot more at Samsung Unpacked on February 1, but until then keep checking back for the latest news on all three phones.