The Samsung Galaxy S23 was released only this year and starts at a retail price of around $799.99/£849. Being less than a year old, it's difficult to find any deals or substantial price cuts on this smartphone, but certainly not impossible if you know where to look.
The Galaxy S23 is the youngest sibling in the range, released alongside the S23 Plus, and S23 Ultra models – considered one of the best camera phones on the market right now. The best prices we're seeing on the Galaxy S23 at present are the same as retail, but there are some great SIM contract deals to be had which we'll list below.
The best Android phone for those who don't need flashy specs
Display: 6.1-inch FHD+ AMOLED | Dimensions: 70.9 x 146.3 x 7.6mm | Operating system: Android 13 / One UI 5.1 | Chipset: Snapdragon® 8 Gen 2 | Camera: 50MP Wide Camera + 12MP Ultra-Wide Camera + 10MP Telephoto Camera | RAM: 8GB | Storage: 128GB - 512GB | Weight: 167g | Battery: 3,900mAh
Great performance
Improved battery life
Nightography camera
Not the best front camera
Still more expensive than competitors like the Pixel 7
Released in February 2023, the Samsung Galaxy S23 is a great smartphone despite sitting at the lower end of the S23 range and being overshadowed by its sibling devices. Still, it can hold its own with powerful performance thanks to the Snapdragon 8 chip and One UI 5.1 software, It boasts a 50MP camera and telephoto lens which might not scratch the surface of what the S23 Ultra's 200MP camera can do, but are still substantial enough to have an impact.
Key features of the Galaxy S23 include its refined "nightography" features to help you shoot in low-light conditions, as well as the adaptive outdoor visibility which will let you game and stream anywhere without glare. It has an improved battery life on the standard S22 Series and is slightly bigger than the S22 (only by a few mm).
We're yet to review the standard S23 model, but we did have our hands on the S23 Ultra, and we gave this smartphone a 4.5-star rating when reviewing it back in March. We found that it looked great with an excellent screen, but despite us loving the design, it was hard to justify the price and whether an upgrade would be worth it. The standard S23 is much more affordable than the Ultra, so might be a better alternative if you're looking for one of the best budget camera phones.
The bottom line is that the Samsung Galaxy S23 is a great Samsung phone for those who don't need fancy specs or the latest processors and can make do without a 200MP camera.
See our clever deals widget below to keep tabs on the best Samsung Galaxy S23 prices, and see our best Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra prices page for savings on the advanced model.
What's the difference between the Galaxy S23, S23 Plus, and Galaxy S23 Ultra?
Samsung released three phones in the S23 range, the standard Samsung Galaxy S22, the Galaxy S22 Plus, and the Galaxy S23 Ultra. The same models exist with the previous Samsung Galaxy S22 and S21 series too.
The Galaxy S23 Plus is only slightly bigger than the standard S23, with a 6.6” display, but smaller than the S23 Ultra which has a 6.8” screen. The camera system is exactly the same for both the S22 and S22 Plus, aside from the 30x Digital Zoom you get with the Plus model.
A major difference between the standard and Plus is also the battery life, with the S22 Plus boasting 4700mAh, and the standard S22 only having 3900mAh of battery power. The dimensions however are exactly the same, but the S23 + weighs more than the S23 at 195g compared with 167g.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra however is undeniably the favourite child, with a bigger and better display, camera system including a 200MP main camera, improved resolution, 5,000mAh built-in battery power, and built-in support for the S pen making it a catch for creatives.
Should I upgrade from the S22 to the S23?
In our opinion, there's not an awful lot of difference between these two Samsung Galaxy smartphones to justify an upgrade if you already have the S22 model. If however, you have an older Galaxy model such as the S21, then this would be a more considerable upgrade in terms of performance, display, and battery power.
You should consider upgrading (if you can afford to do so) if you have an interest in photography, especially low-light photography such as shooting local gigs, concerts, and nightlife as the improved "nightography" features with the S23 will no doubt come in handy for this.
Otherwise, it might be best to wait for the Galaxy S24 model which won't be too far away if rumors and speculation are to be believed. We're definitely interested in what Samsung has up its sleeve for the next flagship smartphone.
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Beth is Creative Bloq’s Ecommerce Writer and has the fun job of finding you the very best prices and deals on creative tech. Beth kicked off her journalistic career writing for Digital Camera World, and has since earned bylines on TechRadar too. With a Masters degree in Photography, Beth loves getting to tinker with new cameras, especially camera phones, as the resident Samsung fan on the team. Her background working as a tester for CeX let her play around with all kinds of weird and wonderful products, including robots, and she’s recently gotten into 3D printing too. Outside of CB, you’ll find her gaming on her PS5, photographing local shows under the alias Bethshootsbands, and making TikToks of her dog, Tilly.
