Samsung Galaxy S23 vs Galaxy S22: Which is better?

The Samsung Galaxy S24 series is the latest and greatest from Samsung, but we know going with a previous-generation device can offer more value in terms of cost and performance. The Samsung Galaxy S23 series is 2023’s Galaxy flagship series, while the Galaxy S22 series ruled 2022. Both brought improved specs and a few design tweaks. Still, it’s safe to say the designs were very iterative. In this Galaxy S23 vs Galaxy S22 comparison, we’ll take a look at what’s different in these previous-gen handsets, what remained the same, and which is the better choice for most buyers.

Keep in mind that these same talking points also apply to the Galaxy S23 Plus, as the S23 and S23 Plus offer nearly identical specs, aside from a few points like display, storage sizes, and other slight differences I’ll make note of as we move through this comparison.

Samsung Galaxy S22 vs Galaxy S23: At a glance

Samsung Galaxy S22 vs Galaxy S23: Specs

The Samsung Galaxy S22 and S22 Plus are still plenty powerful, even in 2024. Depending on the region, you get a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or Exynos 2200 processor. There’s also 8GB of RAM and storage configurations as high as 512GB. The S22 and S22 Plus have battery sizes of 3,700 and 4,500 mAh, respectively. You also get 25W wired charging with the S22 and 45W wired charging with the S22 Plus. Both also support 15W wireless charging.

The Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus brought the expected yearly upgrades, including the newer Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. Also, the S23 family exclusively used Qualcomm chips. Interestingly, the Galaxy S23 gets a special overclocked Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 version.

This sounds like a bigger deal than it is, as we know the only significant difference is an overclocked Cortex-X3 CPU, which runs at 3.36GHz, as opposed to its 3.19GHz default. The GPU also sees an increase in speed from 680MHz to 719MHz. It’s undoubtedly a nice marketing point for Samsung. Does it make a big difference?

We did a lot of testing during our Galaxy S23 series reviews. There isn’t a massive difference in raw performance between the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy and the standard version. Based on pure user experience, the device feels really powerful. We experienced no lags, stutters, or issues. It’s as fast as they get. Again, we could also argue the same about the Samsung Galaxy S22 series. In terms of pure user experience, the difference isn’t very noticeable.

There is a difference on paper based on our benchmark tests, though. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra beats the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra in every benchmark we used. The same applies to the Samsung Galaxy S23 and S22 handsets. The S23 is just barely below the S23 Ultra in our benchmarks. It even beats it by a bit on PCMark.

The S22 Plus still comes with 8GB of RAM, though this time, storage starts at 256GB for the S23 Plus, with an optional variant packing 512GB storage. The Galaxy S23 has slightly more limited options, with either 128 or 256GB of internal storage offered.

Durability saw a slight improvement, too. The Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus both include the improved Gorilla Glass Victus 2. Just like earlier Victus iterations, Victus 2 can handle drops of two meters on a slightly softer surface like asphalt. What’s new is the ability to survive drops of up to a meter on solid concrete.

The rest of the core specs are all mostly the same, including IP68 water and dust resistance. The same wireless and wired charging speeds are also on offer. Batteries are slightly bigger this time, but we’ll get to that a bit more in a later section of this comparison. There were also some minor changes to the camera, which, again, we’ll talk about in a bit.

Software was one area that stood out, at least at launch. The Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus shipped with Android 13 and One UI 5.1. The jump from One UI 5.0 to 5.1 doesn’t sound like a big one on paper, but there are more changes than the modest version number might suggest. This includes improved customization features, using video as lock screen wallpaper, and even a new widget system that allows you to drag and drop to save space. Since then, the S23 has been updated to Android 14 with One UI 6, too.

Of course, the Galaxy S22 and S22 Plus eventually caught up on the software front, as Samsung is very aggressive about software updates. Speaking of software updates, the Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus will give you four OS upgrades and five years of security updates, just like with the S22 series. The main difference here is that the S22 devices were a year into the cycle when the Galaxy S23 series launched.

Samsung Galaxy S22 vs Galaxy S23: Size comparison

The Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus aren’t massively different from their predecessors, but there are some apparent design changes. The most noticeable difference is on the back of the phone.

While the S22 series had all the cameras contained in the same housing, the S23 and S23 Plus now include separate camera housings for all three lenses. The body shape of the phone is boxier than last year, taking some of the design language from the Ultra series.

As far as device footprint is concerned? These phones are pretty similar. The S23 series is slightly wider than its predecessor, by about 0.2mm for the S23 and 0.4mm for the S23 Plus. However, the rest of the dimensions and weight remained identical.

The Galaxy S23 series offers a slightly different look and feel, but it’s still pretty familiar. We are happy to see a bit more consistency in design language across the entire line, though.

Samsung Galaxy S22 vs Galaxy S23: Camera

The Samsung Galaxy S22 had one of the best camera experiences of 2022, though it wasn’t nearly as impressive as the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. As a refresher, the S22 and S22 Plus were powered by a 50MP wide primary camera, a 12MP ultrawide, and a 10MP telephoto.

We praised the S22 and S22 Plus for their camera package and the images it was capable of. This camera experience still holds up perfectly, so it’s no surprise that the company kept its Galaxy 23 camera experience essentially the same.

Both phones rock the same 50MP sensor resolution, though with four times the color range from the S22 series. Samsung also says there’s an improved AI image signal processor and improved Nightography features (aka Night Mode). It sounds like the hardware will be mostly the same, but software and AI improvements result in better-quality images.

In our Galaxy S23 review tests, the camera was amazing across all lenses. The colors were represented nicely, and there was plenty of detail. Of course, the Galaxy S23 Ultra has a 200MP primary sensor, essentially making it a better camera phone than the base Galaxy S23 and the S23 Plus. And though the Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus images weren’t as impressive, they are still remarkable. That said, they are only slightly better than the Galaxy S22 images to the naked eye.

The main notable change here is actually the selfie camera. The Galaxy S22 and S22 Plus had 10MP selfie cameras, but the Samsung Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus traded up for an improved 12MP shooter. It is actually an outstanding selfie shooter, and we can comfortably say it is better than those in the S22 series, even including the S22 Ultra’s. In our Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra review, we mention the S22 Ultra 40MP selfie camera won’t be missed. In fact, we believe the S23 Ultra’s selfie shooter to be better, as it has larger pixels and gets help from the newer, smarter processor. We had the same experience in our Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus reviews.

Regardless of which device you pick, though, the Galaxy S23 series definitely made it to our list of the best camera phones available until the S24 series came around. You can’t really go wrong with any of them.

Samsung Galaxy S22 vs Galaxy S23: Battery and charging

The Samsung Galaxy S22 and S22 Plus had 3,700mAh and 4,500mAh batteries, respectively. While the phones could mostly make it through a whole day, there was minimal charge left over by the end of the day. Thankfully, the S23 and S23 Plus see a significant improvement in this department.

The Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus both get 200mAh battery upgrades, bringing their new sizes to 3,900mAh and 4,700mAh, respectively. There’s also a new, more power-efficient SoC and other changes that should helpfully help improve performance. These include a variable refresh rate of 1Hz to 120Hz. This means you’ll be saving battery whenever the image is static.

We had a great experience with the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s two-day battery life, so we were eager to see what the S23 and S23 Plus could accomplish. In our base Galaxy S23 review, we found that the 3,900mAh battery could easily take us through a day and a half on a single charge. It’s not as impressive as the Ultra, but still very good. Our only issue was that charging took about 80 minutes, due to the slower 25W charging speeds. The Galaxy S23 Ultra’s much larger 5,000mAh battery reached 100% in under an hour with a compatible 45W charger.

If you genuinely care about battery life and fast charging, though, we found that the Galaxy S23 Plus offers a very similar experience to the Ultra. It can take you through a couple of days on a full charge if you’re not giving it too much hell. We were also able to charge it from zero to 100% in a bit under an hour, just like with the Ultra iteration.

It’s worth noting that Samsung improved its charging efficiency, too. In the case of the Galaxy S22 series, we noticed little to no difference between 25W and 45W charging. In our Galaxy S23 Ultra charging tests, we noticed the device could go from zero to 100% in 57 minutes at 45W, while the 25W charger did the same in 73 minutes.

We can tell you the newer devices handle charging and energy much more efficiently. Just make sure you get the right charger for your device. The base Galaxy S23 can do with a 25W charger, but if you have the S23 Plus version, you’ll want to take advantage of the faster 45W charge speeds. We put together a guide to the best Galaxy S23 chargers to make finding a suitable option easier. After all, none of these come with a charger in the box. You’ll need one.

Samsung Galaxy S22 vs Galaxy S23: Price

The Samsung Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus retail for the same price as the S22 series did. The Galaxy S23 Plus does have the advantage of starting at 256GB, though the Galaxy S23 still has a 128GB storage variant. We have to say the Galaxy S23 series is priced very competitively, but the S22 series has a slight edge due to its age. It’s more likely to be found at steeper discounts.

It’s also important to mention the Samsung Galaxy S23 is also easier to find cheaper now that the Galaxy S24 series is out. Still, chances are you’ll find the S22 devices at much lower prices. Especially if you look into second-hand or refurbished phones.

Samsung Galaxy S22 vs Galaxy S23: Which should you buy?

When it comes to the Samsung Galaxy S23 vs Galaxy S22 series, it all comes down to what you value more: your hard-earned cash, or having a newer handset. The S23 series is very similar to the S22 series, but a newer processor and a longer commitment to updates means it will stay relevant for a little longer than the S22 will. It also has significantly better battery life. If you want the best, there’s no denying the S23 or S23 Plus are better phones.

The Samsung Galaxy S22 or S22 Plus are a better value if you’re on a tighter budget. You get similar specs, but an older design. You also save some cash in the process. As an example, right now, you can get a Galaxy S23 for about $420 renewed, on Amazon. A Galaxy S22 in the same state goes for under $300.

Samsung continues to offer some of the most impressive flagships in the Android world, and you can’t go wrong with either device. It ultimately comes down to your budget and how much you care about having the latest and greatest.

If you’re looking for something nearly as good as the Galaxy S23, but want to save a bit of cash, you might also want to consider the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE ($599.99 at Amazon), which was more recently released. Or you could just go all out and look into the Samsung Galaxy S24 options. Take a look at our Samsung Galaxy S24 vs Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S24 vs Galaxy S22 comparisons to get a better idea of the upgrades in 2024.

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