Samsung Galaxy S23 Phone Review

[SECTION]INTRODUCTION[/SECTION]

The Samsung Galaxy S23 was launched alongside the Galaxy S23 Plus and Galaxy S23 Ultra, both of which we have now reviewed, and now it’s the turn of the smaller, less expensive Galaxy S23 to be put through its paces to find out if it’s a smartphone photographers will be happy to own. 

Samsung Galaxy S23 Features

Samsung Galaxy S23 Handling

As with the Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus and Ultra, the Galaxy S23 has had a design change with the rear camera housing no longer existing and a clean finish remaining in its place. As we’ve come to expect from the Galaxy range, the phone is constructed from premium materials and it just looks great. Plus, it’s IP68-rated which is always good to know.

The smaller dimensions of the Galaxy S23 make it easier to hold and it even fits in a pocket! We have to say that we’re big fans of smaller smartphones so we’re glad Samsung has kept a smartphone of this size in the new range. 

Buttons fall nicely under fingers/thumb and there’s a USB-C port, SIM slot and speaker found on the bottom of the phone. There’s no headphone jack but that’s no big surprise. 

The display on the Galaxy S23 measures 6.1 inches and is bright and sharp. It fills the entire front of the smartphone and there’s just a small cutout selfie camera sitting top centre. 

Turn the smartphone over and there are 3 cameras and a flash which sit flush when the Galaxy S23 is on a table so there’s no rocking (it doesn’t slide off surfaces easily either). 

The rear cameras are very similar to those found on the Galaxy S22 but they impressed us so we expect the cameras on the Galaxy S23 to do the same. It does mean, though, that Galaxy S22 owners might not want to upgrade if capturing photos with their smartphone is the main reason for purchasing a new device. 

The camera app will be very familiar with various modes built-in and the usual ways of switching between them. You also get various filters, a Pro Mode and Expert RAW. 

Camera Specs:

• 50MP f/1.8 24mm (wide) with Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS
• 10 MP f/2.4 70mm (telephoto) with PDAF, OIS and 3x optical zoom
• 12MP f/2.2 13mm (ultrawide) 
• 12MP selfie camera with Dual Pixel PDAF
• Up to 3x digital zoom 

Battery life –  The 3900mAh battery won’t win any awards for size but it’s fine for a day’s use. Fast wired charging is supported but you don’t get a charging adapter in the box. 

[SECTION]PERFORMANCE[/SECTION]

Samsung Galaxy S23 Performance

The performance section is where we look at the image quality performance of the camera. Additional sample photos and product shots are available in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review, photos and product ratings.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Sample Photos

Sample Photos – The Samsung Galaxy S23 captures impressive images but as with most Samsung smartphones, it does have a habit of really cranking the vibrancy of blues and greens up (but not in every shot). Dynamic range is handled well, though, and detail is sharp. Bokeh looks equally as great with lovely out-of-focus areas in the right places. For even more control, you have the Expert RAW app but most people will be equally impressed with the normal camera mode. In fact, most of the images you see above were captured in this way. There’s really not a great deal to fault about the Galaxy S23 cameras, well done Samsung. 

Samsung Galaxy S23 Lens test images

Lens Performance – You get up to 3x optical zoom then you have to use digital zoom to reach 10x and beyond. Anything up to 3x looks really great but you can instantly tell that 10x upwards is digital zoom. 20x and 30x aren’t great results but 10x isn’t actually that bad. Dynamic range at 3x zoom isn’t quite as good but it’s still a lovely photo and ultrawide lenses usually perform a little less well than a standard lens but in this instance, we can’t make any complaints. 

Samsung Galaxy S23 Digital filters

Digital Filters – Several digital filters are built-in so there’s definitely something for everyone and they are easy to apply. Some are very subtle but we do like the black-and-white options which are particularly great for street photography.

Panoramas – Panoramas are stitched well with good colour reproduction and wide dynamic range is handled well. 

Source: Photography News
Samsung Galaxy S23 Phone Review
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