The Samsung Galaxy S23 series is just over one year old, and while you might think that means the range is seeing some healthy discounts, that hasn’t been quite the case this year. We’ve examined the cost of the regular S23 and the S23 Plus on a plan and found it’s possible to get the brand-new Samsung Galaxy S24 on a plan for only AU$2 extra a month in some cases – read our guide to the best Samsung Galaxy S24 plans for how to do it.
With this in mind, we currently don’t recommend signing up for the older S23 on a contract. If you do want this phone in particular, a better option might be to buy the Samsung Galaxy S23 outright, but again this might not be the most savvy option. We haven’t noticed any big discounts on the S23 or S23 Plus, so compare prices before you commit to buying last year’s phone.
Best Samsung Galaxy S23 plan: our pick
Best overall Samsung Galaxy S23 plan
Best Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus plan: our pick
Best overall Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus plan
Outright Samsung Galaxy S23 deals
The Samsung Galaxy S23 range is available to buy outright from these major retailers:
Samsung Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus at a glance: what you need to know
Samsung hasn’t introduced any drastic upgrades to the Galaxy S23, so what exactly is new? For a start, the Samsung Galaxy S23 has a new look. Cleaner, smoother lines are in, and the raised metal plate that housed the Samsung Galaxy S22’s three cameras is out. From what we’ve seen so far, the aesthetic is reminiscent of a modern iPhone.
All three phones in the S23 line now carry a custom Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset made specifically for Samsung, which is claimed to deliver a big kick in performance versus the S22 equivalents. While we haven’t had the opportunity to benchmark it yet, this CPU could mean improved 8K video capture and smoother gaming.
Unfortunately, Samsung hasn’t done much to update its rear three-camera array on the S23 and S23 Plus, so you’re getting largely the same specs as the S22s. However, Samsung claims you’ll get better photos thanks to its upgraded CPU, so the software is doing more of the heavy lifting with AI. Practically speaking though, the S23 and S23 Plus still use a 50MP wide, 12MP ultrawide and a 10MP optically stabilised 3x optical zoom camera.
One major point of difference between the regular S23 and the S23 Plus is size. The standard S23 has a 6.1-inch AMOLED screen, while the S23 Plus stretches its display to 6.6 inches – both look bright and colourful. Since the S23 Plus is a bigger device, you get the added benefit of being able to squeeze in a bigger battery. We’ve yet to put either phone’s battery life to the test.
We don’t think either phone is a must-have upgrade for anyone currently sporting Samsung’s S22 from last year, but if you’re due for a new device, then the S23 looks to be a good choice for the Android crowd. If you want to go all-out though, consider the premium and productivity-focused Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.
