Galaxy S23 Series vs S22 Series: Time to upgrade?

Samsung’s out with its new flagship S23 Series and this article is for you if you’re on the fence about upgrading your S22 phone device.

You can also read my initial impressions on all three variants - S23 first review, S23 Plus initial review and S23 Ultra hands-on review or compare the three S23 phones.

The S23 series consists of the Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23+ and S23 Ultra and launched on Feb 17.

Did you know you can get your Galaxy S23 phone on an eligible SIM plan with Optus and enjoy interest free payments via Optus Pay? 

Contents

• Galaxy S23 vs Galaxy S22
• Galaxy S23 vs Galaxy S22: Design and material
• Galaxy S23 vs Galaxy S22: Display
• Galaxy S23 vs Galaxy S22: Camera
• Galaxy S23 vs Galaxy S22: Processor, storage and battery:
• Galaxy S23 Plus vs Galaxy S22 Plus
• Galaxy S23 Plus vs Galaxy S22 Plus: Design and material
• Galaxy S23 Plus vs Galaxy S22 Plus: Display
• Galaxy S23 Plus vs Galaxy S22 Plus: Camera
• Galaxy S23 Plus vs Galaxy S22 Plus: Processor, storage and battery:
• Galaxy S23 Ultra vs Galaxy S22 Ultra
• Galaxy S23 Ultra vs Galaxy S22 Ultra: Design and Material
• Galaxy S23 Ultra vs Galaxy S22 Ultra: Display
• Galaxy S23 Ultra vs Galaxy S22 Ultra: Camera
• Galaxy S23 Ultra vs Galaxy S22 Ultra: Processor, storage and battery:

The Galaxy S23 is just slightly longer and wider than the S22, and weighs about the same amount.

The Galaxy S23 retains the curves around the edges of the Galaxy S22. The most noticeable difference is that at the rear, the S23 no longer holds the cameras in a separate bumped up “area” but has them at the back of the phone itself.

Colours: The S23 Series come in Phantom Black, Green (dark green/brown), Cream (creamy shade) and Lavender. 

With the S23 Display, both the Samsung Galaxy S23 and S22 have a Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with the same 2340 x 1080 Full HD+ resolution and a 6.1 inch display size¹.

The major difference between the S23 and S22 display is the improved brightness as compared to Galaxy S22.

Both phones offer a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate.

Galaxy S23 vs Galaxy S22 Camera

S23 Rear camera vs S22 Rear Camera, side view of the S23 rear camera system and front view of the S23 selfie camera with Infinity-O display

Galaxy S23’s rear camera system is the same as Galaxy S22 with a 50MP wide-angle lens with f/1.8 aperture, a 10MP telephoto lens with f/2.4 aperture and a 12MP ultra-wide lens with a f/2.2 aperture.

One major difference between the S23 and S22 is the front camera lens – the S23 has a 12MP front camera, an improvement over the S22’s 10MP camera.             

The S23 features the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor over the S22’s Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 which is expected to be a step up in terms of performance, efficiency and battery usage.

Galaxy S23 is also has a at 3,900mAh battery capacity as compared to Galaxy S22’s 3,700mAh.

In terms of RAM and storage, both S23 and S22 offer the same set of options at 8GB RAM with 128GB/256GB storage.

The Galaxy S23 retains the major design elements including S22 Plus’s curves around the edges. As with the S23, the most noticeable difference between the S23 Plus and S22 Plus is the rear portion where the S23 Plus has the camera system on the phone itself rather than as a separate area.

Colours: The S23 Plus comes in Phantom Black, Green (dark green/brown), Cream (creamy shade) and Lavender.

The S23 Plus Display specs are the same as that of Galaxy S22 Plus - both the Samsung Galaxy S23 and S22 Plus have a 6.6-inch display size² with Dynamic AMOLED 2X display and 2340 x 1080 Full HD+ resolution.

Both phones offer a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate. The display on both the phones is flat and offer an excellent viewing experience – you’ve got vibrant colours, striking contrasts, adaptive brightness brilliant clarity. and we’re still talking about the FHD+ resolution (Full High Definition Plus)

Galaxy S23 Plus comes with an improved front camera system. I’ll be delving more into the camera once I’ve experimented a bit with the sample devices but on paper, the S23 Plus has a 12MP front camera, an improvement over S22 Plus’s 10MP camera.

The rear camera on the S23 Plus is the same as that of Galaxy S22 Plus and includes a 50MP wide-angle lens with f/1.8 aperture, a 10MP telephoto lens with f/2.4 aperture and a 12MP ultra-wide lens with a f/2.2 aperture.

Both the S23 Plus and S22 Plus offer the same RAM at 8GB RAM but the S23 has higher storage options 512GB/256GB storage vs the S22 Plus’s 256GB/128GB.

As with the other two S23 phones, the S23 Plus features the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor. This is a step ahead of the S22 Plus’s Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.

Galaxy S23 Plus has higher battery capacity at 4,700mAh as compared to Galaxy S22 Plus’s 4,500mAh.

Both the Galaxy S23 Ultra and Galaxy S22 Ultra are almost the same when it comes to physical dimensions. That’s impressive knowing Samsung managed to fit in a higher capacity battery, much better main rear camera and higher storage in almost the same size and weight.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra retains its typical sharp edges and curved screen. As with the other two S23 variants, the most noticeable difference between the S23 Ultra and S22 Ultra does not have a rear camera housing panel with the Quad camera system now mounted directly on the phone.

Colours: The S23 Ultra comes in Green (dark green/brown), Cream (creamy shade), Lavender and Phantom Black.

Both the S23 Ultra and Galaxy S22 Ultra offer a 6.8-inch display screen³ powered by Dynamic AMOLED 2X at Infinity-O Display (3088 x 1440) resolution.

The display on both the phones is curved, a great choice for content viewing and gaming with vivid colours, impressive contrasts, adaptive brightness, strong clarity backed by Quad HD+ resolution and a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate.

Galaxy S23 Ultra has a front camera at 12MP which is a couple of notches down from the 40MP on the Galaxy S22 Ultra. However, the S23 Ultra also features improvement in camera capabilities over the S22 Ultra.

But it’s the main rear camera on the S23 Ultra that is the show stopper – Galaxy S23 Ultra offers a 200MP wide angle camera lens and that is a massive improvement over the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s 108MP. The S23 Ultra captures better detail and awesome photos.

The other camera lenses in Galaxy S23 Ultra’s quad camera system include two telephoto lenses of 10MP each with f/2.4 aperture and f/4.9 aperture and a 12MP ultra-wide lens with a f/2.2 aperture. These camera specs are the same as that on the S22 Ultra.

Both the S23 Plus and S22 Plus offer the same RAM options at 8GB and 12GB. The difference is Galaxy S23 Ultra does away with the 256GB storage option on its 12GB variant as well as 128GB on its 8GB variant.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra offers a 12GB RAM with 1TB and 512GB storage options while in the 8GB RAM, we get 256GB. This is different from the Galaxy S22 Ultra where the 12GB phone has three storage options at 1TB, 512GB and 256GB and in the 8GB phone, we get 128GB.

Battery Capacity on both the phones is the same at 5,000mAh.

As with the other two S23 phones, the S23 Ultra has the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor which adds another feather to its belt as opposed to the S22 Ultra that can offer only the S22 Plus’s Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. 

Hopefully you’re now armed with the facts that help you decide whether or not to upgrade from your current Galaxy S22 to a shiny new Galaxy S23. We’ll keep you up to date as we learn more about these impressive new devices.

Mobile innovation never stops, with the latest Galaxy S25 Series finally landing in Australia. The new Galaxy S25 Series features new Galaxy AI tools, as well as upgraded processors and camera lenses. Check out the Galaxy S25 Ultra for a look at Samsung’s newest flagship phone.

Angelique Thakur works with Optus. She loves to play around with gadgets and is a dog lover. She also enjoys going on hikes and annoying her partner.

^{[1] Galaxy S23's screen size is 6.1 inches in the full rectangle. Actual viewable area is less due to the rounded corners and camera hole.
[2] Galaxy S23+'s screen size is 6.6 inches in the full rectangle. Actual viewable area is less due to the rounded corners and camera hole.
[3] Galaxy S23 Ultra's screen size is 6.8 inches in the full rectangle. Actual viewable area is less due to the rounded corners and camera hole.
[4] **Rated (minimum) capacity is 4855mAh for Galaxy S23 Ultra. Actual battery life may vary depending on network environment, usage patterns and other factors. Typical value tested under third-party laboratory condition. Typical value is the estimated average value considering the deviation in battery capacity among the battery samples tested under IEC 61960 standard.}