Samsung Galaxy S22 vs S23: Which compact flagship should you go for?

Flagship phones have increased in size over the years, and speaking from a personal point of view, not everyone is a fan of bigger screens. Samsung is one of the few smartphone brands that have a compact phone in their flagship line-ups. Last year it was the Galaxy S22, and this year it is the successor, Galaxy S23. Both phones come with excellent hardware and software features, and have a very similar but refreshing design. Irrespective of that, the question is which one of them is a better deal and are the upgrades worth the difference in price?

We will go over all these questions and try to answer them for you based on our personal experience. This feature-by-feature comparison will help you get a complete idea of where the phones stand on our requirement list and what all do they have to offer. Let's dive in and put an end to the Samsung Galaxy S22 vs S23 debate.

Features

Build

Both the Samsung Galaxy S22 and S23 are built in a very similar fashion, with IP68 dust and water resistance. However, there are still some differences. The Samsung Galaxy S22 comes with a glass sandwich design. The display and the back glass is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus+, and the frame is made of aluminium.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 shares a similar glass sandwich design, but the display and the back glass are protected by the better and stronger Gorilla Glass Victus 2. The frame is still aluminium.

Display

Samsung is known for its quality displays, and both the Samsung Galaxy S22 and S23 have vibrant and stunning displays. The Galaxy S22 has a 6.1-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display. The panel comes with a high refresh rate of 120Hz and HDR10+ support. The peak brightness reaches 1300 nits.

The Galaxy S23 has a very similar display. The 6.1-inch Dynamic AMOLED display comes with 120Hz refresh rate and HDR10+ support, but the peak brightness has been upgrades to 1750 nits. This means that you will be able to view your screen better under direct sunlight. It is fairly bright, and the difference in brightness in both the phones is very stark.

Processor

Processor is a crucial part of a smartphone, and it plays a major role in flagship smartphones. The Galaxy line-up of Samsung phones is known for the smooth performance it delivers. In the Samsung Galaxy S22 vs S23 debate, the processors will play a major role.

The Samsung Galaxy S22 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor. This flagship processor gave ample power to the phone, but there were some apprehensions. The processor had a tendency of feeling warm under load. The processor generates more heat, and runs at a higher temperature. The warmth of the phone can be experienced the most while gaming. You can game for extensive hours on the Galaxy S22.

The latest Samsung Galaxy S23 is powered by the newest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor. This processor comes with major improvements in the thermals. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor optimizes the heat and the load on the phone better than the previous generation processors. This is a better device for people who want to experience gaming on a compact smartphone.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 takes massive leaps in performance when it comes to high graphics or heavy tasks. However, the difference in day-to-day usage is not very noticeable.

Cameras

The Samsung Galaxy S series have always come out with excellent camera performance. The camera modules on both phones are very similar, with minor tweaks. Both the Galaxy S22 and S23 come with a triple camera module of 50MP + 10MP + 12MP. The 50MP main camera takes stunning photos without losing any details or colours. The lowlight performance is also very good, the post-processing of images reduce the noise in the images making them more precise. The performance on both the phones is very similar, but the newer Galaxy S23 captures more colours and details. However, one would have to compare them side by side to see the actual difference.

The selfie camera has been upgraded in the Galaxy S23. The 10MP sensor on the S22 is now a 12MP shooter. The front camera also comes with HDR support, ensuring greater details and clarity in images, and video calls. The portrait mode on the front camera has good blur (bokeh) affect that adds more depth of field in the images.

On the video front, you can now capture 8K videos at 30fps. The Galaxy S22 only allowed users to capture 8K videos at 24fps. This might not look like a massive upgrade on paper, but the results show the difference, and it will be prominent to people who work with videos.

Battery

The battery backup was a major drawback in the Galaxy S22. The 3700mAh battery did not last an entire day for a lot of users. They had to charge the phone once before the end of the day. This will hopefully change with the Galaxy S23, as it comes with a minor upgrade in the battery department. The phone has a 3900mAh battery, and that might not seem much. However, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor is better optimized, and that might result in better battery life for a lot of users.

The charging remains the same at 25W as last generation, and both phones support 15W wireless charging. You will not get a charger in the box, that needs to be kept in mind.

Other features

There are several other features that both phones come with. Both phones have an in-display ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, which is fairly fast. The face unlock on the phone is also fast and works accurately every time. You also get Bixby routines to customize the settings and functionalities of the phone according to your routine.

Prices of Galaxy S22 and S23 at a glance:

Conclusion

The difference in prices might not be upgrade-worthy for a lot of people. According to us, if you want a better deal, the Galaxy S22 is a no-brainer. However, if you want the best performance, latest hardware, latest Android and the best processor, the Galaxy S23 is the best deal out there. You get a flawless experience on both phones, and both of them will last you a good while.