Still worth it six months later?

Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Extremely landed early in 2023 with all the hype of a headliner at Coachella or Lollapalooza — and we rewarded it with a rock & roll comparability that stretched on simply so long as both of the festivals talked about above. Whereas we received’t be revisiting the Springsteen-centric theme from our authentic Galaxy S23 Extremely assessment, it’s time to see how a few of Samsung’s finer factors have stood the check of time. In spite of everything, the Galaxy S23 Extremely now faces a unique class of opponents than it did in February. Let’s see if the “Boss of Android” (final reference, I promise) continues to be on prime in our Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely revisit.

Whereas I haven’t had my SIM embedded within the Galaxy S23 Extremely over the whole thing of the final six months (I’ve needed to check a whole lot of gadgets!), it’s a telephone that’s by no means dipped too far out of my rotation. I nonetheless want a smaller gadget and, if I’m fortunate, one which flips open and closed, however I’ve come to understand what Samsung’s beast of a flagship has to supply. With some summer season plans on the horizon, I swapped my SIM from the Galaxy Z Flip 5 again to the Galaxy S23 Extremely and acquired reacquainted with the S Pen.

What’s nonetheless good concerning the Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely

Samsung’s highly effective flagship caught the touchdown throughout our preliminary assessment interval, securing a five-star ranking and our elite Editor’s Selection award. The cameras, construct high quality, and total efficiency stood out, however it was honest to surprise how the Galaxy S23 Extremely would stand the check of time when it beat so many opponents to the market. We are able to safely say it’s aged like a effective wine. The Galaxy S23 Extremely is a prime decide in a lot of our greatest lists — together with the most effective Android telephone record — and Samsung’s flagship has solely improved over time because of frequent software program updates.

Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Extremely rapidly climbed the ranks of the most effective digicam telephones, however that shouldn’t come as a shock. Its predecessor held down the highest spot for a very long time, and the mirrored quad-camera setup on the S23 Extremely could also be acquainted, however it’s nonetheless probably the most versatile you should buy. Nonetheless, Samsung’s digicam energy isn’t only a case of copy and paste — a minimum of not fully.

Though three of the Galaxy S23 Extremely’s 4 cameras are the identical as they had been on the Galaxy S22 Extremely, the upgraded fourth sensor is the star of the present. Samsung swapped its tried and true 108MP main digicam for a brand new 200MP, shifting to smaller pixels however selecting up a lot better binning potential to spice up your low-light snaps. Outdoors of the whopper of a brand new sensor, the Galaxy S23 Extremely packs two 10MP telephoto lenses and a 12MP ultrawide snapper, all of which assist it to hold onto top-of-the-line zoom packages on a smartphone. Samsung’s different swap lies within the selfie digicam, which is now not a 40MP punch gap however a 12MP one with a lot bigger pixels.

We’ve got loads of in-depth comparisons between the Galaxy S23 Extremely and its closest rivals, so I’m simply going to focus on just a few of my favourite photographs. I captured the picture of the toad to the left whereas tenting with my household, and I didn’t have to make use of Evening mode to take action. The inexperienced hues is likely to be a bit saturated, however the element on the toad is superb, and the pink of its tongue is spot on.

My center two photographs are stereotypical journey photographs, attempting to seize life above the clouds and tall bushes at night time. Each present colours and particulars how I keep in mind them, with just a few bushes selecting up a red-orange glow from the campfire beneath. I’m significantly happy with the picture of a boulder (or perhaps greater than a boulder) taken whereas I used to be in Boulder. The finer particulars up the rock face are glorious, and it separates properly from the bushes within the background.

Oh, and I’ll remind you simply how good the Galaxy S23 Extremely’s zoom capabilities are. In my authentic assessment, I included photographs of stone letters on the aspect of a financial institution, however getting up shut and private with a hot-air balloon pilot is a a lot better use case. Whereas I in all probability wouldn’t share the 30x or 100x photographs beneath on social media, it’s unbelievable to simply about make out the brand on the pilot’s hat and clearly see the passenger at the back of the basket. The main points aren’t good, however Samsung deserves loads of credit score for the picture it did seize, contemplating I wasn’t stabilizing the Galaxy S23 Extremely in any respect.

When spending upwards of $1,200 on a smartphone, it’s honest to count on top-notch supplies to accompany your glorious digicam system. Samsung is aware of this and has decked out its Galaxy S23 Extremely accordingly. Irrespective of how you are feeling concerning the easy, slab-like design, you’ll be able to’t deny that Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and Armor Aluminum are a profitable mixture.

The Galaxy S23 Extremely’s mixture of high-end supplies isn’t only for present, both. Its IP68 ranking gives loads of reassurance towards each water and dirt, and our assessment unit has put up with its fair proportion of abuse over the past six months. It took a tumble earlier than ever making its means into my palms, however the tiny nicks on the prime of the body are virtually unnoticeable and don’t have any impact on day-to-day utilization.

Samsung’s coloration choices for the Galaxy S23 Extremely are slightly extra “grown-up” this 12 months — except you go for one of many Samsung Retailer-exclusive variations — however we’re nonetheless followers of the satin Phantom end. This technology’s darkish inexperienced version is the proper mixture of coloration with out being too loud, and I haven’t gotten uninterested in the look practically half a 12 months later.

Then, there’s the show. Samsung’s sweeping 6.8-inch panel is the cherry on prime of the Galaxy S23 Extremely’s premium setup, providing an adaptive 120Hz refresh charge, 1,750 nits of peak brightness, and a pointy Quad HD decision. After all, the Galaxy S22 Extremely had all those self same specs, however the Galaxy S23 Extremely swaps to a panel of Gorilla Glass Victus 2 from Gorilla Glass Victus Plus for slightly additional toughness.

It’s no secret that the Galaxy S22 Extremely was a little bit of a battery bore. The thermal-hogging Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset chewed by way of the 5,000mAh cell in a rush, forcing us to cost up only a bit greater than we’d like. Fortunately, that chipset is now not within the driver’s seat, with Qualcomm’s far more environment friendly Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy as a substitute.

Whereas we’ll come again to the efficiency of Qualcomm’s newest chipset in a minute, crucial one is likely to be that battery life is now not a trigger for concern. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely now not heats up like an egg on a sizzling Arizona day after a couple of minutes of use, so the battery now not drops like a stone when put beneath stress. Whereas the Galaxy S22 Extremely was fortunate to eclipse a day and a half of utilization, it’s a lot simpler to push the Galaxy S23 Extremely practically two full days. My utilization is the definition of combined — comprising social media, mild gaming, loads of music streaming, and navigation — and I’ve had no points with longevity outdoors of 1 four-hour drive that relied closely on GPS.

Once I do lastly drain the 5,000mAh battery, Samsung’s 45W wired charging hops proper again into the driving force’s seat. It’s nonetheless the quickest technique to get the Galaxy S23 Extremely again up and working, so long as you’ve got a appropriate USB PD PPS charger. It took about 75 or 80 minutes to choose up a full cost throughout my time with the telephone — proper on par with the earlier technology. Samsung additionally caught with 15W wi-fi and 4.5W reverse wi-fi charging, each of that are good to have however take considerably longer to get you again in your ft.

The earlier Galaxy S22 Extremely was already a standout performer, however as talked about above, it had bother protecting the lights on. Now, the retooled Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset stays cooler beneath stress, which permits it to shine a bit brighter in on a regular basis life. Six months after its introduction, the Galaxy S23 Extremely continues to breeze by way of every thing I ship its means, overlaying my combined utilization as detailed above and sometimes asking for extra. Sure, prolonged journeys with GPS navigation nonetheless give the Galaxy S23 Extremely some matches, however that stage of utilization is sufficient to heat up any gadget and trigger it to pump the brakes.

You possibly can pair Samsung’s freshly upgraded processor with as much as 12GB of RAM and 1TB of mounted storage, that are lots for most individuals. We’ll come again to the bottom configuration with its restricted RAM afterward, however it’s good to see Samsung drop the 128GB choice off the underside of the value sheet. You may discover that you may get by on 256GB of storage, however it’s price contemplating the 512GB model for the elevated RAM.

Samsung additionally units the tone for connectivity, providing Wi-Fi 6E assist, Bluetooth 5.3, and NFC for wi-fi funds. The Galaxy S23 Extremely’s stereo audio system are among the many finest round, nonetheless getting loud sufficient that I don’t want a devoted Bluetooth speaker whereas I bathe.

Praising Samsung’s replace coverage is like letting Babe Ruth play Tee-ball, a minimum of amongst Android OEMs. 4 years of Android model updates and 5 years of safety assist are glorious, and Samsung is backing up its dedication — a minimum of early on. We’ve acquired common patches thus far, with the Galaxy S23 Extremely sitting on the June 1, 2023, Play Retailer replace and the July 1, 2023, safety patch.

Samsung hasn’t swept its updates beneath the umbrella of “bug fixes,” both. An early April replace introduced particular fixes to the digicam app, making it simpler to seize photographs sooner. Now you can faucet the shutter button earlier than the Galaxy S23 Extremely has absolutely centered and delete photographs earlier than they’ve completed processing. Samsung tweaked the stabilization when recording in Full HD at 60fps, together with different tweaks.

What’s nonetheless not so good concerning the Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely

The failings of a five-star gadget with an Editor’s Selection badge are few and much between, however they exist. On this case, the Galaxy S23 Extremely’s knocks are issues that Samsung can’t repair with a fast patch or a month-to-month replace. We received’t contact on the shortage of a headphone jack or included charger, however we do have a pair of nits to choose.

There’s little doubt that the Galaxy S23 Extremely is a premium, well-built telephone with top-notch supplies. We in contrast the intercourse attraction of its predecessor to that of a tank, and it’s even harder to get enthusiastic about one other retread of the identical design.

The Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and Armor Aluminum slab stays freed from any persona, providing only some new coloration choices to face out from its predecessor. Its measurement and form are nonetheless pulled from the Galaxy Word line, whereas the digicam setup (aside from the upgraded main sensor) is equivalent to the Galaxy S22 Extremely and even the Galaxy S21 Extremely. Granted, Samsung can’t make the S Pen come out of the aspect of the Galaxy S23 Extremely, however it will be good to see slightly change from one 12 months to the following.

Whereas I can knock Samsung for copying and pasting its design from earlier generations, it did make one good enchancment: flatter aspect rails. The flatter body makes it simpler to maintain your paws off the perimeters of the curved show, reducing down on typos and unintentional faucets within the course of. I’ve nonetheless seen just a few unintentional presses, however not practically as many as I had with the earlier technology. Sadly, these aspect rails are nonetheless shiny, in order that they nonetheless decide up fingerprints and smudges all day.

My complaints concerning the Galaxy S23 Extremely’s design come as one who by no means fell in love with the phablet craze, however you may see it otherwise. You is likely to be eager for the times of the Galaxy Word 20 Extremely and trying to get an S Pen again in your pocket. In that case, the sturdy, well-polished Galaxy S23 Extremely is likely to be proper up your alley.

Irrespective of how you are feeling concerning the design, it’s simpler to agree that the Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely is barely restricted in its base configuration. Whereas the default 256GB of storage is respectable — and doubles Apple’s customary setting — 8GB of RAM is underwhelming for a telephone that begins at $1,199. It doesn’t really feel like a stretch to say that premium Android flagships ought to include 12GB RAM as their default if you’re spending greater than a grand on a brand new gadget.

A number of of Samsung’s closest rivals would agree, too. Android flagships just like the Pixel 7 Professional provide 12GB of RAM throughout the board, and the OnePlus 11 gives it together with 256GB of storage for a number of hundred {dollars} lower than the Galaxy S23 Extremely. By comparability, you must improve to 512GB of storage to get 12GB of RAM on the Galaxy S23 Extremely, bringing your whole price to $1,379 within the US.

Even in the event you take into account your self an influence consumer who wants the additional storage, practically $1,400 is some huge cash to spend on a telephone you’ll solely have for just a few years.

It’s secure to say that the nice far outweighs the unhealthy six months after Samsung launched its Galaxy S23 Extremely. The headliner of the Galaxy S23 household stormed into 2023 with a star-studded lineup stuffed with premium specs quite than one-hit wonders. Certain, it will be good to see slightly extra base RAM and a refreshed design earlier than lengthy, however it’s onerous to argue with what Samsung managed to ship.

The Galaxy S23 Extremely is an all-out workhorse, simply assembly the efficiency wants of energy customers and making strides within the battery division because of the swap to Qualcomm’s overclocked Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy. It packs a who’s who of fantastic supplies, meshing Gorilla Glass Victus 2 with Armor Aluminum and securing a sturdy IP68 ranking. Samsung’s long-term replace dedication and versatile cameras additionally set the usual amongst Android competitors — even when they arrive at an Extremely-premium worth.

Maybe the largest problem to the Galaxy S23 Extremely’s dominance is that asking worth. In 2022, we stated that it now not takes $1,200 to get your palms on a superb flagship gadget, and that assertion has solely solidified over the past 12 months. Google’s Pixel 7 Professional ($589.98 at Amazon) is an ideal instance, beginning at lower than $1,000 and mixing Google’s clear Pixel UI with Tensor G2-powered picture processing. There’s additionally the OnePlus 11 ($1296 at Amazon), which is positioned as a callback to the issues that made the model well-liked within the first place. It has an up to date Hasselblad digicam and 80W wired charging — even when you must make do with out wi-fi charging. Even Motorola is getting in on the inexpensive flagship section, providing its Edge Plus (2023) ($699 at Amazon) at a terrific worth. Whereas the most recent Edge Plus solely has 8GB of RAM, it gives 512GB of storage as its default and delivers 68W wired charging with out giving up its wi-fi choice.

Then, there’s the Apple method. Each the iPhone 14 Professional ($999.99 at Greatest Purchase) and Professional Max ($1099 at Greatest Purchase) come near the Galaxy S23 Extremely’s asking worth, they usually provide the most effective iOS expertise you will get. Apple swapped the longstanding notch for a Dynamic Island, and the Professional fashions at the moment are the one technique to get the most recent and biggest (for now) A16 Bionic chipset. When you received’t get as a lot RAM or as giant of a battery on both iPhone, Apple’s unmatched optimization permits it to squeeze far more out of its {hardware}.

In the end, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely stays top-of-the-line Android smartphones greater than half a 12 months after its launch. The principle questions you must ask your self are whether or not or not it’s extra energy than you want in your pocket… and if you wish to spend that a lot cash.