Top 10 New Features of Galaxy S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra

; Updated on: April 14, 2024
Top 10 New Features of Galaxy S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra

You need to understand these top 10 new features of Galaxy S23, S23. and S23 Ultra before deciding whether you should get one of these phones.

Samsung announced Galaxy S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra on February 2, 2023. You will be able to receive yours and put your hands on them from February 10.

But do you know whether you should get one? Or to get which one? Or how to use new features?

This Galaxy S23 new features guide explains the top 10 new features of Galaxy S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra to help you understand the new features and improvements.

Update 1: If you have updated your Galaxy S23 to Android 14 (One UI 6), you can enjoy additional new features.

Update 2: One UI 6.1 for Galaxy S23 has been rolled out in most regions. You may check and update your Galaxy S23 to enjoy the new One UI 6.1 features (mainly AI-related).

Table of Contents

What are the top 10 new features of S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra?

Based on our hands-on experience with Galaxy S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra, we select the following list as the top 10 new features of Galaxy S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra.

  1. Overclocked Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.
  2. UFS 4.0 storage.
  3. Gorilla Glass Victus 2.
  4. 200 MP camera sensor (S23 Ultra only).
  5. One UI 5.1
  6. Expert RAW is baked into the camera app.
  7. Customizable storage location for screenshots and screen recorder.
  8. Bixby text call
  9. Up to 3 emojis in AR Emoji camera.
  10. Battery widget

Now, let’s go through these new features of Galaxy S23 one by one.

The common features and differences of Galaxy S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra are explained in this post.

1. Overclocked Snapdragon 8 Gen 2

All three Galaxy S23 models are equipped with the identical Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset, the most powerful mobile chip up to now. Most 2023 flagship Android phones will use the base model of Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, not the “for Galaxy” model.

In the past, Samsung used both the top-tier Qualcomm Snapdragon and Samsung Exynos chips for Galaxy S and Note phones depending on the market. In recent years, the performance gap between Exynos and Snapdragon has widened. Most tests indicated the performance of the Exynos chips was consistently behind Snapdragon for the top-tier models. It seems Samsung finally admitted it.

Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy is actually an overclocked version of the base model, which can be found in Xiaomi 13 Pro, One Plus 11, and Motorola Moto X40 (Chinese market only). The special version (for Galaxy) has a CPU speed of up to 3.36GHz, compared to 3.2GHz in the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 used by other vendors. The GPU clock speed is also increased from 680 to 719MHz. So, the “for Galaxy” edition should perform noticeably faster than the base model for CPU/GPU-intensive games.

Galaxy S23 is the first smartphone that implemented the Qualcomm’s new image signal processing (ISP) technology (Cognitive ISP), which makes real-time Semantic Segmentation reliable and faster. In layman’s terms, the technology, which is not exclusive to the “for Galaxy” edition, helps the phone to recognize objects and segregate them accordingly in real time. For example, you will not me mixed with the surrording flowers even if you wear clothers with idential color to the flower. Other Android phones with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 did not implement it yet.

Anyway, compared to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (or Exynos 2200), the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy is one of the significant updates for Galaxy S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra. So, we list this on the top of new features of Galaxy S23.

2. UFS 4.0 storage

The storage is not just about the capacity, 128GB, 256GB, or even 1TB. The capacity only determines how many files you can save on the phone.

The storage speed determines how fast the data can be accessed (read) and written. So, it is a critical part of the phone’s performance. Everyone expects flagship phones to be fast and faster.

And the storage speed is limited by the storage technology adopted. You can still find the slow eMMC in many entry-level smartphones. Galaxy S23 is the first smartphone that used the UFS 4.0 storage, which is 2x faster than UFS 3.1 (found in the Galaxy S22 series).

Please note there is one exception: the 128GB model of Galaxy S23 is still using UFS 3.1.

3. Gorilla Glass Victus 2

All Galaxy S23 models used the Gorilla Glass Victus 2, the latest tough cover glass for mobile devices by Corning, to protect both the front and back of Galaxy S23.

If you are unsure about Gorilla Glass models, you can just need to know that Gorilla Glass Victus 2 is the best cover glass that money can buy in 2023. In the Galaxy S22 series, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ was used.

Please note, on iPhones, sapphire glass is only used on the camera lens. The screen and back panel are coated with Ceramic Shield, whose technology is different but is also mainly from Corning.

4. 200 MP camera sensor (S23 Ultra only)

Galaxy S23 Ultra is now equipped with an ISOCELL HP2 200MP image sensor. A massive upgrade from the 108MB sensor on Galaxy S22 Ultra. Galaxy S20 Ultra and Galaxy S21 Ultra also used a 108MP camera sensor.

Of course, pixel count is only an eye-catching parameter. The new sensor improves significantly for low-light conditions.

Also, the 200MP camera sensor (see Galaxy S23 Ultra layout), together with the RAW format, offers more pixels and various post-processing options to enhance or customize the photo.

For Galaxy S23 and S23+, the main camera is still 50MP with some improvements, compared to the counterparts in the Galaxy S22 series.

You can save photos in 50MP or 200MP as high-resolution photos in storage is not a concern.

5. One UI 5.1

Galaxy S23 comes with Android 13, which is not new. Update: it has been updated to One UI 6.0 (Android 14) and One UI 6.1 (Android 14, AI).

The update in One UI 5.1 differentiates Galaxy S23 from Galaxy S22 with the Android 13 update.

One UI 5.1 in Galaxy S23 added some new features and enhancements, compared to One UI 5.0 on the updated Galaxy S22. For example, you can now customize wallpapers for different modes. Also, you can use Fast Pair to set up Galaxy S23 quickly with your current phone.

To most Galaxy S23 owners, One UI is one of the best new features of Galaxy S23.

Please refer to this guide (coming soon) on using new features in One UI 5.1.

6. Expert RAW is baked into the camera app

Expert RAW offers more than Pro Mode with RAW output. It works as a separate app on Galaxy S20, S21, S22, and Note 20. You need to manually install it from Galaxy Store. Therefore, many owners are not aware of the existence of such an app.

On Galaxy S23, Expert RAW is now a standard camera mode (together with other camera modes) in the camera app with some polished features.

If you want to use Galaxy S23 for part of your photography projects or just want to explore more advanced photography, you should appreciate this new feature of Galaxy S23.

7. Customizable storage location for screenshots and screen recorder

Galaxy S23 added more controls and options for screenshots and screen recordings. For example, you can choose the image format for the screenshot and screen recording.

For other Galaxy S23 owners who need screenshots or screen recordings frequently and us, the significant (and the most anticipated) update is that you can customize the storage location (folder) for these images and videos.

On Galaxy S22 and other Galaxy phones, all screenshots and videos are saved in the DCIM (Digital Camera Images) folder, together with photos and videos taken with the camera. Per DCF (Design rule for Camera File system), this folder is mainly used for photos and videos generated by the camera sensor. On Galaxy S23, you can specify the default folder for screenshots and screen recordings.

8. Bixby Text Call

Bixby Text Call, which is an intelligent call screening, was introduced in the One UI 5.0 update in 2022. You can let Bixby automatically respond to the caller. Anything the caller says is converted to text, and you can read it at any time.

But it was only available in the Korean language when it was announced

With the release of Galaxy S23, the English language is now available for Bixby Text Call.

9. Up to 3 emojis in AR Emoji camera

On Galaxy S23, the AR Emoji camera now allows up to 3 faces; therefore, you can create up to 3 emojis with your friends.

Since Galaxy S9, only one face can be detected and used for the emoji camera. So, if you already used the AR emojis, you will find it is even more fun on Galaxy S23.

10. Battery widget

Like it or not, the new battery widget on Galaxy S23 is “inspired” by iPhone’s battery widget.

Basically, the widget displays the battery level of all connected Bluetooth devices. Of course, it works for all Galaxy Watches and Galaxy Buds. Third-party gadgets may or may not work depending on the firmware work as well if they support the Battery Service, which is part of the Bluetooth standard.

You may check this guide for more details and how to use the battery widget on Galaxy S23.

What are your thoughts on the new features of S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra?

If you want to share your thoughts on the new features of S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra, or if you have questions on the new features of S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra, please let us know in the comment box below.

You may check other Galaxy S23 guides organized in the following 4 sections.

Besides, you can read and download (in PDF format) the official Galaxy S23 user manual (including the updated Galaxy S23 user manual for Android 14 (One UI 6).

In addition to the comment box below, you can also reach us through the following channels:

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Enjoy your Galaxy S23!

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