Samsung launched their new Odyssey OLED G9 in CES 2023, which happened way back in January 2023. Alongside the Odyssey OLED G9, CES 2023 also saw Samsung showcasing their Dual UHD Odyssey Neo G9 ultra-wide gaming monitor, two UHD Smart Monitors, and a colour calibrated Viewfinity monitor. Of course, we thought that Samsung’s OLED version of their most acclaimed gaming monitor, the Odyssey G9, should be the most interesting thing they launched in CES 2023, even more so than their UHD version of the same monitor.
Six months of quietness on, Samsung finally officially launched the Odyssey OLED G9 for the global market. Well, when we say global; as per the title, Samsung launched the new 49-inch behemoth in South Korea. It will also be available in the United States market soon after it is available in South Korea.
The Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 offers the ultimate gaming experience with an ultra-wide dual QHD resolution on its 49-inch screen real estate. Instead of a regular IPS display with subpar colour quality, the Odyssey OLED G9 offers the excellent colour saturation that is a signature of Samsung’s proprietary QD-OLED panel. It still offers 1800R curvature that is sure to wrap around you and offer the ultimate immersive gaming experience like no other. You get HDMI 2.1, Micro HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4 port options for the most modern GPUs to fully take advantage of the fast 240Hz refresh rate, HDR10+, DisplayHDR True Black 400, AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, and NVIDIA G-SYNC capabilities.
Like other Samsung Odyssey G9 displays, the OLED version also offers RGB lighting at the back that can be synced with your actual display for added immersion and matched ambient lighting. Like any modern Samsung monitor as well, the Odyssey OLED G9 runs on Tizen. That means that you can technically use the Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 without a PC connected to it. You can also connect the monitor to Bluetooth or WiFi speakers if you need to. Since it is running on Tizen, you can also connect it to your home WiFi and watch Netflix independently. If not, you can just mirror your Samsung smartphone to the display to take advantage of it.
In South Korea, the Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 is now available for pre-order at KRW 2.7 million (MYR 9,710**). It is reported that the ultimate Samsung monitor will be available in the United States not too long after South Korea gets it. Speculations suggests that the monitor will be sold at about US$ 2,500 (MYR 11,546*) in the United States. You can expect to see the ultimate gaming monitor from Samsung coming to Malaysia in the coming months.
*Approximately based on exchange rate of US$ 1 = MYR 4.62 as of 12/06/2023 on xe.com
**Approximately based on exchange rate of KRW 1000 = MYR 3.60 as of 12/06/2023 on xe.com
Samsung’s Smart Monitor lineup created quite a stir when it was announced in 2020. The new monitors delivered a remote work experience that was seamless and did away with the need for bulky desktop setups. It brought a new approach with a sleek, self-contained environment that was able to run crucial apps like Microsoft 365 and the Google Productivity Suite. Albeit, the latter was run via Samsung’s DeX feature. However, these monitors made us rethink the monitor and how we’re using them.
Source: Samsung
Running on Samsung’s Tizen OS – just like their Smart TV counterparts – the Smart Monitors brought a suite of ready-to-go apps that not only made the need for laptops moot, it also made sure that work from home was a viable reality in the midst of chaotic times. They also allowed space-restricted quarters to become more efficiently used with built-in entertainment apps such as Netflix, YouTube, Samsung TV+, Amazon Prime Video and more.
This year, Samsung is looking to refine their approach even more with a refreshed line up of Smart Monitors. All three of the models that make up their lineip – the M5 (M50C), M7 (M70C), and M8 (M80C) are being refreshed with better specifications and wide connectivity options.
Source: Samsung
The new models up the maximum resolution to 3,840×2,160 pixels (4K UHD). This appears in both the 32-inch and 27-inch models of the M8 and M7 models while the M5 model comes with a 1,920×1080 (FHD) resolution. All of them come with in the 16:9 aspect ratio and come with built-in speakers.
The Smart Monitor M8 and M7 have adopted a new Iconic Slim Design. They sport super slim builds that measure 11.39mm at the thinnest point. They also sport a chic herringbone pattern on the back. The biggest difference, however, is the inclusion of a height-adjustable stand with tilt support on both models. Both still support 99% of the sRGB color gamut.
Source: Samsung
That said, the M8 has a slight edge over the other monitors with a bump to 4K UHD resolution with support for HDR10+ and 400 nits brightness. In regions where its supported, Samsung’s Gaming Hub is also available on the Smart Monitors. The M8 also comes with a SlimFit camera which attaches magnetically in the box. This camera supports FHD resolution and creates a standalone video conferencing experience. You will be able to use apps like Google Meet and Zoom seamlessly with the camera and leverage the auto framing feature to ensure you’re always front and center for your online meetings.
Mouse and Keyboard support have also been baked into multiple apps with the launch of the 2023 lineup of Smart Monitors including SmartThings and Smart Hub. The monitors also come with remote controls which charge via USB-C in the box. The Microsoft 365 and the Browser apps are now able to be used simultaneously in splitscreen view to reduce window switching thanks to an upgraded Multi View experience.
The monitors are also able to connect seamlessly to an in-home IoT setip with SmartThings. Samsung has also built-in support for platforms like Zigbee and Thread. The M8 and M7 support voice assistants including Amazon Alexa and Bixby. They also support far field voice with a built-in mic that allows users to speak directly to the monitors. Together with this, Samsung is also introducing a new My Contents features which allows users to quickly access helpful information. It can even connect to a verified smartphone in standby mode via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and lights up with the users pictures in the smartphone. Once the smartphone is out of range, the monitor goes back into standby.
Source: Samsung
The monitos come in a brand new range of colours that allow you to make it blend in or stand out in your room. With options for Warm White, Sunset Pink, Daylight Blue and Spring Green on the M8; Warm White on the M7 and Black and White for M5, users are free to choose a colour and model that fits their needs and personality.
Pricing & Availability
The new 2023 line of Smart Monitors will be available in stages starting in June 2023. No local Malaysian price has been announced yet. However, in the U.S., prices are as follows:
Samsung only recently made their global WOW announcement promising even deeper immersion and a wider range of experiences with their new Neo QLED televisions. The new Neo QLED TVs are also joined by a new lineup of soundbars and QLED TVs.
The new lineup of Neo QLED TVs comes with Samsung’s Infinity Edge design which minimizes the bezel of the display to insane levels. In fact, this year’s Neo QLED TVs don’t have a bezel at all. You literally see only screen from edge to edge sitting in front of the TVs. The bezels are so minimal – only visible at the bottom where Samsung has packed the sensors.
Both QLED and Neo QLED TVs come with Samsung’s Q Symphony technology which creates an immersive audio experience with Samsung’s Q series soundbars. This is achieved by using the TV’s built-in speakers in symphony with the Q series soundbars creating a wide, Dolby Atmos-certified soundscape that takes the viewer deeper into the content that they’re consuming. This feature is now available even with entry-level Neo QLED TVs.
Together with this, Samsung TVs continue to bring its TizenOS-based operating system. This OS runs on the latest generation of Samsung’s Neural Quantum Processor 8K. The software, paired with the processor brings intelligent, AI-enhanced features that bring even more detail and an even more immersive experience. This includes intelligent upscaling of any content to take advantage of the 8K resolution of the TV. They also come with an AI-enhanced Gaming mode that not only detects when you turn on your console but also changes to the appropriate input and unlocks performance mode with a 120Hz refresh rate on compatible models. With apps like Samsung Health, you’ll be able to access workouts and exercise programs that you can do right from the comfort of your living room.
Samsung’s SmartThings also takes center stage on the new lineup of Neo QLED and QLED TVs. Not only does it appear on your SmartThings app, but you’ll also be able to take advantage of your larger screen to control and customize your other SmartThings compatible devices. With the recent integration with Matter, you’ll be able to connect devices across multiple brands on the larger screen of the TVs. What’s more, if you’re setting up the TV from a Samsung smartphone, you’ll simply need to sign in with your SmartThings or Samsung account and you’ll have your settings seamlessly installed and synced.
Pricing & Availability
Samsung’s 2023 lineup of Neo QLED TV lineup is currently available at Samsung stores and at retail partner stores.
The state of apps on tablets and foldables on Android has left users with a lot to be desired. That said, with Android 12L and the upcoming Android 14, these app experiences are becoming easier to optimize. In fact, it wouldn’t be to farfetched to say that they’ve been one of – if not the main – focus of Google’s Android. One of the pioneering heroes of these experiences has been Samsung with their Galaxy Z series.
Samsung has been actively app optimization globally hand in hand with Google. It’s no different in Malaysia. Over the past few years, they have been actively collaborating with partners from various industries to create new and optimized app experiences when it comes to foldables – in particular for the Galaxy Z Flip and Galaxy Z Fold smartphones.
Samsung and their pioneering cohort of partners showcased their apps and experiences for the first time this week. These partners include one of Malaysia’s banks, Ambank, global convenience store chain, FamilyMart, Malaysian telecommunications company, Maxis, Malaysian payment platform, Pay4U and Malaysian Coffee chain, ZUS Coffee. These partners have been developing and optimizing their app experiences in partnership with Samsung and Google.
Each of these apps take advantage of the unique form factors of the Galaxy Z Flip and Galaxy Z Fold as well as the additional display real estate on the latter. Each experience advances the customer and user experience of the apps allowing these partners to deliver more meaningful for users and catered uniquely to the Malaysian public. These new, optimized apps are rolling out to the Google Play and Samsung Galaxy Stores.
It’s worth noting that these apps are just the beginning of Samsung’s efforts in Malaysia. The company has already begun working with new partners such as Malaysian cinema chains, Golden Screen Cinemas and TGV Cinemas; Gigi Coffee and Zapp. These partners are expecting to roll their optimized apps in the second half of 2023. They are open to working with even more partners. In the words of Luke Au, Head of Product Marketing, Mobile experience at Samsung Malaysia, “We are passionate about making mobile innovation relevant to consumers… We invite local organisations to be part of this industry collaboration and deliver better experiences to their customers.”
In addition, the company also announced an upcoming hackathon catered for students of local universities and institutions of higher learning to develop new, unique experiences for foldable devices. Stay tuned to techENT as we will share more details on the hackathon as they become available.
Google I/O 2023 is just around the corner, and we are all quite excited. Apart from the new Pixel 7 series, we are expecting Google to announce a new foldable smartphone. We are also expecting that to be priced like a Samsung foldable, which is not necessarily a good thing. Still, we can look forward to a new Android, a foldable or convertible friendly one at least. They say that it might not look completely different this time round over the 13th generation of Android introduced in the same event last year. Every iteration of Android comes with a slew of its own improvements though, be it in the interface improvements, responsiveness, and even function.
There is a problem that has plagued Google’s mobile ecosystem for a while now though. It has to do with the multitasking capabilities of the interface. While manufacturers like Samsung have been championing multitasking on their devices for a long time, the vanilla Android is quite bad at it, as it seems. One of those problems is that apps tend to shut down when you leave it in the background. That is the opposite of what you want to happen when you are championing your device for multitasking purposes.
Their blog announcement points out a consistency problem of background apps working behind the scenes of your Android smartphone. They say that the Android ecosystem is flawed when it comes to multitasking. They pointed out that foreground services and background work are restricted on different devices by manufacturers. That means that different apps tend to behave differently across devices when they are put on the backburner. That is why you have passive apps that hardly work on your Android devices until you launch them again.
The next step for Google, according to their blog post anyway, is to introduce APIs and standards to ensure their partners adhere to a consistent set of guidelines for app functions on their devices. Samsung, one of the champions in mobile multitasking, is announced to be their first partner to take the step. The new APIs that is to be introduced by Google is not a way to police their partners, rather a set of guidelines to ensure that apps behave consistently on the foreground and background across devices, creating a more consistent Android experience for all users. Allowing for better and more consistent background works on Android also allows app developers to create apps that work better with other apps at the same time, offering better user experiences across the board. Of course, the guidelines will help offer apps that work as intended by the developers.
Google has also stated that all these improvements on foreground and background apps will be introduced in Android 14. The improvements include more user control even on foreground apps and services, smoother large uploads and downloads of user-initiated data transfer jobs via JobScheduler, and a new Google Play policy for appropriate use of foreground services. There are no mentions on whether the first patch of Android 14 will get these treatments or not. We can only tell when they announce Android 14 in the coming Google I/O or when they start shipping their latest Google Pixel out to customers.
Technically, this is not the first we heard of Samsung partnering with AMD to bring Radeon graphics into the mobile space. AMD technically licensed their RDNA architecture to Samsung in 2019. That partnership gave birth to something called the Samsung Xclipse, a mobile GPU with AMD’s RDNA 2 architecture built into it. It was the first of the world’s mobile GPU with ray-tracing and variable rate shading capabilities. It was also rumoured to match the performances of modern gaming consoles.
Samsung Xclipse did not see the light of day in our everyday products though. While we expected Samsung to integrate the product in to their Samsung Galaxy S flagship smartphones and Galaxy Tab S tablets, it never really happened. Instead, the Samsung Galaxy S23 and Galaxy Tab S line-up today features a third-party Qualcomm Snapdragon system on a chip (SoC). You will not be able to opt for Samsung’s in-house Exynos chips with the flagship devices too globally, because that high-end Exynos chip does not exist as of yet.
That might change in the coming iterations of Samsung Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab S device though. As per the title, Samsung has just signed a new licensing agreement with AMD. This agreement is not a renewal, but rather an expansion of the original agreement with AMD. The expansion now allows Samsung to integrate AMD’s Radeon RDNA architecture into an expanded portfolio, that includes more Exynos chips. This is where it could get interesting.
The expansion could allow Samsung to integrate the RDNA 2, or even RDNA 3 technology into their latest Exynos chips. While Samsung has yet to reveal a high-end world beater SoC, they are putting their Exynos chips into mid-range smartphones. You could potentially get a Samsung Galaxy A series smartphone with RDNA 2 or even RDNA 3 built into their Exynos platform. That also means that Samsung could boast console level gaming experience on their more accessible mid-range smartphone series. In that case, their mid-range smartphones could be a lot more appealing than flagship smartphone if all you are looking for in your smartphone is raw processing power.
The expansion could also mean that Samsung has been holding back on high-end Exynos chips because they have been working with AMD behind closed doors to offer that fabled Exynos SoC with RDNA 2 or even RDNA 3 graphics architecture in tow. In which case, they might have bragging rights in introducing the world’s first flagship smartphone that is capable of hardware ray-tracing and variable rate shading. You will also get console level gaming experience out of the device, obviously.
The thing is, we are not expecting to see the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold series with Samsung’s Exynos with AMD Radeon graphics in tow anytime soon. The soonest we can expect to see the AMD Radeon name gracing a Samsung Galaxy device is probably in 2024, with the Samsung Galaxy S24. Even that is a far-fetched speculation we think and a very early one at that. All we can do currently is wait.
Samsung has been at the forefront of Android smartphones for quite sometime now. Samsung has also led the charge in getting iPhone users over to the Android boat. The employed many tactics for this. They poked fun at Apple in their own ads, they offer incentives for Apple users choosing to opt into Android, they made data transfer from an iPhone to Galaxy smartphone much simpler and hassle free than before, and they encourage iPhone users to try the Galaxy devices as much as they can. In their latest effort, iPhone users get to use the Samsung Galaxy S23 for free, on their iPhone that is.
They cheekily call it the Galaxy app. Yes, it is an app that will run the Galaxy S23 interface on your iPhone. It is not available on the Apple App Store, so you have to download it via web. It is also not a proper app that overlays your iPhone with Android 13 based One UI 5.1 interface. It is a web app, a web page that lets you test run the Galaxy S23 on the web.
But it is not just some web app that lets you scroll through the home page, the app tray, and nothing else. It allows you to try the camera interface too, through your iPhone cameras and experience things like Nightography and Night Mode. You can even try apps like Photo Remaster on the web app, allowing you to edit whatever photos you take on the app. All this is to show how powerful a Samsung Galaxy S23 camera system is. You can even try gaming on the Galaxy S23 to see how smooth it can be, although you are not technically playing a game.
Of course, you can customise your Galaxy S23 experience all on the web app. You can change the wallpaper, background, themes, icons, and even more that is available on One UI 5.1. The app is also designed specifically for iPhone, so it will not do anything if you try going on your web browser on your PC to test it out. If you are on an Android device, there will also be an attached warning for the web app. In that case, if you are on an iPhone, you can test out the web app and try out the Samsung Galaxy S23 yourself via their web app.
Samsung’s back at it again with the new Galaxy S23 series. A new flagship experience which sees the S23 Ultra outshine the S23 and S23+. The plus variant of the Galaxy S series has always been that perfect bowl of porridge that packs the right updates, has the right features and is priced to win. That’s the legacy of the plus variant when it comes to Galaxy S.
That said, with Samsung’s immense emphasis on the S23 Ultra, why are we looking at the S23+? The simple answer is that we’re interested to see whether Samsung’s iterative approach to their flagship series has paid off. Is the S23+ THE PHONE to get when it comes to that fine balance between features and budget? Or has it left the S23+ with a case of middle child syndrome; being left to fend for itself?
Design
Samsung’s new Galaxy S23+ continues the company’s iterative formula when it comes to smartphones. As such, when it comes to design, the company has done little to change the overall look and feel of the smartphone. The big difference you’ll notice off the bat is the lack of the sleek, iconic camera cut-out we saw on the S22+. Instead, Samsung has decided to streamline the design by removing it. The S23+ comes with a completely flush and flat back. Even the camera modules are only just raised to protect the lenses. Aside from the camera modules, the only other thing of note on the back of the smartphone is the Samsung brand emblazoned on the lower portion of it.
On the front, the AMOLED 2X display covers nearly the whole face of the smartphone. It’s near edge to edge with little to no interruptions. The S23+ continues to have rounded corners but, this year, Samsung has opted to do away with the rounded edges on the phone itself. While the display does melt into the sides, the frame itself is angular. It may seem a little less ergonomic at first, but the sharp edges do provide a more sturdy grip. But be careful when you’re using it lying down, it can be painful when it comes for a close-up with your face. (Yes, the phone did meet my face a few times during the review period).
Hardware
Samsung’s approach to the new Galaxy S23+ brings most of the same specifications to the S22+. There are some notable changes, however, it looks like the company believes that a focus on the user experience will benefit them more than bumping the actual specifications of the smartphone – and truth be told, they may be one step closer to getting a solid user experience with their approach, but we’ll expand more on that in User Experience section.
Accelerometer Proximity Fingerprint (Ultrasonic, under display) Gyroscope Compass Barometer
Miscellaneous
Dual SIM/eSIM
Retail Price (Malaysia)
MYR 4,699 (256GB) MYR 5,199 (512GB)
Retail Price (US)
USD$ 999.99 (128GB) USD$ 1,199.99 (256GB)
User Experience
You will realise that we’ll be talking a lot about the user experience when it comes to the Samsung Galaxy S23+. That’s simply because when it comes down to it, the smartphone remains nearly identical to the S22+ when it comes to hardware. However, the lack of an improvement in the hardware itself has translated into one of the best experiences we’ve had with a Samsung flagship since the Galaxy Note5; and we don’t say that lightly.
Samsung’s focus on optimising One UI 5.1 for the Galaxy S23 series pays off in droves when it comes to the vanilla S23 and the S23+. While it comes with the same interface and overall experience we expect from a Samsung device, the S23+ feels better thought out from a software perspective than even the S22+. The software brings features that complement the overall experience.
The first place you will notice this improvement is with the booting up of the smartphone. It takes less time for the Galaxy S23+ to boot than the S22+ and even the Fold 4. After the initial setup, a reboot took less than 2 minutes. In addition, Samsung has found a way to make loading up widgets on your home screen more seamless and fluid. You don’t have the flickering and stuttering of widgets like before, instead, they load one after the other.
Aside from this, Samsung has made Android 13’s their own. Their personalization interface is more streamlined and easier to use. Everything is accessible on just one screen and you have more control over colours and accents that will appear on your Galaxy smartphone. However, when it comes to customisations, you’ll need Samsung’s Good Lock app to unlock more possibilities.
Personalisation & Good Lock
Personalisation is getting a huge upgrade with the rollout of Samsung’s Good Lock app. The app brings modules that supercharge personalization options beyond some of the most customizable experiences on Android. The app brings features like an even more customisable One UI Home Screen, Lock screen and even notifications.
Samsung’s level of customization in the Good Lock app is impressive. We were able to create home screens with widgets that looked like seamless wallpapers. You could even create more actionable notifications on your lock screen. Every detail from the notification shade, the sidebar activation and even the grid layout of your home and app screens can be customized with Good Lock.
That said, the extensive customisation is only available after navigating what can be a daunting list of modules to enable it. What’s more, once you’ve downloaded the modules, you’ll have to navigate another extensive menu of options. This will more than likely put off regular users. Power users, on the other hand, will welcome these menus and appreciate the level of personalisation that they offer. In our honest opinion, the overall experience can be streamlined with more streamlined menus and a more graphical interface within the Good Lock modules.
Performance
It goes without saying that we are expecting best-in-class performance when it comes to the Samsung Galaxy S23+. The processor alone comes with a near 30% performance bump from last year’s on paper. However, as we all already know, improvements on paper don’t necessarily translate to user experience but that isn’t really the case with this particular smartphone. Samsung has instead only upgraded the phone’s processor to the more capable Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and also the selfie camera with a larger 12-megapixel sensor. Somehow, just the bump in the processor has led to an exponentially improved battery life and also smoother performance overall.
Multitasking, Productivity & Day-to-Day Use
Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones have more or less become synonymous with productivity machines thanks to features like DeX and Link to Windows becoming more natively integrated into One UI. It’s no different when it comes to Samsung’s new Galaxy S flagship. The S23+ continues this legacy with more of a focus on remaining productive for longer stretches of time. All the features including DeX are still part of the package.
However, the S23+, when it comes to performance, the smartphone has a leg up on its predecessor. It can handle more apps at one go and has more capacity to multitask than ever before. The new TMSC-based Snapdragon 8 gen 2 brings a whole new level of power and power efficiency. We were able to handle apps like Microsoft Excel and Acrobat running in split-screen without much issue. Using other apps like WhatsApp, Telegram and even Chrome in the background or in split-screen wasn’t much of an issue. In fact, it was uninterrupted and fluid. Even with the split screen and pop-up window working in tandem, the experience continued to be top-notch.
The DeX experience on the S23+ is much improved with better stability and transfer speeds over wireless connections. Typically, we use DeX to copy large files like videos to our computers for editing. The wireless connectivity for DeX has long been an issue for us which made us default to using a USB connection. However, on the S23+, this wasn’t the case. We were able to transfer files that were between 2GB and 4GB quickly. It only took us about 10 minutes! Transferring smaller files like photos was nearly instantaneous.
That said, the Samsung Galaxy S23+ became a go-to phone for a daily driver not just cause of the multitasking ability. It was also a sold performer in day-to-day usage. We were able to use the smartphone reliably for work and communication for over 24 hours consistently. This puts Samsung’s flagship on par with, if not ahead of their competition simply for the productivity feature set which is bolstered by the impressive battery life on the Galaxy S23+.
In addition, Samsung’s Bixby Rouines adds another level of productivity to the smartphone. Creating “If this… then that…” operator sets allows you to automate a whole lot of features including turning on and off features like WiFi, NFC, Bluetooth and more according to location or even network. This allowed for even more power efficiency and also customization of your device behaviour to fit your routines. It also works when you use devices that you can control via Smart Things which now includes any device compatible with the Matter network. If you’re like us, this made for some of the most fun with optimising and automating of tech on our networks to fit our daily routines.
Call Quality & Connectivity
Samsung’s Galaxy S23+ comes with the usual connectivity features including WiFi 6, GPS, GLONASS and 5G. Of course, these features are expected in any 2023 flagship. Samsung has included a slew of software features which allow for better connectivity features including smart WiFi and smart detection of 5G connectivity. These features allowed us to have better battery optimisations and also better, more stable connectivity overall.
The WiFi connectivity on the S23+ is a marked improvement of Galaxy devices of the past including the recent Galaxy S22 and Galaxy Z series. We credit the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for this. It seems like Qualcomm’s new antennae and processor is able to create a more stable connection with a larger bandwidth. This resulted in faster, more stable connections over things like DeX and Link to Windows.
In addition, the cellular connectivity was also more stable compared to the S22+. We tested this over the Maxis 4G network and DNB 5G network via Yes 5G. In places where the S22+ saw limited connectivity of 1-2 bars, the S23+ was able to squeeze another bar or two. This also translated to the data stability of the device as well. The S23+ was able to load videos on YouTube, website content on techent.tv and content on Instagram more consistently than the S22+. Even when the S22+ was having issues loading content, the S23+ was able to load content albeit a little slower. We’re not sure if this is a software limitation on the S22+ but it’s worth noting that both devices were running One UI 5.1 with the February 2023 security patch.
Call quality on the S23+ was what we expected from a Samsung device. The voice quality on Voice over WiFi (VoWiFi) and Voice over LTE (VoLTE) were crisp and clear. It was also warmer than similar smartphones in the category. Over normal network voice (i.e. without VoWiFi or VoLTE), it was more of the same. The voice quality was consistent and didn’t drop without cause.
Gaming
Samsung has upped the ante when it comes to talking about its flagship as a gaming phone when it comes to the S23 series. This comes as no surprise given the chipset inside the smartphone. The increased power and power efficiency of the chipset allow for more gaming to be done at higher frame rates and with some ray tracing.
During our time with the S23+, we tested the smartphone with Diablo Immortal, Pokemon Unite, Pokemon GO, and Power Rangers Legacy Wars. Yes. It’s an eclectic selection of games but each was chosen for a reason which we will go into. That said, we don’t benchmark with synthetic benchmarks when we do the reviews on the smartphone. Instead, we’re looking at practical aspects of whether it was comfortable to do so, whether there was noticeable lag or frame rate drops and the like.
Diablo Immortal is one of the more complex games when it comes to on-screen events. At any given time, there can be over 20 events in a single occurrence. Enemies can swarm in packs and overwhelm players. Sometimes these enemies can be just off-screen but still land an attack. It’s precisely because of that that we’re using it to test out the S23+’s gaming performance. The Galaxy S23+ performed rather commendably when put to the Diablo Immortal task. The smartphone was able to render enemies, players, attacks, and events in the surroundings without much hassle on default settings. Pushing it up to maximum settings, the Galaxy S23+ still was able to perform quite well. However, the phone did get a little warm. That said, it didn’t heat up to the point where you couldn’t play the game. It never got to the point where the screen, back or frame of the phone got too hot to hold. This was actually the case when playing for more than 40 minutes on the S22+. On the S23+, we could game for about 5 hours on a full charge.
For games like Pokemon Unite and Power Rangers Legacy Wars, we were looking at the responsiveness of the on-screen controls and also performance when there were combos or multiple players on screen attacking at the same time. Similar to the performance on Diablo Immortal, the Galaxy S23+ was able to handle the games rather well. Given that Power Rangers Legacy Wars has been out for six years while Pokemon Unite has been available for two, the games still provide two different experiences for gameplay. One is a simple tap to battle game while the other is a full-on MOBA. Both provide different challenges for the smartphone when playing. Power Rangers Legacy War is a game which depends heavily on network performance in addition to graphical rendering. The S23+ was able to pull this off without much problem. In fact, it wouldn’t be too farfetched to say that it might have given us the upper hand when battling others on lower specced smartphones. Gameplay was responsive and had little lag when battling. The smartphone also remained cool and didn’t really heat up throughout our hour-long session. On Pokemon Unite, however, we have enemy NPCs and player enemies. The more current development of the game means that the game required more power to render graphics which the S23+ did without a problem. It was also able to handle rendering instances where team battles occurred. There was little stuttering or lag even on mobile connectivity. The phone also remained cool throughout the two hours of gameplay.
Pokemon GO is a unique game which needs both rendering and location services. This usually leads to immense battery drain and heating up on smartphones. This was the case for most smartphones even in 2022 including the S22+. However, with the S23+ the phone remained rather cool but did eventually get a little bit warm as we progressed into our hour long session. Aside from that, there wasn’t much of a hiccup.
Overall, the Galaxy S23+ was able to handle top-of-the-line games that are currently on mobile without much hassle. While it doesn’t come with gimmicks and features that make it more of a “gaming phone”, Samsung’s focus on performance does pay off when it comes to generational improvements from the S22. The optimizations for the phone’s cooling system and also processing and graphics have paid off in droves when it comes to gaming.
Battery Life
If you’ve not picked it up from the previous sections just yet, let’s just put it out there – the Galaxy S23+ has the best battery life we’ve seen in a Samsung flagship to date. We’re not saying this lightly either. Typically, we expect that a Samsung flagship smartphone will last anywhere between 5 to 9 hours. In recent years, this went up to about 10 hours maximum. However, with the Galaxy S23+, we were able to get up to 3 days of battery life. We typically measure this as the time taken to get to 5% of battery.
In our time with the smartphone, we saw a range of between 5 to 72 hours of battery life from the smartphone. Even with a mix of gaming and regular use, we were able to get about 2 days of battery. This, of course, depended on a few factors particularly processor and display usage. When we used the smartphone for gaming the maximum we go was about 5 hours on a single charge. With mixed usage and always on display (AOD) turned off, this capped out at about 3 days. However, when we turned on AOD, we saw a marked reduction in battery life to about 2 days.
When it comes down to it, this was the most significant improvement to the overall package of the Samsung Galaxy S23+. Comparatively, the S22+ capped out at slightly over 1 day of battery life even with low usage.
Display
Samsung continues to have Dynamic AMOLED 2X panels in its flagships. These panels have impressive colour reproduction and brightness peaking at 1,200 nits in the Galaxy S23+. That said, the S23+ is also equipped with a lower-resolution FHD+ panel, unlike the S23 Ultra which comes with a QHD+ display. However, the S23+ doesn’t miss out on much when it comes to the resolution. It still manages to produce crisp images with high contrast and even HDR content.
Samsung has done some minor improvements when it comes to display performance – possibly on the software end as videos and games on the S23+ seem to have better quality. The images are more crisp and have better contrast and saturation.
When we tested the display we used content on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and YouTube. HDR content was one of the main content we were looking at. On the S23+, HDR content was of marked better quality. There was more detail in the dark areas of the images while blacks appeared deeper and closer to true black while the whites were more pure. The colours on HDR content were vibrant and punchy.
Cameras
Samsung’s big push continues to be camera performance – particularly when it comes to the Galaxy S23 and S23+. Their approach of sticking to the same camera setup with a triple sensor setup complemented with by a 12-megapixel ultrawide and 10-megapixel telephoto sensor gives them the opportunity to further improve the software implementation for the camera. Improve they did.
The Samsung Galaxy S23+’s camera comes with a better implementation of Samsung’s Galaxy AI when it comes to the camera. It would seem – like many other things – Samsung is also following Google’s lead when it comes to smartphone photography. This year’s focus on the post-processing of shots taken with the camera setup integrates a new level of AI that results in sharper, more detailed images. Of course, you’d be hard-pressed to realise that this has been done as the pictures are taken near instantaneously with little time between touching the shutter button and the picture being saved.
The pictures taken with cameras on the Samsung Galaxy S23+ are crisp, detailed and sharp. The photos have little blur even when taken by someone like me with rather shaky hands. The photos also have pretty accurate colour reproduction albeit on the slightly more saturated side of things. However, with the implementation of the High-Efficiency Image Code (HEIC), you’ll be able to touch up and adjust the images with all the sensor information with programs like Adobe Lightroom. This is one of the best improvements year-on-year. The implementation and widespread usage of the HEIC standard allows a new level of customization and post-processing which brings the smartphone one step closer to being “pro-grade”.
In addition to the improvements on the photo side of things, Samsung’s new flagship also comes with improvements on the video side of things. The S23+ is able to shoot in higher resolution for longer and also supports higher resolutions with super steady mode. The higher resolutions allow for more detailed content to be captured with the smartphone. However, the most important thing – at least to us – is the ability to shoot video at a moment’s notice. Samsung has made it easy to kick into video with the long press of the shutter button. They’ve also made it so that your settings are saved into the camera app and are set until you change it. The resulting video, on the other hand, is pretty high quality. Thanks to the gyro EIS, it’s also more stable than before.
Of course, these experiences are all done with the camera set in auto. If you want more control, you’ll be able to use Pro and Pro video modes. These modes give more control to things like ISO, aperture and shutter speed which allows you to capture your pictures and video with settings that are the most natural looking for you. It also allows you to play director and cameraman when you shoot content. This was really useful when we were looking for places for a personal project. The granular settings allowed us to replicate settings that would have been similar to our camera for better shot visualisation.
When it comes to Samsung’s big push for Nightography, the S23+ is a marked improvement from its predecessor. Shots are better in low light with a little bit more detail. Even with extremely limited light, the camera was able to capture video and pictures which were detailed enough to see what was happening. That said, the resultant photos and videos aren’t the best. Then again, we don’t expect the same quality as the pictures under amazing lighting but as a hallmark feature, it left a little bit to be desired.
Overall, while the hardware remained the same, Samsung has bolstered camera performance with minor tweaks to the features and a heavy hand with Galaxy AI. That said, they’re able to produce more natural-looking photos and videos and also give more granular camera control to users to capture their vision. However, it feels like the S23+ still has some work to do to be on par with the S23 Ultra when it comes to its hallmark Nightography feature. While it is much improved on the S23+, it still lacks the crispness and detail they tout in their ads.
Samsung’s Best User Experience Yet but With Drawbacks that Affect its Value Proposition
Overall, the Galaxy S23+ is proof that software and optimizations can revamp a device’s performance and user experience. It launched with a user experience that’s both refined and comes with extensive personalization options. However, these options are behind an additional app and its extensions requiring more memory and RAM to run. This weighs on the already limited 8GB of RAM which comes on the S23+.
That said, when it comes to performance, the S23+ is a marked improvement to its predecessor. This is mainly thanks to the improved architecture of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 which comes with a more power-efficient configuration. While Samsung’s new One UI does bring its own optimisations of Android 13, the extensive features it brings eat away at valuable storage.
The plus variant of the Galaxy S series has always been that Goldilocks device when it comes to Samsung’s Galaxy S series. However, Samsung’s decision to be iterative in their design and approach to the S23+ proves that the approach is a double-edged sword. The S23+ comes with a winning formula when it comes to hardware – we even praised it in our review of the S22+ – but therein lies the problem. They’ve made meaningful improvements including design choices that make the device feel more premium, but it’s overshadowed by a price point that makes their mid-range and competition look more appealing.
Samsung recently announced their new mid-range heroes: the Galaxy A54 and the Galaxy A34. The two new smartphones continue Samsung’s ethos of bringing flagship features to their affordable midrange lineup. This year, they even get Nightography – Samsung’s take on low-light photography. You can get the full rundown of their features in our coverage of their launch.
Source: Samsung
Now, we have details of the preorder and launch dates of the smartphones in Malaysia. The Galaxy A54 5G and the Galaxy A34 5G will be available for pre-order starting on March 24, 2023, until 6 April 2023. During this period, purchases of the two new Galaxy A devices will get you a pair of Samsung Galaxy Buds Live worth MYR549 for free. This comes in addition to Samsung’s 2-year warranty, 5 years of security updates and 4 years of OS updates.
Starting on the 7th of April 2023, the Galaxy A54 5G and the Galaxy A34 5G will both be available in stores. During its launch period, purchases of the Galaxy A series flagships will get you a free casing from Samsung.
The Galaxy A54 5G will be retailing for MYR1,899 while the Galaxy A34 5G will be retailing for MYR1,599. The A54 5G will be available in Awesome Lime, Awesome Violet, Awesome Graphite and Awesome White. The Galaxy A34 5G, on the other hand, will have the same colours aside from Awesome White which will give way to Awesome Silver.
Samsung launched their new Mid-Range smartphone just very recently. They launched the Samsung Galaxy A34 and Galaxy A54 last week. Just a few days later, they launched another smartphone, but only for the Middle-Sea market. It is pretty much a Samsung Galaxy A54 5G but made a little different.
The M54 5G is slightly bigger than the A54 5G. It packs a 6.7-inch display where the A54 settles with a 6.4-inch one. It is also a Super AMOLED display with Full HD+ output still. It also still offers 120Hz. It also comes with Samsung’s own Exynos 1380 octa-core processor with up to 8GB or RAM and 256GB of internal storage. If you feel like the storage is a little small, you can even expand it to up to 1TB via a microSD card.
Like the A54 5G, the Galaxy M54 5G also comes with Samsung’s latest Android 13 based One UI 5.1. It still packs a side-mounted fingerprint reader that doubles as a power button. You still can find the same Gorilla Glass 5 protecting the Super AMOLED up front. This is where the similarities end.
Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung
First of all, the Galaxy M54 5G does not come with IP67 water and dust resistance rating. You also do not get a 50-Megapixel main camera that the A54 5G has. Instead, you get an extravagant 108-Megapixel main camera supported by an 8-Megapixel ultra-wide camera and a 2-Megapixel macro camera. There is a 32-Megapixel camera out the front still. Instead of a 5,000 mAh battery as well, you get a massive 6,000mAh battery to keep not just the Galaxy M54 5G running all day. You can technically keep any other smartphone you have running all day too with the large battery from the Galaxy M54 5G.
There are no confirmed prices for the Samsung Galaxy M54 5G currently. There are no confirmations as well on its availability in Middle East or any other Asian countries. We are expecting the device to not only be available in Middle East though, we are expecting India to get the same Galaxy M54 5G treatment.
