The next base-model Galaxy flagship
The Samsung Galaxy S25 is a new phone with a similar design, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset, and One UI 7. It’s a true “AI smartphone” with agentic helpers and support for cross-app actions.
For
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy processor with custom Oryon cores
- One UI 7 (Android 15) available at launch with seven years of OS upgrades
- New Galaxy AI features, including AI agents and cross-app actions
- Thinner and lighter than prior Galaxy base models
Against
- Same camera system as prior Galaxy phones, including the Galaxy S23
- No Qi2 support
- Slow charging and small 4,000mAh battery
Still going strong in 2024
So far, it's been a fantastic year for the Samsung Galaxy S23. It's very similar to the newer Galaxy S24, and it received a few significant software updates. That includes the bump to One UI 6 and a bunch of top Galaxy AI features. This phone has a lot of life left in it, but the Galaxy S25 could entice some users to upgrade early.
For
- Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset is still capable in 2025
- This phone will still get a couple of OS upgrades
- Great battery life
- Much cheaper than the newer Galaxy S24, and expectedly the Galaxy S25
Against
- Slow wired charging
- Aging camera hardware
- Retail availability will be hard to come by
With a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, slight design tweaks, and a software overhaul, the Samsung Galaxy S25 is a big step in the right direction. The question is, will the upgrades be tempting enough to make people still rocking a Samsung Galaxy S23 want to upgrade? That's what we'll help you start to figure out in this comparison.
Samsung Galaxy S25 vs. Galaxy S23: Design and display
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Samsung’s latest Galaxy S25 lineup took a few notes from the brand’s other recent releases. With the Galaxy Z Fold 6, Galaxy Z Flip 6, and Galaxy S24 FE, the company moved to a flat and more rectangular design language. The Galaxy S25 follows a similar pattern. It's a boxy phone with aluminum rails and a new lens covering the rear camera system, closely resembling the Galaxy Z Fold 6.
The exact dimensions of the Galaxy S25 reveal it to be thinner and lighter than the Galaxy S24 and the older Galaxy S23. The phone's weight is just 162 grams, and it measures 70.5 x 146.9 x 7.2mm. As far as durability is concerned, an IP68 water and dust-resistance rating and Gorilla Glass coverings are still here.
The older Samsung Galaxy S23 features a 6.1-inch AMOLED display, but the Galaxy S25 has a 6.2-inch panel. That’s the same as last year’s Galaxy S24, as rumors hinting at a larger screen for the Galaxy S25 didn’t pan out. The Galaxy S25 is a relatively small phone sold as industry trends are shifting toward larger screens, like when Apple made the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max bigger last year.
Although the Galaxy S23 has a smaller screen, it'll keep up with the newer model in terms of display specs. Both phones have a 120Hz AMOLED panel with variable refresh rates and high brightness capabilities.
In terms of colors, the Galaxy S25 is available Icyblue, Navy, Mint, and Silver Shadow. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S23 came in many more colors: Cobalt Violet, Amber Yellow, Onyx Black, and Marble Grey (as well as Samsung-exclusive Jade Green, Sapphire Blue, and Sandstone Orange). Samsung still has a few online exclusives up its sleeve for the Galaxy S25 series, though, including Blueblack, Coralpink, and Jadegreen.
Samsung Galaxy S25 vs. Galaxy S23: Hardware and specs
Those looking for a major camera upgrade on the Samsung Galaxy S25 series end up once again disappointed. The Galaxy S25 has the same camera hardware as the Galaxy S24, which, unfortunately, is also the same as the Galaxy S23.
As such, both phones in this comparison would feature a 50MP main shooter, a 12MP ultrawide lens, and a 10MP telephoto lens supporting 3x optical zoom. There may be some quality improvements, even with the same hardware, based on improved image-signal processing and computational photography features. But for all intents and purposes, the hardware is completely the same.
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Samsung Galaxy S25 | Samsung Galaxy S23 |
| Processor | Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy | Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy |
| Display | 6.2-inch AMOLED 2X screen, 120Hz adaptive refresh rate | 6.1-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display (1080x2340), 120Hz refresh rate (48-120Hz), Up to 1,750 nits |
| Memory | 12GB | 8GB |
| Storage | 128GB, 256GB | 128GB, 256GB |
| Battery | 4,000mAh | 3,900mAh |
| Charging | 25W wired, 15W wireless, 4.5W reverse wireless | 25W wired, 15W wireless, 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Operating system | One UI 7, Android 15 | One UI 5.1, Android 13 (upgradable) |
| Rear cameras | 50MP wide, 12MP ultra-wide, 10MP telephoto | 50MP, f/1.8 primary; 12MP, f/2.2 ultrawide; 10MP, f/2.4 telephoto with 3x optical zoom |
| Front camera | 12MP hole-punch camera | 12MP, f/2.2 hole-punch camera |
| Connectivity | 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC | 5G (sub-6, mmWave), Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, Wi-Fi 6E |
| Dimensions | 146.9 x 70.5 x 7.2mm | 70.86 x 146.3 x 7.62mm |
| Weight | 162g | 168.1g |
| IP rating | IP68 | IP68 |
| Colors | Icyblue, Navy, Mint, Silver Shadow | Phantom Black, Cream, Green, Lavender, Graphite, Lime |
The Galaxy S25 offers support for 5G, Wi-Fi 7, and Bluetooth 5.4, which makes it competitive with recent flagship releases. It also comes with 12GB of RAM instead of 8, giving it an edge with on-device AI processing.
Samsung Galaxy S25 vs. Galaxy S23: Performance and software
The key things to watch on the Samsung Galaxy S25 are the phone's performance and software. It's powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chip, which you can think of as a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 successor. It's called 'Elite' because it now uses the same custom Oryon cores that power Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite laptop chips. In other words, the Snapdragon 8 Elite will be the most performant chip ever in a Galaxy phone. Plus, the “for Galaxy” variant was co-designed by Qualcomm and Samsung.
The Galaxy S25 only has a 4,000mAh battery and still features slow charging speeds. There’s no built-in Qi2 MagSafe support, and wired charging maxes out at 25W.
On the flip side, the Galaxy S23 still sports the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy processor. It's two years old now, but it's still plenty capable. It'll eventually get the jump to One UI 7 and currently supports a wide variety of Galaxy AI features. Plus, there are still a few years of software upgrades left.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy S25 starts with One UI 7 and will get seven years of software support thereafter.
Samsung Galaxy S25 vs. Galaxy S23: Should you upgrade?
So, it's time to start thinking about whether Galaxy S23 owners should upgrade. Buying the Galaxy S25 two years after purchasing the Galaxy S23 could be a tough sell. That's especially true since the design is lackluster and the cameras are unchanged. But the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, faster connectivity standards, and new software features might be tempting if you're looking for a newer phone.
The latest and greatest
Samsung is known for fairly small year-over-year upgrades, but the Galaxy S25 might offer enough improvements over the Galaxy S23 to make users consider a switch. These include a Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, faster connectivity options, and Galaxy AI.
Not done yet
The Samsung Galaxy S23 is getting older, there's no doubt about that. But with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, Galaxy AI features, and a few software upgrade to come, the Galaxy S23 still has plenty of life left in it.
