Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus suddenly sounds less appealing after specs leak

With the release of the Samsung Galaxy S23 range set for early 2023, the rumour mill has been turning steadily with news of potential upgrades. Much of the news has focused on the update to the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, which includes a whopping 200MP camera sensor.

But now, popular tech leaker, Yogesh Brar, has released a full spec sheet for the Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus. For the uninitiated, the Plus is the mid-point in the Samsung Galaxy S series, with specs and looks akin to the vanilla S23, but with a larger frame.

And, according to the specs which leaked on Twitter, the new middle model isn't getting much of an upgrade over its predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus. Brar gives the full spec list, but we'll focus on what has actually changed first.

Of course, the star of the show is the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, which will feature in the new Samsung handsets. That's pretty much a given nowadays, but lets not gloss over it – the 8 Gen 2 will give the S23 range a 25% boost in GPU performance and a 35% boost for CPU processing. It's an extra boost for users in the UK too, as previous generations were plagued with in-house Exynos processors which failed to cut the mustard.

Elsewhere, the new model will have an option for 256GB of storage which wasn't present last time out, and the battery gets plumped up slightly – 4,700mAh over the 4,500mAh unit which featured last year.

But that's it.

Everything else, from the display to the camera array appears to be exactly the same. It's far from the most exciting development in Samsung history. Sure, the S23 Plus will be a capable device, but that's what you'd expect from a flagship Samsung phone.

It's no longer enough to just be capable – new phones need to set off a rocket under you and give you a reason to pick them. There are plenty of other handsets waiting in the wings if not.

And for me, the S23 Plus doesn't do enough to warrant parting with your hard earned cash. I think most who are tempted by it will find the S22 Plus will offer most of the same functionality at a reduced price, or the S23 Ultra offers much more for a bit more cash.