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  Samsung Galaxy S23+

  The new benchmark

  Power for a price

  With an excellent display, a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, a tried and true camera system, and years of software support, the Samsung Galaxy S23+ sets a new benchmark for what you should expect from a premium Android phone.

  Pros

  • Performance is top-notch
  • Large and beautiful display
  • Years of software support

  Cons

  • Expensive compared to competitors
  • Recycled Galaxy Series design
  • Charging can be faster

  From $300 at Samsung with trade-in From $1000 at Best Buy $1000 at Amazon

• 

  OnePlus 11

  Rising to the top

  Awesome performance, great price

  The OnePlus 11 takes on the best Android has to offer by matching them spec for spec while undercutting their price. With a great display, stunning performance from its Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, Hasselblad-tuned cameras, and promised software updates, there aren't a lot of reasons to spend hundreds more for the same capabilities.

  Pros

  • Beautiful display
  • Great all-around performance
  • Priced to undercut the competition

  Cons

  • Uses the older Gorilla Glass Victus
  • Software promises are unproven
  • Not available from carriers at launch

  $700 at Amazon $700 at Best Buy $700 at OnePlus

For better or worse, Samsung remains the standard for excellence in the Android world. It consistently produces some of the best Android phones on the market and, every year, set the benchmark that all other companies are judged by. OnePlus is a company that isn't afraid to go toe-to-toe with this juggernaut and often creates phones that can take on the best that Samsung offers at a variety of price points.

OnePlus offers competitively priced phones that check about all the boxes. The Samsung Galaxy S23+ and the OnePlus 11 are two of the hottest phones launching in early 2023, and it's time to determine which one gives you the better overall package.

Price & availability

The Galaxy S23+ will cost you $999 for the 256GB version or $1120 for the 512GB version. It will be available on its website and through all major carriers and many smaller carriers around the United States. It can also be purchased through retailers such as Amazon and Best Buy. The Galaxy S23+ is available for preorder and will officially launch on February 17.

The price of the OnePlus 11 undercuts Samsung by a large margin. The 8GB/128GB version will cost you $699, and the 16GB/256GB version will set you back $799. It will be available for purchase from the OnePlus website, Amazon, and Best Buy. While it is compatible with all the major networks in the United States, it will not be available through any of them at launch. It is available for preorder now and will officially launch on February 16.

Design

The Galaxy S23+ sticks to a similar design that Samsung has used over the past few years. The front of the phone is pure glass, except for some thin and uniform bezels. The display has a hole-punch front-facing camera in the middle of the display located near the top bezel. Flip it over, and you'll find a flat back and its three protruding lenses. The Galaxy S23+ is covered in Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and armor aluminum to protect itself from the occasional fall.

OnePlus took a slightly different approach with its design. The front of the device is dominated by the display that curves as you approach the edges, and its selfie camera is located in the upper-left corner. The back is where you'll find OnePlus' unique design take with its large circular camera housing. It flows towards the edge like a waterfall and will likely be a polarizing design choice by the company. OnePlus covered the display in the original Gorilla Glass Victus and Gorilla Glass 5 on the back. It also includes a dedicated notification switch on the side to switch from vibrate to sound on the device.

The Galaxy S23+ measures 157.8 x 76.2 x 7.6mm and weighs 196g. At 163.1 x 74.1 x 8.53mm and weighing 205g, the OnePlus 11 is taller, thicker, and heavier than Samsung's device. It's a tad less wide, which may help your ability to grip it. The Galaxy S23+ comes in phantom black, cream, green, lavender, lime, and graphite colorways. The OnePlus 11 comes in either titan black or eternal green.

Display

Samsung tends to offer industry-leading displays in its devices, and the Galaxy S23+ is no slouch. It has a 6.6-inch AMOLED display with a 2340 x 1080 resolution (390ppi) and a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate (48Hz-120Hz). It can hit a peak brightness of 1,750 nits which makes it one of the brightest displays currently on the market.

Not to be outdone, OnePlus packed its device with an even better display. The OnePlus 11 has a 6.7-inch 3216 x 1440 display for a staggering 515ppi. Its panel is an LTPO display, which allows it to select a refresh rate between 1 and 120Hz, which should save some battery life. With a peak brightness of 1300 nits, it's not as bright as Samsung's display, but it shouldn't hurt your ability to see it clearly outdoors. Both phones utilize an in-display fingerprint sensor.

Software

Samsung ships the Galaxy S23+ with Android 13 and One UI 5.1. OnePlus also ships the OnePlus 11 with Android 13 and Oxygen OS. Both Samsung's One UI and OnePlus' Oxygen OS are feature-rich skins on top of Android. Both skins incorporate a ton of features into Android to further differentiate themselves from other manufacturers.

The Galaxy S23+ gets four years of Android OS software updates and an additional year of critical bug fixes. Beginning this year, OnePlus will also offer four years of Android OS updates and an additional year of bug fixes. Samsung has been more reliable in the update department in recent years, but OnePlus seems determined to turn its reputation around. The last year, however, has not been great for OnePlus updates.

Performance and connectivity

In terms of performance, these two phones are more similar than they are different. The Galaxy S23+ and OnePlus 11 ship with the powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor onboard. The Galaxy S23+ comes with 8GB of RAM and either 256GB or 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage. The OnePlus 11 comes with either 8GB of RAM and 128GB of UFS 3.1 storage or 16GB of RAM and 256GB of UFS 4.0 storage. Both devices will handle any task you can throw at them, including some serious gaming. They won't be as good as the best gaming phones for Android, but they won't have a problem tearing through the latest games.

Both devices come equipped with 5G (mmWave and Sub 6Ghz) and Bluetooth 5.3. The Galaxy S23+ ships with Wi-Fi 6E connectivity, while the OnePlus is capable of Wi-Fi 7. Depending on where you live, Wi-Fi 7 may be disabled at launch for the OnePlus 11 and will be enabled via a software update upon regulatory approval.

Battery life and charging

The Galaxy S23+ comes equipped with a 4700mAh battery that can be charged at 45W wired or 15W wirelessly. We haven't been able to test the battery life yet, but you can expect a full day of heavy usage. Hopefully, the 45W charger can charge the device faster this time. It can also do reverse charging if you have accessories that can take advantage of that feature.

The OnePlus 11 has a 5000mAh battery and is capable of charging at up to 80W with the included SUPERVOOC power adapter. OnePlus gives you a charger, but it can charge your phone to full capacity in less than half an hour.

Cameras

The Galaxy S23+ has a capable triple-camera setup. It's comprised of a 50MP f/1.8 primary lens, a 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide lens, and a 10MP f/2.4 telephoto lens. The S23+ has a 3X optical zoom and a 30X digital zoom. It can record 8K at 30fps, 4K at 60fps, and 1080p at 120fps. The selfie lens is a 12MP f/2.2 wide lens capable of recording 4k at 60fps.

OnePlus sticks to a similar triple-camera setup for the OnePlus 11 that is tuned by Hasselblad. You get a 50MP f/1.8 main camera, a 48MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera, and a 32MP f/2.0 portrait tele camera. The front-facing camera is equipped with a 16MP f/2.45 lens. It can record 8K video at 24fps, 4K up to 60fps, and 1080p at up to 60fps.

Both cameras will be very capable regardless of the phone you choose. The Galaxy S23+ takes great still photos and has additional zoom capabilities due to its telephoto lens. The OnePlus 11 will do well with stills (especially portraits) and should perform better with moving images.

Which is right for you?

Both Samsung and OnePlus have put together top-tier phones that are ready to take on any of the top 5G Android phones on the market. The issue boils down to price and what you get for the $300 difference. We already saw this when the Galaxy S23 took on the Pixel 7, and we are seeing it again in this competition.

Samsung is sitting on a perch within the Android space, but with exorbitant prices come exorbitant expectations. When a company like OnePlus can undercut your price by hundreds of dollars while still delivering an equal or arguably better phone, it becomes difficult to justify Samsung's pricing.

Unless you are a die-hard Samsung fan, save yourself the money and go with the OnePlus 11. You get a beautiful display, a great camera system, long battery life, and years of software updates. Just make sure you grab a screen protector and case to allow it to last as long as OnePlus' support will.