Samsung Galaxy S23
The Galaxy S23 offers the best that Samsung has, from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset to a high-class camera system led by an impressive 50MP sensor. It’s a decent upgrade over the S21 if you are on an upgrade program.
Samsung Galaxy S21 5G
The S21 may feel a bit less premium than the S23 due to some design choices, but Samsung will still support the two-year-old smartphone for a while. If you want to upgrade via an upgrade plan, go for it. However, if you’re spending your own money, it may be better to hold off another year.
The Samsung Galaxy S-series is always in the conversation of thebest Android phonesevery year. That was true when the Galaxy S21 was released and today with the newest Galaxy S23. But how well do the Galaxy phones hold up after a couple of years if you compare them to the latest flagships?
Thanks to Samsung’s commitment to software support for its devices and the relatively incremental upgrades these past two years, the S23 may not be worth the upgrade if you’re dishing out the full price to replace your previous S21. Here’s how the two phone stack up.
Price, specs, and availability
While it may be a flagship of yesteryear, the Galaxy S21 is still easily compatible with the major carriers in the U.S., making it one of the most accessible phones to use regardless of the wireless coverage in your area. Much like the S23, the S21 had 5G support — both sub-6 and mmWave — so it was great to use if you wanted those lightning-fast speeds in the city on one of thebest 5G phones.
The Galaxy S23 starting price is $800 for the model with 128GB of storage; that’s the same price the S21 was when it launched. The S21 is older now, meaning you can find it for a bit cheaper. However, it is harder to find new ones. There is a significant amount of them for sale in the secondhand and refurbished markets, and that could let you snag one for as low as $260 in some places if you feel comfortable going that route.
The Samsung Galaxy 23 finally did away with the camera bump featured prominently on the S21 (and S22), opting instead for a flush back where only the camera lenses stick out. The S21 had that camera bump, but it also had another significant difference, the back was made of plastic.
While this made the phone feel much lighter — and maybe a little cheaper — our review of theGalaxy S21noted that the plastic back felt quite nice. Still, Samsung didn’t like it in the end, as the S22 and S23 models went back to glass backs, which feel a bit more premium when the phone is in your hand.
Although two years have passed, the displays on the S23 and S21 aren’t too different. Both screens are FHD+ AMOLED with an adaptive refresh rate that goes up to 120Hz (and down to 48Hz). However, the Galaxy S23 can get significantly brighter. The peak brightness for the S21 was only 1,300 nits. Meanwhile, the new S23 can reach 1,750 nits, making it easier to see in direct sunlight or other settings with bright light.
You’ll also barely notice the size difference between the two displays, as the screen on the Galaxy S21 measures 6.2 inches, whereas the S23 comes in at 6.1 inches.
Although it may be easy to assume that the Galaxy S23 would be way ahead of the two-year-old S21 regarding software, Samsung’s commitment to supporting their devices longer than other companies is giving older devices a longer shelf life, and both phones are currently running the latest One UI on Android 14.
Still, the new Galaxy S23 will be supported longer (until Android 17), while the S21 will only see one more major update.
Performance
Running straight benchmarks on the two devices is likely to produce the results you would expect. The new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 powering the S23 will have better numbers. Still, it’s hard to say that the S21 lacks power and performance. The 8GB of RAM combined with the Snapdragon 888 still zooms through Android and plays games great.
It’s hard to imagine anyone but the most hardcore of power users noticing a huge difference in performance right now. Still, a couple more years down the line, the newer chipset will likely feel a bit sprier than the 888 does. While we wouldn’t say the chipset is the reason to upgrade to the S23, having the fastest Qualcomm chip available in your smartphone will feel nice.
Battery life and charging
You’re unlikely to notice much of a change in battery life between the two devices. The S23 has a slightly smaller battery — 3,900mAh — than the 4,000mAh one found in the Galaxy S21, but realistically this makes little difference. The standard Galaxy S-series phone has never been a battery darling, offering middle-of-the-road performance. On average use, you shouldn’t have much of a problem getting through a day, but you may need to reach for the charger a bit earlier if you’re pushing its limits.
The Galaxy S21 and S23 still offer the same charging speeds, both wirelessly (at 15W) or when charging with a cable (25W), so neither phone gives you less downtime than the other.
Samsung’s flagships have always had good cameras. Though, if push comes to shove, the Galaxy S23 has a better array, mainly because it focuses more on the primary lens than the S21 did.
The S23 features a 50MP, f/1.8 sensor that is a great point-and-shoot lens, allowing you to capture great shots in most lighting conditions, whereas the Galaxy S21 has a 12MP, f/1.8 sensor.
The telephoto lens on each camera is also an interesting contrast, as the S21 has a 64MP, f/2.0 sensor, in stark contrast to the mere 10MP, f/2.4 lens found on the S23. However, both only have a 3x optical zoom option, and once you zoom past that with digital zoom, the picture quality begins to degrade. So, don’t be fooled by the S21’s larger megapixel count, as it doesn’t equate to significantly better performance. The selfie cameras aren’t much different, with the S23 sporting a 12MP, f/2.2 sensor that is only two megapixels larger than the S21’s.
Shooting video on the S23 is a tad smoother since it can film 8K at 30fps as opposed to the 8K at 24fps the S21 gets. For all you TikTok stars out there, both phones can film 4K at 60fps from their selfie cams.
Is it worth the upgrade?
Even though it’s been two years, upgrading to the Galaxy S23 from your S21 is not a bad idea if you’re on an upgrade plan — be that through Samsung or a carrier. If you’re looking to upgrade your phone, swapping your S21 for the new S23 won’t disappoint you. The screen is brighter, the camera performs a little better, and when pushing the phone to its limits, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is the most powerful Android chip on the market. The S23 delivers what you’ve come to expect from Samsung.
Worth the upgrade if you’re on a plan
There’s no doubt that the Samsung Galaxy S23 is a great phone. It has a brighter screen, a faster chip, and a slightly better-performing camera array. However, it is likely only worth upgrading if you have an upgrade program to rely on. If you’re looking to pay your own money for the S23, it may be worth holding on to that S21 a bit longer.
If you choose not to upgrade your S21, you’re not worse for wear. Updates still cover you for another year or two, and although it’s not as bright, the display on your S21 is about the same as the one on the S23. If you can stick it out with a plastic-backed phone for a little longer, it may be worth waiting until the upgrade is much better.
Not a bad phone, even by today’s standards
Samsung is still supporting the Galaxy S21, and even though it feels a bit less premium than the newer S23, it’s not much different when it comes to day-to-day use. Still, if you have an upgrade plan with a carrier, you won’t regret trading up for the Galaxy S23.
