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How Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Base, Plus and Ultra Phones Stack Up

The trio of phones in Samsung’s Galaxy S23 lineup are each unique in their own way. Let’s compare them.

This story is part of Samsung Event, CNET’s collection of news, tips and advice around Samsung’s most popular products.

Samsung’s Galaxy S23 family is here. The premium smartphone line, which was unveiled at the company’s February Unpacked event in San Francisco alongside the Galaxy Book 3, consists of three models: the Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23 Plus and the top-specced Galaxy S23 Ultra. So, what are the differences between each model?

Starting prices for the phones, at least in the US, remain the same as last year, with the base Galaxy S23 starting at $800 (£849, AU$1,349), bumping up to $1,000 (£1,049, AU$1,649) for the Galaxy S23 Plus and maxing out at $1,200 (£1,249, AU$1,949) for the Galaxy 23 Ultra. 

Samsung has increased prices in the UK and Australia, however, among other countries and regions. For example, the starting price of the base Galaxy S23 has increased in the UK by £80 compared to the launch price of the Galaxy S22. In Australia, the base S23 model received a AU$100 bump.

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Samsung’s all-new Galaxy S23 flagship lineup is now available to buy. You can save on the latest devices with several Galaxy S23 deals already available at Samsung, Best Buy, all the major phone carriers and more.

The three devices share a similar glass and aluminum design. They use the same processor (the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2), have the same display adaptive refresh rate (up to 120Hz) and 12-megapixel selfie camera. The three phones support ultrawideband, a radio technology that powers features such as using digital car keys and lost item tracking.

The S23 is the smallest of the three, weighing 168 grams (5.93 ounces) with a 6.1-inch AMOLED display. The S23 Plus has a 6.6-inch screen and the S23 Ultra has a 6.8-inch display. They weigh 195 grams (6.88 ounces) and 234 grams (8.25 ounces) respectively. 

The Galaxy S23 Ultra has a four-camera module, with a 200-megapixel main camera, two 10-megapixel telephoto cameras and a 12-megapixel ultrawide lens. According to Samsung’s product pages, these sensors have improved resolution (obviously), but also improve the phone’s low-light photography by combining sets of smaller pixels into larger individual ones that can capture more light. 

The S23 and S23 Plus have identical triple-camera setups on the rear. Both include a telephoto lens, which should be helpful for capturing faraway subjects. You can learn more about the camera specs in our chart below.  

The Galaxy S23 Ultra’s new Note-like features set it apart from both the rest of the S23 lineup and other premium phones made by competitors such as Apple and Xiaomi. It’s the second time a Galaxy S Ultra phone has come with a stylus included in the box. There’s also a slot for storing it on the phone — just like Samsung’s all-but-discontinued Note series. S Pen fans who bought the Galaxy S21 Ultra had to pay for the stylus separately and find a specific phone case that could store it.

For more information on the similarities and differences between the Samsung Galaxy S23 lineup, look at our specs chart below. 

Galaxy S23 lineup compared

Galaxy S23 Galaxy S23 Plus Galaxy S23 Ultra
Display size, resolution, refresh rate 6.1-inch AMOLED; 2,340×1,080 pixels; 120Hz 6.6-inch AMOLED; 2,340×1,080 pixels; 120Hz 6.8-inch AMOLED; 3,088×1,440 pixels; 120Hz
Display pixel density 425 ppi 393 ppi 500 ppi
Size (inches) 2.79 x 5.76 x 0.3 in 3 x 6.21 x 0.3 in 3.07 x 6.43 x 0.35 in
Size (millimeters) 70.9 x 146.3 x 7.6 mm 76.2 x 157.7 x 7.6 mm 78 x 163.3 x 8.9 mm
Weight (grams, ounces) 168 g (5.93 oz) 196 g (6.91 oz) 234 g (8.25 oz)
Operating system Android 13 Android 13 Android 13
Rear cameras 50-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 10-megapixel (telephoto) 50-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 10-megapixel (telephoto) 200-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide) 10-megapixel (telephoto) 10-megapixel (telephoto)
Front camera 12-megapixel 12-megapixel 12-megapixel
Video capture 8K 8K 8K
Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy
RAM and storage options 8GB RAM + 128GB; 8GB RAM + 256GB 8GB + 256GB;8GB + 512GB 8GB + 256GB; 12GB + 256GB; 12GB + 512GB; 12GB + 1TB
Battery capacity and charging rate 3,900 mAh (25W wired charging) 4,700 mAh (45W wired charging) 5,000 mAh (45W wired charging)
Charging port USB-C USB-C USB-C
Other features 5G (mmw/Sub6), IP68 rating, wireless PowerShare to charge other devices 5G (mmw/Sub6), IP68 rating, wireless PowerShare to charge other devices, UWB for finding other devices 5G (mmw/Sub6), IP68 rating, wireless PowerShare to charge other devices, integrated S Pen, 100x Space Zoom, 10x Optical Zoom, UWB for finding other devices
US price $800 (8GB/128GB) $1,000 (8GB/256GB) $1,200 (12GB/256GB)
UK price £849 (8GB/128GB) £1,049 (8GB/256GB) £1,249 (12GB/256GB)
Australian price AU$1,349 (8GB/128GB) AU$1,649 (8GB/256GB) AU$1,949 (12GB/256GB)

Technologies

Google Discover Gains Follow Button and Expands Content Sources

Google’s personalized news feed will feature a wider variety of content in the coming weeks.

Google Discover, Google’s personalized news feed, has largely remained the same since its introduction in 2018, but it’s now receiving some new and helpful features. 

On Wednesday, Google announced that Discover will soon expand the type of content found within the feed and allow you to follow publications and creators. You can find Google Discover in the Google app, and it will be built into the home screens of some Android phones. 


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Instead of just seeing a list of web pages to visit on your feed, you’ll soon see a mix of web articles, YouTube videos and social media posts from X and Instagram, effectively widening the net of content shown in Discover. 

Along with expanding content from more sources, Google Discover is allowing users to follow specific publishers and content creators using a «follow» button at the top right of each content card. 

Google says that tapping the publication’s or creator’s name will open a new page previewing the content that’s typically shared before you choose to follow the outlet. From our testing across multiple phones so far, it appears the feature is still rolling out. 

Your Google Discover feed should now allow you to follow content creators. A more diversified mix of content will roll out over the coming weeks. 

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Technologies

New Bill Aims to Block Both Online Adult Content and VPNs: How Your VPN Could Be Affected

A proposed bill in Michigan has a broad reach that covers everything from adult AI content to manga and even depictions of transgender people. It includes a VPN ban to avoid workarounds.

If you live in Michigan, you might not be able to legally use a VPN soon if a new bill is passed into law. On Sept. 11, Michigan Republican representatives proposed far-reaching legislation banning adult internet content. 

The bill, called the Anticorruption of Public Morals Act and advanced by six Republican representatives, would ban a wide variety of adult content online, ranging from ASMR and adult manga to AI content and any depiction of transgender people. It also seeks to ban all use of VPNs, foreign or US-produced. 


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VPNs, or virtual private networks, are software suites often used as workarounds to avoid similar content bans that have passed in states like Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and the UK. VPNs can be purchased with subscriptions or downloaded and are also built into some browsers and Wi-Fi routers.

But Michigan’s bill would charge internet service providers with detecting and blocking VPN use, as well as banning the sale of VPNs in the state. Associated fines would be up to $500,000.

What the ban could mean for VPNs

Unlike some laws banning access to adult content, this Michigan bill is comprehensive. It applies to all residents of Michigan, adults or children, targets an extensive range of content and includes language that could ban not only VPNs but any method of bypassing internet filters or restrictions. 

That could spell trouble for VPN owners and other internet users who leverage these tools to improve their privacy, protect their identities online, prevent ISPs from gathering data about them or increase their device safety when browsing on public Wi-Fi.

Read more: CNET Survey: 47% of Americans Use VPNs for Privacy. That Number Could Rise. Here’s Why

Bills like these could have unintended side effects. John Perrino, Senior Policy and Advocacy Expert for the nonprofit Internet Society, mentioned to CNET that adult content laws like this could interfere with what kind of music people can stream, the sexual health forums and articles they can access and even important news involving sexual topics that they may want to read.

 «Additionally, state age verification laws are difficult for smaller services to comply with, hurting competition and an open internet,» Perrino said.

The Anticorruption of Public Morals Act has not passed the Michigan House of Representatives committee or been voted on by the Michigan Senate, and it’s not clear how much support the bill has beyond the six Republican representatives who have proposed it. As we’ve seen with state legislation in the past, sometimes bills like these can serve as templates for other representatives who may want to propose similar laws in their own states.

Could VPNs still get around bans like these?

Could VPNs still get around this type of ban? That’s a complex question that this bill doesn’t really address. 

«From a technical standpoint, ISPs can attempt to distinguish VPN traffic using deep packet inspection, or they can block known VPN IP addresses,» said NordVPN privacy advocate Laura Tyrylyte. «However, deploying them effectively requires big investments and ongoing maintenance, making large-scale VPN blocking both costly and complex.»

Also, VPNs have ways around deep packet inspection and other methods. 

«Some VPNs offer obfuscation — which tries to disguise VPN traffic as standard web traffic — using dedicated servers or custom VPN protocols, like NordVPN’s NordWhisper or Proton VPN’s Stealth,» said CNET senior editor Moe Long. «But note that obfuscation isn’t foolproof.»

There are also no-log features offered by many VPNs to guarantee they don’t keep a record of your activity, and no-log audits from third parties like Deloitte that — well, try to guarantee the guarantee. VPNs can even use server tricks, such as RAM-only servers that automatically reboot to erase data after every browsing session.

If you’re seriously concerned about your data privacy, you can look for features like these in a VPN and see if they are right for you. Changes like these, even on the state level, are one reason we pay close attention to how specific VPNs work during our testing, and recommend the right VPNs for the job, from speedy browsing to privacy while traveling.

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Sept. 19 #565

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Sept. 19, No. 565.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.


Do you drink your coffee black? If so, today’s NYT Strands puzzle might be a puzzler. If you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story. 

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Pour it on.

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Wow, no cow.

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

  • NONE, CONE, RICER, SHEW, FAIR, FAIRY, DRAY, YARD, MILK, CASH, DONE, DRAM, MADAM

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

  • RICE, FLAX, ALMOND, CASHEW, COCONUT, MACADAMIA

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is NONDAIRYMILK. To find it, look for the N that’s four letters down on the far-left row, and wind across and down.

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