Technologies

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 Galaxy S23 series

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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.

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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

What a Ban Would Actually Mean for DJI Drone Owners and Holiday Shoppers

What’s the secret to a very un-merry shopping season? A brand new, unusable drone.

With Thanksgiving wrapped up and the Black Friday shopping sales here, if a DJI drone is on your holiday wish list, you might want to hit «buy» immediately. The company has issued a stark warning: Its drones could be banned from sale in the US, and the deadline is looming.

The Federal Communications Commission voted 3-0 at the end of October to «close loopholes» that allow tech deemed a «national security risk» to be sold in the US. In plain English, the US government is clearing the path to give DJI the same treatment it gave Chinese phone-maker Huawei, effectively banning its products from the American market.

The US government has deemed DJI, which is based in China, a security risk. It’s also considering a separate ban on TP-Link routers.

DJI is already sounding the alarm, posting on Instagram that a «deadline that could decide DJI’s fate in the US is just 43 days away» (now 19 days away). The company is warning that without an audit, its products could face an «automatic ban.» The US government has long labeled the Chinese drone maker a security risk, and it looks like the hammer might finally be coming down right before the holidays.

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The vote isn’t the end of the road, however. Future bans would need to target specific products and would require a period of public consultation. But it appears the groundwork is being set for the FCC to block sales of future and some existing DJI drones from US shores, as well as products that use DJI technology.

The government has called for a DJI audit by the end of the year, but if that doesn’t happen, DJI drone products could be banned for sale by default under a national security law.

DJI asks for a security audit before any ban

A representative for DJI told CNET that while the FCC vote references a rule change that doesn’t currently apply to DJI specifically, the National Defense Authorization Act deadline in December would put Chinese companies like it on the FCC’s ban list, «without any evidence of wrongdoing or the right to appeal.»

Adam Welsh, head of global policy at DJI, said the company has repeatedly said it would be open to audit, but that «more than 10 months have now passed with no sign that the process has begun.»

«The US government has every right to strengthen national security measures, but this must go hand in hand with due process, fairness, and transparency,» Welsh said.

Welsh said DJI is urging the government to start the audit process or grant an extension.

Will DJI drone owners need to give them up?

Because the ban would apply to new sales, not drones that have already been sold, a DJI drone you already own would still be legal to use — at least under current rules.

Government agencies, however, are prohibited from purchasing or using drones from Chinese companies, including DJI.

DJI’s drones consistently rank high in their product category. In January, they dominated CNET’s list of best drones for 2025. But some of the company’s newest products, such as the DJI Mavic 4 Pro, haven’t been available for sale in the United States.

Even DJI products that are not yet banned may be hard to find. The website UAV Coach has posted a guide to the bans and reports that, due to inventory issues, most DJI drone models are sold out at retailers regardless of future FCC action.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Nov. 29 #636

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Nov. 29, No. 636.

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.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle is a real puzzler. Some of the answers are difficult to unscramble, so 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: What a piece of work!

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: You can build it in a shop.

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:

CREW, REAM, LANE, WHEE, DELL, CANE, PULL, REVEL

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:

WHEEL, AXLE, LEVER, WEDGE, PLANE, PULLEY, SCREW

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is SIMPLEMACHINE. To find it, start with the S that’s three letters to the right on the top row, and wind over and down.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Nov. 29, #902

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Nov. 29, #902.

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

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle is tough. If you need help sorting them into groups, you’re in the right place. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Middle of the body.

Green group hint: Fill-in.

Blue group hint: Nice place to hang out.

Purple group hint: Card game.