Despite what companies would like you to believe, you don’t need to get a new phone every year or two. So while Samsung’s 2023 lineup of its Galaxy S flagship phones may seem underwhelming when compared to the last generation, it’s not a bad thing that these devices offer little reason to upgrade. It’s just that after having said the same thing about the 2022 models, as well as competing phones from Apple and Google, it feels hard to be excited about non-folding smartphones anymore.

Like most of the competition, Samsung has focused on tweaking the S23 series’ camera and software features, alongside small adjustments to display and design. We’ve also got the typical processor upgrade and promised battery life improvements, which are objectively good things on paper, but in reality don’t impact your daily use that much.

We’ve already reviewed the S23 Ultra which, thanks to a large screen, onboard S-Pen and 200-megapixel camera, is aggressively targeted at power users. For everyone else looking to get a new Android phone, there’s the S23+ or the S23. Samsung hasn’t made the smallest model available to review yet, so we’re focusing on the Plus model here. If you’re considering Samsung’s middle child, it’s probably only worth it if you’re currently using something at least three years old or if you’re outside the US.

Design

One of the most noticeable changes between the S23+ and its predecessor is this year’s cleaned up appearance. The two phones are basically the same, save for the shiny camera housing on the back of the older model, wrapping around the top left corner. Samsung introduced this “contour cut” housing on the S21, and I grew to like the aesthetic, especially on the lavender and pink versions.

Looking at the S22+ and S23+ side by side, I’m ambivalent – they’re both inoffensive. Whether you prefer the cleaner look depends on your personal taste. Functionally, nothing is too different between the two designs — the S23+ wobbles slightly less, but that was never a huge deal on the S22. I liked the lavender color of our review unit, as well as the green version I saw at Samsung’s hands-on event, but the cream and black options bore me.

In terms of physical dimensions, the differences between the two generations are negligible. They’re practically the same weight, width and length and exactly the same thickness. The S23+ is slimmer and lighter than the Pixel 7 Pro and iPhone 14 Plus, though those two have larger displays.

Display and audio

Speaking of, one area that Samsung did somewhat improve on the S23+ is its screen. Yes, it’s mostly the same as before, with the same size, same FHD+ resolution and an up to 120Hz refresh rate. By now you probably have heard reviewers like myself extol the virtues of screens with high refresh rates and how great they are for scrolling your Instagram or Reddit feeds. The S23+ is no exception.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

But it’s now capable of hitting up to 1,750 nits when outdoors compared to 1,200 nits before, meaning it should be easier to read in sunlight. There haven’t been many sunny days recently, so it’s been hard to put this to the test. But, the S23+ still offers a vibrant, colorful screen as is typical for Samsung’s mobile products. 

Meanwhile, when it comes to audio, the Galaxy S23+ is as good as any flagship smartphone. That is to say it offers clear vocals and ample volume, but is slightly lacking in bass. Voices of The Weeknd, SZA and Rihanna all sounded clear in the songs that I listened to, though the instruments in the latter's cover of Love On The Brain sounded a little messy.

Cameras

The triple rear camera system on the S23+ is the same as before. That is to say, its main 50-megapixel sensor is accompanied by a 10MP telephoto and a 12MP ultrawide. Up front, though, the S23+ has a new 12MP sensor with an f/2.2 aperture and 80-degree field of view.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

As a professional pixel peeper (™), I could make out just the slightest difference in sharpness between selfies taken with the S22+ and S23+, specifically in the highlighted strands of my hair. There was some distortion in the pictures taken with the older phone, whereas the same lines were tack sharp on the 12MP version. Overall, though, barring some general color temperature variations, it was hard to tell the two images apart.

Compared to the Pixel 7 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro, the S23+ has a slight advantage in retaining detail, thanks to its dual-pixel autofocus as well. I shot some selfies with a friend as we were cackling maniacally one night, and Samsung’s flagship was the only one that retained the gorgeous greens, purples and blues in her hair, while capturing every individual strand of her eyelashes. You could even see the texture of the pigmentation in her purple eyeshadow.

The Pixel’s 10.8MP front camera managed to capture the hues in her hair too, but its picture simply wasn’t as detailed or clear. Meanwhile, the iPhone’s 12MP photo barely showed any of the colors in my friend’s tresses.

Though they remain unchanged, the S23+’s rear cameras are still pretty capable. In most situations with adequate light, they deliver pictures that are similar in quality to the Pixel 7 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro. My shots of the New York cityscape one overcast day all showed slightly different coloring. The S23+ had the deepest, brightest blue, while the Pixel was the most neutral. Samsung’s 3x telephoto lens let me get the closest to faraway buildings and still get crisp pics, though Google’s algorithms still made for clean results.

In low light, however, the Pixel consistently outdid the S23+, with better exposure and retention of clarity in my numerous shots of mouth-watering food. Whether it’s a shiny fried shrimp or a plate of tantalizing scallops, the Pixel delivered more even highlights than the S23+. Google’s portrait mode also consistently kept subjects in focus, although every now and then the S23+ would produce a photo with surprisingly accurate outlines of my subjects.

While it’s not at the same level as Google’s or Apple’s flagship cameras, the S23+ isn’t lagging far behind and offers some versatility for those looking to take shots from a distance.

Performance and battery life

This year marks the first time Samsung is using a Snapdragon processor in all variants of the Galaxy S series, regardless of where they’re bought. That means if you were relegated to using a version with Samsung’s own Exynos chip in the past, getting an S23 would be a bigger upgrade for you than someone in the US. Exynos models have been criticized for performance and battery life drawbacks compared to their Snapdragon counterparts, so trading your S22 in for an S23 would make more sense in Europe or Asia than in the US.

The S23 series is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy, which is a customized version of Qualcomm’s top-of-the-line mobile processor. It has slightly higher clock speeds than the regular edition, so if this is the only deciding factor for you when choosing between a Galaxy and, say, a OnePlus, then know that this difference is extremely slight.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

In daily use, the S23+ felt as zippy as any of the new phones I’ve tested lately. Whether I’m dragging and dropping my face between apps, learning Japanese on “Hey Japan,” mindlessly scrolling on Instagram or trying to get into Genshin: Impact, the S23+ never hiccuped. I generally expect pretty smooth performance out of new phones like this, so I can’t say I’m especially impressed, and it’s probably more realistic to evaluate performance after a few months with the phone.

I can, however, talk about how impressive the battery life has been. In general the S23+ has matched the Pixel 7 Pro that I also carried around while testing their cameras, and both devices stuck around for longer than two days without a charge. Granted, I wasn’t heavily using either during that time, mostly whipping them out to take photos and videos throughout the day.

On our video rundown battery test, the S23+ clocked a whopping 25 hours, which beats pretty much every phone we tested in 2022, as well as the Galaxy S23 Ultra and OnePlus 11.

Wrap-up

It might feel like nitpicking, but with so few meaningful changes, the S23+ doesn’t feel like it’s worth upgrading to if you’re using an S22 or S21. That is, at least, if you’re in the US. Those who are living with an Exynos version of an older Galaxy flagship will likely find a greater improvement in performance and battery life, making it a more worthy upgrade.

But just because the S23+ isn’t chock full of surprises and updates doesn’t mean it’s not a good phone. It still ranks up there as one of the best Android phones around. Samsung has consistently delivered capable phones with thoughtful software and features in the last few years and with the S23+, it continues to be a serious contender for those looking for an excellent Android phone.

Never mind eSIMs — your next phone might have a more advanced way of connecting to your carrier. Qualcomm and Thales have confirmed the certification of the first user-ready Integrated SIM, or "iSIM." It promises the same card-free digital sign-ups and security as eSIMs, but is built directly into a phone's main processor. Your phone doesn't need a dedicated chip, saving space and (hopefully) money.

The companies don't say which phones will be the first to use iSIMs. The technology supports the same remote provisioning standard as eSIMs, however. Your provider won't necessarily need to update its systems to support iSIM-based devices.

There's no guarantee phone makers will pass any savings along to you. The reduced footprint could make room for slightly larger batteries and other components, though. More importantly, this might encourage more manufacturers to use digital SIMs by making the tech easier to implement. With that said, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is a high-end platform. You may not see wider adoption until more affordable chips (and thus lower-priced phones) offer iSIM support.

The timing is convenient, at least. Many phones now include eSIM support, while American iPhone 14 and 14 Pro models don't have physical SIM trays. The conventional SIM card is on the decline, and iSIM could hasten that transition by making its virtual counterpart more commonplace.

Microsoft is taking its first steps towards bringing iPhone syncing to Windows 11. The company announced today that the Insider preview of Phone Link would support iPhones starting this week. The feature (which has undergone several name changes) has worked with Android phones since as far back as 2015.

The initial preview will only sync calls, messages and contacts from your iPhone to a Windows 11 PC. (It will show them like regular Windows notifications.) However, there are some limits: You won’t be able to reply to group messages, and sending media in messages is also unsupported. Still, it’s a big step in the right direction for a feature that has thus far excluded the countless people who use both iPhones and Windows PCs.

Microsoft says Phone Link for iPhones will only roll out to “a small percentage” of Windows Insiders this week; it explicitly states that not all Insiders will initially see the option. Instead, the company will expand the preview to more Insiders as it gathers feedback from the first batch of testers. Further, access is cloud-based, so there won’t be a specific version of the Phone Link app that instantly lets you use the preview.

Microsoft

If you’re one of the lucky few accepted, you’ll see an option to link your iPhone in the Phone Link app. After choosing it, it will guide you through the steps to pair your phone and PC over Bluetooth (including scanning a QR code). You’ll also need to confirm a code and grant permissions on both the Windows and iOS sides to ensure everything syncs up.

The feature follows Intel’s Unison app, which supports calls, messages, notifications and file transfers between phones (including iPhones) and Intel PCs. Several third-party apps like AirDroid have offered similar functionality for years.

Almost four years after it was announced, Pokémon Sleep, a mobile game that tracks your sleep, is finally on the way. According to yesterday's Pokémon Presents event, it’ll arrive sometime this summer, after it was meant to debut in 2020. It features Snorlax (of course) and Professor Neroli, a Pokémon sleep researcher. The idea is you leave your phone next to you when you go to bed, and it analyzes your sleep… somehow.

There’s also Pokémon Go Plus +, a new physical device that connects to both Pokémon Sleep and Pokémon Go. For the former, you press the button when you go to bed and again when you wake up to track your sleep data, presumably instead of needing your phone. Pokémon Go Plus + (yes, that’s its name) follows the original Pokémon Go Plus peripheral, which emerged in 2016. It will be available on July 14th and cost $55.

– Mat Smith

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Xiaomi shows off its new wireless AR glasses

They use the same chip as Meta’s Quest Pro.

Xiaomi

MWC 2023 has kicked off, and while the biggest phone players might not be revealing much, there are plenty of intriguing phones and peripherals. Xiaomi has unveiled its Wireless AR Glass Discovery Edition, a compact AR headset using the same Snapdragon XR2 Gen 1 as the Quest Pro. The company says these oversized sunglasses offer an elegant way to blend the digital and real worlds but don’t need to be tethered to a smartphone. There’s no word on price or availability, but they do look like they belong in a ‘00s music video.

Continue reading.

The OnePlus 11 Concept phone includes PC-like liquid cooling

The experimental project may hint at future phone designs.

OnePlus has revealed its latest experimental phone – and this time, the features are more practical than before. The OnePlus 11 Concept centers on Active CryoFlux liquid cooling, which mimics some gaming PCs. The system uses a piezoelectric ceramic micropump to send cooling fluid throughout pipelines in the phone (visible on the outside) without "significantly" increasing the phone's bulk.

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Google is bringing a bunch of new features to Android and Wear OS

Including better organizational tools and tap-to-pay animations.

Google is unveiling a raft of minor additions to Android and Wear OS, including a new widget for Google Keep to check off your to-do lists from your home screen. And with a compatible watch, you’ll be able to dictate notes and to-do list items from your wrist. Another more notable change is improved noise cancellation in Google Meet when used on some Android devices. Google said you’ll soon be able to use Chrome OS' Fast Pair feature to connect new Bluetooth headphones to your machine with a single tap.

Continue reading.

You can now fly the largest aircraft ever built in 'Microsoft Flight Simulator'

Proceeds will go toward rebuilding the craft destroyed during Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Microsoft

One year ago today, the largest aircraft ever built was destroyed during the early days of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Now, the Antonov An-225 Mriya is once again taking to the skies – albeit in Microsoft Flight Simulator. The Ukraine-built Mriya was an ultra-heavy lift jet transport aircraft with six engines. It was the heaviest aircraft ever built, and it had the largest wingspan of any plane at 290 feet. The Flight Simulator version of Mriya costs $20, with all proceeds going to the Antonov Corporation's Mryia reconstruction efforts.

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OnePlus is having quite an eventful Mobile World Congress. In addition to revealing its latest experimental phone that it envisions to have liquid cooling capabilities, the company has also announced that it will be launching its first foldable smartphone in the second half of 2023. With this revelation, OnePlus has confirmed previous rumors that it's working on a foldable device similar to Samsung's offerings. The company teased a mysterious Q3 2023 launch with what seemed to be silhouettes of devices that fold in the background at the OnePlus 11 event earlier this month, but it fell short of saying what exactly it would be releasing. 

Despite its confirmation, OnePlus remains tight-lipped on what a foldable device from the company would entail. XDA Developers reported in January that it found two trademark listings with the China National Intellectual Property Administration for a OnePlus V Fold and a OnePlus V Flip. In today's announcement, OnePlus only talks about one smartphone, so it's unclear if it's actually developing two at the moment. All Kinder Liu, President and COO of OnePlus, had to say at the event was:

"Our first foldable phone will have the signature OnePlus fast and smooth experience. It must be a flagship phone that doesn't settle because of its folding form, in terms of industrial design, mechanical technology, and other aspects. We want to launch a device that aims to be at the pinnacle experience of today’s foldable market."

The company promised to release more details about its foldable device in the coming months. Aside from that, it also shared its plans to build a more cohesive ecosystem within the next three to five years. It said the ecosystem will enable OnePlus to provide seamless connection across its phones, tablets, wearables and internet-of-things devices. 

One of the best selling points of Apple devices is that even when the company releases new hardware, previous generations continue to be supported for years to come. That's the case for the popular 2021 10.2-inch iPad, which now finds itself on sale at Amazon for $250, the lowest price we've seen to date. That's at least a $79 saving on its recommended price and $20 below its previous low.

The 10.2-inch iPad remains a solid purchase simply because it has a lot of bang for its buck. At $250, it'll run all day, has a nice bright display and its processor is still plenty snappy for gaming and general multitasking. Its wide-angle camera with Center Stage makes it easier for the family to video call friends and loved ones by bundling everyone into the frame. The 2021 iPad has enough storage for most tasks, access to plenty of apps and offers improved Messages, Siri and Dictation features with iPadOS 16.

Make no mistake, the 2021 iPad — with its old-school design — may feel a little dated compared to its newer sibling. You won't get those thinner bezels, faster processors and improved cameras, but you won't be spending $400 either. There's no Magic Keyboard or second-generation Pencil support on this model but if you don't need those extras, the 10.2-inch iPad is still a very solid device for armchair gaming, reading, video watching and browsing.

For the first time in nearly 60 years, one-time smartphone giant Nokia is changing its iconic logo. On Sunday, before the official start of Mobile World Congress Barcelona, the company unveiled a new brand identity, and it’s a dramatic change. Gone is the iconic typeface and “Yale blue” that defined its previous logo. The company has instead adopted a look it claims is more modern and digital.

“We are updating our strategy, and, as a key enabler, we are also refreshing our brand to reflect who we are today: a business-to-business technology innovation leader pioneering the future where networks meet cloud,” Nokia said in a blog post attributed to CEO Pekka Lundmark. "In most people’s minds, we are still a successful mobile phone brand, but this is not what Nokia is about,” Lundmark told Bloomberg. "We want to launch a new brand that is focusing very much on the networks and industrial digitalization, which is a completely different thing from the legacy mobile phones.”

Is this the end of a logo so many people know and love? Not necessarily. You may recall, Nokia’s phone business hasn’t been a part of Nokia proper since Microsoft’s ultimately disastrous $7 billion acquisition of the company’s Devices and Services division in 2014. After the tech giant washed its hands clean of that deal in 2016, HMD Global, a company made up of former Nokia execs, acquired the rights to use the Nokia brand for smartphones and tablets, and has been doing its own thing ever since then. In fact, the company announced its latest device, the G22, just one day before today’s announcement, and as it so happens, that phone features the classic Nokia logo. Engadget has reached out to HMD Global to find out if the company plans to continue using that logo.

TCL is back at Mobile World Congress this year with a bunch of budget-friendly new gear to show off. Among other things, the company has developed a new version of its color paper-like screen technology, which it's calling NXTPAPER 2.0.

Compared with the previous version, TCL says NXTPAPER 2.0 delivers 150 percent more brightness with up to 500 nits, making it easier to use outdoors during the day (the anti-glare tech should help too). The company claims that, due to hardware-level filtering, the technology exceeds TÜV-certified levels of blue light reduction. TCL says the tech can help protect your eye health while maintaining color accuracy and avoiding screen yellowing. The screen's color temperature will adjust automatically based on the time and environment as well.

You'll soon be able to check out NXTPAPER 2.0 on a new tablet. The NXTPAPER 11 has an 11-inch, 2K display and TCL says there's a feature called AI Visual Boost that makes colors "bolder and more lifelike." The Android 13 tablet runs on an octa-core processor. It has 8MP cameras on the front and rear, four speakers, dual mics and an 8,000mAh battery. The tablet, which weighs just over a pound (462g), starts at $249 and it will initially be available in Europe in May.

Also new is the TCL TAB 11, another 11-inch tablet, albeit with a 2K NXTVISION display. It otherwise has similar specs as the NXTPAPER 11. The TAB 11 will be available in May and it starts at $179. Versions with LTE start at $209.

TCL

On the phone front, TCL has a few new models for the US market: the 40 XE 5G, 40 X 5G and a 40 XL with 4G connectivity. The $169 40 XE 5G is the lowest-cost 5G TCL phone to date, the company said. It has a 6.56-inch HD+ display with a 90Hz refresh rate and 180Hz touch sampling. The rear camera array features a 13MP main camera and 2MP depth and macro sensors. On the front, there's an 8MP lens. The phone has a 2.2GHz octo-core processor and 4GB of RAM. There's just 64GB of storage, but you can add another 1TB via microSD.

The 40 XE 5G will be available in June, just like the 40 X 5G, which has similar specs, but a more advanced 50MP main camera. That model starts at $199. The 4G-only 40 XL, meanwhile, has a 6.75" HD+ display, dual speakers and a 50MP main camera. There's an octa-core processor and base storage of 128GB. You can pick that Android 13 phone up in May for $149.

Along with the phones and tablets, TCL has a fresh set of earphones. It says the MOVEAUDIO Neo earbuds have 25dB of bass-boosted sound, four EQ modes, dual-mic call noise cancellation and active noise cancellation. They're available now for $50.

Just ahead of Mobile World Congress, HMD Global has announced a trio of Nokia phones, including the first one it built specifically with repairability in mind. The company has teamed up with iFixit to offer official repair guides and parts to help people fix issues such as a busted display, kaput battery or wonky charging port on the G22.

The device has a plastic rear casing made entirely of recycled materials, and comes with the promise of two years of Android updates, three years of security patches and a three-year warranty. The G22 is very much an entry-level phone — it has a Unisoc T606 CPU and tops out at 128GB of internal storage (though that's expandable via microSD). It has a 6.5-inch HD display with a 90Hz refresh rate. There's a 50MP camera, 2MP depth camera and 2MP macro sensor. The device supports 20W fast charging, though it runs on Android 12 rather than the latest OS.

HMD Global

The G22 embodies the drive HMD has been making to become more environmentally friendly. With other manufacturers such as Apple, Google and Samsung offering official repair guides and parts so consumers can resolve issues by themselves, it makes sense that smaller brands would do the same.

You'll be able to pick up a G22 in gray or blue starting on March 8th. It starts at £150 ($179) or you can snag one through HMD's Circular subscription service. To fix certain issues, you can snap up a Fit Kit (i.e., the tools) from iFixit for £5. A replacement battery will cost £23, a display £45 and a charging port £19.

HMD also announced the Nokia C32, an Android 13 phone with "stellar imaging algorithms" and a 50MP main camera. The company says it offers the best image quality of any C-series device to date. The C32 has an octa-core, 1.6Ghz CPU, up to 4GB of RAM and up to 128GB of internal storage. There's a 6.5-inch HD+ display with a notch for the 8MP selfie camera. The £130 ($155) device will be available in charcoal, green and pink, and it will land in the UK this spring.

HMD Global

In addition, there's the Nokia C22. Like the other new models, it has IP52 splash and dust protection, a microSD slot and (HMD claims) a battery that can run for up to three days on a single charge. The C22 has a dual 13MP camera and a rugged metal chassis, along with Android 13, a 6.5-inch display and an octa-core, 1.6Ghz CPU. Internal storage tops out at 64GB. Again, this is a budget-friendly phone — it starts at £110 ($131). It comes in black and sand colorways and it will be available in the spring.

On top of all that, HMD wants to bring manufacturing to Europe. "In the first stage of this journey, the company is developing capabilities and processes to bring 5G Nokia device production to Europe in 2023," it said in a press release. The fact that the European Union is aiming to manufacture more chips in the region rather than relying on parts from Asia could make HMD's plan more viable. Making phones in Europe primarily for a European market falls in with HMD's environmentally friendly mission too.

MediaTek is set to demonstrate its new technology that can put two-way satellite communications on smartphones at this year's Mobile World Congress (MWC), which will take place from February 28th to March 3rd. Some of the devices that will show whether the semiconductor's product actually works will come from Motorola. The manufacturer will debut two satellite smartphones, the defy 2 and CAT S75, as well as a Bluetooth accessory that comes equipped with MediaTek's chip at the event. 

The company's response to Qualcomm's and Apple's satellite technologies is a standalone chipset that can be added to any 4G or 5G phone. It uses the 3GPP Non-Terrestrial Network standard instead of proprietary technologies like Qualcomm's and Apple's do, which means it can be used with any network that complies with the standard. MediaTek teamed up with a company called Bullitt to use the latter's Satellite Connect service and enable the satellite messaging feature on the aforementioned Motorola devices.

Another difference is that MediaTek's chips connect to Geosynchronous Equatorial Orbit satellites instead of to satellites in Low Earth Orbit. The chipmaker says its technology enables not just emergency SOS texts like Apple's can, but also full two-way messaging. That means it can actually receive messages sent via satellite connection and not just send them. The iPhone 14, which debuted Apple's satellite tech, can't receive messages without a traditional cellular connection yet. Meanwhile, devices using Qualcomm's Snapdragon Satellite tech will need to be manually refreshed for new messages.

The Motorola defy 2 smartphone and defy Bluetooth accessory will be released in the second quarter of the year across North America, Latin America and Canada and will be the first devices to offer MediaTek's satellite capabilities. 

MediaTek