What is the flagship phone to buy in 2023?

2023 is off to a great start for smartphone fans, as we already have two big reveals from Samsung and OnePlus. Samsung was technically the first out of the gate with a global launch, but OnePlus quickly followed suit with a new flagship a week later. We’ve got three new flagships in the Galaxy S23 lineup, but we’ll be choosing the regular Galaxy S23 model for this comparison to see how it stacks up against the OnePlus 11 5G. Both phones are priced similarly, so it will be interesting to see how they compete in the sub-$1,000 smartphone category in the US. Comparison to help you with your purchase decision.

Pricing and availability

The Samsung Galaxy S23 smartphone was announced on February 1, 2023, and was the first major smartphone to be unveiled in the United States this year. You can order and reserve your unit of the Galaxy S23 now for $699 using the link in the box above. Samsung is currently offering a free upgrade to a 256GB variant for all Galaxy S23 pre-orders, so it might be the best time to get your hands on a unit. You might stumble across other deals in our Galaxy S23 deals post, too. On the other hand, OnePlus 11 5G entered the fray on February 7, 2023, a week after the debut of the Galaxy S23 series. The OnePlus 11 is now available starting at $699 for the base variant, and that puts it in the same price bracket as the Galaxy S23.

to set

Design and presentation

Both phones in this particular comparison look a lot like their predecessors, so I’d say you won’t notice anything radically new if you’ve already used the Galaxy S22 or the OnePlus 10 Pro. Between the OnePlus 11 and the Galaxy S23, you’ll have to choose between a compact device versus a relatively tall phone. The Galaxy S23 has a smaller footprint overall, and also weighs more than 30 grams lighter than the OnePlus 11. It’s easier to hold and use than the OnePlus 11 due to its smaller size, but the OnePlus 11 has more curves overall while the Galaxy S23 has a more squared-off design. .

As for the design differences, you’re mostly looking at a different looking camera module on the back and the official colors. The OnePlus 11, as you can see, comes with a circular camera module, while the Galaxy S23 comes with three single camera lenses stacked on top of each other. The design is completely subjective, so we’ll leave it up to you to decide which one you like best. However, it is worth noting that the Galaxy S23 is available for purchase in a lot more colors compared to the OnePlus 11.

You’ll be able to choose between Phantom Black, Cream, Green, and Lavender when ordering from most retail options. But if you go straight to Samsung, you’ll have additional Lime, Graphite, Sky Blue, and Red options to choose from.

The Galaxy S23 earns some brownie points in the build quality department for its use of slightly better materials compared to the OnePlus flagship. It comes with the new Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection for both the front and back panels, while the OnePlus 11 uses Gorilla Glass Victus and Gorilla Glass 5 panels for the front and back, respectively. The Galaxy S23 also has an IP68 certification for dust and water resistance, while the OnePlus 11 has an IP64 rating. Samsung’s flagship is definitely more durable than the OnePlus 11, but we still recommend using one of the versions The sweetest cases Screen protectors to keep your device safe.

Moving on to the screen, you are looking at a smaller 6.1-inch display on the Galaxy S23 vs. the 6.7-inch display on the OnePlus 11. There is a difference in resolution as the Galaxy S23 features a Dynamic AMOLED FHD+ panel with 425ppi while the OnePlus 11 comes with a QHD+ AMOLED display with 525ppi. The Galaxy S23’s display is also noticeably brighter, coming in at 1,750 nits, while the OnePlus 11 tops out at 1,300 nits. Both phones support up to 120Hz refresh rate, and they both support features like Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and more. As for real-world physical differences, the OnePlus 11 has curved edges that melt into the aluminum frame, while the Galaxy S23 has a flat screen.

internal devices and cameras

When it comes to internal hardware, both flagships here are powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, which is the new high-end chip you’ll see in a lot of phones this year. However, the Galaxy S23 is powered by a modified version of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 that is specially designed for the new Galaxy flagship. There are some noteworthy improvements in this modified chip, as we mentioned in our breakdown of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. However, you shouldn’t see any noticeable difference between the two in terms of overall performance. The OnePlus 11 can be purchased with up to 12GB of RAM, but the Galaxy S23 tops out at 8GB, so keep that in mind. However, you can configure both phones with up to 256GB of UFS 4.0 storage, but the base variants only come with 128GB of UFS 3.1 storage for both devices.

The Galaxy S23 now packs a slightly larger 3,900mAh battery than its predecessor, but it’s still not as large as the 5,000mAh unit you’re getting inside the OnePlus 11. The OnePlus 11 also supports faster 80W wired charging for units sold in US, but the Galaxy S23 is still noticeably slower with 25W charging. Notably, the OnePlus 11 also comes with a compatible 80W charger in the box, which means you don’t have to spend extra money to buy an aftermarket charger. The Galaxy S23 supports wireless and reverse charging that is completely missing in the OnePlus 11, so it gives you more options for charging the phone’s battery.

As for camera options, you get a triple camera setup on both phones, so they’re equally versatile when it comes to some shooting modes. The Galaxy S23’s triple camera setup includes a 50MP f/1.8 main sensor, a 12MP f/2.2 sensor, and a 10MP f/2.4 telephoto camera with up to 3x optical zoom support. Meanwhile, the OnePlus 11’s triple camera setup includes a 50MP f/1.8 main sensor as well as a 48MP f/2.2 ultrawide camera and a 32MP f/2.0 telephoto camera with up to 2x optical zoom support. The Galaxy S23 features a 12MP wide-angle camera with an f/2.2 aperture for selfies, while the OnePlus 11 comes with a 16MP lens with an f/2.5 aperture. You can get Hasselblad color calibration on the OnePlus 11, while the Galaxy S23 offers no such collaboration for its cameras. You can shoot videos at up to 8K using the rear cameras on both phones, but the OnePlus 11 tops out at 24fps for those stills, while the Galaxy S23 can shoot 8K videos at up to 30fps.

We don’t have the same set of photos taken with both phones for a side-by-side comparison yet, but we’ll leave some camera samples shot with the OnePlus 11 below to give you an idea of ​​what to expect from the triple camera setup.

OnePlus 11 camera samples:

Which one should you buy?

The Galaxy S23 and OnePlus 11 5G stack up nicely against each other, but the OnePlus 11 provides more bang for your buck overall. Yes, you’ll have to shell out $799 for the OnePlus 11 with 256GB UFS 4.0 storage, too, but the base variant with 128GB UFS 3.1 storage offers great value for $699 if you don’t care about the latest storage standards. OnePlus 11 has a larger screen with support for higher resolutions. It has a larger battery that lasts longer and also charges faster than the one inside the Galaxy S23. The lack of wireless charging spreads like a sore thumb, but it becomes more palatable in this comparison thanks to a slightly cheaper price tag. I also think the OnePlus 11 looks better than the Galaxy S23, but that’s quite subjective, so I’ll leave it out of the equation.

The Galaxy S23 isn’t a bad phone by any means, but it will cost you $100 more for the basic version with 128GB of storage once the pre-order bonus ends, and it’s not enough to justify the higher price. The only reason I recommend the Galaxy S23 over the OnePlus 11 is because it’s a smaller phone that’s easier to hold and use, and it has a flat screen. So if you prefer compact phones or if you don’t like using phones with curved screens, you can consider the Galaxy S23. But for everyone else, I think the OnePlus 11 is the better pick out of the two.

What smartphone are you planning to buy? Let me know by dropping a line in the comments below. Also, these are just two of the many flagship phones we’ll get our hands on throughout the year, so be sure to keep an eye on our roundup of the best phones to check out all the options.