Motorola ThinkPhone vs Samsung Galaxy S23+: The Ultimate Showdown
| Phones Images | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
🏆 Quick Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy S23+ edges out the ThinkPhone thanks to its superior camera system, refined software experience, and broader ecosystem support. While the ThinkPhone boasts impressive battery life and a powerful chipset, the S23+'s overall polish and features make it the slightly better choice for most users.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Motorola ThinkPhone | Samsung Galaxy S23+ |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SIM 1 & SIM 2 (Dual SIM model only) |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 - ROW | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 38, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 48, 66 - ROW | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 - International |
| 5G bands | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - ROW | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 75, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - International |
| Speed | HSPA, LTE, 5G | HSPA, LTE-A (up to 7CA), 5G |
| Technology | GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 41, 66, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - China | 1, 7, 28, 41, 66, 71, 78, 258, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - USA | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2023, January 05 | 2023, February 01 |
| Status | Available. Released 2023, January 29 | Available. Released 2023, February 17 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), aramid fibre back, aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 158.8 x 74.4 x 8.3 mm (6.25 x 2.93 x 0.33 in) | 157.8 x 76.2 x 7.6 mm (6.21 x 3.00 x 0.30 in) |
| SIM | · Nano-SIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM | Nano-SIM and eSIM or Dual SIM (2 Nano-SIMs and eSIM, dual stand-by) |
| Weight | 188.5 g (6.67 oz) | 196 g (6.91 oz) |
| IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) Drop-to-concrete resistance from up to 1.3m MIL-STD-810H compliant | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) Armor aluminum frame with tougher drop and scratch resistance (advertised) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~399 ppi density) | 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~393 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.6 inches, 105.2 cm2 (~89.0% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.6 inches, 105.3 cm2 (~87.6% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | P-OLED, 1B colors, 144Hz, HDR10+ | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1200 nits (HBM), 1750 nits (peak) |
| - | Always-on display | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (1x3.19 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3x2.75 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A510) | Octa-core (1x3.36 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3x2.0 GHz Cortex-A510) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SM8475 Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (4 nm) | Qualcomm SM8550-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm) |
| GPU | Adreno 730 | Adreno 740 |
| OS | Android 13, upgradable to Android 15 | Android 13, One UI 5.1 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM | 256GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 8GB RAM |
| UFS 3.1 | UFS 4.0 | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | LED flash, panorama, HDR | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Triple | 50 MP, f/1.8, (wide), 1/1.5", 1.0µm, multi-directional PDAF, OIS 13 MP, f/2.2, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/3.0", 1.12µm, AF Auxiliary lens | 50 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide), 1/1.56", 1.0µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS 10 MP, f/2.4, 70mm (telephoto), 1/3.94", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55" 1.4µm, Super Steady video |
| Video | 8K@30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 4K@30fps HDR10, 1080p@30/60/120/240/960fps, gyro-EIS | 8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 1080p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR | Dual video call, Auto-HDR, HDR10+ |
| Single | 32 MP, f/2.5, (wide), 1/3.0", 0.7µm - ROW model 16 MP, f/2.0, (wide), 1.0µm - PRC model | 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), Dual Pixel PDAF |
| Video | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | No | No |
| 35mm jack | No | - |
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| - | 32-bit/384kHz audio Tuned by AKG | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive | 5.3, A2DP, LE |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.1, OTG | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer (North America only) | Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| - | Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support) Bixby natural language commands and dictation Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified) Ultra Wideband (UWB) support | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 68W wired 15W wireless | 45W wired, PD3.0, 65% in 30 min (advertised) 15W wireless (Qi/PMA) 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Type | Li-Po 5000 mAh | Li-Ion 4700 mAh, non-removable |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Carbon Black | Phantom Black, Cream, Green, Lavender, Graphite, Lime |
| Models | XT2309-2 | SM-S916B, SM-S916B/DS, SM-S916U, SM-S916U1, SM-S916W, SM-S916N, SM-S9160, SM-S916E, SM-S916E/DS |
| Price | € 249.79 | $ 780.00 / C$ 1,399.99 / £ 919.08 / € 1,185.89 / ₹ 94,999 |
| SAR | - | 0.95 W/kg (head) 1.04 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | - | 0.77 W/kg (head) 1.45 W/kg (body) |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | Endurance rating 116h | Endurance rating 111h |
| Camera | Photo / Video | Photo / Video |
| Display | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | -21.6 LUFS (Excellent) | -26.5 LUFS (Good) |
| Performance | AnTuTu: 1081805 (v9) GeekBench: 4207 (v5.1) GFXBench: 90fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) | AnTuTu: 1234077 (v9) GeekBench: 5073 (v5.1) GFXBench: 110fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Motorola ThinkPhone
- Exceptional battery life
- Powerful Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset
- Clean Android experience
- High peak brightness display
- Potentially more affordable
- Camera not as strong as S23+
- Less refined software features
- Limited ecosystem support
- Charging speed slightly slower than S23+
Samsung Galaxy S23+
- Superior camera system
- Refined software experience (One UI)
- Seamless Samsung ecosystem integration
- Faster charging (wired & wireless)
- Premium build quality
- Higher price
- Battery life slightly less than ThinkPhone
- Can be feature-heavy for some users
Display Comparison
Both phones feature excellent displays with infinite contrast ratios. The S23+ likely has slightly better color accuracy and calibration due to Samsung's display expertise. The ThinkPhone's 1069 nits peak brightness is impressive, potentially offering a slight edge in direct sunlight, but the S23+’s display is generally considered among the best in the industry.
Camera Comparison
Samsung's Galaxy S23+ consistently delivers exceptional camera performance, with versatile lenses and advanced image processing. While the ThinkPhone's camera is capable, it doesn't match the S23+'s overall quality, dynamic range, and low-light capabilities. The S23+ also benefits from Samsung's software optimizations and features.
Performance
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in the S23+ offers a slight performance advantage over the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 in the ThinkPhone, particularly in sustained workloads. Both chips are incredibly powerful and will handle any task with ease, but the S23+’s chip is newer and more efficient. The ThinkPhone’s focus on AI and developer tools might offer unique performance benefits for specific users.
Battery Life
The Motorola ThinkPhone boasts an incredible endurance rating of 116 hours, significantly surpassing the S23+'s 111 hours. However, the S23+'s 45W wired charging is faster than the ThinkPhone's 68W, and the inclusion of wireless and reverse wireless charging adds to its versatility.
Buying Guide
The Motorola ThinkPhone is ideal for users prioritizing exceptional battery life, a clean Android experience, and raw processing power at a potentially lower price point. The Samsung Galaxy S23+ is best suited for those seeking a top-tier camera, a feature-rich software experience, and seamless integration with the Samsung ecosystem.