Samsung Galaxy S7 Active vs. Galaxy S23: A Generational Leap?
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🏆 Quick Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy S23 is the clear winner, offering vastly superior performance, a stunning display, and a significantly improved camera system. While the S7 Active boasts impressive battery endurance for its age, the S23's modern features and overall refinement make it the better choice for most users.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Samsung Galaxy S7 active | Samsung Galaxy S23 |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 29, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41 | 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, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 75, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - International |
| Speed | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (3CA) Cat9 450/50 Mbps | HSPA, LTE (up to 7CA), 5G |
| Technology | GSM / HSPA / LTE | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| - | 1, 7, 25, 28, 41, 66, 71, 78, 258, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - USA | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2016, June. Released 2016, June | 2023, February 01 |
| Status | Discontinued | Available. Released 2023, February 17 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 4), plastic back, aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 148.8 x 74.9 x 9.9 mm (5.86 x 2.95 x 0.39 in) | 146.3 x 70.9 x 7.6 mm (5.76 x 2.79 x 0.30 in) |
| SIM | Nano-SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time) |
| Weight | 184.8 g (6.53 oz) | 168 g (5.93 oz) |
| IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 mins) MIL-STD-810G 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 4 | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 |
| Resolution | 1440 x 2560 pixels, 16:9 ratio (~576 ppi density) | 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~425 ppi density) |
| Size | 5.1 inches, 71.7 cm2 (~64.3% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.1 inches, 90.1 cm2 (~86.8% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | Super AMOLED | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1200 nits (HBM), 1750 nits (peak) |
| Always-on display | Always-on display | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Quad-core (2x2.15 GHz Kryo & 2x1.6 GHz Kryo) | Octa-core (1x3.36 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3x2.0 GHz Cortex-A510) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm MSM8996 Snapdragon 820 (14 nm) | Qualcomm SM8550-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm) |
| GPU | Adreno 530 | Adreno 740 |
| OS | Android 6.0 (Marshmallow), upgradable to 7.0 (Nougat), TouchWiz UI | Android 13, up to 4 major Android upgrades, One UI 8 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | microSDXC (dedicated slot) | No |
| Internal | 32GB 4GB RAM | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 8GB RAM |
| - | UFS 3.1 - 128GB only UFS 4.0 | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Single | 12 MP, f/1.7, 26mm (wide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS | 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), Dual Pixel PDAF |
| Triple | - | 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 | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps (gyro-EIS), 1080p@60fps, 720p@240fps, HDR, stereo sound rec., OIS | 8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR | HDR, HDR10+ |
| Single | 5 MP, f/1.7, 22mm (wide), 1/4.1", 1.34µm | 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.2", 1.12µm, dual pixel PDAF |
| Video | - | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | Yes | No |
| 35mm jack | Yes | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| - | 32-bit/384kHz audio Tuned by AKG | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 4.2, A2DP, LE, aptX | 5.3, A2DP, LE |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
| Radio | Stereo FM radio, RDS | No |
| USB | microUSB 2.0, OTG | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Fingerprint (front-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, heart rate, SpO2 | Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| ANT+ S-Voice natural language commands and dictation Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified) | Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support) Bixby natural language commands and dictation Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified) | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 15W wired, QC2 Wireless (Qi) (market dependent) | 25W wired, PD3.0, 50% in 30 min 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Music play | Up to 110 h | - |
| Stand-by | Up to 384 h (3G) | - |
| Talk time | Up to 32 h (3G) | - |
| Type | Li-Ion 4000 mAh, non-removable | Li-Ion 3900 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Camo Green, Titanium Gray, Sandy Gold | Phantom Black, Cream, Green, Lavender, Graphite, Lime |
| Models | SM-G891A | SM-S911B, SM-S911B/DS, SM-S911U, SM-S911U1, SM-S911W, SM-S911N, SM-S9110, SM-S911E, SM-S911E/DS |
| Price | About 360 EUR | $ 237.95 / C$ 336.75 / £ 255.00 / € 322.41 / ₹ 49,990 |
| SAR | 0.92 W/kg (head) 0.75 W/kg (body) | 0.95 W/kg (head) 0.88 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | 0.32 W/kg (head) 0.98 W/kg (body) | 0.96 W/kg (head) 1.30 W/kg (body) |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Audio quality | Noise -94.3dB / Crosstalk -93.4dB | - |
| Battery life | Endurance rating 96h | Endurance rating 101h |
| Camera | - | Photo / Video |
| Display | - | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | Voice 72dB / Noise 66dB / Ring 78dB | -27.0 LUFS (Good) |
| Performance | Basemark OS II 2.0: 2487Basemark X: 32362 | AnTuTu: 1231075 (v9) GeekBench: 4950 (v5.1) GFXBench: 110fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Samsung Galaxy S7 active
- Exceptional battery life
- Rugged and durable design
- Affordable price (used)
- Outdated processor
- Lower resolution display
- Basic camera system
- Slow charging
Samsung Galaxy S23
- Blazing-fast performance
- Stunning display
- Excellent camera system
- Fast charging
- Modern features
- Higher price
- Battery life not as extreme as S7 Active
- Less rugged than S7 Active
Display Comparison
The S23's display is a revelation. Its 1198 nits peak brightness and infinite contrast ratio provide vibrant colors and deep blacks, far surpassing the S7 Active's older, less impressive screen. The S23 also benefits from a higher resolution and smoother refresh rate, resulting in a more immersive viewing experience.
Camera Comparison
The S23's camera system is a major upgrade. It captures sharper, more detailed photos and videos with better dynamic range and low-light performance. The S7 Active's camera is adequate for basic photography, but it simply can't compete with the S23's advanced features and image quality.
Performance
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in the S23 obliterates the Snapdragon 820 in the S7 Active. The S23's octa-core CPU and advanced architecture deliver significantly faster processing speeds, smoother multitasking, and improved gaming performance. The S7 Active, while still capable, shows its age in demanding applications.
Battery Life
While the S7 Active's endurance rating of 96h is remarkable, the S23's active use score of 11:27h is still very respectable, especially considering its more powerful components and brighter display. The S23 also offers faster charging and reverse wireless charging capabilities.
Buying Guide
The Samsung Galaxy S7 Active is a good option for users seeking a durable, long-lasting phone on a tight budget, or those who prioritize extreme battery life above all else. The Samsung Galaxy S23 is ideal for anyone wanting a flagship experience with top-tier performance, a brilliant display, and a versatile camera system.