Samsung announced three members of the Galaxy S series this year, and the Galaxy S26 is the smallest and the cheapest one. We’re here to compare it with one of its predecessors. We already did that for the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S24, and it’s time to do the Samsung Galaxy S26 vs Samsung Galaxy S23 comparison. There may be more similarities here than you think, actually, even though things did change to a degree in three years.
The Galaxy S23 was announced in February 2023, while the Galaxy S26 followed three years after that. We’ll first list the specs of both smartphones, as we usually do in comparisons, and will then move to compare them across a number of different sections. We’ll compare their designs, displays, performance, battery life, cameras, and audio output.
Specs
Samsung Galaxy S26
Samsung Galaxy S23
| Samsung Galaxy S26 | Samsung Galaxy S23 | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 149.6 x 71.7 x 7.2 mm | 146.3 x 70.9 x 7.6 mm |
| Weight | 167 grams | 168 grams |
| Display | 6.3-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X | 6.1-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X |
| Refresh rate | 1-120Hz | 120Hz |
| Resolution | 2340 x 1080 | 2340 x 1080 |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy / Samsung Exynos 2600 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 |
| RAM | 12GB (LPDDR5X) | 8GB |
| Storage | 256GB/512GB (UFS 4.0) | 128GB/256GB/512GB (UFS 3.1/UFS 4.0) |
| Main camera | 50MP (wide, f/1.8 aperture, 1/1.56-inch sensor size, 1.0um pixel size, dual pixel PDAF, OIS) | 50MP (wide, f/1.8 aperture, 1/1.56-inch sensor size, 1.0um pixel size, dual pixel PDAF, OIS) |
| Ultra-wide camera | 12MP (f/2.2 aperture, 1/2.55-inch sensor size, 120-degree FoV, 1.4um pixel size) | 12MP (f/2.2 aperture, 1/2.55-inch sensor size, 120-degree FoV, 1.4um pixel size) |
| Telephoto camera | 10MP (f/2.4 aperture, 1/3.94-inch sensor size, 1.0um pixel size, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom) | 10MP (f/2.4 aperture, 1/3.94-inch sensor size, 1.0um pixel size, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom) |
| Periscope telephoto camera | N/A | N/A |
| Selfie camera | 12MP (f/2.2 aperture, 1/3.2-inch sensor size, 1.12um pixel size) | 12MP (f/2.2 aperture, 1/3.2-inch sensor size, 1.12um pixel size) |
| Battery size | 4,300mAh | 4,300mAh |
| Charging | 25W wired, 15W wireless (Qi2 Ready), 4.5W reverse wireless (charger not included) | 25W wired, 15W wireless, 4.5W reverse wireless (charger not included) |
| Colors | Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue, Black, White, Silver Shadow, Pink Gold | Phantom Black, Cream, Green, Lavender, Graphite, Lime |
Samsung Galaxy S26 vs Samsung Galaxy S23: Design
When it comes to design, these two phones are very similar. Samsung did not change much design-wise in three years, believe it or not. Both phones have a flat display with a centered display camera hole up top. The Galaxy S26 does have somewhat thinner bezels, though they’re both uniform. Even the corner curvature is very similar here. That makes them look very similar side-by-side, especially from the front.
The frame on the Galaxy S26 is flat all around, while it’s slightly rounded on the Galaxy S23. The power/lock button sits on the right-hand side of both phones, while the volume up and down buttons are placed above it. On the back, you’ll notice three vertically-aligned cameras in the top-left corner. The Galaxy S26’s sit on top of a camera island, while the ones on the Galaxy S23 protrude directly from the backplate.
Speaking of which, the backplate on both phones is flat. Both devices are made out of aluminum and glass. They have almost the same weight, while the Galaxy S26 is taller, wider, and thinner. That’s not surprising as it has a larger display than the Galaxy S23. Both smartphones come with IP68 certification for water and dust resistance. Both of them are also slippery in the hand, but easy to use and comfortable.
Samsung Galaxy S26 vs Samsung Galaxy S23: Display
The Samsung Galaxy S26 features a 6.3-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X display. That panel is flat, and it has an adaptive refresh rate (1-120Hz). HDR10+ content is supported, while the peak brightness is 2,600 nits. The screen-to-body ratio here is 90%, while the display aspect ratio is 19.5:9. The resolution this display offers is 2340 x 1080, and the Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protects the panel.
The Samsung Galaxy S23, on the other hand, has a 6.1-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display. That display is also flat, and it supports a 120Hz refresh rate. HDR10+ content is supported, while the peak brightness here is 1,750 nits. The screen-to-body ratio is around 87%, while the resolution is 2340 x 1080 pixels. The display aspect ratio is 19.5:9. Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protects this display.
Both of these displays are really good. They’re vivid and have good viewing angles, while the resolution is more than high enough for both of them. The Galaxy S26’s panel does offer more brightness, while it also has the advantage of an LTPO panel. In all honesty, however, both will be more than enough for most people. You will, however, notice the difference in brightness in direct sunlight.
Samsung Galaxy S26 vs Samsung Galaxy S23: Performance
The Samsung Galaxy S26 comes in two processor variants. In the US and some other markets, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chip fuels the phone. In Europe and some other markets, the Exynos 2600 fuels the device. These are 3nm and 2nm chips, respectively. Along with that, the phone includes 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 flash storage, which is not expandable.
The Samsung Galaxy S23, on the flip side, is fueled by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor. That’s a 4nm chip, and that’s the only processor variant of this phone. That chip is backed by 8GB of RAM and either UFS 3.1 or UFS 4.0 flash storage. UFS 3.1 is used by a 128GB storage variant of the phone, while the other two models use UFS 4.0 storage. Storage is not expandable here either, though.
While the Galaxy S23 can still offer decent performance, it cannot measure up to the Galaxy S26. The difference is quite noticeable when you compare them side-by-side; the Galaxy S26 is much snappier. Do note that we’ve used the Snapdragon variant of the phone, though. That is even more noticeable when it comes to high-end games. The Galaxy S26 does a much better job.
Samsung Galaxy S26 vs Samsung Galaxy S23: Battery
The Galaxy S26 does come with a slightly larger display than the Galaxy S23, and it also has a slightly larger battery. The phone includes a 4,900mAh battery, compared to a 4,300mAh unit in the Galaxy S23. Granted, the competitors with similar display sizes these days have notably larger battery packs, and that’s especially true for the competitors from China, as they adopted silicon-carbon tech.
The Galaxy S26 managed to surprise us with its battery life; it’s not bad at all. Quite the contrary, for most people, it will easily last throughout the day. The Galaxy S23’s battery life was very poor from the get-go. Three years later, it’s very bad, actually. Many Galaxy S23 users are probably considering upgrading at this point, mainly because of the battery life. The Galaxy S26 may not be a bad upgrade at all.
Charging didn’t change at all in three years. Well, at least not in terms of official charging speeds and technologies. Both of these smartphones support 25W wired charging (PD3.0), along with 15W wireless charging, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging. The Galaxy S26 is Qi2 Ready (you’ll need a case for that), though. Despite the fact that the Galaxy S26 has a larger battery and technically the same charging, it charges faster. It can be fully charged in an hour and 5 minutes. The Galaxy S23 takes around an hour and 15 minutes. Do note that a charger doesn’t come with either phone.
Samsung Galaxy S26 vs Samsung Galaxy S23: Cameras
The Samsung Galaxy S26 features three cameras on the back. A 50-megapixel main camera (1/1.56-inch sensor size) is backed by a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera (1/2.55-inch sensor size, 120-degree FoV). The third camera on the back is a 10-megapixel telephoto unit (1/3.94-inch sensor size, 3x optical zoom).
The Samsung Galaxy S23, on the other hand, has three cameras on the back as well. It includes a 50-megapixel main snapper (1/1.56-inch sensor size), along with a 12-megapixel ultrawide unit (1/2.55-inch sensor size, 120-degree FoV). The third camera on the back is a 10-megapixel telephoto camera (1/3.94-inch sensor size, 3x optical zoom).
If the cameras on these two phones seem to be identical, that’s because they are. The same goes for the lenses on those cameras, actually. Yes, Samsung did not change a thing in three years, hardware-wise, which is, needless to say, frustrating. The camera performance was not exactly top-notch back in 2023, so you can imagine that the same is the case in 2026. Yes, Samsung did improve its processing to a degree, and the performance is more consistent now, but still… the camera performance is not great. It’s alright, but not great, not at all.
Audio
When it comes to speakers, both phones include stereo speakers. The ones inside the Galaxy S26 are slightly louder, but not by much. In fact, the difference is so small that you may not even notice it. The sound output quality is good on both.
There is no audio jack on either phone. However, you can use their Type-C ports to connect your wired headphones. If you prefer wireless audio, the Galaxy S26 supports Bluetooth 5.4, while the Galaxy S23 supports Bluetooth 5.3.
The post Phone Comparisons: Samsung Galaxy S26 vs Samsung Galaxy S23 appeared first on Android Headlines.
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