Galaxy S23 pre-orders end next week as Samsung moves to regular sales on Friday. Judging by last week’s poll, many of you won’t be waiting until the 17th to get one – the S23 series is off to a good start.
Two things happened in Europe this generation – local units finally come with Snapdragon instead of Exynos, but Samsung has raised the prices. India also got Snapdragon last year, but prices are higher for the S23 and S23 Ultra (the plus model is actually a bit cheaper).
Samsung Galaxy S23 series infographic
Was the price an issue? Voters were sensitive to the price of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. Few people doubt the quality of the phone, but some simply cannot afford it. For the small fraction of voters who wanted to see reviews before deciding, our S23 Ultra review went live on Saturday.
The new Ultra isn’t perfect, its design was something it was criticized for – it looks just like the old Ultra. Also, some think the camera improvements aren’t big enough for S22 Ultra owners to upgrade. Still, last year’s model gets good trade-in value if you decide to upgrade. Plus, there are a lot of people with older S Ultras or completely different phones.
Prices for the Samsung Galaxy S23+ and its smaller siblings weren’t as much of a concern, with the “overpriced” option falling to third place. Interestingly, even fewer people felt the need to wait for reviews (but if you do, check out ours).
According to the survey results, the price of the Samsung Galaxy S23 was even less of a concern than even the S23+. There aren’t many options in this size category and although we’ve seen mentions of the Zenfone 9, the iPhone 14/14 Pro seem to be the most popular alternatives. Read our review to learn more about the phone itself and its competitors.
Speaking of alternatives, it hasn’t escaped people that the Google Pixel 7 duo cost less than the Galaxys. Apart from the price savings, these give people a first-party experience with the beloved Gcam. There’s also the One UI versus Pixel UI debate.
More expensive iPhone models are also an option, although here the choice of platform weighs heavily on the decision – your Android workflow and habits may be difficult to switch to iOS and vice versa.
But among those sticking with Android or looking to switch back to the platform, Samsung’s Galaxy S23 series will be a popular choice. If you want one, you have one more week to score pre-order goodies.
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