OnePlus 12 vs Galaxy S23: Which should you buy?

The OnePlus 12 is here! The flagship phone has been launched in China, and with a global launch on the cards, it will go against the likes of the Galaxy S23 series and newer phones. But how does OnePlus’s latest attempt at a flagship compete against Samsung’s tried-and-tested formulae for the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus? We pitch the OnePlus 12 vs Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus to find out which phone is better and which one you should finally buy!

The OnePlus 12 is part of the next generation of flagships, with the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC. OnePlus has also incorporated a year’s worth of extra research and development into the phone. The phone has launched in China and is expected to launch globally in January 2024.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus are flagships from early 2023. They come with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC. While it is still an excellent SoC, there is much to look forward to on the new 8 Gen 3 chip. So, the OnePlus 12 has a good edge here for performance and the likes.

The OnePlus 12 is also available in plenty of RAM and storage combinations in China. We expect OnePlus to rationalize and stick to only a few combinations when the device launches globally. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S23 comes in 128GB and 256GB storage options, while the Plus comes in 256GB and 512GB options.

The OnePlus 12 is a bigger flagship with a bigger and better display. The 6.8-inch display is curved and has a QHD+ resolution, which is better than the FHD+ resolution on the Samsung phones. The Galaxy S23 is suited for people who want smaller phones, thanks to its 6.1-inch display, while the Galaxy S23 Plus has a bigger 6.6-inch flat display. Both Samsung phones also miss out on technology, such as the “rainwater touch” technology that lets users operate the OnePlus 12’s display in rain.

While the OnePlus 12 can be used in the rain, it probably isn’t a great idea to do so. The phone comes with IP65 dust and water resistance, which means the phone can handle light jets of water. In contrast, the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus come with IP68 water resistance, letting the phones handle freshwater submersion up to 1.5m for up to 30 minutes.

Another point of differentiation between the phones is that in the US, the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus on Verizon support mmWave 5G. Unlocked versions of the Galaxy S23 series and those from T-Mobile and AT&T stick to Sub-6GHz 5G, though. The OnePlus 12 also does the same in China, as there is no mmWave support on the phone, and the situation is unlikely to change on this end when the phone launches in the US.

The OnePlus 11 comes with an IR Blaster, which the other two phones miss out on. The Galaxy S23 Plus comes with Ultra-Wide Band tech for precise positioning, which Samsung has not added to the Galaxy S23, and OnePlus has also skipped on the OnePlus 12.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus launched with One UI 5.1 based on Android 13 and have since been updated to One UI 6 based on Android 14. The OnePlus 12 is a newer device, and it has launched with Oxygen OS 14 based on Android 14.

Both sets of phones come with an update promise of four Android platform updates and five years of security updates. However, since the OnePlus 12 is a newer device, it will be updated to Android 18, while the Galaxy S23 series will only be updated to Android 17.

The OnePlus 12 is a large phone, even taller and thicker than the Galaxy S23 Plus.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy S23 is the smallest phone in the lot, and it’s small enough to be comfortably held in most people’s hands.

The OnePlus 12 measures 164.3 x 75.8 x 9.15 mm, compared to the Galaxy S23 Plus’s 157.7 x 76.2 x 7.6mm and the smaller Galaxy S23’s 146.3 x 70.8 x 7.6mm. You will notice the taller aspect ratio on the OnePlus 12 as it isn’t as wide to hold in the hand.

In terms of weight, the OnePlus 12’s 220g is heavier than the Galaxy S23 Plus’s 196g, while the Galaxy S23 is the lightest at 168g.

As far as the cameras are concerned, there are two opposing philosophies at play. Samsung has stuck to the tried-and-tested setup on the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus, foregoing big numbers and newer tech in the process. On the other hand, OnePlus isn’t afraid to stand on the bleeding edge of hardware and back it up with a continued collaboration with Hasselblad.

The primary camera on the OnePlus 12 is the new 50MP Sony Lytia LYT-808, which is similar to the LYT-T808 sensor seen on the OnePlus Open. The OnePlus Open had great results with its sensor, though we will have to test the OnePlus 12 extensively to arrive at a conclusion for this phone. Check back later for camera comparison results!

On the other hand, Samsung does not even properly disclose the 50MP S5KGN3 primary sensor on the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus. The results speak for themselves, though, as the camera gets good results across scenarios for average users.

The OnePlus 12 has a 48MP ultrawide angle camera, while the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus stick with a 12MP ultrawide angle camera. The OnePlus 12 extends its lead with the telephoto camera, as it uses a 64MP periscope zoom lens for 3x optical zoom and 6x in-sensor zoom. The Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus have a modest 10MP telephoto camera for 3x optical zoom.

The OnePlus 12 also has a 32MP selfie camera. The Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus come with a 12MP selfie camera.

OnePlus 12 vs Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus: Battery life and charging

Samsung has been lagging behind the competition when it comes to battery and charging, and the differences are even more accentuated with the OnePlus 12, which is towards the front of the pack.

The OnePlus 12 comes with a sizeable 5,400mAh battery. This puts the Galaxy S23 Plus’s 4,700mAh battery to shame. The vanilla Galaxy S23 is a smaller phone, so we won’t judge it as harshly for its smaller 3,900mAh battery.

We’ll have to use the OnePlus 12 to determine how good its battery life translates out of the spec sheet. On the Galaxy S23 Plus, we could get about an easy full day’s worth of life, and even two days would have been possible with some care. On the smaller Galaxy S23, a full day is doable, and you could push it to a day and a half if you tried.

As for charging, the OnePlus 12 leads the pack once again. The 100W charging spec faces no competition from the Galaxy S23 Plus’s 45W and Galaxy S23’s 25W charging spec. We will have to wait to see what charging spec OnePlus goes for in the USA once the phone gets its global launch. On the Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus, a full charge takes about an hour, while the Galaxy S23 takes an hour and 20 minutes for the same, despite the smaller battery.

The OnePlus 12 comes with a compatible charger in the box. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus do not have any charger in the box, so you must buy a charger separately.

The wins continue for the OnePlus 12 for wireless charging. It supports up to 50W wireless charging through its proprietary charger and 10W reverse wireless charging. On the other hand, the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus only support 15W wireless charging through Samsung’s proprietary charger and 5W reverse wireless charging.

The OnePlus 12 is currently available only in China. The phone is expected to launch globally in January 2024, and we’ll get global pricing at that stage. Looking at the upgrades the OnePlus 12 brings over the OnePlus 11, it is fair to presume that the company won’t be able to go below the $699 starting price tag of the 8GB/128GB version of the OnePlus 11.

In contrast, the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus have been on sale in the USA for almost a year. The phones had a starting price of $799 and $999, respectively, but you can easily spot them for significantly lower during sales and with trade-ins.

It’s abundantly clear so far that the OnePlus 12 is superior to the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus. And it should be, for it has launched about a year after these Samsung phones.

As for what phone you should buy, the answer is none of these. The OnePlus 12 isn’t available for purchase in the US yet, so you can’t buy the phone even if you want to. It is expected to debut globally in January 2024, and we’ll have a better understanding of its price and global specifications at that stage.

Further, the Galaxy S24 series is expected to debut in January 2024, which is just a month away. When it does, Samsung will either deeply and permanently discount the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus or discontinue the devices in favor of the new Galaxy S24 series. In either case, you would be better off paying less or getting a better and newer product that would be supported for longer.

Even if you want to stick with the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus after the Galaxy S24 launches, it’s still worth waiting until the later parts of January 2024 to see what both OnePlus and Samsung are bringing to the table for their global audience in 2024. If your need is immediate and urgent, you can go with the Galaxy S23 if you want a smaller phone or default to the Galaxy S23 Plus if you don’t mind a larger flagship.