Samsung recently launched two new additional models under its Galaxy M series line-up the Galaxy M23 5G and Galaxy M33 5G. Both models support 5G connectivity, a large display and higher refresh rate.
For now, we have our hands on the Samsung Galaxy M23 5G to check out its features and share our initial impressions about the new device. The Samsung Galaxy M23 5G is priced at PHP17,990 now available online thru Samsung’s official PH website and e-commerce stores on Shopee and Lazada.
So, let’s start by sharing with you the specifications of the Galaxy M23 5G:
Design and Build Quality
Looking at the back panel, it has a smooth back cover made of durable plastic material with a matte finish that helps prevents fingerprint smudges on it. We have the deep green color for our review unit but you can also choose from other available colorways in light blue or orange color. The deep green color when turned from sideways gets a nice glare effect.
On the top corner you have a triple camera setup with led flash housed in a rectangular shaped camera module and below at the center a Samsung logo can be found. There’s a slight protrusion on the camera but gets less wobbling when placed on a flat surface or table.
Bezels on the front display is visible but a bit narrow from the top and sides while the bottom chin is slightly thicker. It also has Corning Gorilla Glass protection while the side edges of the display are curved making it comfortable in your hands. The front camera located at the center has a teardrop notch design.
On the left side you have SIM card slot that can accommodate two nano-SIM cards and a microSD card expandable up to 1TB.
Volume rockers and power/sleep button with an integrated fingerprint sensor are on the right side. The USB-C port, a microphone and a 3.5 mm jack on the bottom and another microphone on the top.
Display
The Samsung Galaxy M23 5G offers a large 6.6-inch Full HD display using a TFT display instead of an AMOLED with a resolution of 1080×2408 pixels and a good pixel density of 400ppi.
It also offers a high refresh rate up to 120Hz making moving images buttery smooth and scrolling much faster.
Although the display uses a TFT the screen the Galaxy M23 5G still offers vivid colors, good contrast, sharp text and images but not much for that really deep black unlike on the AMOLED display. Under direct sunlight the display can still be viewed and used.
Camera
As we’ve mentioned, it boasts of a triple camera setup with all three lenses gets the same size making the camera module design looks clean. The camera lenses are equipped with a 50MP f1.8 main camera, 8MP f2.2 ultra-wide camera with a 123-degree angle of view, and 2MP f2.4 macro camera.
Shooting modes on the camera app are portrait, photo, video, pro, single take, night, food, panorama, macro, super slow-mo, slow motion and hyperlapse. You also get a popular shooting mode like the Fun Mode which offers Snapchat’s reality-bending AR Lenses helping users stand out on social with fun and quirky lenses
For your selfies the front camera gets an 8MP f2.2 with no rear camera flash.
Camera app and shooting modes
Video mode and camera app settings
For videos you can capture up to 4K UHD, 1080p FHD and 720p HD with maximum frame rate of 30 frames per seconds. You have video stabilization available only at 1080p.
Here are some sample photos and videos taken using the Samsung Galaxy M23 5G.
0.5x Ultrawide Outdoor
1x Outdoor
1x Night mode
1x Indoor – Low light
Portrait mode – Outdoor
Wide selfie option
Selfie Low Light
Fun mode
Performance
Under the hood, the Galaxy M23 5G is powered by an octa-core Snapdragon 750G processor with clock speeds of up to 2.2 GHz supported by an Adreno 619 GPU, and 4GB RAM plus an extra virtual memory to further improve your app performance.
The user interface of the Galaxy M23 5G gets a ONE UI 4.1 version based on Android 12. It has some few installed apps like Spotify, Facebook, Netflix, Microsoft Office, and Samsung’s very own programs.
5G ready dual nano SIM with MicroSD card slot
On the left just select the 5G network under the mobile network options to connect automatically for 5G when it’s available. Unfortunately, we were supposed to test the 5G speed of the device but our connection in our area keeps dropping off to 4G network.
The device is 5G-ready with provisions from other network bands such as 2G, 3G, and 4G.
For security you can choose from the following device protection features: face recognition, fingeprints, pattern, PIN and password. While the built-in Samsung Knox protects your phone further offering a multi-layered security defending your most sensitive information from malware and malicious threats.
No matter what we throw on the Galaxy M23 5G whether browsing, playing games or using conventional apps the mid-range device did very well in these areas.
Here are our benchmark scores:
- Geekbench – 519 Single Core / 1791 Multi-Core Score
- PC Mark – 9,131 Work 3.0 Performance Score
- 3D Mark – 640 (Average frame rate – fps: 3.80)
Battery
One of the strengths of the Galaxy M23 5G would be its massive battery. It is equipped with a size of 5,000mAh battery that can get you through the day.
It also has an integrated power-saving options (limit CPU speed, decrease display’s brightness or Turn off 5G) to extend more the performance of your battery. It has an adaptive battery feature limiting the power usage for apps you don’t use often.
The Galaxy M23 5G supports a fast charging function thru a 25 watt power adapter.
What We Like
- Large Display
- 120Hz Refresh rate
- Good Design and Build Quality
- Ultrawide Lens
- Array of Shooting modes
- 5,000mAh Battery
- 5G ready
What We Want
- Better Sound Quality on the Speakers
- AMOLED Display
First Impressions
The Samsung Galaxy M23 5G offers a lot of great features we liked such as the large display with a 120Hz refresh rate to make your scrolling and gameplay gets a smooth performance. The 5,000mAh battery can last you through out the day with several useful battery settings you can set on the phone. For a more fast connectivity it already has 5G network support and the built-in security options such as the fingerprint scanner, PIN or Samsung’s Knox to further protect your phone.
On the camera, it’s a good thing it has triple camera setup with an ultrawide lens to capture more into your frame. With the nice assortment of shooting modes on the camera spp you can be more creative and have fun on your photos for that social media worthy posts. The quality of the photos we got on the Galaxy M23 5G do have some sharp and vibrant colors especially on bright conditions but may experience more noise during low light situations.
But above anything else the Samsung Galaxy M23 5G should certainly be enough for most users looking for a new phone, if you’re not too keen on the specs.
