Samsung Galaxy S25 vs S23: Should you upgrade?

Samsung officially announced its new Galaxy S25 line of phones Galaxy Unpacked 2025 event

While many comparisons will be made between Samsung Galaxy S25 And its predecessor, the Galaxy S24, Mashable knows that a good portion of people actually upgrade to a new smartphone every two years.

This means that for Samsung Galaxy users, the real comparison is between the new Galaxy S25 and their current model, two years old. Samsung Galaxy S23. Let’s take a look at both.

Galaxy S25 vs S23: AI, chipset are major factors

Let’s face it: For the average smartphone user, upgrades between phone models are becoming less noticeable.

However, for those looking to take full advantage of all the newly announced AI features, this is where the difference between the S25 and S23 will really shine.

The Galaxy S25 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, which is reportedly more powerful than Apple’s Apple A18 Pro chip, which powers the iPhone 16 Pro line of smartphones. The Snapdrop 8 Elite chipset is said to be around 50 percent more powerful than the previous Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip. The two-year-old Galaxy S23 is powered by the same chip it released before, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, so it’s a massive upgrade.

Samsung’s new AI features and Snapdragon 8 Elite chip were made to work perfectly. So, if you plan to use them, this smartphone upgrade is for you.

Galaxy S25 vs S23: Everything else

The difference in processing power is obviously a major factor. But, all things considered, the upgrades seem pretty standard from what you see year-to-year without any big leaps in technology or new features.

When it comes to memory, the base model of the Galaxy S25 comes with 12GB of RAM, as opposed to just 8GB for the S23, so this could be one of the next big draws for upgrading to the latest Galaxy phone.

Design-wise, the Galaxy S25 and S23 look very similar with no real major changes other than a slight bump in display size. The Galaxy S25 has a slightly larger 6.2-inch screen compared to the S23’s 6.1-inch display.

The biggest overall change in design between the two Samsung Galaxy phones is likely the color options to choose from when upgrading. The Samsung S25 comes in Navy, IceBlue, Mint, Silver Shadow, Blue Black, Coral Red and Pink Gold. The Samsung S23 has only four color options to choose from.

If you use your Galaxy phone to take a lot of photos and videos, unfortunately there isn’t much for you in terms of upgrades. The Samsung Galaxy S25 has the same three cameras: wide, ultrawide, and telephoto.

Battery-wise, not much of an upgrade on paper. The Galaxy S25 has a 4,000 mAH battery compared to the S23’s 3,900 mAH battery. However, there are some additional factors that can make a difference. For one, if your two-year-old Galaxy S23 doesn’t hold a charge like it once did when it was brand new, it might make sense to upgrade. But, apart from that, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chip is reportedly much more energy efficient, which should translate to less strain on the battery leading to longer battery life.

Galaxy S25 vs S23: Should you upgrade?

So, should you upgrade from the Galaxy S23 to the Galaxy S25? The answer to the big question really depends on your needs.

If you’re perfectly happy with your Galaxy S23, there’s probably nothing new for you in the Galaxy S25. However, if you feel your Galaxy S23 is slow and can’t keep up with your usage or you’re sure you’ll be using the AI ​​features regularly, upgrading to the Galaxy S25 makes perfect sense.