Galaxy S23 Plus vs Edge 30 Pro: which top phone delivers more for less? | Comparative

The Galaxy S23 Plus and Edge 30 Pro have in common that they are middle phones in the top-of-the-line families of their respective brands. Thus, they bring an advanced set proposal at a lower price.

By putting Samsung and Motorola smartphones side by side, you can have the best combination with which one? That’s what TudoCelular’s Comparative will answer you now.

We started by design with two very different models. Samsung bet on placing the rear cameras on the lid individually, without a module around it. Motorola is still betting on the oval block to house the lenses.

In construction, manufacturers opted for a glass rear, with Gorilla Glass protection. The difference is that the Korean Victus 2 version guarantees superior protection than the fifth generation used by the rival. The S23 Plus is also the only one of the duo to come with IP68 certification against dust and liquids, in addition to having a more compact and all-aluminum body, superior to the plastic of the Edge.

The Galaxy offers a fingerprint reader integrated into the display, while the 30 Pro has the biometric sensor integrated into the power button. At the front, both use a hole-shaped notch on the screen to contain the front camera.

None of them have a microSD card slot, that is, no storage expansion on these phones. Their connectivity has sixth-generation Wi-Fi and NFC, for proximity payments. The Korean’s Bluetooth 5.3 is more advanced than the 5.2 version present in the competitor.

For the most advanced design, the Galaxy S23 Plus opens the scoring.

On one side is the Galaxy’s 6.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display. On the other, the Edge’s 6.7-inch OLED panel appears. Despite this having a slightly larger display, this makes no difference in the front use, since the Korean has the smallest edges.

In terms of quality, the S23 Plus stands out for its superior brightness level, against the 30 Pro’s billion-color reproduction. Samsung has Gorilla Glass Victus 2 for greater protection than the third generation used by the rival. But Motorola responds with the 144 Hz refresh rate, for superior fluidity.

In any case, the two devices provide Full HD+ resolution, which guarantees good image definition, in addition to HDR10+ support, to improve the quality of streaming services.

Greater brightness and resistance for the Galaxy. Better colors and more fluidity for Edge. We have one point for each.

The manufacturers did not leave the audio aside in these cell phones and put a stereo system, which takes advantage of the call speaker as a secondary channel, to increase the user’s immersion. Dolby Atmos technology is also present in them to equalize the sound.

Both provide great sound power, with overall satisfactory quality. This means that you will find a good balance between bass, mids and highs in both. None of them have a standard headphone jack, but Motorola ships an accessory with a USB-C plug in the package.

In the details, Edge notes the point.

The S23 Plus comes out of the box with native Android 13, while the 30 Pro still comes with pre-installed version 12 of the “little robot”. Despite Motorola promising two software updates for its model, it lags far behind the shelf life provided by Samsung with its four updates.

Fluidity will not be a problem with these devices, as the optimizations of these systems and the high refresh rates of the screens allow for very smooth navigation. The fast mobile network is also present, thanks to the support for 5G technology in them.

Moving on to the features, each one has its own solution to transform the cell phone into a portable PC, either through the DeX mode of one, or the Ready For mode of the other. Galaxy still has Good Lock customizations and Edge Screen shortcuts. And Edge comes with the famous gestures to turn on the flashlight and open the camera app.

For superior longevity, the Korean gets the point.

The Galaxy is powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, while the Edge is powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. Do the different generations make a difference here? That’s not what we saw in our speed tests. The 30 Pro managed to be slightly faster than the S23 Plus in opening apps, which allowed it to finish a little earlier.

The newer chip only shows its superior potential in the benchmarks, when it easily beats its predecessor in Geekbench and AnTuTu. In games, the duo runs all games with maximum quality and activated extras. Motorola still has the advantage of supporting up to 144 fps, for greater fluidity in compatible titles.

The point goes to Edge.

Here we find a 4,700 mAh battery in the Galaxy, and a slightly larger capacity of 4,800 mAh in the Edge. But it seems that this does not impact the total duration. The Korean clocked nearly 29 hours on our standardized tests, giving it a nearly six-hour lead over its competitor.

The scenery only changes on loading. The 68 W adapter sent by Motorola allows reaching 100% in 53 minutes. It completes the process almost 20 minutes faster than the Samsung model with its 25W accessory.

The S23 Plus scores for superior autonomy; and the 30 Pro scores for recharging in less time.

On both sides, we have a triple set of rear cameras, led by a 50 MP main one. Despite the same resolution, it is the Korean software that manages to better explore the sensor and take pictures with superior contrast and dynamic range. At night, the Galaxy is also capable of obtaining cleaner images than its rival.

The ultrawide of the S23 Plus may not have the same resolution as the main one, as is the case with the wider lens of the Edge, but it provides more balanced colors and contrast than the rival. The advantage of the 30 Pro here is in the autofocus, which allows you to record macros with high quality.

Samsung is the only one to insert a telephoto lens, which allows high quality pictures of distant objects, thanks to the three times optical zoom. Motorola already puts a depth sensor, which does not make a portrait mode much superior to what the competitor presents without the need for a dedicated camera.

Galaxy’s better results give it the point.

Their camcorder supports 8K recording at 30 fps, but only Galaxy supports 4K video at 60 fps. Korean is also the best quality, especially at night. In any case, the duo provides efficient stabilization, agile focus and very clean sound capture.

It’s one more point for the S23 Plus.

On the front camera, the resolution of the sensor also makes no difference. The 12 MP of the S23 Plus records selfies rich in detail during the day and does not soften, like the 60 MP of the Edge. At night, the Korean reduces noise better than the competitor. At least, the 30 Pro’s portrait mode doesn’t blur photos like the Galaxy does.

Samsung notes another point.

These cell phones were officially launched in Brazil. The Galaxy S23 Plus was available for a suggested price of BRL 7,000, slightly more expensive than the BRL 6,500 initially charged for the Edge 30 Pro. In the current market, Samsung’s model has not yet dropped below R$5,000, while Motorola’s can already be found close to R$4,000.

Therefore, Edge takes the last point.

In this clash between advanced cell phones, we saw a balance, but the advantage was for the Korean. The Galaxy S23 Plus offers from the most premium and resistant design, through the brightest screen and the system with the longest lifespan, to its superior set of cameras in photos, videos and selfies.

But the Edge 30 Pro isn’t far off. It has a more fluid panel, a powerful sound and compatible headphones in the package, faster performance and a battery that charges faster, even behind in autonomy. Not to mention that it is the cheapest retail option, if you want a top experience, without having to hurt your pocket so much.

RESULT

Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus: 7 POINTS

• More premium, tough and compact design
• brighter screen
• Longer lasting system
• Battery with greater autonomy
• Rear cameras with better photos and telephoto sensor
• Videos with superior quality and 4K at 60 fps
• Front camera for better day and night selfies

Motorola Edge 30 Pro: 5 POINTS

• Screen with greater fluidity
• Quality sound and headphones in the box
• Faster multitasking performance
• Battery with less recharge time
• Lowest price in the current Brazilian market

In this clash, do you prefer everything the Galaxy offers, or do you still prefer the benefits of the Edge? Tell us in the space below.

(updated April 10, 2023 at 4:46 PM)