Motorola Razr+ 2023 vs Samsung Galaxy S23 | TechTalkTown
Motorola Razr+ 2023 vs Samsung Galaxy S23
Motorola Razr+ 2023
Motorola
8
Best clamshell foldable cover screen of 2023
Samsung Galaxy S23
Samsung
8
Best compact Android flagship of 2023
Motorola Razr+ 2023
What Reviewers Agree On
Best clamshell cover screen of 2023 — 3.6-inch 144Hz AMOLED runs full apps, beat Samsung's Z Flip 5 3.4-inch screen to market and on functionality.
Teardrop hinge with no visible gap when folded + minimal crease — meaningfully better than Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5's hinge per multiple reviewers.
165Hz inner LTPO AMOLED + 144Hz outer panel — fastest refresh rates on any 2023 foldable, smooth for gaming + scrolling.
Aggressive 50%-off Black Friday + carrier discounts dropped the $999 launch price to $399-549 — making it the best clamshell value of 2023.
Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 + 8GB RAM delivers solid 2022-flagship performance — no real-world slowdown for typical use.
Deal Breakers
Pros & Cons
Motorola Razr+ 2023
Pros
Best clamshell cover screen of 2023 — 3.6-inch 144Hz AMOLED runs full apps, beat Samsung's Z Flip 5 3.4-inch screen to market and on functionality.
Teardrop hinge with no visible gap when folded + minimal crease — meaningfully better than Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5's hinge per multiple reviewers.
165Hz inner LTPO AMOLED + 144Hz outer panel — fastest refresh rates on any 2023 foldable, smooth for gaming + scrolling.
Aggressive 50%-off Black Friday + carrier discounts dropped the $999 launch price to $399-549 — making it the best clamshell value of 2023.
Detailed Comparison
Cameras
Motorola Razr+ 2023
12MP main + 13MP ultrawide + 32MP selfie — the Razr+ 2023's biggest hardware weakness vs the Galaxy Z Flip 5. Wired notes the cameras 'don't measure up to the competition,' but the cover-screen viewfinder for selfies is a unique strength.
12MP main (with OIS) + 13MP ultrawide (108-degree FOV) + 32MP inner selfie — no telephoto camera.
Wired: 'this comparison is a good example of how Motorola's cameras don't measure up to the competition' — Z Flip 5 wins side-by-side.
Cover-screen selfie viewfinder lets subjects see themselves while you photograph them — unique feature mainstream phones can't match.
12MP main 'works decently well even in low-light' per Phandroid — adequate but not flagship-class daylight quality.
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3,800mAh battery is small — Android Central forum users + reviewers consistently flag battery as the Razr+'s weakest point.
Only IP52 splash resistance (no dust or full water protection) — Galaxy Z Flip 5's IPX8 is meaningfully better protected.
Cameras lack a telephoto and Wired notes they 'don't measure up to the competition' — 12MP main + 13MP ultrawide both trail Galaxy Z Flip 5 in low-light + zoom.
Samsung Galaxy S23
What Reviewers Agree On
Genuinely compact flagship — 6.1" body 'frees you from awkward big phones and camera spec overkill' (Android Central)
Same Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chip as the Plus and Ultra — no performance compromise vs the more expensive siblings
Same 50MP main + 12MP ultrawide + 10MP 3x telephoto + 12MP selfie as the Plus — the 3x optical zoom is a real step up from rivals stuck at 2x
Display brightness up 35% from the S22 to 1750-nit peak; 120Hz Dynamic AMOLED 2X stays sharp and vibrant
Adopts the Ultra's floating-camera design — cohesive trio look without the contour bump
4 OS upgrades + 5 years of security — covers it through Android 17 and into 2027/2028
Deal Breakers
Only 25W wired charging — the Plus and Ultra get 45W, OnePlus 11 gets 80W; 0-100% takes ~1h12m even on the right charger
Just 3,900mAh battery — adequate at launch but flagged as the family's weak point, made worse by One UI 6/7 updates that increased drain noticeably
Ars Technica caught a 60GB Samsung system partition out of the box — 4x the size of a Pixel 7 Pro's, only one OS copy means ~30 min downtime per update
No S Pen, no UWB, no periscope telephoto — Samsung's flagship-tier extras stay on the Ultra
Engadget's verdict: 'A solid phone that's probably not worth the upgrade' over a recent S22/S21
Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 + 8GB RAM delivers solid 2022-flagship performance — no real-world slowdown for typical use.
Cons
3,800mAh battery is small — Android Central forum users + reviewers consistently flag battery as the Razr+'s weakest point.
Only IP52 splash resistance (no dust or full water protection) — Galaxy Z Flip 5's IPX8 is meaningfully better protected.
Cameras lack a telephoto and Wired notes they 'don't measure up to the competition' — 12MP main + 13MP ultrawide both trail Galaxy Z Flip 5 in low-light + zoom.
Samsung Galaxy S23
Pros
Genuinely compact flagship — 6.1" body 'frees you from awkward big phones and camera spec overkill' (Android Central)
Same Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chip as the Plus and Ultra — no performance compromise vs the more expensive siblings
Same 50MP main + 12MP ultrawide + 10MP 3x telephoto + 12MP selfie as the Plus — the 3x optical zoom is a real step up from rivals stuck at 2x
Display brightness up 35% from the S22 to 1750-nit peak; 120Hz Dynamic AMOLED 2X stays sharp and vibrant
Adopts the Ultra's floating-camera design — cohesive trio look without the contour bump
4 OS upgrades + 5 years of security — covers it through Android 17 and into 2027/2028
Cons
Only 25W wired charging — the Plus and Ultra get 45W, OnePlus 11 gets 80W; 0-100% takes ~1h12m even on the right charger
Just 3,900mAh battery — adequate at launch but flagged as the family's weak point, made worse by One UI 6/7 updates that increased drain noticeably
Ars Technica caught a 60GB Samsung system partition out of the box — 4x the size of a Pixel 7 Pro's, only one OS copy means ~30 min downtime per update
No S Pen, no UWB, no periscope telephoto — Samsung's flagship-tier extras stay on the Ultra
Engadget's verdict: 'A solid phone that's probably not worth the upgrade' over a recent S22/S21
Ultrawide 108-degree FOV is narrower than Galaxy Z Flip 5's 124-degree ultrawide — meaningful difference for landscape + group shots.
Samsung Galaxy S23
Same 50MP main + 12MP ultrawide + 10MP 3x telephoto trio as the Plus — versatile and consistent in daylight. The 3x optical zoom is the standout vs rivals stuck at 2x.
Cameras: 50MP main (f/1.8, OIS), 12MP ultrawide (f/2.2, 120°), 10MP 3x telephoto, 12MP selfie — all 4K60 capable.
8K30 video added (up from 8K24 on S22), front camera 4K60 — content-creator-friendly upgrades.
Long-term owner: portrait video at 4K30 on both front and back, can switch lenses while recording 4K30 (not 4K60).
Camera less consistent vs Pixel 7a after June update — HDR and portrait have become more variable for some users.
Slot for camera spec creep — no 200MP and no 10x periscope here (those stay on the Ultra); 3x optical + 30x digital is the limit.
Performance
Motorola Razr+ 2023
Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 + 8GB RAM is last-year flagship silicon — the cost-vs-spec trade-off Motorola chose to ship at $999 vs $1,200+ for an SD 8 Gen 2 device. Real-world performance is excellent for typical use.
Phandroid: 'you're not getting the latest and greatest chipset here since Motorola wanted to price the phone right at $999' — explicit cost trade-off.
Ars Technica: 'not the best you can get from Qualcomm' — the 8 Gen 2 would have been the right chip for a $999 launch.
Samsung Galaxy S23
Same bespoke Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy (3.36GHz) chip as the Plus and Ultra — no compromise. 40% faster than the S22 Ultra and meaningfully cooler. 8GB RAM keeps multitasking smooth even 3 years on.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy at 3.36GHz with 8GB RAM and 128GB UFS 3.1 base — same chip as the Plus and Ultra, no Exynos split.
Bespoke 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy is up to 40% faster than the S22 Ultra and adds Ray Tracing support for certain games.
Cool under normal use — even at 38-39°C ambient temps, no overheating issues; long-term performance holds up.
Three years in (2026): app opening, multitasking and Call of Duty still smooth — chip plus 8GB RAM has aged well.
Ars Technica caught a 60GB Samsung Android system partition out of the box — 4x the size of a Pixel 7 Pro's 15GB, and only one OS copy means ~30 min downtime during updates.
Battery & Charging
Motorola Razr+ 2023
3,800mAh battery + 30W wired + 5W wireless — Phandroid measured full charge in ~1h 20min. Real-world endurance is the Razr+ 2023's weakest area; Android Central owners consistently flag battery as the biggest pain point.
3,800mAh dual-cell battery — small for the screen size, Android Central owners: 'the worst thing about this is battery.'
30W wired charging full in ~1h 20min per Phandroid — slow vs Galaxy Z Flip 5's 25W (1h 24min) is similar speed but smaller cell helps Motorola.
5W wireless charging only — Stuff notes the Razr+ wired beats Z Flip 5's 25W but loses on wireless (Samsung does 15W).
YouTuber long-term test (Razr 40 Ultra): 'all-day battery achievable for moderate use' with 165Hz refresh + LTPO panel efficiency.
No charger in the box — Razr+ owners must source their own 30W+ USB-C PD brick.
Samsung Galaxy S23
3,900mAh — the family's weakest point. Real-world ~5-6 hours of SOT typical (worsened by One UI 6/7), and only 25W charging means ~1h12m to full. The compact form factor's main cost.
3,900mAh battery — only 200mAh more than the S22, no 4,500mAh+ like the Plus. The smallest cell in the family.
Real-world: ~5-6 hours of SOT typical, comfortably a full day of moderate use, 1-1.5 days possible.
Battery life noticeably dropped after One UI 6 update — owner went from 5-6h SOT on 5G to barely 2h, recommends staying on Android 13 for best results.
Feb 2026 update real-world: ~4h SOT on Wi-Fi, drops to <2h on 5G — battery efficiency has gotten worse with time.
Charging caps at 25W (the Plus and Ultra get 45W): 0-100% takes ~1h12m on Samsung's 25W charger.
