Samsung Galaxy S23+ S23+ Lavender 256GB

The Galaxy S23+ boasts a 93rd percentile build quality that feels more expensive than almost anything else you can buy. Its camera is a standout, but the 66/100 gaming score and sluggish 25W charging are real drawbacks. If you can find a refurbished unit around $340, it's an absolute steal for a premium daily driver.

The 'Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy' chip is a slightly overclocked beast that keeps this phone feeling fresh. In our database, it pushes the S23+ into the 82nd percentile for overall performance, which translates to apps opening instantly and zero lag when jumping between a dozen Chrome tabs and a video call. The 8GB of RAM is the standard for this class, and it handles it well. You won't feel like you're missing out on the latest silicon for day-to-day tasks.

The weak spot is clearly gaming. That 66/100 score is a letdown, and it's where the phone's age and thermal design show their limits. It's not that it can't play games, it's that sustained performance under heavy load causes noticeable heat and throttling, a point echoed by some refurbished buyers. For everything else, from photo editing to streaming, this processor is a strong, reliable workhorse that's well above average.

Stacked against the competition, the S23+ is a tale of two phones. The Motorola razr ultra 2025 and OnePlus 15 will run circles around it in charging speed and gaming, and the Xiaomi 15T Pro offers a brighter, more feature-rich display. But the Samsung fights back with a build quality that's best-in-class and a camera system that's more reliable than the Pixel 10a's, even if Google's phone wins on pure computational photography tricks. Against the iPhone 16 Pro Max, you're trading Apple's superior video and ecosystem for Samsung's more open Android experience and a much lower refurbished price. It's a premium phone that now competes on value, not raw specs.

Value here is a rollercoaster. We're seeing a wild price spread from $340 for a refurbished model to $1220 for a new one. At the high end, you're dangerously close to a new Galaxy S25 or an iPhone 16 Pro Max, which makes zero sense. The sweet spot is clearly in the refurbished market, where Best Buy and Newegg are offering excellent condition units. At around $340, you're getting a phone with a build and camera that rival devices costing three times as much, making it one of the best deals in mobile right now if you're willing to skip the shrink wrap.

The Galaxy S23+ lands in a sweet spot, delivering a build quality that's in the 93rd percentile of our database. It feels incredibly premium, and that's backed up by an 86th percentile camera system that still holds its own against newer flagships. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy keeps things snappy, placing performance in the 82nd percentile, which means it handles everything from heavy multitasking to demanding games without breaking a sweat. You're getting a lot of phone here, especially if you can snag a refurbished unit at the lower end of the $340 to $1220 price spread we're seeing across vendors.

But it's not all sunshine. The 25W charging is a real head-scratcher in a world of 65W+ competitors, and the 72nd percentile display, while a gorgeous 120Hz AMOLED, isn't the brightest on the block. The biggest red flag is the gaming score, which sits at a disappointing 66/100. It's a capable all-rounder, but if you're a serious mobile gamer, this phone is actively telling you to look elsewhere.

Serious mobile gamers should absolutely skip this one. The 66/100 gaming score is a clear signal that this phone isn't built for sustained, high-frame-rate play. You'll also want to look elsewhere if you're impatient about charging, as the 25W wired speed is one of the slowest in its class and will leave you tethered to a wall for over an hour. If you need the absolute brightest screen for outdoor use, the 72nd percentile display will also feel underwhelming compared to newer, more luminous panels.

The Galaxy S23+ is a masterclass in build quality and camera reliability that's now available for a steal on the refurbished market. It's a fantastic choice for anyone who wants a premium, big-screen Android phone without paying a flagship price. The slow charging and mediocre gaming performance are the trade-offs, but for everyday productivity, photography, and that 'wow, this feels expensive' in-hand feel, it's a data-backed winner. Just make sure you're paying closer to $340 than $1220.