Samsung recently released the new Galaxy S23 series, sporting upgrades such as a new 200MP main camera on the S23 Ultra, a larger battery life, 8K at 30fps video, the new toughest phone glass around and more! If you keep up-to-date with the latest flagships or you’ve considered a new Galaxy S23, you’ve probably read all about this by now. But there is more to an awesome smartphone experience than just the hardware it comes with. That’s why today, we’re talking about the 10 best features to get the most out of your Samsung Galaxy S23. While some of these features are new to the S23 series or Samsung’s One UI 5, others are existing features that may greatly enhance your S23 experience.
1. Side Key Customisation
The side key on your Galaxy S23 can do more than just turn your device on or off. You may already be aware that by default, a double-press of this key will quickly launch the camera app and holding it down will activate Bixby - Samsung’s smart voice assistant. However, you can actually customise it to open different apps or complete other functions. To do so, simply go to Settings > Advanced Features > Side Key.
Once inside, you’ll see the option to turn on/off the double-press function, as well as select a specific app that it launches. You can also choose to change the press and hold function from waking Bixby, to bringing up the power off menu instead.
2. Object Eraser
The new Galaxy S23 series features a bunch of awesome software improvements, especially around photo and video. One of these features, found on the S23 Ultra, is the built-in object eraser that lets you remove unwanted objects from an image with just a few taps! To use this feature, you simply need to highlight an object inside an image, and the system will attempt to remove it from the image with the help of AI.
To use the Object Eraser, open the image you want to edit inside the Gallery app. Once the image is open, tap the ‘Edit’ icon and then the 3-dot icon. Next, draw around the object you’d like to remove before hitting ‘Erase’ and letting the AI do its magic. You can also use Object Eraser to remove shadows and reflections from images.
3. Image Clipping
Another image editing feature, similar to the Object Eraser but available on all three S23 smartphones, is the Image Clipping feature. This tool will lift an object or person from an image, and transform it into a PNG file with a transparent background. As this feature uses an AI algorithm to cut images, it works best on images that have a clear contrast between the subject and the background.
To use the Image Clipping feature, open the image you want to edit inside the Gallery app. Once the image is open, press and hold down on the subject and wait until it is highlighted. If you drag this around, you will see the ‘clipped’ subject lift and move with your finger. With your finger kept on the screen, you will see the options to Copy, Share, or Save the Image appear. Select what you’d like to do with it. It’s that simple!
4. Enhanced Video Capabilities
You’ll also find new and improved video capabilities with the Galaxy S23 series. The Galaxy S23 Ultra is capable of capturing 8K videos at a smoother 30fps (as opposed to 8K at 24fps with the S22), as well as 4K HDR at 60fps. There’ll also be less cropping, better image stabilisation, and less noise. Additionally, the Galaxy S23 and S23+ selfie camera also supports HDR10+ video recording.
To change your resolution, open the Camera app, tape VIDEO, and then tap the resolution icon to set your resolution. The Galaxy S23 series also has enhanced low light capabilities which will be a big plus for your photos and video!
5. Modes and Routines
Modes and Routines is another new feature you’ll find on the Samsung Galaxy S23 series. With this feature set up, your phone will quickly adapt settings and tasks to match your needs at any particular moment. For instance, selecting Workout Mode will automatically silence notifications or queue music playback. Or, you could create a Sleep Routine that not only silences notifications, but also adapts screen brightness and turns on the alarm for the next morning. You can also create custom modes and routines from scratch.
The difference between ‘Modes’ and ‘Routines’ is that the former is enabled manually, while the latter will automatically trigger when set conditions are met. To use this feature, go to Settings > Mode and Routines.
6. Bixby Text Call
One of the newest features to the Galaxy S23 is Bixby Text Call, though keep in mind, it is currently only available in Korean. This feature utilises Samsung’s voice assistant to screen and respond to incoming calls on your behalf. Now you can answer calls from anywhere by typing a message, which Bixby converts to audio and communicates to the caller directly on your behalf. This is great if you have a busy schedule and/or don’t like answering calls from unknown callers. Instead of picking up the call, you can input text for Bixby to respond with.
Using the new Bixby Custom Voice Creator, users can record different sentences for Bixby to analyze and create an AI generated copy of their voice and tone. While this is currently only available in Korean, we can presume it’s a feature that’ll eventually be available in other languages and is something to look forward to. This generated voice is planned to be compatible with other Samsung apps beyond phone calls.
7. Change Colours
You can personalise your experience by having a custom colour scheme that matches your wallpaper. The colours from your chosen palette will be applied system-wide and alter the colours of the system UI, the icons, and Samsung’s default apps. To do this, tap and hold an empty space on your home screen. Among the options that appear, you’ll see ‘Wallpaper and Style’. Tap on that, and then tap ‘Colour Palette’ and enable the toggle next to it. You’ll now be presented with various colour palettes pulled from your wallpaper. Once you’ve chosen your colour palette, enable the toggle next to ‘Apply palette to app icons’ and then tap ‘Apply’.
Additionally, if you prefer a dark aesthetic over a light one, you can enable dark mode on your phone. To do this, go to Settings > Display > and then tap on ‘Dark’ to switch to Dark Mode.
8. Change Call Background
With all that we do on our smartphones these days, it can be easy to forget that the original function of a phone was to simply take phone calls. Of course, smartphones have been spruced up over time adding a tonne of new features and functions, including the addition of call backgrounds in the S23 that can spruce up your phone calls too.
To set a custom call background, open the Phone app and tap on the 3-dot icon in the top-right corner. Next, tap Settings > Call background. From this screen, tap ‘Background’ - you can now choose between a video background, static background, or an AR Emoji background.
9. Add Widgets to Lock Screen
Not only can you create stackable and fully customisable widgets on your Galaxy S23, but you add them to your lock screen. Rather than a basic lock screen with just the time, date and a few icons, you can include widgets that make certain tasks or apps quicker and easier to access. To do this, go to Settings > Lock screen and then tap on ‘Widgets’. You can turn certain widgets on/off using the toggle next to each of them. Additionally, you can reorder them by clicking ‘Reorder’ in the top-right corner.
Don’t worry about widgets overcrowding your lock screen either. They won’t actually always be showing. To access them, tap on the clock on your lock screen and your widgets will appear. Now you can have your music player, weather app, alarms, schedule, and more, conveniently available to you with just a tap of the screen.
10. Dolby Atmos Sound
The Galaxy S23 series supports Dolby Atmos but surprisingly, it’s not enabled by default. Dolby Atmos is an incredible feature that enhances the sound coming through your device. According to Dolby, “It goes beyond ordinary listening by transporting you with the breakthrough spatial sound experience that draws you in deeper, so you hear and feel more.” So if you want to get the most out of your S23, this is one feature you should take steps to enable.
To do so, go to Settings > Sounds and vibration > Sound quality and effects. From here, enable the toggle to turn on Dolby Atmos, as well as Dolby Atmos for Gaming. Just below ‘Dolby Atmos’, you’ll see small blue text which will be on ‘Auto’ by default. Tap on this if you’d like to manually select the type of playback you’d like to experience.
Additionally, you can play with the audio settings on your phone further using the ‘Equaliser’ back on the main ‘Sound quality and effects’ screen. You can choose a preset from the list that appears or you can create a custom EQ preset.
What other features do you love about the Galaxy S23 series or Samsung’s One UI 5? Let us know in the comments!
