Before we start, you can buy this itel S23+ now on Shopee for only PHP 7,499. I’m not sure if it’s also available at itel’s authorized resellers or phone stores in malls, so maybe check first. By the way, you may watch my quick unboxing video to see the full unboxing experience.
Unboxing the new itel S23+
The box of this itel S23+ is quite unique and it is also quite premium. If I’m not mistaken, the box of the itel S23 looks like the box of the itel A60s, while it’s flat and wide here on the S23+. Just take note, that it doesn’t come with a Charging Adapter because the only contents of the box are the unit itself, USB-C cable, wired earphones, SIM ejector pin, and its hard case.
I’m not sure if there’s still a free 18W charging adapter and tempered glass when you buy from Shopee now because I know it’s just a promo. Actually, when they released it last October 5, there were free wireless earphones or a smartwatch, but they sold out immediately and we didn’t get one.
This itel S23+ is very thin and very light. It is also very precise to hold because of its curved display, which we will talk about more later. However, the sides of its free case are open. I’m sure it will scratch if you’re not careful.
By the way, the back is just plastic with a matte finish. Its available colorways are Lake Cyan and Elemental Blue, and for me, Lake Cyan looks better because it looks more premium.
I’m just a bit overwhelmed by its camera island as well as its camera and flash. Speaking of cameras, it has a 50MP main shooter partnered with a 0.08MP depth sensor. While on the front, it has a 32MP selfie shooter. We will find out in our full review if the image quality we can get here is good, so stay tuned!
But in terms of design, overall, its design looks premium. Anyways, the volume rockers and power button are on the right side, then the left side is empty. We can see at the bottom of it the SIM tray which is only dual sim, yes, its storage is not expandable but that’s ok, then next to its SIM tray are the microphone, USB-C port, and the stereo speaker.
Unfortunately, it’s only a single-firing speaker, it would have been better if it was a dual speaker so that our listening experience would be better.
Let’s talk about its display which is one of the highlights of this phone. It actually has a 6.78-inch Curved AMOLED display with FHD+ resolution and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. Oh well, it’s worth it for a PHP 7k+ price. It’s very rare to see a cheap phone with a curved display and AMOLED.
The only catch is that it doesn’t have a high refresh rate, but that’s okay, that’s still a win for the quality of its display, compared to the IPS LCD ones out there, right? But wait there’s more, this budget phone also has an in-display fingerprint.
Inside this phone is a 12nm Unisoc Tiger T616 chipset with a Mali-G57 MP1 GPU. Meanwhile, it has 8GB RAM and 256GB UFS2.0 storage, and just like I mentioned earlier, its storage is not expandable but the 256GB is also big so it’s good. By the way, this phone runs itelOS 13 based on Android 13.
It also has cool features guys like the Aivana, it’s like ChatGPT integrations here on the phone so you can use it right away. And just like the trend in other phones, it also has a Mini bar or as they call it, Dynamic Bar. Basically, it only shows info like face unlock, charging animation, background calls, and so on. Well, for me this is also useful, especially if it is optimized properly.
Then last but not least, is its battery. It actually has a 5,000mAh battery capacity that supports 18W wired charging. I repeat it does not come with a charging adapter in its box but only a USB-C cable so do take note.
Itel S23+ Specifications
- Display: 6.78-inch Curved AMOLED, FHD+ 2460 x 1080 resolution
- CPU: 2.0GHz 12nm UNISOC T616 octa-core processor
- GPU: Mali-G57 MC1
- RAM: 8GB + Up to 8GB Virtual RAM
- ROM: 256GB
- Rear Camera: 50MP + 0.08MP Depth sensor + LED flash
- Front Camera: 32MP
- Battery: 5,000mAh, 18W wired charging
- OS: itelOS 13, Android 13
- Connectivity: 2.4GHz & 5GHz WiFi, 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS, dual SIM (nano)
- Sensors: Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic
- Colors: Lake Cyan, Elemental Blue
- Others: In-display fingerprint sensor, face unlock, USB-C
Price and availability
Itel S23+ – PHP 7,499 | Shopee link
The new itel S23+ is now available in itel official store on Shopee for only PHP 7,499. I just hope it will be available in physical stores.
