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Phones · Samsung Galaxy S

Samsung Galaxy S23

10owners with an opinion
38%of verdicts positive
3/5positive/negative since 2024
0happy after 3+ years

Praised for ease of use and performance; criticized for software and portability.

What owners wrote

Doesn’t like itOwned 2 years
> Now I run a S23 Ultra and after two years it still does everything I need. Maybe, but it is fully under Google and Samsung's control, and is choke full of spyware. You couldn't pay me to use a stock (Googled) Android phone for this reason alone.
Neutral
> Samsung internet is the default for Samsung devices (which constitute the majority of Android devices in the west) I have a Samsung Galaxy S23 and it came with both Chrome and "Internet" which I guess is the Samsung one. I don't remember which was default or if it asked the first time something tried to open a webpage, but I didn't even notice the Samsung one was on here and I'd guess the Chrome brand name wins out for most people if it asks...
Likes it
> The article makes some great points about how iOS software is regressing, but it still feels so much better than almost any other software I use on a daily basis. I face none of the issues on my Samsung S23 phone, which the parent commentator describes - no issues in phones calls (I make 4-5 calls daily, mix of WhatsApp & regular calls), no major issues in Google Keep (which I use 2-3 times daily, specially never of a note becoming "blank"), and again no major issues in the Google App Store or updates (which I use on an average once a week). So maybe, the software quality varies by user experience rather than one platform being universally better.
Doesn’t like it
Yeah the shift-space issue was really really annoying. It was eventually fixed but due to the short support duration the S8 never got that update. The S8 was also a bit too memory constrained for DeX. Even my S23 is now. I love DeX but Samsung shouldn't be so frugal with memory.
Doesn’t like it
>I never heard of someone who bought a new phone _solely_ for a new battery I did. I had a Samsung Galaxy s10e, and I have an s23 now, which I got on its launch. The only reason I got a new phone is because they don't have legit batteries to replace my shitty s10e battery in my country of residence (very shitty European country). No Samsung support, no iFixIt (they don't ship here), nothing. Just shady shops selling shady batteries. I preferred the smaller size of the s10e, and software-wise it did everything I needed it to do. Plus I didn't have to rely on Bluetooth earbuds when I need(ed) to wear some earbuds. Oh, and the battery has gotten noticeably worse in the past year and a half, and the _only_ reason why I will buy a new phone in a year, year and a half is that I know for a fact the battery life will become (even more) unbearable, and there aren't any official/legit channels through which I could replace the battery. I know I'm talking about Samsung, but the same would apply to Apple here, and any other brand. If this wasn't an issue for me, I could see myself using the same phone for 5-6 years, probably even longer if set up lineageOS on it -- but after +5 years I imagine I would like to use some new phone with its "new" features... which I will likely never really use in the first place
Likes it
You can already do this with Samsung Dex. I've been on S23 and now S24, Dex is mature and works great. Don't have a laptop anymore. Simply boot up code_server in termux and use a web browser. It will likely be at least a year before Google manages to get a good version out the door. You can preview the desktop mode with floating windows on beta, but it's very buggy. May not even come to Pixel 8 officially, only for Pixel 9.
Neutral
Exactly. I've wanted a small phone for years now. I even bought the Qin 3 mini but the hardware is a bit crap (and I'm suspicious of the software) Now I have an S23 which together with the Zenfone is considered the only real "small" phones, and yet they're still almost the size of a normal phone
Likes it
So does Samsung. My work A52s is 3 years old, still going strong and getting all the latest os upgrades. For my private phone I bought an S23 flagship. Fastest SoC you can buy from Qualcomm and 120Hz oled, real dualsim, Telefocus camera. And that for less than 100€ more than an iPhone SE :) I also love the added features like the DeX desktop mode, I use it a lot at work where our computers are severely locked down. Just plug the phone into the docking station and i have my personal pc with 5G unrestricted uplink.