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Samsung·phone

Galaxy S23 Ultra

Marketing claims50
Community reality90

Based on 114 credible posts from Hacker News, YouTube & Bluesky. 11 filtered out as bot-like or off-topic.

High confidenceA large sample of owners; this score is stable. How we score

Scored September 27, 2026

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Owner reviews

Overall owner mood

75% positive (85)18% mixed (20)8% negative (9)

Most owners are happy with it: 75% of 114 reviews are positive and 8% negative. Praise centers on battery & charging and camera. The most common complaint is battery & charging (5 owners). Owners with 6+ months of use feel about the same (80% positive).

What owners like

  • Battery & charging praised by 11 owners

    “The battery is insane on this phone.”

  • Camera praised by 11 owners

    “Went from an S8 I'd been using for almost 6 years to an the product and I can't believe how long the battery lasts and how good the cameras are.”

  • Software & AI praised by 7 owners

    “This is still a beast of a phone, and the One UI 7 update made it feel like new.”

  • Price & value praised by 3 owners

    “We just did it for the first time and the headaches and restraints of iOS are worth it for her.”

What owners complain about

  • Battery & charging raised by 5 owners

    “I hold onta my phones until they are so broken that their battery only lasts a few hours, and they're starting ta randomly reboot themselves.”

  • Display raised by 5 owners

    “I don't see myself wanting a new phone unless this one's screen gets damaged enough.”

  • Software & AI raised by 4 owners

    “The UI on MotionCam (even after the update) is functional, brutalist, and purely an engineering driven, unstyled Android 4.4 UI elements style.”

  • Build & durability raised by 2 owners

    “I hold onta my phones until they are so broken that their battery only lasts a few hours, and they're starting ta randomly reboot themselves.”

What owners talk about

  • Battery & charging11 praise · 5 complain
  • Camera11 praise · 2 complain
  • Software & AI7 praise · 4 complain
  • Display4 praise · 5 complain
  • Build & durability2 praise · 2 complain
  • Price & value3 praise · 0 complain
  • Controls & input2 praise · 0 complain
  • Sound2 praise · 0 complain

Built from the reviews themselves — every quote links to the owner who wrote it.

Galaxy S23 Ultra long-term: how it holds up

Long-term owners feel about the same as new ones, so the Galaxy S23 Ultra holds up.

  • First months100% recommend · 3 owners
  • 1 year or more93% recommend · 34 owners

When problems show up

  • Battery & chargingtypically around 1.8 years · 2 reports

The claims, and the evidence

What the brand claims

No published claims on file for this product yet.

What owners report

  • “[...] Now I run a S23 Ultra and after two years it still does everything I need. [...]”

    after 2 yearsView on Hacker News
  • “[...] TY A Google Pixel camera made that shot? [...] 🤯 I've been using various Samsung Galaxy 📷 phones the last 10 yrs. Currently on a Galaxy S23 Ultra that I got bc of the astrophotography option. [...]”

    after 10 yearsView on Bluesky
  • “[...] 😎 I bought a $1,600 Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra a few years ago to take better photos that was A WASTE of money! I should've bought a decent camera & a cheap phone. [...] Takes great photos like yours!”

    after 2 yearsView on Bluesky
  • “Decided to go with an iPhone after having a poor experience with the Galaxy S23 Ultra the last couple years. I’m not a huge fan of iOS or anything Apple but I got it to easily FaceTime with my niece. We just did it for the first time and the headaches and restraints of iOS are worth it for her.”

    after 2 yearsView on Bluesky
Read all 114 owner reviews

Common Galaxy S23 Ultra problems

Issues at least two owners independently report.

  • Display5 mentions

    “[...] I have missed so many work notifications due to the lack of persistent notification indicator (other than on the lock screen), and the overall weirdness of iOS lockscreen notification panel (segmentation between "old" notifications that can be mass dismissed and "new" notifications that pile up individually-ish). [...] I'm so close to abandoning the iPhone as my main phone and going back to my S23 Ultra pretty much entirely because of notifications, it's been a disappointment...”

    View on Hacker News
  • Battery & charging5 mentions

    “My phone (Galaxy S23 Ultra) started freaking out, insisting the charger was wet. With Samsung live chat help I got it to charge, only USB-A chargers - won't acknowledge any fast charging cable Sending it for repair and they'll factory reset it and goddamn I am so sad about it I hate new phone setup”

    View on Bluesky
  • Software & AI4 mentions

    “I updated my Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra last night to the new OS and I hate it. [...] But my phone is so big that I can only reach the right side anyway??”

    View on Bluesky
  • Build & durability2 mentions

    “[...] I have always preferred Samsung tablet, I decided to get a flip 6 it broke within a few months (regrettable). [...]”

    View on YouTube
  • Camera2 mentions

    “Phone nerd note: I'm using my old Pixel 6 to take this picture instead of my daily driver Galaxy S23 Ultra. THAT phone obliterated the shadows and dramatic lighting of the scene, brightening the whole thing up. I love how relaibly solid that phone is but that camera....ugh.”

    View on Bluesky

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