Samsung·phone
Galaxy S23 Ultra
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
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.
Full text of every credible post we scored. Bot-like and off-topic comments are hidden.
[...] Now I run a S23 Ultra and after two years it still does everything I need. [...]
[...] 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. [...]
I still use this phone and had it for over two years as well. It's a great phone and feels brand new to this day.
I should do a video "I'm ADDICTED to my Galaxy Note 20" going on 6 years.. Expandable storage is keeping me with my Note
I get all my devices on a 2 year plan and my s23u is paid up in 1 month. Its the first time EVER i havent felt the need to upgrade.
Watching on a s23 ultra By the way i got it after seeing youre review back in 2023
Owner here and after more than 1 year i can say. It's absurdly amazing!
Still rocking my s23 ultra since day 1! Was my first upgrade in 5 years.
Watching on my S23 Ultra, and going on 2 years for me in November. [...] I take dozens of photos every day. [...] I'm in love with my S23 Ultra. [...]
2025 July, my S23 Ultra will be 2 years old. [...] I have 3 youtube channels that I use it for filming, and I have no issues at all. For 2 of the channels, I use the front camera with a greenscreen, and the quality is on par with every other youtube channel with fancy cameras.
My green one still rock solid after 2 years. Very happy with it.
I've had mine for 2 years and plan on keeping it for at least another 4 years. I love it.
I purchased two s23 ultras at the start of 2024. [...] The updates from last year and this new one ui7 have made it even more of a joy. [...]
Still my S23U from 2 years ago...a few scratches but still works perfectly fine !
I bought this beauty in Feb 23 , still sharp and showstopper among friends
I still have the S23 Ultra for two years. [...] It's recommended to charge the phone to 80% for extended battery life. [...]
Still using my S23U since Feb2023, and no intention to changing it to anything else. Works just as it did on day 1. Good job Samsung.
I made the big switch 2 years ago to s23 ultra from iphone pro 12 max and I never looked back. I am still running with the s 23 ultra and I am happy with it. [...] Overall this s23 ultra is a beast and held up my standards until this day.
This is so true. I can't stop loving this phone. Still after 2 years!
Watching this with my S23 Ultra, been using this phone since a year and half.! The best I have ever used.!
Good video friend, I have the s23 Ultra since October 2023, for me it is still the best phone I have had and the best Samsung has produced. It's a flyer can with anything you get to run and takes amazing photos and videos. Anyway it is a great machine that I will have until I no longer update, because I consider that for a few years now the changes that are made in high-end mobiles are very subtle, especially aesthetic, which is why for 90% of mortals it is not very intelligent to change mobile phones every two years considering how powerful high-end processors are. [...]
I love mine more and more since one ui 7. Been using it as daily driver for more than two yrs..❤
[...] All i can say is Im very happy with the speed, battery, and updates even when late. [...] I don’t take pictures much but the when I do the pictures come out well. I got the green still a great color.
I still use this monster too, i goto bed still on 28% - 38% battery!!!
I have a green one going on two yrs I love the color and just improved my battery life from the newest update so I'm good
Now I gain more confident on using my S23 ultra, almost a year i bought it...thanks!
In addition to my Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra which I've had for nearly 19 months, it's now been 6 years since I got my first really decent phone by modern standards; a Samsung Galaxy S10e.
[...] 😎 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!
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.
[...] I have been using the s10 plus for almost 3 years now, and im just blown away by this phone. [...]
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.
[...] I have an S23 Ultra for over a year and a half now. [...] I'm saying half, because it still works, but the screen is gone, as well as some part of the touch panel (I know about the touch panel, because screen was still showing for a while but touching was acting weird, then the screen was gone suddenly...). Then I tried a trick to take fully backup and do some tests, which was projecting the screen through Microsoft's Phone Link. The speakers, microphones, cameras, they all working just fine (except the cameras are getting little drops of water in the lens by steam). [...] But over the time, I think battery got a bit swollen, which opened a tiny gap on the back, or maybe chlorine, or salt damaged the glue over time (I didn't put it in sea, but some sea water touched it). [...] Like, why would you drop the optical zoom do
My s23 ultra screen cracked twice in 2 years....upgraded to s24 ultra...so far so good
I also love it. I have been using it for a year but on one ui 7 I am charging my phone twice a day before the update I was getting a whole day on a single charge
Its indeed been a few years since my last galaxy. 0 years to be exact since my S23 ultra, 0.7 years since my S20 ultra, 3 years since my S8+, 5 years since my Galaxy note 4, 8 years since my Galaxy note 2. "Apparent by my comment", how is my opinion on how bloated the UI feels a fact to you
[...] 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...
Have a s23 ultra, iPhone is for people who just follow others. To be honest, android has better specs anyways. Android team whos with me?
I haven't felt compelled to give up my S23 Ultra. The 10X lens is just too useful, and I enjoy the way they did the S-Pen. My previous S21 Ultra is still in use and still going strong.
If you haven't tried it, especially if your workplace allows your phone to have access to some corporate data, DeX + a good pair of AR or just integrated display glasses feels like the future. I run my S23 Ultra with a pair of XReal One's, and a folding Bluetooth keyboard (DeX let's you use your phone as a touchpad). [...]
[...] My S23 Ultra got a software update that removed features and now I can't use YouTube. I can't just not install updates, because it will nag me constantly and leave a permanent notification at all times that I cannot remove. [...]
I'm almost at the point where I consider any type of firmware update for anything to be actively hostile and to be avoided if at all possible with the sole exception of patches for specific, significant security bugs. [...] My S23 Ultra got a software update that removed features and now I can't use YouTube. I can't just not install updates, because it will nag me constantly and leave a permanent notification at all times that I cannot remove. [...]
[...] I still have an unlocked S23 Ultra I can switch back to as my main phone if I decide to.
[...] The UI on MotionCam (even after the update) is functional, brutalist, and purely an engineering driven, unstyled Android 4.4 UI elements style. [...] For the purpose I use it for (magnifying glass/telescope, using S23 Ultra), it's wonderful. [...]
S23 ultra here You can totally remap it You can use another keyboard You have to look very hard to find the AI (the only use i have for it is delete some objects from a photo and that takes a few tries) You can literally solve everything in a few minutes
I have an s23 ultra, if I walked around feeling good about myself for that I would feel like a dickhead
Oh very cool, I wish I knew about them when I got my current phone (Galaxy S23 Ultra). I would have been much happier, will definitely keep them in mind next time I'm in the market for a new phone.
[...] I got my current phone (S23 Ultra) for the stylus and due to a preorder sale, but otherwise it's just as usable as the previous one and even the camera improvements aren't that meaningful nowadays, with the existing quality mostly being squandered by compression in messaging apps (especially in WhatsApp). I don't see myself wanting a new phone unless this one's screen gets damaged enough. [...]
In my weekend pettiness, I brought my old Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra out of mothballs and am using it as my daily driver. The iPhone is on notice and now has to compete for the starting job.
I had a new 23 ultra in green I sold it to buy a flip phone and knew straight away I’d made a mistake but was to late but I found a black 23 ultra a month ago it looks like new really good condition updated to one ui 8 it’s like a new phone happy again with it
Galaxy S23 Ultra last night after work about 5.20pm-ish No idea about any other technical terms, I only just learned my phone can do this 😁😁
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
Common Galaxy S23 Ultra problems
Issues at least two owners independently report.
- Display5 mentionsView on Hacker News
“[...] 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...”
- Battery & charging5 mentionsView on Bluesky
“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”
- Software & AI4 mentionsView on Bluesky
“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??”
- Build & durability2 mentionsView on YouTube
“[...] I have always preferred Samsung tablet, I decided to get a flip 6 it broke within a few months (regrettable). [...]”
- Camera2 mentionsView on Bluesky
“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.”