Phones S23 Ultra - My Newest

[dk001]

After a review, deep though, a glass of good scotch, I decided to get an S23 Ultra.

Model SM-S918U1
RAM = 12GB with optional 8GB virtual RAM
512GB storage running SnapDragon 8 Gen2 (overclocked) chip
Running Android 13 - One UI 5.1
Using Nova 8 as the launcher.
Running this on Mint Mobile.
Color Black - bought on Samsung.com

Received this device on the 13th. Shipping information was all spot on and it came a day earlier than scheduled.
Setup as new, nothing from any backup account.
No issues setting up though it did take a while. Lots of screens, choices, and options along with Samsung account.
I will be setting it up as I want as I go and plan on turning some things off.

Biggest changes so far:
1. Turned off Bixby. As annoying as Siri and so far less useful. Cannot uninstall it but can turn off and disable.
2. Replaced One UI 5.1 with Nova 8. I may go back to One UI in the future but Nova I am very familiar with.
3. Installed F-Droid and Aurora (side load) as they have a few apps I like and the Play Store no longer carries.

Alert: the system size is BIG! Apparently all of Samsung’s additions sit on top of the stock Android 13. This makes for System in excess of 60GB. Oof! Will have to see why this is so large.

First impression: Damn! This device is smooth, fast, and the battery is as good as or better than my iPhone 13 ProMax.

Sometime in the next few days I will give a more detailed view of what I am running and how all is going. I’ll be going through all the Samsung apps and deciding what to keep and what to discard.

If anyone has questions, I will try to answer or test - no promises.

More to come.

 

[three]

I really enjoyed your OnePlus 10 thread! I'm very excited to hear your thoughts and impressions over time!

 

[dk001]

Next set of updates ….

To Start:

First impressions:

• Quality packaging and the device itself was top notch looking and feeling right out of the box.
• I transferred my Mint Sim card - no issues
• The device is running fast and cool - no heat up at all
• Screen looks great!
• Everything has worked and worked well
• Don't know enough about One UI so I installed Nova 8 - I use this on my other Android. No issues.
• Charging via cable is quick. Charging via stand (using the OnePlus 50W) is fast but only pulls 18W.
• Operation has been very smooth and fast.
• Connection speeds, both 5G (on T-Mobile) and Wifi (Spectrum 6e) are quick, fast, and have had no connection problems to date. As it supports 7 I took a quick look - I'll wait for the cost to come down
  
• The shape of the device feels very nice in hand. Have tried out a couple of cases and went with a Pitaka Ultra Slim.
• Camera is quick and so far very good. Was dreading the shutter lag I had heard about but it doesn't appear to exist. Is as fast as my 13 ProMax and 10 Pro.

Couple of quick items;
I setup this device up as stock, then installed Nova 8, F-Droid, and Aurora. I am very concerned about Samsung Bloat. My last Samsung device was a Note 5.

• All apps worked at launch. So far I have not found an app that doesn't work.
• There are a lot of Samsung apps (bloat?) that came with the device. I have started to uninstall what I can and turning off and disabling those I cannot uninstall. First to go was Bixby and Chrome.
• Despite being new, the battery has no problem lasting the full day and I still have a good bit to review and check to make sure I am conserving where it makes sense. My last real test netted was 10hr 43min SOT and still had battery left.

more to come in the next update...

 

[HouseLannister]

No, the operating system on the new Galaxy S23 Ultra does not take up 60GB of space

A misleading system report claims the Android system size on the Galaxy S23 system is 60GB or even more, but it turns out that it's far less than that...

www.phonearena.com

 

[dk001]

No, the operating system on the new Galaxy S23 Ultra does not take up 60GB of space

A misleading system report claims the Android system size on the Galaxy S23 system is 60GB or even more, but it turns out that it's far less than that...

www.phonearena.com

Thanks for the link. Interesting,
I’ll have to look into this. After initial startup, my system was 68.64GB. That is right out of the box before I started adding and changing things.
It currently sits at 75.94GB.

I changed the original entry.

 

[Technerd108]

You came from OnePlus 10 right?

Big difference between Samsung and OnePlus. I think you will enjoy it. I used to be a big fan of OnePlus until they started having software issues and the enthusiast vibe of the company shifted away. The prices crept up and I just didn't feel it was the Flagship killer it used to be.

Now Pixel is my OnePlus. The new Pixel 7 series is so well priced and decent specs for the money it seems like a Flagship killer for now at least. I love the Pixel UI.

However I like Samsung a lot. Some of the Samsung bloatware is oppressive but the OneUI has really improved over the years. I remember TouchWiz and how awful that was.

The s23 ultra is a true Flagship in every respect and there are so many things that you can tinker with. One thing I will say is generally speaking Samsung does a pretty good job with stable software.

Look forward to your write ups and I hope you enjoy your new experience!!

 

[dk001]

Big update to Post #3.

 

[mjschabow]

Big update to Post #3.

Good stuff, pretty much my thoughts as well. Really hard to find a flaw on this device, tbh.

 

[Technerd108]

Samsung bloat is the thing I hate, loath about Samsung. I have this love/hate relationship with Samsung. I love their hardware and hate their bloat.

So many people just dismiss it as normal because Samsung has been doing it for so long but every time I get a Samsung device it bothers the hell out of me.

I paid x amount of dollars then I should be able to determine what apps I want to use and what ones I want gone, uninstalled from my device!

You can use adb to remove a lot of apps though I am not sure if it completely removes them.

In my opinion Samsung uses bloat as a way of slowing the phone down over time to give people an incentive to upgrade and it really bothers me. I guess it is no worse than Apple purposely slowing the OS down like the 6 series iPhones but it should be illegal. I wish the EU would try to stop the practice since it won’t happen in USA.

I have said for many years at the very least we as consumers should have the option to NOT have any preinstalled 3rd party apps. During setup Samsung could list all of the Apps they want to install on your device including their apps and let you choose which you want.

BUT they make some of the best phones and a lot of times you can get them rather cheap so I generally do what you do and live with it.

 

[dk001]

Samsung bloat is the thing I hate, loath about Samsung. I have this love/hate relationship with Samsung. I love their hardware and hate their bloat.

So many people just dismiss it as normal because Samsung has been doing it for so long but every time I get a Samsung device it bothers the hell out of me.

I paid x amount of dollars then I should be able to determine what apps I want to use and what ones I want gone, uninstalled from my device!

You can use adb to remove a lot of apps though I am not sure if it completely removes them.

In my opinion Samsung uses bloat as a way of slowing the phone down over time to give people an incentive to upgrade and it really bothers me. I guess it is no worse than Apple purposely slowing the OS down like the 6 series iPhones but it should be illegal. I wish the EU would try to stop the practice since it won’t happen in USA.

I have said for many years at the very least we as consumers should have the option to NOT have any preinstalled 3rd party apps. During setup Samsung could list all of the Apps they want to install on your device including their apps and let you choose which you want.

BUT they make some of the best phones and a lot of times you can get them rather cheap so I generally do what you do and live with it.

That is one of the things I will be working at - how much of the Samsung stuff can I decouple from this device?
Good or Bad, I'll post it all here.

 

[HouseLannister]

I paid x amount of dollars then I should be able to determine what apps I want to use and what ones I want gone, uninstalled from my device!

I guess it doesn't bother me because I use Niagra and can hide any app I don't want to see. I even nickname the Samsung apps with the word Samsung in front of them so I don't find them while searching (Samsung Internet, Samsung Messages, etc.). I am sure there is a way to do it in One UI too, but never cared for the launcher. Back on my S8 I used a package disabler to really nuke them, but updates got kind of screwed up sometimes, so I rather just leave well enough alone. Besides, when I remove an app from an iPhone, it's still there. The file space is still taken up, which is why reinstalling it is super quick. So hiding it versus deleting a placeholder icon isn't really different as far as my experience is concerned.

 

[Ludatyk]

I guess it doesn't bother me because I use Niagra and can hide any app I don't want to see. I even nickname the Samsung apps with the word Samsung in front of them so I don't find them while searching (Samsung Internet, Samsung Messages, etc.). I am sure there is a way to do it in One UI too, but never cared for the launcher.

Yes, you could hide any app through OneUI as well.

I have quite a few icon packs app downloaded and instead of uninstalling them I prefer to hide them that way I’ll know when an update comes through the App Store.

 

[dk001]

Latest installment....

Lets start with the items I am having "issues" with.
1. Fingerprint ID - it works and works well however it is a bit touchy. It is very specific on where to place your fingertip. I have tried duplicating an entry, trying it a bit different angles, but that seems to have little effect. I have tried both index fingers and both thumbs, with the index finger with a scar on the pad having the most trouble. Will keep playing with it. If anyone has suggestions, let me know.

2. Chrome - Even though I have Chrome disabled, cannot uninstall it, Some apps, especially Samsung apps, when it needs browser access, tries to pull it up via Chrome asking you to activate it instead of using the default browser. Still working on "fixing" this.

3. Storage > System - unlike other Android devices I have used or still use, System on this device is a whopping 75.74GB as of now. nothing else comes anywhere even close. Still no clue why this is so massive.

4. Android Auto - have a new vehicle and sometimes AA works great, other times it doesn't want to stay engaged. Not sure if it is the vehicle or the phone. 2022 Ford Edge ST running the latest and this device. I contacted Ford and they confirmed I was running the latest. Don't have this issue with my 1+ 10 Pro so I suspect it is the phone. Maybe.

Now on to the things that are very good.
1. Gaming - trying a number of games from PortsOfCall (oldie) to Need for Speed. Everything has run and run well. NFS was very impressive. My son tried some FPS games and he didn't want to give it back 😂. Uninstalling games was just as easy. No issue I have run into.

2. General use - Fast smooth, no hesitation, no crashes (knock on wood), it just works so far. Even the Camera has been good. I have a long ways to go to get through everything.

3. Music and Headphones - I am using my B&O H5 and Nothing Ear 1. Wow! Both sound remarkably good. Doesn't matter if I am watching a movie, listening to a podcast, YouTube or music. It all sounds very good. Better than any other device I currently own.

4. Calls - to date I have had no issues with calls. Be it Phone, Teams, or Zoom. All connected quickly whether on WiFi, 5G, or LTE. This is for both incoming and outgoing. For call screening I use Hiya and once installed and setup it works like expected.

5. Email - Using Outlook for my Exchange, ProtonMail, and FairEmail for misc accounts. Notification are working just like defined in Settings. Badges work and are accurate. I am having no issues. One note: FairEmail does a great job of flagging Tracking Images and other objects and letting you block them. Nice.

More to come .... So far aside from all the Samsung addons, this device is working extremely well.

 

[Ludatyk]

2. Chrome - Even though I have Chrome disabled, cannot uninstall it, Some apps, especially Samsung apps, when it needs browser access, tries to pull it up via Chrome asking you to activate it instead of using the default browser. Still working on "fixing" this.

Similar to you... I have Chrome disabled, I prefer using Samsung Internet (Beta) and I've never had any issues with Chrome mistakenly opening up via a clicked link.

3. Storage > System - unlike other Android devices I have used or still use, System on this device is a whopping 75.74GB as of now. nothing else comes anywhere even close. Still no clue why this is so massive.

In my opinion, no factual data to back this up... it could be due to all the features tied to the phone.

Compared to other Android devices... Samsung packs in a lot of features, from DeX to S-Pen support those features add up. And then there's Bixby, which adds another layer of machine learning on top of what Google can do.

 

[Technerd108]

Latest installment....

Lets start with the items I am having "issues" with.
1. Fingerprint ID - it works and works well however it is a bit touchy. It is very specific on where to place your fingertip. I have tried duplicating an entry, trying it a bit different angles, but that seems to have little effect. I have tried both index fingers and both thumbs, with the index finger with a scar on the pad having the most trouble. Will keep playing with it. If anyone has suggestions, let me know.

2. Chrome - Even though I have Chrome disabled, cannot uninstall it, Some apps, especially Samsung apps, when it needs browser access, tries to pull it up via Chrome asking you to activate it instead of using the default browser. Still working on "fixing" this.

3. Storage > System - unlike other Android devices I have used or still use, System on this device is a whopping 75.74GB as of now. nothing else comes anywhere even close. Still no clue why this is so massive.

4. Android Auto - have a new vehicle and sometimes AA works great, other times it doesn't want to stay engaged. Not sure if it is the vehicle or the phone. 2022 Ford Edge ST running the latest and this device. I contacted Ford and they confirmed I was running the latest. Don't have this issue with my 1+ 10 Pro so I suspect it is the phone. Maybe.

Now on to the things that are very good.
1. Gaming - trying a number of games from PortsOfCall (oldie) to Need for Speed. Everything has run and run well. NFS was very impressive. My son tried some FPS games and he didn't want to give it back 😂. Uninstalling games was just as easy. No issue I have run into.

2. General use - Fast smooth, no hesitation, no crashes (knock on wood), it just works so far. Even the Camera has been good. I have a long ways to go to get through everything.

3. Music and Headphones - I am using my B&O H5 and Nothing Ear 1. Wow! Both sound remarkably good. Doesn't matter if I am watching a movie, listening to a podcast, YouTube or music. It all sounds very good. Better than any other device I currently own.

4. Calls - to date I have had no issues with calls. Be it Phone, Teams, or Zoom. All connected quickly whether on WiFi, 5G, or LTE. This is for both incoming and outgoing. For call screening I use Hiya and once installed and setup it works like expected.

5. Email - Using Outlook for my Exchange, ProtonMail, and FairEmail for misc accounts. Notification are working just like defined in Settings. Badges work and are accurate. I am having no issues. One note: FairEmail does a great job of flagging Tracking Images and other objects and letting you block them. Nice.

More to come .... So far aside from all the Samsung addons, this device is working extremely well.

If you click on storage and then click on system there will be a sub menu to open up which separates the actual system from apps. By default Samsung lumps the two together so I would imagine the actual system is somewhere around 30-50gb and the rest are apps including Samsung default apps.

It is amazing how big just the system OS files are even without the apps. My Pixel 7 Pro with all apps is around 30Gb and the actual system is around 16gb. So why is Samsung OneUI so big as the other poster mentioned a lot probably has to do with additional features, DEX, Bixby, customizations. Even still it is too big IMHO. At least Samsung has given more default storage to the line up except for the regular s23.

I use Chrome so I can't help you. I have everything synced on Chrome so I use it.

 

[dk001]

Similar to you... I have Chrome disabled, I prefer using Samsung Internet (Beta) and I've never had any issues with Chrome mistakenly opening up via a clicked link.


In my opinion, no factual data to back this up... it could be due to all the features tied to the phone.

Compared to other Android devices... Samsung packs in a lot of features, from DeX to S-Pen support those features add up. And then there's Bixby, which adds another layer of machine learning on top of what Google can do.

I'll screenshot the next Chrome ask.

Including @Technerd108
Buddy has a Fold 4 and it is under 30GB (512)
Wife has a Flip 3 and it is under 30GB (256)
My 10 Pro is at 12GB (256)

I've looked at a half dozen Samsung phones and nothing has System like this S23U. It has me baffled. Even after all the recent installs and uninstalls it is staying right around 75GB.
Here is the recent SS of mine.

 

[Technerd108]

I'll screenshot the next Chrome ask.

Including @Technerd108
Buddy has a Fold 4 and it is under 30GB (512)
Wife has a Flip 3 and it is under 30GB (256)
My 10 Pro is at 12GB (256)

I've looked at a half dozen Samsung phones and nothing has System like this S23U. It has me baffled. Even after all the recent installs and uninstalls it is staying right around 75GB.
Here is the recent SS of mine.

If you click on the I with the circle on it under apps or system you should see that apps field populate with a number of GB. I bet you anything that that 75 gb is including all of the app installs which on a Samsung phone is a lot. I don't have a Samsung phone yet to give you the exact instructions because I sold my previous s22 plus to get an s23 ultra through Google Fi. Once I get it in a few days I will give you the exact instructions.

Older Samsung phones didn't calculate the apps and system together.

For example my previous s22 plus said around 48gb system which I thought was crazy at the time. When I was able to get into the settings I could see that Apps took up about 18-20gb and the real number for just the system was around 28-30gb which I still think is crazy.

I wish I could explain it better. Maybe someone else will know what I am talking about and explain it better. Either way I agree that 75gb with basic apps installed is crazy high number.

 

[Analog Kid]

1. Fingerprint ID - [...] it is a bit touchy.

😄

 

[dk001]

If you click on the I with the circle on it under apps or system you should see that apps field populate with a number of GB. I bet you anything that that 75 gb is including all of the app installs which on a Samsung phone is a lot. I don't have a Samsung phone yet to give you the exact instructions because I sold my previous s22 plus to get an s23 ultra through Google Fi. Once I get it in a few days I will give you the exact instructions.

Older Samsung phones didn't calculate the apps and system together.

For example my previous s22 plus said around 48gb system which I thought was crazy at the time. When I was able to get into the settings I could see that Apps took up about 18-20gb and the real number for just the system was around 28-30gb which I still think is crazy.

I wish I could explain it better. Maybe someone else will know what I am talking about and explain it better. Either way I agree that 75gb with basic apps installed is crazy high number.

When I did that it dropped to 56.42GB Is this still considered high though

Looks like they are taking around 20GB (says 19.50GB). What is good for this, just noticed, as I find Samsung apps I won't use and uninstall, that 19.50 number goes down.

 

[Technerd108]

When I did that it dropped to 56.42GB Is this still considered high though

Looks like they are taking around 20GB (says 19.50GB). What is good for this, just noticed, as I find Samsung apps I won't use and uninstall, that 19.50 number goes down.

I never said it was a light install. It is the largest mobile OS I have used. That being said 56.4gb seems more what I was expecting considering that my s22 was around 30gb and the ultra has sPen features that the s23/22 plus don't have so that adds more code.

What I would say is that it seems normal for Samsung but high to any other OEM.

 

[dk001]

So far after a week plus, I am getting this device into the setup I want. Have gone through the majority of the settings and have fine tuned them. I am getting very good battery life (see below as an example) without sacrificing view quality of hamstringing functionality. For the display I have adaptive brightness on, screen mode set to Vivid (better for games) and screen resolution set to FHD+. Easily lasts a whole day plus and if I forget to charge overnight, a quick top up at my desk the next morning does the trick.

Just received the latest update with the Feb Security (See below). Just installed this morning. I’ll update on any issues that come up.

For those who want to see the internals, here is a video from one of my favorite. Battery was surprising.

 

[dk001]

Time to discuss … Screen Protectors!

Despite what you hear and read, I am one of those who feels a screen protector is not a bad thing. I have busted/damaged a few in my day.

Latest ones I had/have - 12 ProMax with a 9H privacy screen; 13 ProMax with a Matte screen (still have it); OnePlus 9 Pro with a Privacy film; OnePlus 10 Pro with film (still have it).

S23 Ultra …. This is a tough one.
It does not come with one and I have read that these can make the fingerprint reader a challenge to use.
1. Tried a film, edge to edge. Followed the instructions, watch the YouTube videos, called customer service (😂) and could not get 100% stick on the curved edge.
2. Tried a different film. Same end result. You think you finally got it. Come back a bit later and it is lifting. Not cool.
3. 9H edge to edge privacy screen. Went on smooth and easy! No matter what I tried the fingerprint reader would not work. I even tried replacing a fingerprint however setup could not recognize the print well enough to register. Sensitivity on or off made no difference.
4. Trying a different 9H tech tomorrow. Will update that later. Hoping it works.

It appears that if you want to use a screen protector, you could be in for a challenge. So far it has kicked my butt.

Took out a few more Samsung apps - Pay, Wallet, and a few others. Using my Google One account in place and linking up Proton Drive (still evolving). End goal is to try to have Proton be the default mail/calendar/cloud for daily use.

 

[aggie99]

Whitestone Dome Glass works great with the fingerprint sensor on my S23U and Pixel 7 Pro.

 

[dk001]

Whitestone Dome Glass works great with the fingerprint sensor on my S23U and Pixel 7 Pro.

Will put that on my list if this next one fails.
Thx!

Just looked and the next in line is a LD UV. Crossing fingers.

 

[Technerd108]

Time to discuss … Screen Protectors!

Despite what you hear and read, I am one of those who feels a screen protector is not a bad thing. I have busted/damaged a few in my day.

Latest ones I had/have - 12 ProMax with a 9H privacy screen; 13 ProMax with a Matte screen (still have it); OnePlus 9 Pro with a Privacy film; OnePlus 10 Pro with film (still have it).

S23 Ultra …. This is a tough one.
It does not come with one and I have read that these can make the fingerprint reader a challenge to use.
1. Tried a film, edge to edge. Followed the instructions, watch the YouTube videos, called customer service (😂) and could not get 100% stick on the curved edge.
2. Tried a different film. Same end result. You think you finally got it. Come back a bit later and it is lifting. Not cool.
3. 9H edge to edge privacy screen. Went on smooth and easy! No matter what I tried the fingerprint reader would not work. I even tried replacing a fingerprint however setup could not recognize the print well enough to register. Sensitivity on or off made no difference.
4. Trying a different 9H tech tomorrow. Will update that later. Hoping it works.

It appears that if you want to use a screen protector, you could be in for a challenge. So far it has kicked my butt.

Took out a few more Samsung apps - Pay, Wallet, and a few others. Using my Google One account in place and linking up Proton Drive (still evolving). End goal is to try to have Proton be the default mail/calendar/cloud for daily use.

I tried this rodeo with curved screen before and honestly a Whitestone dome is the best choice available. It is a PITA to install but the results are worth it. It is as close to the original display as you can get and doesn't affect the fingerprint reader much of at all.

There are a ton of knock off brands from Amazon but the range around $30-$35. Whitestone dome website is having a sale for $39.99 plus if you register your email you get an additional 10% and free shipping and no sales tax. It costs the same as some knock off brands and is cheaper than Amazon is selling when you include tax.

They offer a lifetime warranty but the catch is shipping a replacement costs $14.99 but at least it is an option. Just don't throw the uv lamp away.

Good luck whatever way you go.

I have found cheap films end up costing the same since bubbles are common during installation, they don't have the same clarity, scratch easy so you have to replace them more often and don't do a great job at shatter protection. So I went through several packs which end almost costing the same as the LOCA tempered glass protectors and gave me a sub par experience. Just my 2 cents for what it is worth.