Samsung galaxy S23 and S23 ultra

[drinkingtea]

Wait. I thought your Nothing Phone 2 was up for sale, not the amazing top dog Android king S23U.

Lol. I changed my mind. D:

 

[5105973]

Why what happened?

Samsung customers who sent phones back to Samsung for either trade or return ended up getting notifications that they sent in an empty box to Samsung so their returns weren't credited nor their trade in.

It happened at a particular facility in Texas. Either there was a problem with Fed Ex there or at the facility that was evaluating the phones. It happened to enough people that Samsung ultimately ended up honoring trade ins without a fight even if they'd been stolen. I would hope they've identified and addressed the thieves but who knows until the next round?

So Samsung ultimately credited my husband for his trade without a fight.

My situation was different. I returned a defective phone that was stolen. Samsung sent me video proof that I sent them an empty box. It showed them slitting open the sealed box and that it was empty. My husband reported the phone stolen. So I didn't send in my S 22 Ultra for trade. Despite communications, their system couldn't handle recognizing the situation and they charged us around $500 to my credit card for the S22 Ultra that I didn't send in. They said I didn't honor my trade in commitment.

They ended up with whatever I paid for the returned phone plus $500. We got back from our credit card company most of the money but not all. It was our credit card company that came through for us, not Samsung. And yes my husband did report the theft to them and authorities.

My husband was done at that point because he's in the middle of handling business for his employer that needs his energy and concentration and I was busy with my elderly mom, whose care situation is an ongoing nightmare to handle, so we didn't fight it to the bitter end.

I did get an S23 Ultra from Amazon and paid full price. I still have my s22 Ultra.

 

[Dave245]

Samsung customers who sent phones back to Samsung for either trade or return ended up getting notifications that they sent in an empty box to Samsung so their returns weren't credited nor their trade in.

It happened at a particular facility in Texas. Either there was a problem with Fed Ex there or at the facility that was evaluating the phones. It happened to enough people that Samsung ultimately ended up honoring trade ins without a fight even if they'd been stolen. I would hope they've identified and addressed the thieves but who knows until the next round?

So Samsung ultimately credited my husband for his trade without a fight.

My situation was different. I returned a defective phone that was stolen. Samsung sent me video proof that I sent them an empty box. It showed them slitting open the sealed box and that it was empty. My husband reported the phone stolen. So I didn't send in my S 22 Ultra for trade. Despite communications, their system couldn't handle recognizing the situation and they charged us around $500 to my credit card for the S22 Ultra that I didn't send in. They said I didn't honor my trade in commitment.

They ended up with whatever I paid for the returned phone plus $500. We got back from our credit card company most of the money but not all. It was our credit card company that came through for us, not Samsung. And yes my husband did report the theft to them and authorities.

My husband was done at that point because he's in the middle of handling business for his employer that needs his energy and concentration and I was busy with my elderly mom, whose care situation is an ongoing nightmare to handle, so we didn't fight it to the bitter end.

I did get an S23 Ultra from Amazon and paid full price. I still have my s22 Ultra.

Wow that is a terrible experience, I know Samsung are not responsible for the theft themselves, but customer service could be better from Samsung. Has it put you off from buying further Samsung devices in the future? at least from their website.

 

[Dave245]

The 10x Zoom is so good that it is literally the only thing that has kept me from going back to iOS. I have gotten so many good pictures at concerts, during hikes and my son's soccer games. Samsung does annoy the heck out of me with the double apps, I still feel unorganized after almost 6 months. When I had Apple, I just knew where everything was. I'm very busy, on the go, and I definitely experience bouts of frustration with the amount of options, double apps, etc. Wish Apple would get that 10x Zoom already because it's just so useful!

totally agree with this. If Apple put a 10x on the iPhone it would be great and I think id stick with my iPhone overall. I know the 15 Pro Max is rumoured to be having a zoom of around 5x to 6x zoom, but we will have to see how good it is and if it's as good as Samsungs. Let's face it the 100x zoom is not usable and is a big gimmick just so Samsung can say they have it. The S23 Ultra is certainly the king when it comes to zoom tho.

What are you hoping to see from the iPhone 15? are you planning on buying one?

 

[5105973]

Wow that is a terrible experience, I know Samsung are not responsible for the theft themselves, but customer service could be better from Samsung. Has it put you off from buying further Samsung devices in the future? at least from their website.

Yeah we are both definitely put off. From what I read, this problem happened with the S22 Ultra preorders, too. But we weren't affected last time, because that year our returned phones were routed to their Tennessee facility. If this has been going on multiple years and Samsung hasn't changed anything to address it, like for example providing customers with return boxes and special tamper-resistant security tape like Google does for their trades, then I don't want to risk this again.

I know this happens to Apple and Google, too. But from what I can tell of Samsung customer service, they're so large and disjointed that the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing. Their customer service handles everything from washing machines to TVs and these phones are just a fraction of that larger business.

My husband was getting told one thing by one of several human beings he dealt with and meanwhile their automated system just does what it does with no oversight.

When I dealt with a theft of a returned phone with Google, I requested and got a singular account rep, who handled everything for me from start to finish with the nuance and finesse only a properly trained human being can provide. I got equally fantastic treatment from Best Buy in a different customer service matter.

We're not totally put off of Samsung products but I think we will evaluate our options to purchase from Best Buy going forward.

 

[mjschabow]

totally agree with this. If Apple put a 10x on the iPhone it would be great and I think id stick with my iPhone overall. I know the 15 Pro Max is rumoured to be having a zoom of around 5x to 6x zoom, but we will have to see how good it is and if it's as good as Samsungs. Let's face it the 100x zoom is not usable and is a big gimmick just so Samsung can say they have it. The S23 Ultra is certainly the king when it comes to zoom tho.

What are you hoping to see from the iPhone 15? are you planning on buying one?

We'll see for sure. I think I would be ok with 6x zoom but 10x really seems to be the sweet spot. It's going to be really difficult but to switch when the 15 Pro Max comes out, mostly because I miss iOS (other than the horrendous app library) but damn this phone is so good that it will be a sad day when I part with it.

 

[Dave245]

Yeah we are both definitely put off. From what I read, this problem happened with the S22 Ultra preorders, too. But we weren't affected last time, because that year our returned phones were routed to their Tennessee facility. If this has been going on multiple years and Samsung hasn't changed anything to address it, like for example providing customers with return boxes and special tamper-resistant security tape like Google does for their trades, then I don't want to risk this again.

I know this happens to Apple and Google, too. But from what I can tell of Samsung customer service, they're so large and disjointed that the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing. Their customer service handles everything from washing machines to TVs and these phones are just a fraction of that larger business.

My husband was getting told one thing by one of several human beings he dealt with and meanwhile their automated system just does what it does with no oversight.

When I dealt with a theft of a returned phone with Google, I requested and got a singular account rep, who handled everything for me from start to finish with the nuance and finesse only a properly trained human being can provide. I got equally fantastic treatment from Best Buy in a different customer service matter.

We're not totally put off of Samsung products but I think we will evaluate our options to purchase from Best Buy going forward.

Yea they definitely tell you different things depending on who you speak too. I had to deal with Samsung customer service and they don’t communicate with each other that’s for sure.

 

[Dave245]

We'll see for sure. I think I would be ok with 6x zoom but 10x really seems to be the sweet spot. It's going to be really difficult but to switch when the 15 Pro Max comes out, mostly because I miss iOS (other than the horrendous app library) but damn this phone is so good that it will be a sad day when I part with it.

Between 5x and 6x has been rumoured. There will be surprises for sure, who knows maybe the zoom capabilities will be a surprise and they go further than we thought.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

totally agree with this. If Apple put a 10x on the iPhone it would be great and I think id stick with my iPhone overall. I know the 15 Pro Max is rumoured to be having a zoom of around 5x to 6x zoom, but we will have to see how good it is and if it's as good as Samsungs. Let's face it the 100x zoom is not usable and is a big gimmick just so Samsung can say they have it. The S23 Ultra is certainly the king when it comes to zoom tho.

What are you hoping to see from the iPhone 15? are you planning on buying one?

The 50x - 100x has been very usable for me. Not for normal shots, but for shots that I need to read or make something out from a distance. The post processing at these high zoom levels is amazing with the S23U. Previous models didn't post process that well. It's like a having binoculars when you need it, and it came in handy more times than I expected.

 

[jr866gooner]

I sold my S23U today. It was the best phone I've ever had, TBH, but it made no sense carrying around 3 phones. I'll be saving that money to get the iPhone 15 Pro Max. After trading in my iPhone 12 Pro Max, the new 15 Pro Max will practically be free.

Man, I'm going to miss the S23U. At least I have the N(2).

Wow and there I thought you were set on the Samsung for the long haul!

 

[SteveJUAE]

Being released has nothing to do with what I was saying, it's a product category that I have no interest in. foldable phones do not interest me either.

The Apple Watch Ultra is a great smart watch, it's the best out there in my opinion. Even before that I never had an issue with my Series 4, I used fitness tracking daily when working out, id charge it at the end of the day. The Samsung Watches are not as good as Apple Watch, most people agree with that.

You are talking about using dual sims and roaming around the world, that's not the average person and im sure if you did that with any other phone the battery would die too. The iPhone 14 Pro Max doesnt have the same battery life as my 13 Pro Max did. The S23 Ultra has great battery life but it's on par with the 14 Pro Max, and you do have to change some settings.

I was talking about Exynos, Samsung have used that chip in Europe every year up until the S23 range. The Exynos chip is rubbish when compared to the Snapdragon, battery life is worse and over all performance. Apple use the same chip in America and Europe was my over all point, they don't change from a Snapdragon to a Exynos one year and then keep it the same the next.

I do enjoy my products, I've always said that I'm an Apple guy, but I do also like my S23 Ultra. There are things that I wish Apple would do (the 10x zoom on the S23 Ultra is awesome, Apple should definitely do it). But at the same time I can't say that Samsung have the better ecosystem.

Dave

So you have changed your mind as I recall you were very interested in the Surface Duo at the time and was waiting for 2nd or 3rd generation LOL perhaps the same will happen when an Apple logo appears on a foldable

AW are a great product as too are Samsung and others watches for many different reasons not least of all for endurance, options and even simple things like selecting different ring tones or notifications. The AW utra should be good given its price yet many do not perceive its value over cheaper alternatives including Apple.

Spoiler alert for you but most of the dense populations from middle east to far east have had dual sims phones as standard for many years and it is common practice. My Fold4 fairs much better with dual sims than my IP14P.

Again another spoiler for you the Exynos chipset was standard across Asia and IRL made little difference and again as the Snapdragon was nerfed by not having dual sim was seen as substandard and not so desirable and cost more. As I noted before Apple have variants too eg China and even UK/European Iphones are not recommended for US use as they are lacking in support for some systems.

The Apple ECO is great and does make using it for most quite simple and so it should given its restrictions etc. But make no mistake Samsung and others ECO are larger with many more options

Again enjoy your products there are very few bad ones out there

 

[Technerd108]

Yeah we are both definitely put off. From what I read, this problem happened with the S22 Ultra preorders, too. But we weren't affected last time, because that year our returned phones were routed to their Tennessee facility. If this has been going on multiple years and Samsung hasn't changed anything to address it, like for example providing customers with return boxes and special tamper-resistant security tape like Google does for their trades, then I don't want to risk this again.

I know this happens to Apple and Google, too. But from what I can tell of Samsung customer service, they're so large and disjointed that the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing. Their customer service handles everything from washing machines to TVs and these phones are just a fraction of that larger business.

My husband was getting told one thing by one of several human beings he dealt with and meanwhile their automated system just does what it does with no oversight.

When I dealt with a theft of a returned phone with Google, I requested and got a singular account rep, who handled everything for me from start to finish with the nuance and finesse only a properly trained human being can provide. I got equally fantastic treatment from Best Buy in a different customer service matter.

We're not totally put off of Samsung products but I think we will evaluate our options to purchase from Best Buy going forward.

I am really sorry to hear about this situation. It is so frustrating when you put your trust in another company "process" and it fails and they end up blaming you for their failure.

I really hope they get things sorted out.

I understand your husband's position. You guys got your money back so at a certain point you just have to let it go.

I don't know, but it seems like customer service is just hit or miss no matter what company. You seem to have to fight for what used to be standard practices is like pulling teeth.

 

[5105973]

I am really sorry to hear about this situation. It is so frustrating when you put your trust in another company "process" and it fails and they end up blaming you for their failure.

I really hope they get things sorted out.

I understand your husband's position. You guys got your money back so at a certain point you just have to let it go.

I don't know, but it seems like customer service is just hit or miss no matter what company. You seem to have to fight for what used to be standard practices is like pulling teeth.

I think with Samsung customer service in the US they’re operating what I jokingly refer to as a customer service labrynth. It’s because their business is so huge and their products so diversified but their service is all under one umbrella.

I’m sure in Asia and probably Europe people get much more focused and efficient service. That’s the impression I have gotten from comments on this forum over the last few years.

They are starting to put more of their customer service into third party businesses for the phones. And Best Buy is representing them at the retail brick and mortar level. It was briefly impossible to get an unlocked Samsung phone at Best Buy for awhile but now it’s possible again.

Apple products are also offered at Best Buy and they even accept trade ins. I traded in my old iPad mini for a new one at a Best Buy once. I’m not sure if they take trades for Samsung phones.

I’d miss the great deals buying from Samsung directly but I need to see how things play out for other people this year.

 

[Dave245]

Dave

So you have changed your mind as I recall you were very interested in the Surface Duo at the time and was waiting for 2nd or 3rd generation LOL perhaps the same will happen when an Apple logo appears on a foldable

AW are a great product as too are Samsung and others watches for many different reasons not least of all for endurance, options and even simple things like selecting different ring tones or notifications. The AW utra should be good given its price yet many do not perceive its value over cheaper alternatives including Apple.

Spoiler alert for you but most of the dense populations from middle east to far east have had dual sims phones as standard for many years and it is common practice. My Fold4 fairs much better with dual sims than my IP14P.

Again another spoiler for you the Exynos chipset was standard across Asia and IRL made little difference and again as the Snapdragon was nerfed by not having dual sim was seen as substandard and not so desirable and cost more. As I noted before Apple have variants too eg China and even UK/European Iphones are not recommended for US use as they are lacking in support for some systems.

The Apple ECO is great and does make using it for most quite simple and so it should given its restrictions etc. But make no mistake Samsung and others ECO are larger with many more options

Again enjoy your products there are very few bad ones out there

The Surface Duo isn’t a foldable, it has 2 separate screens. When I say foldable, I mean like the Samsung Fold or the Pixel Fold. One piece of glass that folds. The Duo is interesting tho.

I think your misunderstanding me Steve, Apple dont have different professors in their phones, they don’t have an M chip for the US and then have a Z chip (for example) in Europe. Most people were happy that Samsung put the Snapdragon in all of its S23 lineup across the world, me included. To hear that they are even thinking of going back to Exynos is massively disappointing.

 

[Shouldibuy]

I think with Samsung customer service in the US they’re operating what I jokingly refer to as a customer service labrynth. It’s because their business is so huge and their products so diversified but their service is all under one umbrella.

I’m sure in Asia and probably Europe people get much more focused and efficient service. That’s the impression I have gotten from comments on this forum over the last few years.

They are starting to put more of their customer service into third party businesses for the phones. And Best Buy is representing them at the retail brick and mortar level. It was briefly impossible to get an unlocked Samsung phone at Best Buy for awhile but now it’s possible again.

Apple products are also offered at Best Buy and they even accept trade ins. I traded in my old iPad mini for a new one at a Best Buy once. I’m not sure if they take trades for Samsung phones.

I’d miss the great deals buying from Samsung directly but I need to see how things play out for other people this year.

EU support 🤣
🤣🤣🤣 don't even get me started, I had to go full karen on them threatning legal action because they seem to descrimanate users based on country, for example all of the EU were given free rubber sleeves for the live buds who always slip out of the ear due to their horrible design. Except if you live in Greece there they wanted to charge you 10 euros for the sleeve.

 

[Tig Bitties]

Still on the fence of trading in my Pixel 7 Pro I've had since launch on a S23 Ultra.

I've been with the large Pixel phones since the 2 XL, buy the new one each year. But I'm always a bit underwhelmed due to them always having good specs but not high-end flagship specs. And I know it's cheaper because of that, but I'd be willing to pay a little more for a better spec'd Pixel.

- Mediocre screen
- Average battery life
- Ok build quality, not bad, but not super duper
- Wish the software offered more customizing like One UI or Nothing Phone OS.


I know the Pixel 8 Pro is coming and it sounds cool, but afraid it'll be another 6 Pro to the 7 Pro, which was an extremely underwhelming upgrade. It was the Pixel 6.25 at best. I seriously could barely metallic difference. Yeah the screen was a little bit nicer and brighter but everything else it was barely even noticeable after one week.

 

[Shouldibuy]

has anyone pre ordered the classic s6, do you guys think it will be good for a gym lifestyle smartwatch ? i think the s23u will be too big for the gym was thinking about having the watch for daily wear

 

[unclejamaal]

Sold my s23U

Nice phone

Great camera and battery

Wasn’t impressed by the motion blur - the camera just doesn’t seem to cope with moving subjects and I’ve experienced this first hand . Never happened to me on an iPhone or any other phone.

Great phone for those who like it. Too many things just don’t work the way I like it and to make it work as I like it is just too much faffing about which I can do without

Back to iPhone 11 PM for now

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

has anyone pre ordered the classic s6, do you guys think it will be good for a gym lifestyle smartwatch ? i think the s23u will be too big for the gym was thinking about having the watch for daily wear

I have the Classic 5, and it's damn good for a gym watch. 95% of the time, you don't have to do any manual input to start recording your workouts. It auto detects workouts better than any other smart watch I've owned. And it understands the type of workout you're doing 95% of the time.

My only grip is .... when jogging outside, the GPS can get a bit wonky sometimes.

 

[MarkX]

has anyone pre ordered the classic s6, do you guys think it will be good for a gym lifestyle smartwatch ? i think the s23u will be too big for the gym was thinking about having the watch for daily wear

If the gps tracking is like the watch 5 pro then I'd give it a miss if running is your thing, my watch 5 pro always ran short in distance and struggled in woodland.

 

[drinkingtea]

The person I sold my S23U on Swappa backed out of the sale, so I have my S23U again. I put my SIM into it. It was obviously meant to be. 😭

Thank God for Beeper, because I am able to use iMessage still for all of my iPhone friends and family, SMS for Android user, and WhatsApp all in one app. And I am able to receive everything through my Apple Watch as well thanks to Beeper! So happy.

 

[mjschabow]

The person I sold my S23U on Swappa backed out of the sale, so I have my S23U again. I put my SIM into it. It was obviously meant to be. 😭

Thank God for Beeper, because I am able to use iMessage still for all of my iPhone friends and family, SMS for Android user, and WhatsApp all in one app. And I am able to receive everything through my Apple Watch as well thanks to Beeper! So happy.

Were you already regretting the sale a bit?

 

[drinkingtea]

Were you already regretting the sale a bit?

I honestly was. I genuinely love this phone.

 

[mjschabow]

I honestly was. I genuinely love this phone.

Nice! I keep almost pulling the trigger and completely returning to iPhone but this phone makes it so damn hard to do that.

 

[Bkdodger]

As I stare at my S23U every night near my bedside unable to use it smh