Samsung galaxy S23 and S23 ultra

[andy2141]

They’ve caught up with battery life by cheating and seemingly effecting the screen. I cannot see how you can declare a phone that has a noticeable flicker on its screen like some cheap knock off brand of manufacturer as anything but cheap. The screen is one of the most important things on a touchscreen so to cheap out on that aspect is just shoddy. Let alone showing a lack of care for those that are effected by such things.

As an owner of the device, I don’t see anything cheap or shoddy about the S23U. No noticeable screen flicker for me and I get stellar battery life.

For the record I’ve owned way to many smartphones going back prior to the original iPhone, and the display on my S23U is way up there with the best of them including any recent Android or Apple devices.

 

[5105973]

Do you actually know that for a fact or are you just having a guess? From what I've read the increase in battery life is due to the much more efficient snapdragon chip, not anything to do with the screen.

There's an article about it a few pages back on this discussion and Zollotech and MKBhD touch on it in their videos. The AMOLED panel is entirely new and flickers in a way that can bother more people sensitive to any kind of screen dithering or flickering.

There have been other discussions on social media along with a formal response from Samsung about what initially seemed a quality control issue but Samsung declared normal about a small to significantly noticeable screen defect. The articles and links are s few pages back in this thread.

The variance in quality is such that my husband's S23 Ultra display looks almost as good as my S22 Ultra display. (However, being sensitive, I can sense a flicker that I can't on the older S22 Ultra panel.)

But I just returned an S23 Ultra with a headache inducing flicker and clear aesthetic shortcomings including uneven panel coloring and noticeable off axis color shift that severely impacted pleasant viewing angles.

 

[super chimp]

As an owner of the device, I don’t see anything cheap or shoddy about the S23U. No noticeable screen flicker for me and I get stellar battery life.

For the record I’ve owned way to many smartphones going back prior to the original iPhone, and the display on my S23U is way up there with the best of them including any recent Android or Apple devices.

I know the flicker exists because I’ve seen enough reviewers mention it, and in the case of Zolotech provide photographic evidence, there’s no escaping that no matter now much people protest. It sounds from the posts above that Samsung are just trying to fob people off about the issue which just compounds it.

 

[torana355]

There's an article about it a few pages back on this discussion and Zollotech and MKBhD touch on it in their videos. The AMOLED panel is entirely new and flickers in a way that can bother more people sensitive to any kind of screen dithering or flickering.

There have been other discussions on social media along with a formal response from Samsung about what initially seemed a quality control issue but Samsung declared normal about a small to significantly noticeable screen defect. The articles and links are s few pages back in this thread.

The variance in quality is such that my husband's S23 Ultra display looks almost as good as my S22 Ultra display. (However, being sensitive, I can sense a flicker that I can't on the older S22 Ultra panel.)

But I just returned an S23 Ultra with a headache inducing flicker and clear aesthetic shortcomings including uneven panel coloring and noticeable off axis color shift that severely impacted pleasant viewing angles.

I totally understand and acknowledge the screen flicker issue I was referring to the supposed link between the increased battery life and the s23 display.

 

[andy2141]

I know the flicker exists because I’ve seen enough reviewers mention it, and in the case of Zolotech provide photographic evidence, there’s no escaping that no matter now much people protest. It sounds from the posts above that Samsung are just trying to fob people off about the issue which just compounds it.

Not really protesting it… just pointing out that for me in person I cannot see any screen flicker on my device. Still not convinced that this is related to the increase in battery life and that they “cheaped” out on the screen tech.

 

[mjschabow]

Thank you! Yes, it is!

What icon pack are you using???

 

[majkom]

I know the flicker exists because I’ve seen enough reviewers mention it, and in the case of Zolotech provide photographic evidence, there’s no escaping that no matter now much people protest. It sounds from the posts above that Samsung are just trying to fob people off about the issue which just compounds it.

Every oled phone flickers as crazy, iphones too.. so what is your point?

 

[Dave245]

They’ve caught up with battery life by cheating and seemingly effecting the screen. I cannot see how you can declare a phone that has a noticeable flicker on its screen like some cheap knock off brand of manufacturer as anything but cheap. The screen is one of the most important things on a touchscreen so to cheap out on that aspect is just shoddy. Let alone showing a lack of care for those that are effected by such things.

I have no such issue, the screen on my S23 Ultra looks great.

 

[Ludatyk]

I may be misremembering but I could have sworn it was Steve Jobs' original stated intention to make iMessage work across platforms. I don't know if he simply died before he could follow through on that or if he changed his mind. Or, like I said, I may be misremembering something I read years ago.

Umm... if I recall correctly it wasn't iMessage, but it was FaceTime.

And it still took Apple years to make it a reality. However, it's not as cross-platform as people thought it would be.

 

[5105973]

I totally understand and acknowledge the screen flicker issue I was referring to the supposed link between the increased battery life and the s23 display.

Oh one of the articles said that the new display is significantly more power efficient than any previous display Samsung has used.

 

[keithop]

Oh one of the articles said that the new display is significantly more power efficient than any previous display Samsung has used.

yeah I'm sure I read that too.... as well as a new cooling system, better chip efficiency in terms of ramping down cores etc and other efficiencies around the chipset.

It's not beyond the bounds of possibility to think that the new display is more power efficient resulting in more flicker for some people... and heck whatever is causing it it's still a drag on what is otherwise a bloody brilliant device IMHO.

One of my friends said that she'd been able to live with the display after changing all the screen refresh settings as well as brightness (for some reason) but since the screen is perfect for me and I'm prone to suffering, I haven't wanted to mess with mine in case it introduces a problem !

On a side note, whoever mentioned the spen as a shutter release (post edited to replace the shI with shU... could've had a completely different post meaning there ;-) was genius! I was using the timer to do astro photo stuff and being able to use the pen is brilliant. Little things like that just make me bounce with joy (I guess I'm easily pleased)

 

[drinkingtea]

What icon pack are you using???

Plum Line!

 

[5105973]

I know the flicker exists because I’ve seen enough reviewers mention it, and in the case of Zolotech provide photographic evidence, there’s no escaping that no matter now much people protest. It sounds from the posts above that Samsung are just trying to fob people off about the issue which just compounds it.

To clarify, the flicker is a separate issue from the screen defect people have been reporting. The screen defect can probably make the flicker look worse, though. I think my returned phone probably had the lamination defect (if that's what it actually is) and my husband's phone doesn't, which is likely why I seemed able to tolerate the flicker on his phone but not on mine.

The defect has been present and detected as far back as S21 Ultra according to what I read. But this year it's become more reported for whatever reasons.

We all know OLED panels are going to have variances even on the same model of phone. The best ones will look superb. The middling to low ones are going to look really bad. Some vocal recipients of the bad ones have spoken out sufficiently that I suspect a few more middling ones got released through the supply chain this year. Or...Samsung has sold more units this year so we are getting more user feedback overall.

The "defect" is likely something that arises from the way the screen components are laminated. There are tolerances and the ones that people can see and complain about are at the extreme end of the tolerance Samsung deemed acceptable. Because the screen is curved, this blemish is more noticeable than in a flat display.

 

[5105973]

Umm... if I recall correctly it wasn't iMessage, but it was FaceTime.

And it still took Apple years to make it a reality. However, it's not as cross-platform as people thought it would be.

Ah, yes, FaceTime! That must have been it. I thought it was iMessages. I do wish they'd license iMessage for cross platform use. I'd happily pay the subscription fee. Is it even possible to do that?

I mean I'm happy to install and use Telegram or Signal or whatever but I couldn't possibly get any of the other moms and dads I know to do that. One of the dads is still using an iphone 8 Plus. He's not going to move at all to anything new until he absolutely has to.

At this point I like and use enough of Apple's services I'm not feeling like I want to completely give up iOS. But I'm at the point I'd really like to put my main sim in my Samsung and have either my S22 Ultra or S23 Ultra be the phone I never leave the house without.

 

[5105973]

Every oled phone flickers as crazy, iphones too.. so what is your point?

This year the flicker is noticeable even to people who previously dismissed it like MKBHD. It's worse than iPhone's. That doesn't mean it will set everyone's pwm sensitivity off, but it might bother more people than last year's models under the right conditions.

For me, the right conditions are apparently the flicker in conjunction with a display distortion. My last phone that I just returned was unfortunately a perfect storm. My new one is out for delivery so I'm keeping my fingers crossed I get a good display this time.

Even on a "good" display that I seem able to tolerate, I CAN see the flicker this year. I tried them all at various stores.

I can NOT see the flicker on my S22 Ultra display or on the ones in the stores.

Ideally, we would not be able to see the flicker. So this feels like a step back in that respect for those of us who are affected by this sort of thing. For those who aren't, I can't be sure how the screens look to you all, but I would imagine they look to you the way the S22 Ultra display looks to me...perfect.

To some people out there, even my S22 Ultra screen would look bad. I have a wider flicker tolerance than many pwm sensitive people I've talked to. I'm using an iphone 14 Pro Max and a lot of people couldn't manage that at all.

It's funny how the brain and sensory processing works. I have a super sensitive sense of smell. I can't stand to be in the house while the cats are eating their food. Even though I'm the one feeding them, the stench of cat food overwhelms me. My husband can't smell it much at all. To him the house is as welcoming as ever. Thank goodness for me the cats eat fast.

I have a child with sensory issues who can't tolerate clothing tags at all, can't attend pep rallies, can't look at certain patterns and textures without becoming dizzy and nauseous.

When I was a kid 50 years ago, it seemed assumed we all experienced the world in the same way. There was no tolerance I saw extended to neurodivergence. We spewed insults and avoided people who seemed different.

Now, we have greater awareness and we realize the world and the things in it look different to different people. It opens up a lot of possibilities for research and for product development and marketing if businesses wise up and get on board. I hope Apple and Samsung and Google will find the means to give us more accessibility settings so we can all enjoy their products equally.

 

[majkom]

Afaik mkbhd mentioned flicker visible on camera, not in real life

 

[Ludatyk]

Ah, yes, FaceTime! That must have been it. I thought it was iMessages. I do wish they'd license iMessage for cross platform use. I'd happily pay the subscription fee. Is it even possible to do that?

Technically it’s possible, but I think to have it hidden by a subscription fee would seem bizarre since Apple devices can access it for free.

Don’t get me wrong, same with you... I’ll pay the subscription fee. But I’m not sure if there’s a service out there that does such a thing. That only their device can use a particular service.. but in order to use it outside another device a fee must be paid.

We look at Microsoft and Google with licensing their operating system… but a service, that’s unheard of. And I’m thinking… if AirMessage and BlueBubbles charged a fee whereas it made them a huge amount of revenue. Apple would certainly shut them down and maybe do the subscription fee.

At this point I like and use enough of Apple's services I'm not feeling like I want to completely give up iOS. But I'm at the point I'd really like to put my main sim in my Samsung and have either my S22 Ultra or S23 Ultra be the phone I never leave the house without.

Completely agree with you. But instead of iOS… for me I’ll replace that with iPadOS, because the iPad is the bridge to keep me on Apple‘s services.

 

[keithop]

When I was a kid 50 years ago, it seemed assumed we all experienced the world in the same way. There was no tolerance I saw extended to neurodivergence. We spewed insults and avoided people who seemed different.

Now, we have greater awareness and we realize the world and the things in it look different to different people. It opens up a lot of possibilities for research and for product development and marketing if businesses wise up and get on board. I hope Apple and Samsung and Google will find the means to give us more accessibility settings so we can all enjoy their products equally.

very well said! and a refreshing way to look at things as an actual opportunity

 

[5105973]

This time my phone is being delivered via USPS. This will be interesting. We seem to have good reliable service again the last couple of years, so I hope it goes well.

 

[keithop]

This time my phone is being delivered via USPS. This will be interesting. We seem to have good reliable service again the last couple of years, so I hope it goes well.

Im SOOOO hoping that you get a "good one" this time around! fingers crossed

 

[5105973]

Afaik mkbhd mentioned flicker visible on camera, not in real life

Yes that is correct. For some people they've noticed a correlation though between phones that flicker on camera and actual discomfort in real use. I personally haven't, but a lot of other people say they have on the discussions I've taken part in.

I can see the flicker directly in person when I looked at display models at different locations and the ones in my house. It doesn't look like the flicker you see on the videos. I perceive it as really tiny sparkling. It's actually pretty but undesirable from a functional standpoint.

 

[5105973]

Im SOOOO hoping that you get a "good one" this time around! fingers crossed

Even if I don't I'll trade with my husband so I'll have a good one. I just hope that overall the new one is good and acceptable for my husband's purposes...even he's going to end up having sparkly pink lens rings peeking out past his elegant deep green leather Samsung case. 🤣

 

[sunking101]

It sounds from the posts above that Samsung are just trying to fob people off about the issue which just compounds it.

To be fair that's what Apple would do too.

 

[keithop]

To be fair that's what Apple would do too.

well yeah and have done lots of times... anyone remember the iphone antennae gate? "you're holding it wrong" ;-)

Sadly, at this scale, it's how it goes

 

[mjschabow]

I hate you Apple. This phone is so superior yet all I can think about is putting my SIM back in my iPhone. Ugh