Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra battery life

Since the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra launch, concerns about battery life have been raised. The S22 Ultra had mediocre battery life, so users were concerned if things had been fixed. So, what is the battery life of the current generation of smartphones? Let us find out now. I have been using the Ultra smartphone for over four months and have recorded battery life on many occasions.

How am I using the phone currently?

Most of the time, I am connected to the Wi-Fi with mobile data when I head out. Indoors, I have dual-band Wi-Fi, with coverage over 80% of the time. When I am out for work or on a trip, I mostly use 4G and 5G if I need high-speed data. Switching between LTE and 5G modes is cumbersome, so I have a routine to start manually if I need to use 5G. I use the smartphone in dark mode 100% of the time.

samsung galaxy s23 ultra battery life review

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra battery life with WQHD+ and 120 Hz adaptive refresh rate

Upon initial setup, the device was configured with FHD resolution, although I had manually adjusted it to WQHD and fully charged it to 100%. In this mode, the device performed adequately, although not exceptionally. It achieved an average screen-on time of 6+ hours, which is satisfactory considering its high-quality display. I primarily used the device on Wi-Fi, with minimal usage on mobile data, totaling 20-30 minutes. The auto-brightness feature was enabled, and the display brightness remained at around 20-30% indoors. Outdoor usage was limited to 30 minutes, during which the display brightness typically increased to 80-90%. Overall, I found the battery backup satisfactory.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra battery test with FHD+ and 120 Hz adaptive refresh rate

I did not notice much of a visual difference between FHD and WQHD resolution, so I tried the FHD+ resolution. Initially, the battery life was decent and lasted nearly a day, with 5.5 hours. This was the same usage as before, combining Wi-Fi and mobile data usage. However, the overnight idle battery drain was slightly higher, around 4-5%. In comparison, the OnePlus 6T performed better with only a 2-3% discharge over 8 hours of idle time. It is worth noting that the phone was used in an area with good network reception, not in areas with weak signals.
Here are some screenshots of the usage after a few days. Please note that battery protection is enabled on my phone, limiting the charge to only 85%. If you charge up to 100%, you may experience better battery backup. Therefore, based on these statistics, you can add 1-1.5 hours of screen-on time for a full charge.

S23U battery life with Light Performance profile, FHD+, and 120 Hz adaptive refresh rate

With the launch of OneUI 5.1, Samsung introduced the light and standard performance profile. In the light performance profile, the peak performance of the smartphone is reduced by 10%. I have been using this mode extensively for the past couple of weeks and have been happy with it. I faced no lag or performance issues, just like on the power saver. I have attached screenshots for battery usage with light performance below.

S23U battery life with suspended execution for cached apps enabled

Honestly, I was happy with the battery life I was getting with my S23U. I did not hibernate/remove any applications using ADB. The battery life was phenomenal, without doing any tweaks or tricks. Try this to get more battery life out of your smartphone. Some Reddit users have reported improved life after enabling this, so you can give it a shot. It did have improvement in battery life of my Galaxy S22 Ultra, so it might be worth trying.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra charging times

I am currently using the official 25-watt charger from Samsung. It takes approximately 45 minutes to charge my device, from 15% to 85%. If I turn on Airplane mode or turn off the device, the charging time may be slightly faster. Alternatively, I can use a 45-watt charger, which reduces the charging time by 7 minutes. This can be useful if you prefer to charge your device multiple times with shorter intervals, as the 45-watt charger is relatively fast at the beginning of the charging process.
A helpful comparison conducted by PhoneArena includes recorded battery percentages at various intervals. They even utilized a wattage meter to determine the amount of power consumed. You can view the results in a visually appealing graphical format by visiting the original post here. Additionally, it is worth mentioning that a new 45-watt charger was introduced by Samsung last year, with model number EPT4510. Please refer to this article for more information regarding the differences between the old and new chargers.

1. Heat affects charging times

I have observed that the charging speed significantly decreases when the battery temperature reaches around 40 degrees Celsius. Initially, the charging current is approximately 4-4.5 Amperes, but once the heat increases, it drops to 1-1.5A. These charging speeds are not the fastest compared to Oppo and OnePlus, but they are still decent. The smartphone becomes slightly warm during charging, but it does not get too hot like other devices.

2. 5G consumes significant battery life!

I used my smartphone as a Wi-Fi hotspot without realizing I was on 5G. The smartphone uses more than 7% of its battery within an hour. This is significant since the battery consumption is lower on 4G/ LTE. Moreover, the smartphone got slightly warm during this time. It would help if you were careful about this.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra battery life: Conclusion

Based on the screenshots, I can achieve 5 hours of screen-on time (SOT) with a combination of activities while enabling battery protection. Typically, I connect my phone to a charger when the battery level reaches around 25%. This allows me to maintain approximately 85% charge and still obtain 5 hours of SOT, ensuring that my phone can last throughout the day. Additionally, when I know I will be outdoors, I charge my phone 100% to guarantee it will survive the entire day. Another suggestion is utilizing the 60Hz mode, which should improve battery life.
Overall, the battery life is incredible on this smartphone. Samsung has done it right this time around. Are you happy with your S23U battery life? What measures did you take to improve? Let us know in the comments below!