Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra battery life test: Lasts a whole day, full charge in less than 1 hour

The Galaxy S23 Ultra’s large-capacity battery, combined with its super-fast charging capability, promises to provide longer usage time than ever before. Despite retaining the same 5,000mAh battery as the previous generation, the S23 Ultra’s unique processor and fine-tuned operating system, according to Samsung, contribute to its impressive battery life. Therefore, in this S23 Ultra battery life test, we will determine whether there has been any actual improvement or not.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra specifications

• Display: 6.8-inch (3088 x 1440 pixels) Quad HD+ Infinity-O-Edge Dynamic AMOLED Display, 1-120Hz refresh rate, 240Hz Touch Sampling Rate in Game Mode, up to 1750 nits brightness, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection
• CPU: 3.36GHz Octa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy 4nm Mobile Platform
• GPU: Adreno 740 GPU
• RAM/ROM: 8GB LPDDR5X RAM with 256GB UFS 4.0 storage / 12GB LPDDR5X RAM with 512GB/1TB UFS 4.0 storage
• OS: Android 13 with One UI 5.1
• Rear camera: 200MP rear camera with ISOCELL HP2 sensor, OIS, f/1.7 aperture, 12MP 120° Ultra Wide sensor with f/2.2 aperture, 10MP Telephoto lens for 3x zoom, f/2.4 aperture, OIS, 10MP Periscope lens for 10x zoom, f/4.9 aperture, 100x Space Zoom, Laser autofocus, 4K 60 fps, 8K 30fps, LED Flash
• Front camera: 12MP front camera with f/2.2 aperture
• Features: Dust and Water resistant (IP68)
• Connectivity: 5G SA/NSA, 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 6E 802.11ax (2.4/5GHz), Bluetooth 5.3, UWB, GPS + GLONASS, USB 3.1, NFC
• Battery: 5000mAh battery with 45W fast charging, 10W Qi wireless charging
• Dimensions: 163.4 x 78.1 x 8.9mm
• Weight:234g

All of the aforementioned parameters affect the battery life of the device. The Galaxy S23 Ultra (Hands-on) holds an exceptional position among the top smartphones available today.

To maintain impressive performance even with several high-powered features, the device requires a large battery with strong optimization capabilities.

Throughout all of the tests conducted, we maintained the highest screen resolution of 1440 x 3088 pixels (QHD+) and a screen refresh rate of 120Hz. So how is the S23 Ultra battery life?

Galaxy S23 Ultra battery life test by software

One of the most popular applications for testing battery life is PC Mark. This app features a battery testing function for smartphones, simulating tasks that users perform daily, such as watching videos, browsing the web, taking photos, recording videos, and video editing.

We fully charged the battery of the Galaxy S23 Ultra to 100% and began the test at 00:11 minutes. The app automatically runs until the battery level drops to 20% and then calculates the results. During the test, we maintained the volume at 20% and allowed the handset to run overnight.

This device has a very huge battery as tested overnight until the next morning, almost until noon at 10:20. However, the software has not yet finished running to provide results.

After a long wait, the software finally stopped, and the result was 15 hours and 2 minutes with all mixed tasks – an impressive number!

S23 Ultra battery life test with 1 hour of tasks

To obtain more detailed results, we tested frequently used tasks on this phone directly for one hour to determine how much battery power each task consumes. Of course, we still have the QHD+ screen and a refresh rate of 120Hz.

We tested this device using both WiFi and 4G networks. Furthermore, we used it both indoors and outdoors, while recording videos and taking pictures, to obtain a more accurate assessment. After testing all the functions, we summarize the results in the chart below for easy viewing:

Generally, the battery life of the Galaxy S23 Ultra fluctuates significantly when used for heavy and light tasks. When used for tasks such as watching movies and browsing the web, the device does not consume much battery even when used for an hour.

When playing high-end games, we enabled maximum settings in all games, which caused the device to consume a significant amount of energy. This was especially noticeable when playing Genshin Impact, which is the most demanding mobile game available today, as it requires powerful hardware and consumes a lot of energy.

Moreover, shooting outdoor photos and videos is also a battery-intensive task, as it requires using the camera, processor, and screen. In our testing, we regularly used the 200MP camera and recorded 4K and 8K videos to further stress test the device.

During testing, light tasks didn’t cause the device temperature to rise too much, even when playing games. It took around 30 minutes of continuous play before the device started to heat up a bit, and the temperature gradually increased. However, when playing games or shooting outdoors with 4G turned on, the device temperature rose quite quickly. This is expected as the device is working at its full potential.

Based on our daily experience, we don’t use the functions regularly as described above. Many S23 Ultra users probably have a similar experience. The device still offers sufficient battery life for extended use. Typically, we fully charge the battery around noon and only need to recharge it the following afternoon. If we use it heavily, we fully charge it in the evening, and the next day we can rest assured that the device can be used.

Charging speed

According to Samsung’s announcement, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is equipped with fast charging technology with a capacity of 45W. The company claims that users only need 30 minutes of charging to immediately have 65% of the battery used. We tested the charging time to verify if it’s really as advertised.

When we began charging, the battery level was at 10%. The device had displayed a low battery warning for a while and needed to be charged. We didn’t test the battery charge from 0% because very few users charge the battery at this milestone. Typically, users begin charging around 10% – 15% of battery life. During the test, we turned off WiFi and mobile networks and left only the SIM active to receive calls if necessary.

We also used a third-party charger that supports PPS fast charging technology and has a 45W capacity, equivalent to Samsung’s 45W charger.

And here is the result:

As the chart shows, the results were quite similar to what Samsung claimed about the S23 Ultra. After more than 30 minutes of charging, we were able to use 60% more battery, and it only took 58 minutes to fully charge the battery, as the device had 15% battery left. This is a pretty good result for users who need to quickly recharge this device in urgent situations.

Final line

Despite having several impressive features, such as the 120Hz QHD+ screen and a camera capable of recording 8K videos with a resolution of up to 200MP, this device remains sleek and cool. The battery life is also quite good.

It could be argued that despite the Galaxy S23 Ultra having the same 5,000mAh battery as the previous generation, the new processor and software optimizations result in an impressive usage time.

Price and availability

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is available for purchase on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk with a free storage upgrade and an additional Amazon gift card worth $100. The base model with 256 GB of storage is offered for a list price of $1,199 / £1,249.