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The Samsung Galaxy S23 series consists of some of thebest high-end phonesyou can get today. As we now approach the two-month mark since the trio of Galaxy S23 phones was made available, some new discoveries are being made, specifically with regard to the wireless charging speeds on the flagships. With heat dissipation being one of the primary concerns for modern-day phone makers, Samsung appears to have taken some decisions that actually make it slower to charge the 2023 flagships than their predecessors, the Galaxy S22 series.
In a detailed comparison conducted byPhone Arena, we learn that despite the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S23 featuring pretty much the same wireless charging speeds, the Galaxy S22 charges quicker than its 2023 counterpart, which is quite baffling, considering the emphasis on speed and performance on Samsung’s latest smartphones. All Samsung phones in the comparison were powered up using the brand’s EP-P2400 15W wireless charging adapter to avoid any inconsistencies.
As the table below shows, theGalaxy S23 Ultratakes about 40 minutes longer to go from 1-100% wirelessly than the Galaxy S22 Ultra. Meanwhile, it takes around 15 minutes longer on the Galaxy S23 Plus under the same circumstances, while the vanilla Galaxy S23 takes approximately 16 minutes longer to fully recharge as compared to its predecessor. The 2022 Apple iPhone 14 Pro models also make it to the comparison, showing that the 14 Pro Max charges about as fast as the S23 Ultra on its wireless MagSafe charger with a 20W USB-C charger in use.
It’s likely that Samsung took this call to avoid overheating, although the company’s documentationsaysthe Galaxy S23 includes “an enhanced level of heat dissipation” for this purpose. Nevertheless, none of this explains how the last generation flagship, featuring the same battery size and wireless charging tech as the Galaxy S23 Ultra, can recharge faster than the newer model at the same charging speed. It’s also worth mentioning that 15W wireless charging is by no means the fastest standard available. It pales in comparison to some of the alternatives in the market today, with brands like OnePlus offering50W wireless chargingfor a couple of years now.
With the Galaxy S23 series, 15W fast wireless charging is exclusively available on thecompany’s own chargers. This means that customers using third-party charging pads would have their speeds capped at 10W, even if the charger supports 15W. The detailed comparison reveals that the pace of wireless charging is capped, even when using Samsung’s recommended 15W charger. We concur with the notion that the company may have taken this call due to heat management-related concerns.
UPDATE: 2025-06-26 11:05 EST BY DALLAS THOMAS
New testing by Phone Arena shows much better charging performance for the S23 and S23 Ultra
Phone Arena has redone their testing with wireless charging on the Galaxy S23 series, and Samsung’s flagships fared much better the second time around. We’ll include the updated chart below, but this round of testing is much more in line with our expectations.
Samsung Galaxy S23
The Galaxy S23 offers the best that Samsung has — from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset to a high-class camera system led by an impressive 50MP sensor — at just the right size with a vibrant and “palmable” 6.1-inch display. The phone also brings a larger battery than the S22’s, plus a sector-leading five years of monthly security updates. That’s all for the same price as last year.
Samsung Galaxy S23+
The Galaxy S23+ is built to provide a top-notch Android experience in 2023 for those who like to live just a little larger. The 6.6" AMOLED display runs smooth, the 45W wired charging should allow for longer days with shorter breaks plugged in, and there’s also more room to run around with, thanks to the 256GB and 512GB options. Backed by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy, it’s about as much phone as you can get right on that $1,000 mark.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
If you’re looking for the best of the best out of Android in 2023, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is it. It’s the only one in the S23 lineup to feature the company’s flagship 200MP ISOCELL HP2 camera sensor, the only one with a 5,000mAh battery, and the only one to push the storage envelope up to 1TB. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy should run fast and easily. Everything on that 6.8" Dynamic AMOLED 2x display (the only one in the series with adaptive refresh rates between 1 and 120Hz) should look smooth and beautiful. And who can forget about all the note-taking features and the added convenience the S Pen brings? This is Samsung’s all-out effort for the Galaxy S nameplate.
