Samsung Galaxy S23… do i regret switching from iPhone??? (after 2 months of daily use)

sooooo i did something crazy in January… after being a loyal iPhone sheep since like forever (my first was the iphone 4 lol ancient history) i FINALLY caved and switched to the “dark side” 👀

why?? well Best Buy had this deal for $799 (down from $950) and my iphone was on its last legs (literally at 78% battery health + screen was cracked af). plus my brother would NOT shut up about his samsung & kept calling me an “apple zombie” 🙄

anyway after 2 months with the S23, here’s my unfiltered thoughts… buckle up cuz this is gonna be all over the place!!!

first impressions & unboxing & stuff

got my s23 delivered jan 11 (had to take the day off work bc our apartment packages keep getting stolen lmao)

1st thought when i opened the box: “wait… thats it???” like it was soooo much smaller than i expected?? which is actually good bc my last phone was basically ipad mini size 😂

2nd thought: “where tf is the charger????” like seriously samsung?? ur gonna charge ppl $950 for a phone and then be too cheap to include a $20 charger??? had to use my bf’s old one smh

got the black one which is boring but i knew id put a case on it anyway (im a klutz + new phone anxiety). feels PREMIUM tho. like really solid and expensive feeling.

the whole iphone to android transition was ROUGH

ok no one prepared me for how HARD switching would be???? i literally felt like my grandma trying to use a smartphone for the first time lmaoooo

some stuff that made me feel stupid:

• couldn’t figure out how to take a screenshot for like 2 days (its power + volume down btw)
• kept swiping up to go home but that opens recent apps??
• settings menu is like 500 pages long i swear
• had to google how to turn the damn thing off 💀
• everyone in my group chats HATES me now bc green bubbles + reactions don’t work right

BUT!!!! after like 2 weeks something clicked and now i kinda love it?? its like my brain finally switched over and now when i try to use my bf’s iphone IM the one who gets confused lol

the screen is STUPID GOOD omg

not gonna lie the screen on this thing makes my old iphone look like a gameboy color 💀

everything is just sooooo smooth with the 120hz (i think thats what its called??) and colors are like BAM in ur face. netflix looks insane. tiktok is dangerous bc i can scroll for hours and my eyes don’t get tired.

i can finally see my phone in direct sunlight!! game changer for someone who’s always checking directions while walking around the city.

also the always-on display thing?? at first i was like “this is dumb why would i want this” but now i’m obsessed. i can see if i have messages without even touching my phone.

one annoying thing – the curved edges look cool but i keep accidentally touching stuff when im just trying to hold the phone. why samsung why???

the camera situation is… complicated

ok so camera specs for nerds: 50MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP telephoto

for normal humans like me: it takes real pretty pictures but in a different way than iphone

tbh at first i HATED the photos. everything looked way too saturated like those people who edit their instagram posts way too much. but then i realized you can turn down the processing in settings?? game changer.

now my hot takes after 2 months:

• portrait mode is actually better than iphone for random objects (tried it on my coffee cup and it looked professional af)
• night mode is INSAAAANE. like i can take pictures in basically pitch black now??
• selfie camera is weird… sometimes i look amazing, sometimes i look like a smooth alien even with beauty filters off
• food pics look wayyyy better than on iphone
• the zoom is crazy good for concerts (got some amazing shots at the killers show last month)

there’s legit like 75 different camera modes and i’ve used maybe 3 of them lol. like wtf is “food mode”??? just a marketing gimmick or actually useful??

battery life = meh 😕

ok real talk the battery is probably the biggest disappointment.

my typical day: 7:15am: wake up, take phone off charger at 100% 8am-12pm: normal usage at work (instagram breaks, texts, slack) 12:30pm: around 60-65% left 4pm: that annoying 20% warning pops up 6pm: phone is basically dead unless i charged at work

not great!!! i think im just spoiled from my old iphone which was a battery beast. i’ve started keeping chargers EVERYWHERE (work desk, living room, bedroom, car, purse) so it’s not a huge deal, but definitely annoying.

BUT the fast charging is no joke. like 0-50% in 20 mins kinda fast. so as long as you have a charger nearby ur good.

everyday performance stuff

OK THIS is where the phone actually shines!!!! its fast AF and never lags even when im doing way too much.

like yesterday i was:

• watching a youtube video in picture-in-picture
• ordering doordash
• texting my mom
• checking email
• playing spotify

and it didn’t even break a sweat. my old phone wouldve burst into flames lol.

games run perfect too. been playing too much stardew valley and genshin impact lately (don’t judge, i was sick last week) and both run flawlessly.

the good & bad after 2 months of real use

things i weirdly love:

• THE HAPTICS OMG!!! the little vibrations when typing feel sooooo good?? why is this so satisfying lol
• being able to completely change how my phone looks (downloaded a cute cartoon icon pack + changed all my fonts)
• split screen apps!! watching youtube while scrolling twitter is dangerous but amazing
• the fingerprint reader under the screen (once i figured out the right pressure to use)
• the WEIGHT of it. feels expensive but not too heavy
• the speaker quality is actually really good?? my iphone speaker was trash comparatively

things that drive me absolutely insane:

• WHY ARE THERE ADS IN THE WEATHER APP?!?! i paid $800 for this phone!!!!!
• so many duplicate apps? like samsung calendar AND google calendar?? why????
• the way screenshots are organized is complete chaos
• autocorrect is nowhere near as good as iphone (sry but its true)
• the charger thing still makes me mad lol
• my airpods don’t work quite as seamlessly (but they do still work)

is it actually worth $799??

so the big question – do i regret dropping $799 at Best Buy?

honestly? no, i don’t think so. it was definitely worth the switch just to try something new after being stuck in the apple ecosystem forever. it feels refreshing to have a phone that i can actually make MINE instead of looking exactly like everyone else’s iphone.

BUT!!!! there’s definitely a learning curve and some annoying little things that still bug me. the battery situation isn’t ideal and losing imessage has made some of my friends annoyed (the group chat is basically broken now lol).

if ur thinking about switching from iphone:

1. do it when there’s a good sale (the $799 deal made this way more worth it)
2. be prepared to feel like a tech newbie for a couple weeks
3. warning: ur iphone friends might make fun of u for green bubbles (mine still do)
4. budget for a case, screen protector & CHARGER 😠

final thoughts from a reformed apple fangirl

will i go back to iphone next time??

tbh… i really don’t know!!!! that’s the most surprising part of this whole experience. i was 100% expecting to hate android and go running back to apple, but i actually kinda love my s23 most days??

there are things i miss about iphone for sure (mainly imessage, airdrop, and the seamless connection with my macbook). but the customization, the camera, and just the feeling of trying something NEW has been really fun.

it’s kinda like when u finally try a new restaurant after ordering from the same place for years – maybe not BETTER, just DIFFERENT, and sometimes different is exciting!!!!

oh and if ur wondering – yes my brother is insufferably smug about me switching. sends me android memes like every day. brothers are the worst 🙄

xoxo,

• sarah

p.s. drop a comment if u have specific questions about switching!!! happy to share more of my chaotic journey lol

p.p.s. to the samsung intern reading this – PLEASE include a charger next time omg