I have owned this particular mobile phone for about 13 days now. It is used, almost 5 months old, and was purchased from a second-hand mobile store. I will try to be as objective as possible. I note that I was the owner of a Huawei P9 Lite and then a Redmi Note 8 Pro.
Note: I consider myself a medium to demanding user (browsing, social media, photos whenever needed, etc.).
On the positive side:
1) SCREEN: Very good screen (color and brightness). I have never had a mobile phone with an AMOLED screen, so the difference is impressive. Reading in the sun in July is comfortable at 50-70% of maximum manual brightness (I do not use Adaptive Brightness because I think it is not necessary).
2) CAMERA: Here there is a big difference compared to the phones I was used to. Of course, the Huawei P9 Lite had amazing capabilities for its time... Still incomparable though. Very good main, ultra-wide, and telephoto camera. Samsung actually uses software to process photos to produce more vivid images with intense colors. It satisfies me fully. Clear, of course, I imagine not to the level of Ultra phones or top models, but still fully meets my requirements. Zoom is very good up to X10-15 for use on social media, it does an excellent job at night. I want to work with it more before drawing final conclusions, but it is incredible that I can now take photos in demanding scenarios without fear. The software and features it offers are incredible (Expert RAW, Pro mode, Night photo, Time/Hyperlapse, Slow motion, Food, etc.)!
3) VIDEO: Resolution up to 8K at 30 FPS and all previous resolutions! Excellent stabilization, very clear videos, and the ability for "Professional Video" which, like the Pro mode of photography, allows you to adjust ISO, Focus, Shutter speed, etc... I am experiencing this for the first time, so I think it will do a very good job! At night, it is very good, do not expect it to turn night into day, but it will leave you satisfied I think.
4) SOFTWARE: I had never had a Samsung phone, so I did not know what to expect... I am impressed with how many features it offers, and I have not discovered all of them yet! Positive that it will receive upgrades up to Android 17 (if I remember correctly), which means that, if all goes well, it will last for another 5-6 years (battery and performance permitting!).
5) QUALITY: Overall, very good quality materials, light in hand, and very convenient size. Holding the Redmi Note 8 Pro, I notice the difference... I wonder how I held the previous phone. It is not difficult to read text or watch videos (26 years old). Surely a larger screen might have been an advantage, but it does not bother me at all! It fits easily in the pocket, feels good in the hand, and I am not afraid it will fall when I move and hold it in my hand. Super light!
6) FINGERPRINT: Relatively fast, under the screen, not as fast as the Xiaomi one that was on the back of the device. Nevertheless, it has not annoyed me in anything. Note: Screen protector affects it and requires a little more time (half a second let's say more) and a little more pressure.
In "probably positive, maybe negative for some":
1) BATTERY: I consider it very satisfactory for my use! It gives me about 3.30-3.45 hours (I have seen up to 4 hours) of active screen time having consumed 50%. So at 100% usage it will easily last 7-7.30 hours. I should note that I have the following settings: manual brightness usually below 50%, dark theme, screen refresh rate at 60 Hz in all applications except Chrome where I have set it to automatically be 120 Hz (the difference in my eyes is not so dramatic, for some reason the 60 Hz on the S23 is much smoother than the 60 Hz on Xiaomi), I usually charge the battery from 30-80% for better long-term health, I have set the "light" performance profile that emphasizes cooling and low battery consumption. I mainly use WiFi, Bluetooth off, GPS off, mobile data rarely and only when I don't have WiFi signal. The mobile signal in the area and at my home is not very good (almost non-existent) so keep that in mind. I have made these concessions because at the end of the day I need to make video calls for a few hours (2+), so I want to have as much battery as possible. [If there is someone who also makes video calls with Instagram, with a good WiFi signal, it burns about 1% every 3-4 minutes. So around 15-20% per hour. Maybe the S23+ would have been a more correct choice for this type of use]. Otherwise, I would leave everything at maximum. I usually charge it 1-2 times a day from 30-80% and again IF needed at the same percentages. However, I have not been afraid of running out of battery, which was my fear. Of course, its endurance needs to be proven. On the negative side, I might add that I have made these specific concessions and that I always have the battery issue in the back of my mind. It is not the highest capacity, so it worries you somewhat. For its size, summarizing, it is satisfactory.
2) SPEAKERS: Nothing special in my opinion... Comparing video playback on YouTube with Xiaomi, the difference towards the better stereo speakers of the S23 is noticeable, but not a huge difference. I expected something better, but maybe the specific platform is to blame (?).
3) CHARGING: Related to the battery, it does not charge as fast as other companies. Charger not included (a big negative considering the price) but I can use the existing Xiaomi one, which charges at 15 or 18W I think and I have not encountered any problems. I always have a Power Bank with me for the more demanding days, but I emphasize again that I charge the phone up to 80% and discharge it strictly to 30-20%. So practically I lose a percentage of 40-50% per charge... If it was from 10% to 100% I wouldn't have it with me.
4) TEMPERATURES: It does not increase temperatures significantly, but it will warm up depending on use. Yes, in the sun in July with 38-40° and outdoor use of the phone or in the car where it is already boiling, it will warm up more and I will feel it in my hand. Indoors, I have not noticed anything to worry about. Of course, using energy-intensive applications (video, camera, video calls) increases the temperature. The Xiaomi raised temperatures in video calls more than the S23.
5) PROCESSOR: Very fast. Although the Redmi Note 8 Pro almost never lagged anywhere, with this one the difference between a "mid-range" and a "flagship" is evident. Holding the old phone, I feel that it is quite slow. The differences are minimal but still noticeable! You won't notice it unless you put them side by side...
Negatives:
1) PRICE: I do not think that 1 year later its value should be €560 on Skroutz. Overall, I am a person who will not look at something expensive, and in the end, we are talking about a mobile phone. Definitely the quality and what it offers are worth it at this price and put you in the game of flagship devices, but again we are talking about a mobile phone. Prices have gone up in everything and times are tough to spend a salary on a mobile phone. There are more important things to spend our money on. I chose this one because of the good price I found it used. Otherwise, I was considering it for a month before I ended up with the S23 (I was looking at the S23 FE before, which was a bit cheaper, but with Exynos I would never end up there). I said "I will spend money to get a good mobile phone" and I did to see where it will take me.
In summary... I am satisfied with the mobile phone and whether I will continue to be satisfied, time will tell. Since I have never owned a good mobile phone, it seems like a big leap from the previous ones I had. At this price, I would think about it ten times over. Most mobile phones nowadays that are worth it are over 500€, which is worrying because 4-5 years ago you could get a good mobile phone with decent features that gave you 90% of the flagship experience for 300€. However, I definitely put a positive mark on making this purchase.
*UPDATE: The battery, as you will see in the 2nd screenshot, lasts for about 4.30 hours of active screen time, with 3 hours on Chrome. Exceptional, I would say!
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