[Update: False] Galaxy S23 Ultra is over 30% slower on wireless chargers despite same 15W rating

Ben Schoon | Apr 12 2023 - 7:22 am PT

Update 4/21: PhoneArena has corrected its original test results, finding that wireless charging on the Galaxy S23 series is roughly the same as the Galaxy S22 series.

Samsung’s Galaxy S23 series delivers on stellar performance and excellent battery life, but the phones also apparently slow down wireless charging quite considerably.

The Galaxy S23+ and Galaxy S23 Ultra can both recharge at 45W when wired, where the smallest S23 is limited to 25W. All three phones, though, are advertised with 15W wireless charging speeds. That’s all the same as the Galaxy S22, S22+, and Galaxy S22 Ultra that came before this new generation, but oddly, all three phones charge significantly slower on Qi wireless chargers.

A test performed by the folks over at PhoneArena (via ArsTechnica) shows that the Galaxy S23 Ultra in particular is over 30% slower to charge on a wireless charger compared to its predecessor. It takes two hours and 37 minutes to fully recharge, where it only took the Galaxy S22 Ultra one hour and 58 minutes. That’s a drastic difference, especially considering both phones have the same 5,000 mAh battery and 15W charging rate.

The difference is all the more staggering when looking at individual time intervals. In the first 15 minutes, the point where charging rates are typically at their highest, the Galaxy S23 Ultra only charges to 14%, where the S22 Ultra manages 23%.

Looking at the Galaxy S23+ and S23 versus the Galaxy S22+ and S22, the difference is a bit less extreme. The S23 takes one hour and 40 minutes to fully charge, where the S22 took one hour and 24 minutes. The Galaxy S23+ takes one hour and 48 minutes, where the S22+ takes one hour and 33 minutes. The disparity makes a bit more sense on these devices, though, as both have batteries that are 200 mAh larger.

Why the large difference on the Galaxy S23 Ultra on wireless chargers? There’s really no rhyme or reason to it. The phone is just slower to charge, and Samsung isn’t being forward on the matter.