Android OS Samsung Galaxy S23 consumes 60 GB of memory
WTF?! While phones are advertised as having a certain amount of storage, many new buyers are shocked to find that a significant amount is already taken up. This is especially true of the Galaxy S23, which, thanks to Samsung’s version of Android, comes with 60GB of storage already stocked. That’s four times what stock Android consumes on Pixel 7 phones, and roughly double what Windows 11 consumes on PCs.
Last week, Samsung introduced the Galaxy S23 series. Storage capacity varies from 128 GB to 1 TB, but Ars Technique reports that 60 GB is used for the system partition right out of the box. This is a big chunk, especially for those who buy the phone with the least amount of storage.
In comparison, the stock version of Android 13 used in the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro only takes up 15GB of internal space. But the Galaxy S23, which runs on a custom Samsung One UI 5.1 skin on top of Android 13, is filled with malware. Owners of the company’s phones will be familiar with how it duplicates many of Google’s apps — browser, app store, messaging app, keyboard, and more — by adding their own versions to the device and taking up space. What’s even more annoying is that these apps usually can’t be uninstalled.
In addition, Samsung has a reputation for producing low-quality code and selling space on its devices to companies that want their apps pre-installed. Facebook, Netflix, LinkedIn, Microsoft Office, and others are often already installed on Samsung phones, and there’s usually more malware in there if you buy a phone from a carrier. Again, many of these apps cannot be uninstalled.
However, A/B has been replaced by the virtual A/B. And in Android 12, virtual A/B added support for compressed snapshots. VABc is almost as space efficient as non-A/B. I’m not sure if space is why the S23 doesn’t have seamless upgrades. It could be something else. pic.twitter.com/gzBX2qkyjP
— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) February 3, 2023
That 60GB figure is especially surprising because Samsung is the only major Android phone company that doesn’t take advantage of Android. Seamless A/B Updates peculiarity. This uses two copies of the operating system, one running in the background offline and the other running online. When an OTA update is sent, the offline copy can be updated while the live OS continues to run. When the update is completed and the phone reboots, the device will switch to the updated OS. This greatly reduces update time, which can take up to 30 minutes on devices with a single operating system, but takes up some storage space.
The bad news for consumers is that the Galaxy S23 series doesn’t have expandable storage. Although for Samsung, this means that people are more likely to opt for more expensive models with more capacity.
