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To turn off a Samsung Galaxy S23, hold the Side and Volume Down buttons together until the power menu appears. Tap Power off, then tap Power off again to confirm. You can also open Quick Settings and use its power icon. If the phone is frozen, the button combination forces a restart instead—it does not shut the phone down.
Turn off the Galaxy S23 with its buttons
- Press and hold the Side button and Volume Down button at the same time for a few seconds, until the power menu appears.
- Tap Power off.
- Tap Power off again to confirm.
To switch the phone back on, press and hold the Side button.
Turn it off from Quick Settings
- Swipe down from the top of the screen to open the notification panel. Samsung’s support instructions describe swiping down with two fingers to open Quick Settings; gestures and panel layout can vary by software version.
- Tap the power icon.
- Tap Power off, then tap Power off again to confirm.
This on-screen route is useful if you prefer not to use the buttons and can access the display.
Why does holding the Side button open Bixby?
The Side button can be assigned to different actions, so pressing and holding it by itself may open Bixby rather than the power menu. The button combination—Side plus Volume Down—opens the power menu without changing that setting.
#1 Best Overall
- Galaxy S23 sports a 6.1-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X flat display with adaptive 48–120 Hz refresh rate, HDR10+, and a peak brightness high enough for strong outdoor visibility — giving you vibrant, crisp visuals and smooth motion while staying compact.
To make a press-and-hold open the power menu instead, go to Settings > Advanced features > Side button. Under Press and hold, select Power off menu. Menu names or placement may differ with the software version.
Restart the phone instead of turning it off
If you want the S23 to reboot, open the power menu using Side plus Volume Down or the Quick Settings power icon, then tap Restart. A restart turns the phone off and back on automatically; choose Power off if you want it to remain shut down.
Rank #2
- 6.4 FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X, Infinity-O Display (2400x1080), 403ppi, HDR10+ certified, 120Hz refresh rate
- 128GB ROM, 8GB RAM, Qualcomm SM8450 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 5G (4 nm), Octa-core, 4500mAh Battery
- Rear Camera: 50MP, f/1.8 (wide) + 8MP, f/2.4 (telephoto) 3x optical zoom + 12MP, f/2.2 (ultrawide), Front Camera: 10MP, f/2.4 (wide), Under Display Fingerprint
- 3G: 850/900/1700(AWS)/1900/2100, 4G LTE: 1/2/3/4/5/7/12/13/29/25/26/28/38/39/40/41/46/48/66/71, 5G: N41(2500),N66(AWS-3),N71(600),N78(3500),N260(39GHz),N261(28GHz) (ensure to check compatibility with your carrier before purchase)
- Fully Unlocked Version. Compatible with Most GSM and CDMA Carriers like AT&T, T-Mobile, AT&T, MetroPCS, etc. Will Also work with CDMA Carriers Such as Verizon, Sprint.
Force-restart a frozen Galaxy S23
If the screen is frozen and the normal power menu is unavailable, press and hold the Side and Volume Down buttons together for more than seven seconds, until the phone restarts. This is a forced restart, not the normal Power off process. Samsung’s general troubleshooting guidance says a forced reboot may take up to 60 seconds in some cases.
If the phone remains unresponsive or still will not turn off after troubleshooting, follow Samsung’s guidance to request service: Samsung Galaxy phone or tablet will not turn off. For reboot problems, see Samsung Galaxy device will not start or is in a boot loop.
Rank #3
- Galaxy S23 sports a 6.1-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X flat display with adaptive 48–120 Hz refresh rate, HDR10+, and a peak brightness high enough for strong outdoor visibility — giving you vibrant, crisp visuals and smooth motion while staying compact.
Which method should you use?
- Buttons: A direct way to open the power menu when the screen is usable.
- Quick Settings: An on-screen alternative when that is easier to reach.
- Forced restart: For an unresponsive phone when you cannot use the normal menu; it reboots the device rather than leaving it powered off.
Samsung’s power on or off instructions and the Galaxy S23-series user manual describe the normal controls. The manual’s force-restart instruction specifies holding Side and Volume Down simultaneously for more than seven seconds to restart the device.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Galaxy S23 sports a 6.1-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X flat display with adaptive 48–120 Hz refresh rate, HDR10+, and a peak brightness high enough for strong outdoor visibility — giving you vibrant, crisp visuals and smooth motion while staying compact.
Rank #4
- It offers a 6.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with adaptive 48-120 Hz refresh rate plus up to ~ 1750 nits peak brightness and “Vision Booster,” meaning the screen stays bright and viewable even in strong sunlight — great if you use your phone outdoors a lot.
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