A three-year-old Samsung Galaxy S23 felt sluggish, so a MakeUseOf writer spent ten minutes on six reversible tweaks—and the phone felt like new. The experiment, detailed on July 28, 2026, is a masterclass in software-driven rejuvenation that holds lessons for anyone clinging to older hardware, including Windows users.

The six changes that transformed a tired phone

The Galaxy S23 was never a weak device. It launched in 2023 with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 120Hz display. But by mid-2026, it had lost its snap. Rather than accepting a costly upgrade, the MakeUseOf team tried six targeted adjustments—and the difference was immediate and dramatic.

1. Replace the stock launcher with a featherweight alternative. The Samsung One UI home screen is feature-packed: widgets, Google Discover, animations, and integrated services. But that richness adds overhead. The fix was KISS Launcher, a free, open-source launcher under 250KB. It discards everything but a search bar and an app list. Returning home became instant, and launching apps by typing a few letters felt faster than hunting through icon grids.

2. Clear storage to free at least 10% of capacity. UFS flash storage slows down when nearly full. The phone needs empty blocks for wear leveling and garbage collection. The team deleted unused apps, emptied Gallery and Files trash folders, cleared caches, and offloaded large files to the cloud. They recovered more than 10% of total storage—and apps, camera, and updates became snappier.

3. Halve the animation scales. Android’s default visual transitions (window open, screen switch, drawer slide) can make an older phone feel like it’s wading through molasses. By enabling Developer options and setting Window animation scale, Transition animation scale, and Animator duration scale to 0.5x, the interface felt twice as responsive without becoming completely abrupt.

4. Limit background processes to three. This is an aggressive move, tucked inside Developer options. It prevents Android from keeping more than three apps alive in the background. The trade-off: apps reload more often when you switch back. The payoff: the foreground app gets more immediate resources, and the whole phone feels less bogged down.

5. Disable RAM Plus (virtual memory). Samsung’s RAM Plus borrows a chunk of internal storage to act as extra RAM. In theory it keeps more apps open; in practice, reading from storage is far slower than from physical RAM. For a phone with 8GB of real memory, disabling RAM Plus eliminated pauses when switching to “paged” apps, making active tasks more fluid.

6. Switch processing speed from Optimized to High. Inside Settings > Device care > Processing speed, the team moved from the balanced profile to a high-performance one. This lets the CPU and GPU run with fewer throttling constraints, at the cost of a bit more battery heat and drain. For a secondary device, or anyone prioritising responsiveness over all-day stamina, it’s a sensible trade.

Why performance degrades even when hardware is fine

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 inside the S23 is still a capable chip. So why did the phone feel old? The answer is rarely the processor clock speed—it’s the accumulation of software demands that the user didn’t ask for.

A default launcher that began life with 20 background services might now have 40 because of Samsung’s updates and partner integrations. A storage system that was efficient at 50% full becomes sluggish below 10% because the flash controller must constantly juggle data. Animations designed for a fresh phone become visual padding that masks nothing but the system’s real speed. Virtual memory that promised “more RAM” ends up swapping data to and from slow storage, introducing micro-stutters. And background processes—utilities, social media pre-loaders, health trackers—chip away at available resources until even a flagship feels like a budget handset.

This isn’t unique to Android. Windows users see the same pattern: a laptop that booted in 15 seconds now takes a minute; a desktop that ran games fluidly now stutters. The causes are analogous: startup programs bloated over time, a near-full SSD, visual effects like transparency and animations, and dozens of background services (system tray icons, updaters, cloud sync agents). The S23 experiment is a reminder that the fix is often not hardware—it’s housekeeping.

How to try this on your own Android device

If your Android phone has lost its sparkle, you don’t need a factory reset. Follow this practical sequence, adapted from the MakeUseOf test and verified against Samsung’s own support documentation.

Step 1: Free at least 10% storage. Go to Settings > Device care > Storage. Delete unused apps, clear app caches (low risk, apps will rebuild them), empty trash folders in Gallery and My Files, and move large videos or offline maps to cloud storage. Samsung notes that storage management varies by model and software version, but the core categories are consistent across One UI builds.

Step 2: Restart the phone. A simple reboot closes lingering processes and flushes temporary caches. Samsung includes this advice in its Device Care guidance.

Step 3: Reduce animation scales. Unlock Developer options by tapping Settings > About phone > Software information > Build number seven times. Then go to Settings > Developer options. Change Window animation scale, Transition animation scale, and Animator duration scale to 0.5x. Avoid turning them off entirely unless you’re comfortable with jarring screen changes.

Step 4: Experiment with a lighter launcher. Install KISS Launcher from Google Play or F-Droid. Set it as the default via Settings > Apps > Choose default apps > Home app. Test it for a day. If you miss widgets, try Niagara Launcher or Ruthless Launcher—both are lighter than One UI’s default but offer more customization than KISS. You can always switch back with no data loss.

Step 5: Test background process limits. In Developer options, tap “Background process limit” and set it to “At most 3 processes.” Use the phone normally for a few hours. If app reloads become annoying, bump it up to 4 or restore the standard limit. This is not a permanent setting; it’s a diagnostic lever.

Step 6: Toggle RAM Plus off. On a Galaxy device, go to Settings > Device care > Memory > RAM Plus, and turn it off. (The exact path may differ; Samsung’s documentation says availability depends on the model.) Reboot for the change to take effect. Monitor whether app switching feels snappier or if you start losing more app states.

Step 7: Choose a processing speed profile. Under Settings > Device care > Processing speed, select “High.” Keep an eye on battery drain over a day. If it cuts your screen-on time too much, revert to “Optimized.” Some Galaxy models also offer a “Light” mode that emphasises battery life—useful when you don’t need peak speed.

What Windows users should take away

The S23 revival isn’t just an Android story—it’s a blueprint for any aging computing device. Windows 11, for instance, ships with a host of animations, transparency effects, and background services that can make a three-year-old laptop feel lethargic. Here’s how to apply the same principles.

  • Launcher replacement → Start menu simplification: A bulky, animated Start menu with live tiles or widgets can slow down interaction. Consider switching to a minimalist launcher like Start11, or simply disable live tiles and reduce the number of pinned apps. Some power users adopt a keyboard-driven launcher like Keypirinha—akin to KISS Launcher’s search-first approach.
  • Storage headroom → SSD free space: SSDs, like UFS flash, need free blocks for efficient writes. Keep at least 10–20% of your SSD capacity free. Use Windows’ Storage Sense to automate cleaning of temporary files, or manually run Disk Cleanup. Uninstall programs you haven’t used in six months—you can always reinstall them.
  • Animation scales → Visual effects: In Windows, open System Properties > Advanced system settings > Performance Settings, and choose “Adjust for best performance” or manually disable animations, transparency, and shadows. You can also turn off “Animate controls and elements inside windows” and “Smooth edges of screen fonts” for a snappier feel without losing all visual polish.
  • Background processes → Startup items and background apps: Open Task Manager > Startup tab, and disable programs you don’t need at boot. Then go to Settings > Apps > Startup and toggle off anything unnecessary. Also review background app permissions under Settings > Privacy & security > Background apps.
  • Virtual memory → Page file and RAM disk caution: Windows uses a page file as virtual memory, but excessive paging to a slow SSD can cause stuttering. Ensure your page file is on the fastest drive, and if you have ample RAM (16GB or more), you can experiment with reducing its size—but never disable it entirely. Tools that create RAM disks are seldom worth the complexity.
  • Power plan → Performance mode: Switch from “Balanced” to “High performance” in Power Options. On modern laptops, you may also have an “Ultimate Performance” plan (available via command line). Be aware that this will increase power draw and fan noise—best used when plugged in.

The trade-offs you can’t ignore

Every tweak carries a compromise. Limiting background processes may delay notifications from messaging apps or prevent a music player from staying alive. Disabling RAM Plus can increase app reloads if you’re a heavy multitasker. Running at High processing speed will reduce battery life—potentially by 10–20% over a day. Replacing the launcher means surrendering the convenience of Samsung’s weather widget, Bixby integration, or DeX shortcuts.

These are not universal upgrades. They are a menu of options to tailor the phone to your tolerance for sluggishness versus features. A good rule: try one change at a time, use it for a full day, and only keep it if the improvement in feel outweighs the loss of function.

A safe, low-risk sequence for any device

If you’re unsure where to start, follow this order—it moves from harmless to impactful, with each step easily reversible.

  1. Restart the device. It’s free and often solves transient bloat.
  2. Free storage to at least 10% free. No risk to functionality.
  3. Halve animations (0.5x). Immediately noticeable, zero functional loss.
  4. Try a lighter launcher. Keep the stock launcher installed; you can switch back instantly.
  5. Experiment with RAM Plus/Virtual memory settings. A single setting, reversible with a reboot.
  6. Limit background processes temporarily. If it breaks your workflow, revert within minutes.
  7. Switch to a performance power profile. Only if you’re willing to accept battery trade-offs.

This sequence respects the fact that the device is a tool you rely on. A speed tweak that causes missed alarms or broken app states isn’t a true improvement. The goal is to remove friction, not create chaos.

Outlook: Small changes, big impact

The Galaxy S23 experiment isn’t about tricking anyone into believing a three-year-old phone is equal to the latest model. It’s about recognizing that the gap between a sluggish device and a satisfying one is often bridged by software adjustments, not hardware replacements. For Windows users, the parallel is clear: before you drop cash on a new laptop, try trimming the fat. The fixes are free, they take minutes, and they might just make your current machine feel new enough to postpone an upgrade for another year.