Samsung Galaxy S23 / Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max

Samsung Galaxy S23: Galaxy S23 (2023); 8 GB RAM, 128 or 256 GB (options vary by market). The Galaxy S23+, S23 Ultra and S23 FE are separate models.

Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max: iPhone 13 Pro Max (2021); 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB or 1 TB. Apple’s spec page lists model codes A2483 and A2484; band support varies by country model. The iPhone 13 Pro (6.1-inch), iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 Pro Max are separate models.

SpecificationSamsung Galaxy S23Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
Release year20232021
Display6.1-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X; 48–120 Hz Super Smooth refresh; 1750 nits; 240 Hz touch sampling in Game Mode

The refresh rate varies between 48 and 120 Hz depending on content. Vision Booster adjusts the picture to stay readable in bright light. The size is measured as a full rectangle; the visible area is smaller.

Samsung		6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED with ProMotion; 2778 × 1284 pixels, 458 ppi; adaptive refresh up to 120 Hz; HDR, True Tone, wide colour (P3); typical 1000 nits, 1200 nits HDR; 2,000,000:1 contrast

ProMotion lowers the refresh rate for static content and raises it to 120 Hz for scrolling and animations, for both smoothness and battery savings. Because of the rounded corners, the diagonal measured as a rectangle is 6.68 inches.

Apple
Cover glassCorning Gorilla Glass Victus 2

According to Samsung, the S23 series is the first S series to use Victus 2 glass.

Samsung		—
ProcessorSnapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy

Samsung introduced this version as a Snapdragon optimised for Galaxy and exclusive to the S23 series at launch.

Samsung		—
Memory and storage8 GB RAM; 128 GB or 256 GB

Usable space is lower because of preloaded software.

Samsung		—
Rear cameras50 MP Wide (F1.8, 85°), 12 MP Ultra Wide (F2.2, 120°), 10 MP Telephoto (3x optical, F2.4, 36°)

The telephoto gives 3x optical zoom; zoom beyond that is digital.

Samsung		Triple 12 MP: Telephoto (ƒ/2.8, 3x optical zoom), Wide (ƒ/1.5, sensor-shift OIS), Ultra Wide (ƒ/1.8, 120°); 6x optical zoom range, up to 15x digital; LiDAR Scanner; Apple ProRAW

Macro photography works by switching to the Ultra Wide camera when you get close to a subject. The LiDAR Scanner speeds up focusing in the dark and enables Night mode portraits.

Apple
Front camera12 MP (F2.2, 80°) Samsung—
Battery3900 mAh (typical); rated minimum 3785 mAh

The typical value is the average from third-party lab tests; the rated value is the minimum capacity across battery samples.

Samsung		—
ChargingWired: about 50% in around 30 minutes with a 25 W adapter and 3 A USB‑C cable; Fast Wireless Charging 2.0; Wireless PowerShare

The adapter is sold separately. Wired charging is compatible with QC2.0 and AFC. PowerShare needs the battery above 30% to charge another device.

Samsung		—
Operating systemAndroid 13 with One UI 5.1 at launch

Samsung promised four Android OS upgrades and five years of security updates for the S23 series; timing varies by model and market.

Samsung		—
Connectivity5G, LTE, Wi‑Fi 6E, Wi‑Fi Direct, Bluetooth 5.3

Wi‑Fi 6E needs a router with 6 GHz support; availability varies by market and provider.

Samsung		—
Water resistanceIP68 (up to 1.5 m of fresh water for up to 30 minutes)

Samsung does not advise beach or pool use.

Samsung		—
SecuritySamsung Knox and Knox Vault Samsung—
Size and weight70.9 × 146.3 × 7.6 mm; 168 g Samsung160.8 × 78.1 × 7.65 mm; 240 g Apple
Body—Ceramic Shield front, textured matte glass back, stainless-steel frame; Graphite, Gold, Silver, Sierra Blue, Alpine Green Apple
Water and dust resistance—IP68 (IEC 60529; up to 6 metres for 30 minutes) Apple
Chip—A15 Bionic: 6-core CPU (2 performance + 4 efficiency), 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

The A15 Bionic in the iPhone 13 and 13 mini has a 4-core GPU; the Pro models have one more GPU core.

Apple
Storage—128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB or 1 TB

Capacity is chosen at purchase; there is no memory card slot. On the 128 GB model ProRes video is limited to 1080p 30 fps instead of 4K.

Apple
Video—Up to 4K 60 fps with Dolby Vision HDR; ProRes up to 4K 30 fps (1080p 30 fps on 128 GB); Cinematic mode 1080p 30 fps; macro video; 1080p 120/240 fps slow motion

ProRes is a professional video format that edits with little loss in editing software; its files are much larger than HEVC.

Apple
Front camera and Face ID—12 MP TrueDepth, ƒ/2.2; Face ID Apple
Cellular and wireless—5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave) with 4x4 MIMO, Gigabit LTE, Wi‑Fi 6 (802.11ax) 2x2 MIMO, Bluetooth 5.0, Ultra Wideband chip, NFC with reader mode

5G and LTE bands vary by model number and carrier; Apple advises checking with your carrier.

Apple
SIM—Nano-SIM + eSIM or dual eSIM

eSIM is not supported in all regions; micro-SIM cards are not compatible.

Apple
Battery and charging—Up to 28 hours video (25 hours streamed), up to 95 hours audio; built-in lithium-ion battery; 15 W MagSafe, 7.5 W Qi wireless; about 50% in 30 minutes with a 20 W or higher adapter

The adapter is not included and is sold separately. MagSafe uses a magnet array in the back to align chargers and accessories.

Apple
Port and video output—Lightning; up to 1080p via Lightning Digital AV Adapter; up to 4K HDR via AirPlay Apple
Audio formats—AAC, MP3, Apple Lossless, FLAC, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby Atmos; spatial audio playback Apple
Software—Launched with iOS 15 Apple