Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra / Apple iPhone 14 Pro

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: Galaxy S23 Ultra (2023): 8 GB + 256 GB, 12 GB + 512 GB or 12 GB + 1 TB. Every market uses the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy. The Galaxy S23 and S23+ and the later S24 Ultra are separate models.

Apple iPhone 14 Pro: iPhone 14 Pro; 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB and 1 TB storage options. US models (A2650) use eSIM only. The iPhone 14 Pro Max and iPhone 14 are separate models.

SpecificationSamsung Galaxy S23 UltraApple iPhone 14 Pro
Release year20232022
Display6.8-inch QHD+ Edge Dynamic AMOLED 2X; 1–120 Hz adaptive refresh; 1750 nits; 240 Hz touch sampling in Game Mode

Adaptive refresh drops to as low as 1 Hz when content is static to save power and rises to 120 Hz when scrolling and gaming. Vision Booster adjusts colour and contrast in bright conditions across three lighting levels; the edge curve is reduced compared with the S22 Ultra.

Samsung		6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED; ProMotion up to 120 Hz; always-on display; Dynamic Island

ProMotion changes the refresh rate with the content: scrolling looks smoother, and the rate drops on still images to save battery. Dynamic Island uses the front camera cut-out as an area for alerts and live activities.

Apple
Front and back glassCorning Gorilla Glass Victus 2; Armor Aluminum frame

According to Samsung, the S23 series was the first S series to use Gorilla Glass Victus 2.

Samsung		—
ProcessorSnapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy

Samsung says the vapour chamber is larger on every S23-series model.

Samsung		—
Memory and storage8 GB + 256 GB, 12 GB + 512 GB or 12 GB + 1 TB

Memory depends on the storage option; usable space is lower because of preloaded software. There is no memory card slot.

Samsung		—
Rear cameras200 MP Wide (F1.7, 85°), 12 MP Ultra Wide (F2.2, 120°), 10 MP 3x telephoto (F2.4, 36°), 10 MP 10x telephoto (F4.9, 11°)

The 200 MP sensor outputs 200, 50 or 12 MP images through pixel binning. 100x Space Zoom combines 10x optical with 10x AI-assisted digital zoom; image quality may deteriorate beyond 10x. The optical stabilisation angle was doubled compared with the S22 Ultra.

Samsung		48 MP main; 12 MP ultra wide (120°); 12 MP 2x and 12 MP 3x telephoto; up to 15x digital zoom

The 3x telephoto is a separate lens; values up to 15x are digital zoom and lose detail.

Apple
VideoUp to 8K at 30 fps

The Expert RAW app (downloaded separately from the Galaxy Store) offers RAW capture at up to 50 MP.

Samsung		4K at 24/25/30/60 fps; Cinematic mode 4K HDR at 30 fps; ProRes 4K at 30 fps; Action mode 2.8K at 60 fps; Dolby Vision HDR 4K at 60 fps

Action mode reduces shake when filming while walking or running, using software stabilisation that crops the image to 2.8K.

Apple
Front camera12 MP, F2.2, 80°

On the S23 series the front camera gets fast autofocus and 60 fps Super HDR.

Samsung		12 MP TrueDepth; Face ID Apple
Battery and charging5000 mAh (typical; rated minimum 4855 mAh); 45 W wired charging; Fast Wireless Charging 2.0; Wireless PowerShare

45 W requires a separately sold 45 W adapter and a 5 A USB-C cable; wired charging is compatible with QC2.0 and AFC. Wireless PowerShare charges Qi-compatible devices from the back of the phone when the battery is above 30%.

Samsung		Up to 23 hours of video playback; about 50% in 30 minutes with a 20 W or higher adapter; MagSafe 15 W, Qi 7.5 W

No power adapter is included in the box. The phone uses a Lightning port.

Apple
Software and updatesLaunched with Android 13 and One UI 5.1; four Android OS upgrades and five years of security updates

Update timing can vary by model and market.

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

Using Wi‑Fi 6E’s 6 GHz band needs a Wi‑Fi 6E router and market availability.

Samsung		—
SecuritySamsung Knox, Knox Vault

Knox Vault keeps critical data in separate hardware isolated from the operating system.

Samsung		—
Water resistanceIP68 (up to 30 minutes at 1.5 metres in fresh water)

Samsung does not recommend beach or pool use.

Samsung		—
Size and weight78.1 × 163.4 × 8.9 mm; 234 g Samsung147.5 × 71.5 × 7.85 mm; 206 g Apple
Brightness—1600 nits peak for HDR; 2000 nits peak outdoors

The 2000-nit figure is a peak reached with automatic brightness in sunlight; manual brightness stays lower.

Apple
Chip—A16 Bionic; 6-core CPU (2 performance + 4 efficiency), 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine Apple
Storage—128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB

Storage cannot be expanded later; ProRes video and 48 MP ProRAW photos take a lot of space.

Apple
Cellular and wireless—5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave); Wi-Fi 6; Bluetooth 5.3; Ultra Wideband; NFC; precision dual-frequency GPS

mmWave 5G works only on the US model and with carriers that offer it.

Apple
SIM—US model: dual eSIM, no physical SIM tray; two lines active at once

Models sold in other countries may have a different SIM setup; the phone can store eight or more eSIM profiles.

Apple
Durability and materials—IP68 (up to 6 metres for up to 30 minutes); Ceramic Shield front, textured matte glass back, stainless steel frame

Water and dust resistance is not permanent and can decrease with normal wear.

Apple
Known software fix—iOS 16.0.2: fixed the camera vibrating and producing blurry photos when shooting with some third-party apps

The problem appeared with some third-party apps rather than Apple’s own Camera app; Apple fixed it in software in September 2022.

Apple
Colours—Space Black, Silver, Gold, Deep Purple Apple