Apple iPhone 15 Plus / Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

Apple iPhone 15 Plus: iPhone 15 Plus; 128, 256 and 512 GB. Apple’s spec page lists model numbers A3090 and A3094; models sold outside the US have a SIM tray. The iPhone 15, 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max are separate models.

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.

SpecificationApple iPhone 15 PlusSamsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Release year20232023
Display6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED; 2796 × 1290, 460 ppi; Dynamic Island, True Tone, Wide colour (P3)

Dynamic Island uses the front camera cut-out as an area for notifications and Live Activities. Apple does not list ProMotion for this model; the display is not 120 Hz. Because the corners are rounded, the actual viewable area is slightly smaller than the 6.69-inch rectangle.

Apple		6.8-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
Brightness and contrast1,000 nits typical; 1,600 nits peak (HDR); 2,000 nits peak (outdoor); 2,000,000:1 contrast

The outdoor peak is used briefly in strong sunlight; the HDR peak applies to HDR video and photos.

Apple		—
ProcessorA16 Bionic; 6-core CPU (2 performance + 4 efficiency), 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine AppleSnapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy

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

Samsung
Storage128 GB, 256 GB or 512 GB Apple—
Rear cameras48MP Main (26 mm, ƒ/1.6, sensor-shift OIS); 12MP Ultra Wide (13 mm, ƒ/2.4, 120°); 12MP 2x Telephoto (52 mm, ƒ/1.6)

The 2x telephoto is not a separate lens; it uses the centre of the 48 MP main sensor (Apple says it is “enabled by quad-pixel sensor”). Photos can be 24 MP or 48 MP; digital zoom goes up to 10x.

Apple		200 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
Video4K at 24/25/30/60 fps; HDR video with Dolby Vision up to 4K at 60 fps; Cinematic mode up to 4K HDR at 30 fps; Action mode up to 2.8K at 60 fps

Action mode crops the image to apply strong digital stabilisation when running or in a vehicle, which is why it tops out at 2.8K.

Apple		Up to 8K at 30 fps

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

Samsung
Front camera and Face ID12MP TrueDepth (ƒ/1.9, autofocus); Face ID Apple—
Wireless5G (sub-6 GHz, 4x4 MIMO); Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) with 2x2 MIMO; Bluetooth 5.3; second-generation Ultra Wideband; NFC with reader mode

Ultra Wideband shows the direction and distance of a nearby item or friend in Find My; availability varies by region. This UK page does not list mmWave 5G.

Apple		—
Safety featuresEmergency SOS via satellite and Roadside Assistance via satellite; Crash Detection

Satellite features work only in certain countries and in open areas without mobile or Wi-Fi coverage.

Apple		—
BatteryUp to 26 hours video playback, 20 hours streamed, 100 hours audio; built-in lithium-ion

Apple quotes 6 hours more video playback than the iPhone 15.

Apple		—
USB-C and chargingUSB-C, USB 2 (up to 480 Mb/s), DisplayPort; up to 50% in around 30 minutes with a 20W adapter; MagSafe up to 15W, Qi up to 7.5W

Although the port is USB-C, data speed is USB 2. Native DisplayPort output over USB-C mirrors video up to 4K HDR. No power adapter is included; a USB-C charge cable that supports fast charging is in the box.

Apple		—
SIMDual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM); Dual eSIM support

The SIM tray is on models sold outside the US; eSIM use depends on carrier support.

Apple		—
Durability and materialsIP68 (maximum depth of 6 metres up to 30 minutes, IEC 60529); aluminium design, Ceramic Shield front, colour-infused glass back Apple—
Size and weight160.9 × 77.8 × 7.80 mm; 201 g Apple78.1 × 163.4 × 8.9 mm; 234 g Samsung
ColoursBlack, Blue, Green, Yellow, Pink Apple—
Front and back glass—Corning 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
Memory and storage—8 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
Front camera—12 MP, F2.2, 80°

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

Samsung
Battery and charging—5000 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
Software and updates—Launched 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
Connectivity—5G, 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
Security—Samsung Knox, Knox Vault

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

Samsung
Water resistance—IP68 (up to 30 minutes at 1.5 metres in fresh water)

Samsung does not recommend beach or pool use.

Samsung