Apple iPhone 15 Pro / Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

Apple iPhone 15 Pro: 6.1-inch iPhone 15 Pro (A2848, A2849 and regional models); 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB and 1 TB; Black, White, Blue and Natural Titanium. The 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Pro Max is a separate model with a different telephoto and battery.

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 ProSamsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Release year20232023
Display6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED; 2556 × 1179 pixels, 460 ppi; Dynamic Island

On OLED each pixel emits its own light, so blacks turn fully off; typical contrast is listed as 2,000,000:1.

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
Refresh rateProMotion adaptive up to 120 Hz; Always-On display

The panel rises to 120 Hz when scrolling and gaming and drops its rate for static content to save power, which lets the lock screen stay on.

Apple		—
Brightness1000 nits typical, 1600 nits HDR peak, 2000 nits outdoor peak

The outdoor figure is used only briefly in strong sunlight; normal use sits around 1000 nits.

Apple		—
ProcessorA17 Pro; 6-core CPU (2 performance, 4 efficiency), 6-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, 512 GB or 1 TB Apple—
Main camera48 MP, 24 mm, ƒ/1.78; second-generation sensor-shift OIS; 24 MP and 48 MP photos

Sensor-shift stabilisation moves the sensor rather than the lens to counter hand shake; the default capture is 24 MP.

Apple		—
Telephoto and ultra wide12 MP 3× telephoto (77 mm, ƒ/2.8, OIS); 12 MP ultra wide (13 mm, ƒ/2.2, 120°); 2× (48 mm) option from the main sensor

The 2× image is taken from the centre of the 48 MP sensor; the 15× digital zoom is not optical.

Apple		—
Video4K at 24/25/30/60 fps; Dolby Vision HDR up to 4K 60 fps; ProRes 4K 60 fps (with external recording); Log video; spatial video at 1080p 30 fps

ProRes 4K at 60 fps requires recording to external storage over USB-C. Log records a flat profile for colour grading.

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
USB-CUSB 3 up to 10 Gb/s; DisplayPort video out up to 4K HDR (with a compatible adapter)

10 Gb/s needs a USB 3 cable; the 1 m cable in the box is a charge cable and does not guarantee that speed.

Apple		—
Battery and chargingUp to 23 hours video playback, 20 hours streamed; about 50% in 30 minutes with a 20 W adapter; MagSafe and Qi2 15 W, Qi 7.5 W

No adapter is included. Qi2 is a wireless charging standard with magnetic alignment like MagSafe.

Apple		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
Connectivity5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave), Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, second-generation Ultra Wideband, Thread, NFC

mmWave support varies by region. Thread is for low-power networking with smart home devices.

Apple		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
LocationDual-frequency GPS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou, NavIC); digital compass

Receiving satellite signals on two frequencies helps reduce position drift between tall buildings.

Apple		—
SIMDual eSIM on US models (no physical SIM); SIM tray plus eSIM on models for other markets Apple—
Action buttonAssignable to Silent mode, Focus, Camera, Flashlight, Voice Memo, Translate, Magnifier, Shortcut or Accessibility

It replaces the old mute switch; pressing and holding runs the chosen function.

Apple		—
DurabilityIP68 (IEC 60529, up to 6 m for 30 minutes); titanium frame, Ceramic Shield front, textured matte glass back Apple—
Size and weight146.6 × 70.6 × 8.25 mm; 187 g Apple78.1 × 163.4 × 8.9 mm; 234 g Samsung
In the boxiPhone, 1 m USB-C Charge Cable, documentation; no adapter or earphones 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
Rear cameras—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
Front camera—12 MP, F2.2, 80°

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

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
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