Apple iPhone 16 Pro / Samsung Galaxy S23

Apple iPhone 16 Pro: 6.3-inch iPhone 16 Pro; 128 GB–1 TB; Black, White, Natural and Desert Titanium. The 6.9-inch iPhone 16 Pro Max is a separate model. The US model is eSIM-only.

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.

SpecificationApple iPhone 16 ProSamsung Galaxy S23
Release year20242023
Display6.3-inch Super Retina XDR OLED; 2622 × 1206, 460 ppi; ProMotion adaptive refresh up to 120 Hz

ProMotion changes the refresh rate with the content: 120 Hz smoothness when scrolling and gaming, lower rates on still images to save power. Apple quotes 1000 nits typical, 1600 nits HDR peak, 2000 nits outdoor peak and 1 nit minimum; peaks are not sustained full-screen brightness.

Apple		6.1-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
Front and back glassLatest-generation Ceramic Shield front; textured matte glass back; titanium design Apple—
ChipA18 Pro; 6-core CPU (2 performance, 4 efficiency); 6-core GPU; 16-core Neural Engine

Apple says A18 Pro, built on second-generation 3 nm technology, runs the same workload 15% faster with 20% less power than the previous generation; the GPU is up to 20% faster and hardware ray tracing up to 2× faster. The chip also enables faster USB 3 transfers and ProRes recording.

Apple		—
Storage128, 256, 512 GB or 1 TB Apple—
Rear cameras48 MP Fusion (24 mm, ƒ/1.78, second-generation sensor-shift OIS); 48 MP Ultra Wide (13 mm, ƒ/2.2); 12 MP 5× Telephoto (120 mm, ƒ/2.8, tetraprism); 2× Telephoto option (48 mm, using the Fusion sensor)

The Pro system covers a 10× optical zoom range from 0.5× to 5×, with digital zoom up to 25×. The 2× image is a 12 MP crop from the centre of the 48 MP main sensor, not a separate camera.

Apple		50 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
Video4K Dolby Vision up to 120 fps; Log recording and ACES; ProRes up to 4K 120 fps with external recording

4K at 120 fps allows high-frame-rate 4K footage that can be slowed down. Log recording produces a flat image that leaves more room for colour grading. High-bit-rate ProRes needs an external drive.

Apple		—
Front camera and controls12 MP TrueDepth (ƒ/1.9, autofocus); Face ID; Camera Control; Action button

Apple says Camera Control combines a tactile switch, a force sensor and a capacitive surface: a click opens the camera, while a light press and finger slide adjust zoom, exposure or depth of field.

Apple		—
Connectivity5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave, 4×4 MIMO); Gigabit LTE; Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be, 2×2); Bluetooth 5.3; second-generation Ultra Wideband; satellite Emergency SOS, Roadside Assistance, Messages and Find My

mmWave and satellite services vary by country. Cellular model numbers are A3083 and A3084.

Apple		5G, 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
SIMDual eSIM (two active lines); models sold outside the US also have a SIM tray

Apple notes that iPhone 16 Pro sold in the US is not compatible with physical SIM cards; models for other markets have a SIM tray.

Apple		—
USB-C and chargingUSB-C with USB 3 (up to 10 Gb/s); MagSafe up to 25 W (with a 30 W or higher adapter); Qi2 15 W; Qi 7.5 W; up to 50% in 30 minutes with a 20 W adapter

10 Gb/s transfers need a USB 3 cable. Wireless charging power depends on the adapter and charger.

Apple		—
Battery lifeUp to 27 hours video playback; up to 22 hours streamed video; up to 85 hours audio playback Apple—
DurabilityIP68 under IEC 60529 (6 m for 30 minutes) Apple—
Size and weight149.6 × 71.5 × 8.25 mm; 199 g Apple70.9 × 146.3 × 7.6 mm; 168 g Samsung
SoftwareShipped with iOS 18 Apple—
Cover glass—Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2

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

Samsung
Processor—Snapdragon 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 storage—8 GB RAM; 128 GB or 256 GB

Usable space is lower because of preloaded software.

Samsung
Front camera—12 MP (F2.2, 80°) Samsung
Battery—3900 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
Charging—Wired: 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 system—Android 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
Water resistance—IP68 (up to 1.5 m of fresh water for up to 30 minutes)

Samsung does not advise beach or pool use.

Samsung
Security—Samsung Knox and Knox Vault Samsung