Apple iPhone 16 / Samsung Galaxy S23

Apple iPhone 16: 6.1-inch iPhone 16; 128, 256 and 512 GB; black, white, pink, teal and ultramarine. The model number varies by region (e.g. India A3287). The 6.7-inch iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16e are separate models.

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 16Samsung Galaxy S23
Release year20242023
ChipA18; 6-core CPU (2 performance + 4 efficiency), 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

Apple says the A18, built on second-generation 3 nm technology, is up to 30% faster in CPU and 40% in GPU than the A16 Bionic and supports hardware ray tracing. The A18 Pro in iPhone 16 Pro is a different chip.

Apple
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Display6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED; 2556 × 1179, 460 ppi; Dynamic Island

Typical brightness is 1000 nits, 1600 nits HDR and 2000 nits peak outdoors, with a 1-nit minimum. 2,000,000:1 contrast, P3 wide colour and True Tone. Apple does not list a refresh rate; ProMotion and always-on display are on the Pro models.

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 glassLatest-generation Ceramic Shield

Apple says it is 50% tougher than the first-generation Ceramic Shield. The back is colour-infused glass and the frame is aluminium.

Apple
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Storage128, 256 or 512 GB Apple—
Rear cameras48 MP Fusion main camera (26 mm, ƒ/1.6, sensor-shift stabilisation); 12 MP ultra wide (13 mm, ƒ/2.2, 120°); 12 MP 2× telephoto from the main sensor

The 2× view comes from the centre of the 48 MP sensor rather than a separate lens. There is a 4× optical zoom range and up to 10× digital zoom; the ultra-wide camera can shoot macro.

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 at 24/25/30/60 fps; Cinematic mode up to 4K 30 fps; Action mode at 2.8K 60 fps; spatial video at 1080p 30 fps Apple—
Camera Control and Action buttonCamera Control (adjusts exposure, depth, zoom, cameras, styles and tone); customisable Action button

Apple says Camera Control combines a tactile switch for clicks, a force sensor for light presses and a capacitive sensor for swipes. It opens the camera, takes photos and starts video recording.

Apple
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Front camera and authentication12 MP TrueDepth (ƒ/1.9, autofocus); Face ID Apple—
Connectivity5G (sub-6 GHz, 4×4 MIMO); Wi-Fi 7 (2×2 MIMO); Bluetooth 5.3; second-generation Ultra Wideband; Thread; NFC

Ultra Wideband availability varies by region. Emergency SOS and Roadside Assistance via satellite are supported, with service duration and country coverage set by Apple.

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
SIMNano-SIM + eSIM or dual eSIM

SIM layout may vary by country model.

Apple
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USB-CUSB-C; USB 2 (up to 480 Mbit/s) and DisplayPort

Wired data transfer is limited to USB 2 speed, so moving large video files by cable is slower than on the Pro models.

Apple
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ChargingMagSafe up to 25 W; Qi2 up to 25 W; about 50% in around 30 minutes with a 20 W or higher adapter

Reaching 50% in 30 minutes over MagSafe needs a 30 W or higher adapter. There is no adapter in the box, only a USB-C cable.

Apple
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
Battery lifeUp to 22 hours video, up to 18 hours streamed video, up to 80 hours audio playback

Measured under Apple’s test conditions; real results vary with use and settings. Apple does not publish the capacity in mAh.

Apple
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DurabilityIP68 (IEC 60529; up to 6 metres for 30 minutes)

Splash, water and dust resistance is not permanent and may decrease over time; liquid damage is not covered by warranty.

Apple
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Size and weight147.6 × 71.6 × 7.80 mm; 170 g Apple70.9 × 146.3 × 7.6 mm; 168 g Samsung
SensorsBarometer, high dynamic range gyro, high-g accelerometer, proximity sensor, dual ambient light sensors

The high-g accelerometer is used for Crash Detection.

Apple
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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
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