Samsung Galaxy S23 / Apple iPhone 13

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.

Apple iPhone 13: iPhone 13 (2021); 128, 256 and 512 GB. The UK/European model A2633 and the US model A2482 use a nano-SIM plus eSIM; the US model also supports mmWave 5G bands. The iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 13 Pro are separate models.

SpecificationSamsung Galaxy S23Apple iPhone 13
Release year20232021
Display6.1-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		6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED; 2532 × 1170 pixels, 460 ppi; HDR, True Tone, wide colour (P3)

Typical maximum brightness is 800 nits, with 1200 nits peak for HDR content; typical contrast is 2,000,000:1. The spec page does not list a refresh rate; the Pro models’ ProMotion is not on this model. Because of the rounded corners, the visible area is slightly smaller than a 6.06-inch rectangle.

Apple
Cover glassCorning Gorilla Glass Victus 2

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

Samsung		—
ProcessorSnapdragon 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 storage8 GB RAM; 128 GB or 256 GB

Usable space is lower because of preloaded software.

Samsung		—
Rear cameras50 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		12 MP Main (ƒ/1.6, sensor-shift optical stabilisation, 100% Focus Pixels) and 12 MP Ultra Wide (ƒ/2.4, 120°); 2x optical zoom out, digital zoom up to 5x

There is no telephoto camera: 2x refers to switching from the main to the ultra wide camera. Sensor-shift stabilisation compensates for hand shake by moving the sensor rather than the lens. Night mode, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 4 and Photographic Styles are available.

Apple
Front camera12 MP (F2.2, 80°) Samsung—
Battery3900 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		—
ChargingWired: 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 systemAndroid 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		—
Connectivity5G, 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		—
Water resistanceIP68 (up to 1.5 m of fresh water for up to 30 minutes)

Samsung does not advise beach or pool use.

Samsung		—
SecuritySamsung Knox and Knox Vault Samsung—
Size and weight70.9 × 146.3 × 7.6 mm; 168 g Samsung146.7 × 71.5 × 7.65 mm; 173 g Apple
Build—Ceramic Shield front, glass back, aluminium frame Apple
Water and dust resistance—IP68 (IEC 60529; up to 6 metres for 30 minutes) Apple
Chip—A15 Bionic: 6-core CPU (2 performance + 4 efficiency), 4-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

The iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 14 use a five-core-GPU version of the same chip; on this model the GPU has four cores.

Apple
Storage—128 GB, 256 GB or 512 GB

Capacity is chosen at purchase; there is no memory card slot.

Apple
Video—4K Dolby Vision HDR up to 24/25/30/60 fps; Cinematic mode 1080p at 30 fps; 1080p slo-mo at 120/240 fps

Cinematic mode blurs the background and can shift focus between people automatically; on this model it is limited to 1080p at 30 fps. Recording formats are HEVC and H.264; 8 MP stills can be taken while recording 4K.

Apple
Front camera and Face ID—12 MP TrueDepth, ƒ/2.2; Face ID

The front camera also records 4K Dolby Vision video and Cinematic mode.

Apple
Cellular and wireless—5G (sub-6 GHz; mmWave on the US model too), Gigabit LTE with 4x4 MIMO, Wi‑Fi 6 (802.11ax) 2x2 MIMO, Bluetooth 5.0, Ultra Wideband chip, NFC with reader mode

The band list depends on the model number: the UK model A2633 lists no mmWave bands; the US model A2482 supports n258/n260/n261.

Apple
SIM—Nano-SIM + eSIM or dual eSIM

Using eSIM requires carrier support and it is not supported in every region.

Apple
Location—GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS and BeiDou; digital compass; iBeacon Apple
Battery and charging—Up to 19 hours of video (15 hours streamed), up to 75 hours of audio; built-in lithium-ion battery; 15 W wireless charging with MagSafe, 7.5 W with Qi; about 50% in 30 minutes with a 20 W or higher adapter

The fast-charge figure comes from Apple’s testing with a 20 W USB-C adapter, sold separately. MagSafe aligns chargers and accessories with a magnet array on the back.

Apple
Port and video output—Lightning; video up to 1080p with the Lightning Digital AV Adapter; up to 4K HDR over AirPlay

Adapters are sold separately.

Apple
Audio formats—AAC, MP3, Apple Lossless, FLAC, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby Atmos; Spatial Audio playback Apple
Sensors—Face ID, barometer, three-axis gyro, accelerometer, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor Apple