Samsung Galaxy S23 / Apple iPhone 14 Plus

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 14 Plus: iPhone 14 Plus (2022); 128, 256 and 512 GB. Models sold in the UK and Europe use nano-SIM and eSIM; the US model A2632 is eSIM-only and supports mmWave 5G. The 6.1-inch iPhone 14 and the 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max are separate models.

SpecificationSamsung Galaxy S23Apple iPhone 14 Plus
Release year20232022
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
6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED; 2778 × 1284 pixels, 458 ppi; HDR, True Tone, wide colour (P3)

Typical maximum brightness is 800 nits, with 1,200 nits peak for HDR content; typical contrast is 2,000,000:1. Because of the rounded corners the screen measures 6.68 inches as a rectangle and the viewable area is slightly smaller. Apple does not list a refresh rate; 120 Hz ProMotion is only on the Pro models.

Apple
Cover glassCorning Gorilla Glass Victus 2

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

Samsung
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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
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Memory and storage8 GB RAM; 128 GB or 256 GB

Usable space is lower because of preloaded software.

Samsung
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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 (26 mm, ƒ/1.5, sensor-shift optical image stabilisation, 100% Focus Pixels) and 12 MP Ultra Wide (13 mm, ƒ/2.4, 120°); 2x optical zoom out, digital zoom up to 5x

There is no telephoto camera: the 2x figure refers to switching from the main to the ultra wide camera. Photos are processed with the Photonic Engine, Deep Fusion and Smart HDR 4; Night mode and Portrait mode are included.

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
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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
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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
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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
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Water resistanceIP68 (up to 1.5 m of fresh water for up to 30 minutes)

Samsung does not advise beach or pool use.

Samsung
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SecuritySamsung Knox and Knox Vault Samsung—
Size and weight70.9 × 146.3 × 7.6 mm; 168 g Samsung160.8 × 78.1 × 7.80 mm; 203 g Apple
Build—Ceramic Shield front, glass back and aluminium frame Apple
Water and dust resistance—IP68 (IEC 60529; maximum depth of 6 metres for up to 30 minutes)

According to Apple this resistance is not permanent and may decrease with normal wear; liquid damage is not covered by the warranty.

Apple
Chip—A15 Bionic: 6-core CPU (2 performance + 4 efficiency), 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

This is the A15 version with a five-core GPU used in the iPhone 13 Pro; the A15 in the iPhone 13 has a four-core GPU.

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 at 24/25/30/60 fps; Cinematic mode up to 4K HDR at 30 fps; Action mode up to 2.8K at 60 fps; 1080p slo-mo at 120/240 fps

Recording formats are HEVC and H.264, with stereo audio. 8 MP stills can be taken while recording 4K video. Action mode crops the image to reduce shake and tops out at 2.8K.

Apple
Front camera and Face ID—12 MP TrueDepth, ƒ/1.9, autofocus with Focus Pixels; Face ID

The front camera also records 4K Dolby Vision video; Face ID uses the same TrueDepth camera system.

Apple
Cellular and wireless—5G (sub-6 GHz; mmWave as well on the US model), Gigabit LTE with 4x4 MIMO, Wi‑Fi 6 (802.11ax) with 2x2 MIMO, Bluetooth 5.3, Ultra Wideband chip, NFC with reader mode

The band list depends on the model number. The US page lists n258, n260 and n261 for mmWave; the UK page has no mmWave.

Apple
SIM—Models sold outside the US: nano-SIM + eSIM or dual eSIM; US: dual eSIM only (no physical SIM support)

According to Apple the US model runs two active eSIMs and can store eight or more. eSIM needs carrier support.

Apple
Satellite and safety features—Emergency SOS via satellite, Crash Detection, Roadside Assistance via satellite

According to Apple the satellite features are free for two years after activating any iPhone 14 model; connection and response times vary with location and site conditions.

Apple
Location—GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS and BeiDou; digital compass; iBeacon Apple
Battery and charging—Up to 26 hours of video (20 hours streamed), up to 100 hours of audio; built-in lithium-ion battery; 15 W MagSafe and 7.5 W Qi wireless charging; about 50% in around 30 minutes with a 20 W or higher adapter

These are longer than the iPhone 14’s 20 hours of video and 80 hours of audio. No power adapter is in the box; the fast-charge time comes from Apple’s test with a 20 W adapter.

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

Adapters are sold separately.

Apple
Audio and video formats—AAC, MP3, Apple Lossless, FLAC, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby Atmos; Spatial Audio; Dolby Vision, HDR10+/HDR10 and HLG for video playback Apple
Sensors—Face ID, barometer, high dynamic range gyro, high-g accelerometer, proximity sensor, dual ambient light sensors

The high-g accelerometer and gyro are used for Crash Detection.

Apple