Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra / Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max

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.

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max: 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max; 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB or 1 TB. The UK model supports nano-SIM and eSIM. The 6.1-inch iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 14 Plus are separate.

SpecificationSamsung Galaxy S23 UltraApple iPhone 14 Pro Max
Release year20232022
Display6.8-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
6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED; 2796 × 1290 pixels, 460 ppi; ProMotion adaptive refresh up to 120 Hz, Always-On, Dynamic Island; 1,000 nits typical, 1,600 HDR peak, 2,000 nits outdoor peak

ProMotion rises to 120 Hz during motion and drops on static images, balancing smoothness and battery; this is what lets the lock screen stay always on. Dynamic Island uses the front-camera cutout as an area for notifications and activities.

Apple
Front and back glassCorning 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
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ProcessorSnapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy

Samsung says the vapour chamber is larger on every S23-series model.

Samsung
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Memory and storage8 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
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Rear cameras200 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
48 MP Main (24 mm, ƒ/1.78, second-generation sensor-shift OIS), 12 MP Ultra Wide (13 mm, ƒ/2.2, 120°), 12 MP 3× Telephoto (77 mm, ƒ/2.8, OIS); LiDAR scanner

The main camera also provides a 12 MP 2× telephoto image by using the center of the sensor; the total optical zoom range is 6×. LiDAR measures depth for night portraits and focusing. Apple ProRAW allows DNG capture.

Apple
VideoUp to 8K at 30 fps

The Expert RAW app (downloaded separately from the Galaxy Store) offers RAW capture at up to 50 MP.

Samsung
4K at 24/25/30/60 fps; Dolby Vision HDR up to 4K 60 fps; Cinematic mode 4K HDR at 30 fps; Action mode 2.8K at 60 fps; ProRes up to 4K 30 fps

Action mode stabilizes video shot while walking or running without a gimbal.

Apple
Front camera12 MP, F2.2, 80°

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

Samsung
12 MP TrueDepth, ƒ/1.9, autofocus; Face ID

Front-camera autofocus arrived with this generation.

Apple
Battery and charging5000 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
Lithium-ion; up to 29 hours of video; 15 W wireless with MagSafe, 7.5 W with Qi; 50% in 35 minutes with a 20 W adapter; Lightning port

No adapter is included in the box.

Apple
Software and updatesLaunched 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
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Connectivity5G, 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
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SecuritySamsung Knox, Knox Vault

Knox Vault keeps critical data in separate hardware isolated from the operating system.

Samsung
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Water resistanceIP68 (up to 30 minutes at 1.5 metres in fresh water)

Samsung does not recommend beach or pool use.

Samsung
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Size and weight78.1 × 163.4 × 8.9 mm; 234 g Samsung160.7 × 77.6 × 7.85 mm; 240 g Apple
Chip—A16 Bionic; 6-core CPU (2 performance + 4 efficiency), 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine Apple
Storage—128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB or 1 TB

On the 128 GB model ProRes video is limited to 1080p at 30 fps.

Apple
Safety features—Emergency SOS via satellite, Crash Detection

Emergency SOS via satellite works only in countries Apple supports and where there is no mobile or Wi‑Fi coverage.

Apple
Durability and build—IP68 (up to 30 minutes at 6 metres); Ceramic Shield front, textured matte glass back, stainless steel frame Apple
Connectivity and location—5G (sub-6 GHz), Wi‑Fi 6 (802.11ax) 2×2, Bluetooth 5.3, Ultra Wideband, NFC; precision dual-frequency GPS

Dual-frequency GPS improves location accuracy among tall buildings.

Apple
Software—Compatible with iOS 27

It is on the compatible-models list in Apple’s iOS 27.2 user guide.

Apple