Samsung Galaxy S23 / Apple iPhone 15

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 15: iPhone 15 (A2846, A2847); 128, 256 and 512 GB. The iPhone 15 Plus, 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max are separate models.

SpecificationSamsung Galaxy S23Apple iPhone 15
Release year20232023
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; 2556 × 1179 at 460 ppi; Dynamic Island

Dynamic Island turns the front camera cut-out into an area for alerts and live activities. Apple does not list ProMotion for this model, so the screen is not 120 Hz.

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		48 MP Main (ƒ/1.6, sensor-shift OIS); 12 MP Ultra Wide (ƒ/2.4, 120°); 12 MP 2x Telephoto (ƒ/1.6, sensor-shift OIS)

The 2x telephoto is not a separate lens; it uses the centre of the 48 MP sensor. Digital zoom goes up to 10x.

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		Up to 20 hours of video playback, 16 hours streamed, 80 hours of audio Apple
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 Samsung147.6 × 71.6 × 7.80 mm; 171 g Apple
Brightness and contrast—1000 nits typical; 1600 nits HDR peak; 2000 nits outdoor peak; 2,000,000:1 contrast

The outdoor peak is used briefly in strong sunlight; the HDR peak applies to HDR video and photos.

Apple
Chip—A16 Bionic; 6-core CPU (2 performance + 4 efficiency), 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine Apple
Storage—128 GB, 256 GB or 512 GB Apple
Video—4K Dolby Vision 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 Apple
Front camera and Face ID—12 MP TrueDepth (ƒ/1.9), 4K Dolby Vision up to 60 fps; Face ID Apple
Wireless—5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave); Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) 2x2 MIMO; Bluetooth 5.3; second-generation Ultra Wideband; NFC with reader mode

Ultra Wideband helps Find My show the direction and distance of a nearby item; availability varies by region.

Apple
Safety features—Emergency SOS, Find My and Messages via satellite; Crash Detection

Satellite features work only in certain countries and outdoors where there is no cellular or Wi-Fi coverage.

Apple
USB-C and charging—USB-C, USB 2 (up to 480 Mb/s), DisplayPort; about 50% in 30 minutes with a 20 W or higher adapter; MagSafe and Qi2 up to 15 W, Qi up to 7.5 W

Although the connector is USB-C, data runs at USB 2 speed, so moving large video files by cable takes longer than over the USB 3 port on the Pro models.

Apple
SIM—Dual eSIM (two active eSIMs at once)

Apple’s page also shows a SIM tray on models sold outside the US, so physical SIM support depends on the country of purchase.

Apple
Durability and materials—IP68 (up to 6 m for up to 30 minutes, IEC 60529); aluminium frame, Ceramic Shield front, colour-infused glass back

IP68 protection can decrease with normal wear, and liquid damage is not covered by Apple’s warranty.

Apple
Colours—Black, Blue, Green, Yellow, Pink Apple