Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra / Apple iPhone 15

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 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 S23 UltraApple iPhone 15
Release year20232023
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		6.1-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
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		—
ProcessorSnapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy

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

Samsung		—
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		—
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 (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
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 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 camera12 MP, F2.2, 80°

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

Samsung		—
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		—
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		—
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		—
SecuritySamsung Knox, Knox Vault

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

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

Samsung does not recommend beach or pool use.

Samsung		—
Size and weight78.1 × 163.4 × 8.9 mm; 234 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
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
Battery—Up to 20 hours of video playback, 16 hours streamed, 80 hours of audio 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