Apple iPhone 16 Pro / Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

Apple iPhone 16 Pro: 6.3-inch iPhone 16 Pro; 128 GB–1 TB; Black, White, Natural and Desert Titanium. The 6.9-inch iPhone 16 Pro Max is a separate model. The US model is eSIM-only.

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.

SpecificationApple iPhone 16 ProSamsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Release year20242023
Display6.3-inch Super Retina XDR OLED; 2622 × 1206, 460 ppi; ProMotion adaptive refresh up to 120 Hz

ProMotion changes the refresh rate with the content: 120 Hz smoothness when scrolling and gaming, lower rates on still images to save power. Apple quotes 1000 nits typical, 1600 nits HDR peak, 2000 nits outdoor peak and 1 nit minimum; peaks are not sustained full-screen brightness.

Apple		6.8-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
Front and back glassLatest-generation Ceramic Shield front; textured matte glass back; titanium design AppleCorning 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
ChipA18 Pro; 6-core CPU (2 performance, 4 efficiency); 6-core GPU; 16-core Neural Engine

Apple says A18 Pro, built on second-generation 3 nm technology, runs the same workload 15% faster with 20% less power than the previous generation; the GPU is up to 20% faster and hardware ray tracing up to 2× faster. The chip also enables faster USB 3 transfers and ProRes recording.

Apple		—
Storage128, 256, 512 GB or 1 TB Apple—
Rear cameras48 MP Fusion (24 mm, ƒ/1.78, second-generation sensor-shift OIS); 48 MP Ultra Wide (13 mm, ƒ/2.2); 12 MP 5× Telephoto (120 mm, ƒ/2.8, tetraprism); 2× Telephoto option (48 mm, using the Fusion sensor)

The Pro system covers a 10× optical zoom range from 0.5× to 5×, with digital zoom up to 25×. The 2× image is a 12 MP crop from the centre of the 48 MP main sensor, not a separate camera.

Apple		200 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
Video4K Dolby Vision up to 120 fps; Log recording and ACES; ProRes up to 4K 120 fps with external recording

4K at 120 fps allows high-frame-rate 4K footage that can be slowed down. Log recording produces a flat image that leaves more room for colour grading. High-bit-rate ProRes needs an external drive.

Apple		Up to 8K at 30 fps

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

Samsung
Front camera and controls12 MP TrueDepth (ƒ/1.9, autofocus); Face ID; Camera Control; Action button

Apple says Camera Control combines a tactile switch, a force sensor and a capacitive surface: a click opens the camera, while a light press and finger slide adjust zoom, exposure or depth of field.

Apple		—
Connectivity5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave, 4×4 MIMO); Gigabit LTE; Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be, 2×2); Bluetooth 5.3; second-generation Ultra Wideband; satellite Emergency SOS, Roadside Assistance, Messages and Find My

mmWave and satellite services vary by country. Cellular model numbers are A3083 and A3084.

Apple		5G, 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
SIMDual eSIM (two active lines); models sold outside the US also have a SIM tray

Apple notes that iPhone 16 Pro sold in the US is not compatible with physical SIM cards; models for other markets have a SIM tray.

Apple		—
USB-C and chargingUSB-C with USB 3 (up to 10 Gb/s); MagSafe up to 25 W (with a 30 W or higher adapter); Qi2 15 W; Qi 7.5 W; up to 50% in 30 minutes with a 20 W adapter

10 Gb/s transfers need a USB 3 cable. Wireless charging power depends on the adapter and charger.

Apple		—
Battery lifeUp to 27 hours video playback; up to 22 hours streamed video; up to 85 hours audio playback Apple—
DurabilityIP68 under IEC 60529 (6 m for 30 minutes) Apple—
Size and weight149.6 × 71.5 × 8.25 mm; 199 g Apple78.1 × 163.4 × 8.9 mm; 234 g Samsung
SoftwareShipped with iOS 18 Apple—
Processor—Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy

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

Samsung
Memory and storage—8 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
Front camera—12 MP, F2.2, 80°

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

Samsung
Battery and charging—5000 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 updates—Launched 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
Security—Samsung Knox, Knox Vault

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

Samsung
Water resistance—IP68 (up to 30 minutes at 1.5 metres in fresh water)

Samsung does not recommend beach or pool use.

Samsung