Apple iPhone 16e / Samsung Galaxy S23

Apple iPhone 16e: iPhone 16e (A3212); 128, 256 or 512 GB; matte black and white. Physical SIM support varies by country; the US model uses eSIM only. The 2026 iPhone 17e is a separate model.

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.

SpecificationApple iPhone 16eSamsung Galaxy S23
Release year20252023
ChipA18; 6-core CPU (2 performance + 4 efficiency), 4-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

The A18 in the iPhone 16 has a 5-core GPU; the 16e has one GPU core fewer. The GPU supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing.

Apple		—
Cellular modemApple C1; 5G (sub-6 GHz, 4×4 MIMO), Gigabit LTE (4×4 MIMO)

The C1 is the first Apple-designed modem used in an iPhone. mmWave 5G is not supported; that band is used only in some countries for very high short-range speeds.

Apple		—
Display6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED; 2532 × 1170, 460 ppi

Typical maximum brightness is 800 nits and HDR peak 1,200 nits; 2,000,000:1 contrast, P3 wide colour and True Tone. Apple does not list Dynamic Island or ProMotion for this model.

Apple		6.1-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
Design and glassAluminium enclosure, Ceramic Shield front, glass back Apple—
Storage128, 256 or 512 GB Apple—
Rear camera48MP Fusion main camera (26 mm, ƒ/1.6, optical image stabilisation); 12MP 2x telephoto (52 mm) from the same sensor

Apple lists the 2x telephoto as a mode the main camera “also enables”; there is no separate lens. Digital zoom up to 10x. There is no ultra-wide or macro camera.

Apple		—
Video4K at 24/25/30/60 fps Dolby Vision; 1080p slo-mo at 120/240 fps; 4K 60 fps on the front camera

The rear camera offers optical and cinematic stabilisation for video, spatial audio recording and wind noise reduction.

Apple		—
Front camera12MP TrueDepth, ƒ/1.9, autofocus; Face ID Apple12 MP (F2.2, 80°) Samsung
Battery and chargingUp to 26 hours of video playback; 50% in 30 minutes with a 20W or higher adapter; Qi wireless charging; built-in lithium-ion

Up to 21 hours of streamed video and 90 hours of audio playback. Apple does not list MagSafe or Qi2. No power adapter is in the box, only a 1 m USB-C cable.

Apple		—
PortUSB-C; USB 2 (up to 480 Mb/s)

Moving large video files over a cable is slower than on Pro models with USB 3.

Apple		—
WirelessWi-Fi 6 (802.11ax, 2×2 MIMO); Bluetooth 5.3; NFC with reader mode

Emergency SOS, Messages and Find My via satellite are supported; availability depends on the country.

Apple		—
SIMDual eSIM (two active lines at once)

Models sold outside the US also have a physical SIM tray.

Apple		—
DurabilityIP68 under IEC 60529 (up to 6 metres for 30 minutes)

Apple says resistance may decrease over time and liquid damage is not covered by warranty.

Apple		—
Action buttonCan be set to Silent mode, camera, flashlight, Visual Intelligence, a shortcut and other functions Apple—
Size and weight146.7 × 71.5 × 7.80 mm; 167 g Apple70.9 × 146.3 × 7.6 mm; 168 g Samsung
Cover glass—Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2

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

Samsung
Processor—Snapdragon 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 storage—8 GB RAM; 128 GB or 256 GB

Usable space is lower because of preloaded software.

Samsung
Rear cameras—50 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
Battery—3900 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
Charging—Wired: 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 system—Android 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
Connectivity—5G, 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 resistance—IP68 (up to 1.5 m of fresh water for up to 30 minutes)

Samsung does not advise beach or pool use.

Samsung
Security—Samsung Knox and Knox Vault Samsung