Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra / Apple iPhone SE (3rd generation, 2022)

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.

Typical maximum brightness is 625 nits and typical contrast 1400:1. As an LCD, blacks are not as deep as on OLED and the screen runs at 60 Hz; the small size makes one-handed use easy but leaves little room for video and games.

According to Samsung, the S23 series was the first S series to use Gorilla Glass Victus 2.

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

Memory depends on the storage option; usable space is lower because of preloaded software. There is no memory card slot.

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.

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

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

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%.

No adapter is in the box. MagSafe is not supported, but standard Qi chargers work. The port is Lightning, not USB-C.

Update timing can vary by model and market.

Using Wi‑Fi 6E’s 6 GHz band needs a Wi‑Fi 6E router and market availability.

The model on the UK page is A2783; supported 5G and LTE bands vary by model and country.

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

Samsung does not recommend beach or pool use.

It is the same chip as in the iPhone 13 and 13 mini, which is the main reason it handles heavy tasks such as 4K video editing and keeps getting updates for a long time.

Storage cannot be expanded later; 64 GB can fill quickly if you shoot 4K 60 fps video.

Apple notes this resistance is not permanent and may decrease with normal wear.

There is a single rear camera with no ultra-wide or optical telephoto. Apple’s list does not include Night mode for photos, only Night mode time-lapse video.

There is no Face ID; the phone unlocks and approves Apple Pay payments with a fingerprint instead of face recognition.