iPhone 13 Pro vs. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: Which Flagship Reigns Supreme?
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🏆 Quick Verdict
For the average user prioritizing consistent performance, a streamlined experience, and strong video capabilities, the iPhone 13 Pro emerges as the winner. Its A15 Bionic chip delivers sustained power, and its optimized software provides a smoother overall experience. However, the S22 Ultra’s superior battery endurance and more versatile camera system appeal to power users.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Apple iPhone 13 Pro | Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, 66 - A2638, A2639, A2640 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 - International |
| 5G bands | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A2638, A2639 | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 75, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - International |
| Speed | HSPA, LTE, 5G, EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (7CA) Cat20 2000/200 Mbps, 5G (5+ Gbps DL) |
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 71, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A2636 | 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 41, 66, 71, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - USA | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2021, September 14 | 2022, February 09 |
| Status | Available. Released 2021, September 24 | Available. Released 2022, February 25 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front, glass back, stainless steel frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus+), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus+), aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.7 mm (5.78 x 2.81 x 0.30 in) | 163.3 x 77.9 x 8.9 mm (6.43 x 3.07 x 0.35 in) |
| SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time) |
| Weight | 204 g (7.20 oz) | 228 g / 229 g (mmWave) (8.04 oz) |
| IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 6m for 30 min) Apple Pay (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX certified) | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) Armor aluminum frame with tougher drop and scratch resistance (advertised) Stylus, 2.8ms latency (Bluetooth integration, accelerometer, gyro) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | Ceramic Shield glass | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ |
| Resolution | 1170 x 2532 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~460 ppi density) | 1440 x 3088 pixels, 19.3:9 ratio (~500 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.1 inches, 90.2 cm2 (~86.0% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.8 inches, 114.7 cm2 (~90.2% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | Super Retina XDR OLED, 120Hz, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 1000 nits (HBM), 1200 nits (peak) | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1750 nits (peak) |
| - | Always-on display | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Hexa-core (2x3.23 GHz Avalanche + 4x1.82 GHz Blizzard) | Octa-core (1x2.8 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3x2.50 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4x1.8 GHz Cortex-A510) - EuropeOcta-core (1x3.00 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3x2.50 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A510) - ROW |
| Chipset | Apple A15 Bionic (5 nm) | Exynos 2200 (4 nm) - EuropeQualcomm SM8450 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (4 nm) - ROW |
| GPU | Apple GPU (5-core graphics) | Xclipse 920 - EuropeAdreno 730 - ROW |
| OS | iOS 15, upgradable to iOS 26.1 | Android 12, up to 4 major Android upgrades, One UI 8 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 128GB 6GB RAM, 256GB 6GB RAM, 512GB 6GB RAM, 1TB 6GB RAM | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 12GB RAM |
| NVMe | UFS 3.1 | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama) | Laser AF, LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Quad | - | 108 MP, f/1.8, 23mm (wide), 1/1.33", 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS 10 MP, f/2.4, 70mm (telephoto), 1/3.52", 1.12µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom 10 MP, f/4.9, 230mm (periscope telephoto), 1/3.52", 1.12µm, PDAF, OIS, 10x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, Super Steady video |
| Single | 12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6" SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) | - |
| Triple | 12 MP, f/1.5, 26mm (wide), 1/1.7", 1.9µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS 12 MP, f/2.8, 77mm (telephoto), PDAF, 1/3.4", 1.0µm, OIS, 3x optical zoom 12 MP, f/1.8, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/3.4", 1.0µm, PDAF TOF 3D LiDAR scanner (depth) | - |
| Video | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps, 10‑bit HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), ProRes, stereo sound rec. | 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR | HDR |
| Single | 12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6", 1.0µm SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) | 40 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/2.82", 0.7µm, PDAF |
| Video | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | No | No |
| 35mm jack | No | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| - | 32-bit/384kHz audio Tuned by AKG | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, LE | 5.2, A2DP, LE |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | Lightning, USB 2.0 | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer | Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| Ultra Wideband (UWB) support | Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support) Bixby natural language commands and dictation Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified) Ultra Wideband (UWB) support | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | Wired, PD2.0, 50% in 30 min 15W wireless (MagSafe) 15W wireless (Qi2) - requires iOS 17.2 update | 45W wired, PD3.0 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Type | Li-Ion 3095 mAh (12.11 Wh) | Li-Ion 5000 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Graphite, Gold, Silver, Sierra Blue, Alpine Green | Phantom Black, White, Burgundy, Green, Graphite, Red, Sky Blue, Bora Purple |
| Models | A2638, A2483, A2636, A2639, A2640, iPhone14,2 | SM-S908B, SM-S908B/DS, SM-S908U, SM-S908U1, SM-S908W, SM-S908N, SM-S9080, SM-S908E, SM-S908E/DS |
| Price | € 398.00 / $ 365.86 / £ 300.00 | € 397.07 / $ 269.98 / £ 304.99 / ₹ 63,899 |
| SAR | 1.20 W/kg (head) 1.19 W/kg (body) | 1.18 W/kg (head) 0.98 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | 0.99 W/kg (head) 0.98 W/kg (body) | 1.05 W/kg (head) 1.58 W/kg (body) |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | Endurance rating 85h | Endurance rating 108h |
| Camera | Photo / Video | Photo / Video |
| Display | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | -24.9 LUFS (Very good) | -27.3 LUFS (Good) |
| Performance | AnTuTu: 794348 (v9) GeekBench: 4687 (v5.1) GFXBench: 60fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) | AnTuTu: 968359 (v9) GeekBench: 3657 (v5.1) GFXBench: 37fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Apple iPhone 13 Pro
- Exceptional video recording quality
- Smooth and optimized iOS experience
- Strong single-core performance
- Shorter battery life compared to S22 Ultra
- Less versatile camera system (zoom)
- Limited customization options
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G
- Longer battery life and faster charging
- More versatile camera system with 10x optical zoom
- Larger, brighter display
- Potential for thermal throttling (Exynos variant)
- Android software can feel bloated
- Image processing can be overly saturated
Display Comparison
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra boasts a significantly brighter display, reaching 1266 nits compared to the iPhone 13 Pro’s 1063 nits. This translates to better outdoor visibility in direct sunlight. Both displays share an 'infinite' contrast ratio, typical of OLED technology, but the S22 Ultra’s larger size and higher resolution provide a more immersive viewing experience. While both are excellent, the S22 Ultra’s panel offers a tangible advantage for media consumption and outdoor use. The iPhone 13 Pro’s ProMotion technology (adaptive refresh rate) is matched by the S22 Ultra’s, ensuring smooth scrolling and animations on both devices.
Camera Comparison
Both phones excel in photography and videography, but approach it differently. The iPhone 13 Pro is renowned for its cinematic mode and consistently excellent video quality. The S22 Ultra, however, offers greater versatility with its quad-camera system, including a 10x optical zoom lens. While both capture excellent photos in good lighting, the S22 Ultra’s larger sensor and advanced image processing algorithms provide an advantage in low-light scenarios and offer more creative control. The iPhone’s image processing tends towards natural colors, while Samsung’s leans towards more vibrant, saturated tones. The S22 Ultra’s 108MP main sensor allows for detailed cropping and digital zoom, exceeding the capabilities of the iPhone 13 Pro’s main camera.
Performance
The core of the performance difference lies in the chipsets. The iPhone 13 Pro’s 5nm Apple A15 Bionic, with its hexa-core CPU (2x3.23 GHz Avalanche + 4x1.82 GHz Blizzard), consistently demonstrates strong single-core performance. The Galaxy S22 Ultra, depending on the region, utilizes either the 4nm Exynos 2200 (Europe) or the 4nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (ROW). While the Snapdragon variant closes the gap, the A15 Bionic generally maintains an edge in sustained performance due to Apple’s tighter hardware-software integration and superior thermal management. The Exynos 2200 has been known to exhibit more thermal throttling under prolonged heavy loads. Both phones utilize LPDDR5 RAM, but the A15’s optimized memory controller contributes to its responsiveness.
Battery Life
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra holds a clear advantage in battery endurance, achieving an impressive 108-hour rating compared to the iPhone 13 Pro’s 85 hours. This translates to a longer-lasting charge in real-world usage. The S22 Ultra also supports faster wired charging at 45W (PD3.0) versus the iPhone 13 Pro’s 20W (PD2.0), allowing for a quicker top-up. While both support wireless charging at 15W, the S22 Ultra adds 4.5W reverse wireless charging, enabling it to charge accessories. The iPhone 13 Pro now supports Qi2 wireless charging with the iOS 17.2 update, but the S22 Ultra’s overall charging ecosystem is more versatile.
Buying Guide
Buy the Apple iPhone 13 Pro if you need a phone that 'just works,' excels at video recording, and integrates seamlessly with the Apple ecosystem. Its focus on software optimization and long-term support makes it a reliable choice. Buy the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G if you prefer a larger display, a more customizable Android experience, and a camera system offering greater zoom range and flexibility, and value longer battery life.