iPhone 14 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: The Ultimate Flagship Battle
| Phones Images | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
🏆 Quick Verdict
The Galaxy S23 Ultra offers a more versatile camera system, faster charging, and a larger display. However, the iPhone 14 Pro excels with its smooth iOS experience, exceptional peak brightness, and tight ecosystem integration. Ultimately, the choice depends on your preferred operating system and priorities.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Apple iPhone 14 Pro | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra |
| 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 - A2890, A2892 | 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, 26, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 70, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A2890, A2892 | 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, LTE (up to 7CA), 5G |
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 70, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A2891 | 1, 7, 28, 41, 66, 71, 78, 258, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - USA | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2022, September 07 | 2023, February 01 |
| Status | Available. Released 2022, September 16 | Available. Released 2023, February 17 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front, glass back, stainless steel frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 147.5 x 71.5 x 7.9 mm (5.81 x 2.81 x 0.31 in) | 163.4 x 78.1 x 8.9 mm (6.43 x 3.07 x 0.35 in) |
| SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time; International)· eSIM + eSIM (8 or more, max 2 at a time; USA)· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM (China) | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time) |
| Weight | 206 g (7.27 oz) | 234 g (8.25 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 (Bluetooth integration, accelerometer, gyro) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | Ceramic Shield glass | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 |
| Resolution | 1179 x 2556 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~460 ppi density) | 1440 x 3088 pixels, 19.3:9 ratio (~500 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.1 inches, 91.7 cm2 (~87.0% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.8 inches, 114.7 cm2 (~89.9% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED, 120Hz, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 1000 nits (typ), 2000 nits (HBM) | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1200 nits (HBM), 1750 nits (peak) |
| Always-On display | Always-on display | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Hexa-core (2x3.46 GHz Everest + 4x2.02 GHz Sawtooth) | Octa-core (1x3.36 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3x2.0 GHz Cortex-A510) |
| Chipset | Apple A16 Bionic (4 nm) | Qualcomm SM8550-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm) |
| GPU | Apple GPU (5-core graphics) | Adreno 740 |
| OS | iOS 16, upgradable to iOS 26.1 | Android 13, 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 | 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 12GB RAM |
| NVMe | UFS 4.0 | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama) | Laser AF, LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Quad | - | 200 MP, f/1.7, 24mm (wide), 1/1.3", 0.6µm, multi-directional 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/1.9, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6", PDAF, OIS (unconfirmed) SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) | 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), Dual Pixel PDAF |
| Triple | 48 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide), 1/1.28", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS 12 MP, f/2.8, 77mm (telephoto), 1/3.5", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel 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@24/30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR | HDR, HDR10+ |
| Single | 12 MP, f/1.9, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) | 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.2", 1.12µm, dual pixel 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 | 5.3, A2DP, LE | 5.3, A2DP, LE |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS | GPS, GALILEO, GLONASS, BDS, QZSS |
| 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, tri-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 Emergency SOS via satellite (SMS sending/receiving) | 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, 65% in 30 min 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Type | Li-Ion 3200 mAh (12.38 Wh) | Li-Ion 5000 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Space Black, Silver, Gold, Deep Purple | Phantom Black, Green, Cream, Lavender, Graphite, Sky Blue, Lime, Red, BMW M Edition |
| Models | A2890, A2650, A2889, A2892, iphone15,2 | SM-S918B, SM-S918B/DS, SM-S918U, SM-S918U1, SM-S918W, SM-S918N, SM-S9180, SM-S918E, SM-S918E/DS |
| Price | $ 395.67 / C$ 693.35 / £ 403.99 / € 492.99 | € 549.90 / $ 454.99 / £ 433.00 |
| SAR | 1.15 W/kg (head) 1.15 W/kg (body) | 1.12 W/kg (head) 0.92 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | 0.98 W/kg (head) 0.98 W/kg (body) | 0.96 W/kg (head) 1.40 W/kg (body) |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | Endurance rating 86h | Endurance rating 126h |
| Camera | Photo / Video | Photo / Video |
| Display | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | -26.2 LUFS (Good) | -25.6 LUFS (Very good) |
| Performance | AnTuTu: 968412 (v9) GeekBench: 5346 (v5.1) GFXBench: 60fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) | AnTuTu: 1241531 (v9) GeekBench: 4927 (v5.1) GFXBench: 67fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Apple iPhone 14 Pro
- Exceptional peak brightness
- Smooth iOS experience
- Excellent video recording
- Tight ecosystem integration
- Powerful A16 Bionic chip
- Slower charging speeds
- Less versatile camera system compared to S23 Ultra
- Limited customization options
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
- Versatile camera system with 200MP sensor
- Faster charging (45W)
- Larger display
- Excellent battery life
- Reverse wireless charging
- Android OS can be less intuitive for some
- One UI can feel cluttered
- Peak brightness not as high as iPhone 14 Pro
Display Comparison
The iPhone 14 Pro boasts a measured peak brightness of 1791 nits, significantly higher than the S23 Ultra's 1274 nits, making it ideal for outdoor visibility. Both offer 'Infinite' contrast ratios (nominal) and vibrant colors. The S23 Ultra's larger 6.8-inch display provides more screen real estate, while the iPhone 14 Pro's 6.1-inch display offers a more compact experience.
Camera Comparison
The S23 Ultra's camera system is arguably more versatile, featuring a 200MP main sensor, multiple telephoto lenses, and advanced zoom capabilities. The iPhone 14 Pro delivers excellent image quality with its 48MP main sensor and computational photography prowess. Video recording is exceptional on both, but the iPhone's Cinematic mode offers unique creative options.
Performance
The A16 Bionic in the iPhone 14 Pro is incredibly powerful, known for its efficiency and smooth performance. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in the S23 Ultra is equally impressive, offering excellent gaming performance and overall responsiveness. Both phones handle demanding tasks with ease, but the A16 often edges out in single-core benchmarks.
Battery Life
The S23 Ultra demonstrates superior battery endurance with an endurance rating of 126h and active use lasting 13:24h. The iPhone 14 Pro's endurance rating is 86h. The S23 Ultra also supports 45W wired charging, significantly faster than the iPhone 14 Pro's 15W MagSafe wireless charging.
Buying Guide
Who should buy the Apple iPhone 14 Pro? Users deeply embedded in the Apple ecosystem, those prioritizing a seamless user experience, and those who value peak display brightness. Who should buy the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra? Android enthusiasts, photography lovers seeking maximum versatility, and those who appreciate a larger screen and faster charging.