Huawei Mate 60 RS Ultimate vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: A Deep Dive Comparison
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🏆 Quick Verdict
For the average user prioritizing consistent performance, established software support, and a refined camera experience, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra remains the safer bet. However, the Huawei Mate 60 RS Ultimate offers a compelling alternative for those intrigued by its innovative hardware and willing to navigate potential software limitations.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Huawei Mate 60 RS Ultimate | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | LTE | 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 | SA/NSA | 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 | HSPA, LTE (up to 7CA), 5G |
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / CDMA2000 / LTE / 5G | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| - | 1, 7, 28, 41, 66, 71, 78, 258, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - USA | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2023, September 25 | 2023, February 01 |
| Status | Available. Released 2023, September 28 | Available. Released 2023, February 17 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | - | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 163.7 x 79 x 8.1 mm (6.44 x 3.11 x 0.32 in) | 163.4 x 78.1 x 8.9 mm (6.43 x 3.07 x 0.35 in) |
| SIM | Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time) |
| Weight | 242 g or 246 g (8.54 oz) | 234 g (8.25 oz) |
| - | 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 | Huawei Kunlun Glass 2 | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 |
| Resolution | 1260 x 2720 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~440 ppi density) | 1440 x 3088 pixels, 19.3:9 ratio (~500 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.82 inches, 114.4 cm2 (~88.5% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.8 inches, 114.7 cm2 (~89.9% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | LTPO OLED, 1B colors, 120Hz | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1200 nits (HBM), 1750 nits (peak) |
| - | Always-on display | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (1x2.62 GHz Taishan Big & 3x2.15 GHz Taishan Mid & 4x1.53GHz Cortex-A510) | Octa-core (1x3.36 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3x2.0 GHz Cortex-A510) |
| Chipset | Kirin 9000S (7 nm) | Qualcomm SM8550-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm) |
| GPU | Maleoon 910 MP4 | Adreno 740 |
| OS | HarmonyOS 4.0 (China) | Android 13, up to 4 major Android upgrades, One UI 8 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | Nano Memory (uses shared SIM slot) | No |
| Internal | 512GB 16GB RAM, 1TB 16GB RAM | 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 12GB RAM |
| - | UFS 4.0 | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | Laser AF, color spectrum sensor, LED flash, panorama, HDR | 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/2.2, 26mm (wide), Dual Pixel PDAF |
| Triple | 48 MP, f/1.4-f/4.0, 24mm (wide), PDAF, OIS 48 MP, f/3.0, 90mm (periscope telephoto), PDAF, OIS, 3.5x optical zoom 40 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), PDAF | - |
| Video | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240/480fps, 720p@960fps, 720p@3840fps, HDR Vivid, gyro-EIS | 8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR, panorama | HDR, HDR10+ |
| Single | 13 MP, f/2.4, 18mm (ultrawide) TOF 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) | 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.2", 1.12µm, dual pixel PDAF |
| Video | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, HDR Vivid | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | - | No |
| 35mm jack | No | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| - | 32-bit/384kHz audio Tuned by AKG | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.2, A2DP, LE | 5.3, A2DP, LE |
| Infrared port | Yes | - |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS (L1), BDS (B1I+B1c+B2a+B2b), GALILEO (E1+E5a+E5b), QZSS (L1+L5), NavIC (L5) | GPS, GALILEO, GLONASS, BDS, QZSS |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.1, OTG, DisplayPort 1.2 | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Face ID, fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, barometer, compass | Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| - | 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 | 88W wired, 100% in 30 min 50W wireless 20W reverse wireless | 45W wired, PD3.0, 65% in 30 min 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Type | Li-Po 5000 mAh | Li-Ion 5000 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Black, Red | Phantom Black, Green, Cream, Lavender, Graphite, Sky Blue, Lime, Red, BMW M Edition |
| Models | ALN-AL10 | SM-S918B, SM-S918B/DS, SM-S918U, SM-S918U1, SM-S918W, SM-S918N, SM-S9180, SM-S918E, SM-S918E/DS |
| Price | About 1550 EUR | € 549.90 / $ 454.99 / £ 433.00 |
| SAR | - | 1.12 W/kg (head) 0.92 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | - | 0.96 W/kg (head) 1.40 W/kg (body) |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | - | Endurance rating 126h |
| Camera | - | Photo / Video |
| Display | - | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | - | -25.6 LUFS (Very good) |
| Performance | - | AnTuTu: 1241531 (v9) GeekBench: 4927 (v5.1) GFXBench: 67fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Huawei Mate 60 RS Ultimate
- Faster wired charging (88W vs 45W)
- Innovative in-house Kirin 9000S chipset
- Potentially unique software features
- Software ecosystem and global support are less established
- Limited information on camera sensor details
- Potential thermal throttling under sustained load
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
- Exceptional battery life and endurance
- Proven Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 performance
- World-class camera system with versatile zoom capabilities
- Slower wired charging (45W)
- Less innovative hardware compared to Mate 60 RS Ultimate
- Higher price point
Display Comparison
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra boasts a peak brightness of 1274 nits, ensuring excellent visibility even in direct sunlight. While the Mate 60 RS Ultimate’s display specs are not provided, Huawei typically employs high-quality OLED panels. The S23 Ultra’s infinite contrast ratio, characteristic of OLED technology, delivers deep blacks and vibrant colors. The S23 Ultra’s adaptive refresh rate (LTPO) likely contributes to better power efficiency compared to a standard OLED panel, though the Mate 60 RS Ultimate may also feature similar technology. The S23 Ultra’s larger screen size and higher resolution will provide a sharper viewing experience for media consumption.
Camera Comparison
Both devices are equipped with advanced camera systems, but details on the Mate 60 RS Ultimate’s sensors are limited. The Galaxy S23 Ultra’s camera excels in both photo and video capture, leveraging its large main sensor and sophisticated image processing algorithms. The S23 Ultra’s optical image stabilization (OIS) is crucial for sharp images and stable videos, particularly in low-light conditions. Without specific sensor details for the Mate 60 RS Ultimate, it’s difficult to make a direct comparison, but Huawei has a strong history of computational photography, suggesting competitive image quality. The S23 Ultra’s versatility, with its multiple lenses and zoom capabilities, provides a wider range of creative options.
Performance
The core difference lies in the chipsets: Huawei’s 7nm Kirin 9000S versus Samsung’s 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. The 4nm process node of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 inherently offers superior transistor density and thermal efficiency, translating to sustained performance under heavy loads. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2’s CPU configuration – a Cortex-X3 prime core alongside Cortex-A715 and A710 performance cores – provides a significant advantage in multi-threaded tasks and single-core responsiveness compared to the Kirin 9000S’s Taishan architecture. While the Kirin 9000S is a technological achievement given geopolitical constraints, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2’s established optimization and wider software support give it the edge in real-world performance.
Battery Life
The Galaxy S23 Ultra achieves an impressive endurance rating of 126 hours and a real-world active use score of 13:24h, demonstrating excellent battery life. The Mate 60 RS Ultimate offers faster charging with 88W wired charging, achieving a 100% charge in just 30 minutes, compared to the S23 Ultra’s 65% in the same timeframe. However, the S23 Ultra’s larger battery capacity and efficient chipset contribute to its superior overall endurance. The Mate 60 RS Ultimate also supports 50W wireless charging and 20W reverse wireless charging, exceeding the S23 Ultra’s 15W and 4.5W respectively, offering greater flexibility for charging accessories.
Buying Guide
Buy the Huawei Mate 60 RS Ultimate if you need a statement piece with cutting-edge, domestically-produced hardware and are comfortable with a potentially different software experience. Buy the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra if you prefer a polished, globally-supported ecosystem with a proven track record for camera quality, battery life, and long-term software updates.