Huawei Mate Xs 2 vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: The Ultimate Comparison
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🏆 Quick Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra wins overall, offering superior performance, a brighter display, a more versatile camera system, and faster charging. However, the Mate Xs 2's innovative folding design and unique form factor make it a compelling choice for those seeking something different.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Huawei Mate Xs 2 | 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 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41 | 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, 38, 40, 41, 66, 75, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - International |
| Speed | HSPA, LTE | HSPA, LTE (up to 7CA), 5G |
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| CDMA2000 1xEV-DO | 1, 7, 28, 41, 66, 71, 78, 258, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - USA | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2022, April 28 | 2023, February 01 |
| Status | Available. Released 2022, May 07 | Available. Released 2023, February 17 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | - | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | Unfolded: 156.5 x 139.3 x 5.4 mmFolded: 156.5 x 75.5 x 11.1 mm | 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 | 255 g / 257 g (8.99 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 | - | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 |
| Resolution | 2200 x 2480 pixels (~424 ppi density) | 1440 x 3088 pixels, 19.3:9 ratio (~500 ppi density) |
| Size | 7.8 inches, 195.8 cm2 (~89.8% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.8 inches, 114.7 cm2 (~89.9% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | Foldable OLED, 1B colors, 120Hz | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1200 nits (HBM), 1750 nits (peak) |
| Folded cover display: OLED, 6.5 inches, 1176 x 2480 pixels | Always-on display | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55) | Octa-core (1x3.36 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3x2.0 GHz Cortex-A510) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 4G (5 nm) | Qualcomm SM8550-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm) |
| GPU | Adreno 660 | Adreno 740 |
| OS | EMUI 12, no Google Play Services (International); HarmonyOS 2.0 (China) | Android 13, up to 4 major Android upgrades, One UI 8 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | Nano Memory (uses shared SIM slot) | No |
| Internal | 256GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM | 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 12GB RAM |
| UFS | UFS 4.0 | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | Laser AF, color spectrum sensor, Dual-LED dual-tone 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 | 10.7 MP, f/2.2 | 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), Dual Pixel PDAF |
| Triple | 50 MP, f/1.8, (wide), PDAF 8 MP, f/2.4, 81mm (telephoto), PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom 13 MP, f/2.2, 120˚ (ultrawide) | - |
| Video | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/240fps | 8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR | HDR, HDR10+ |
| Single | 10.7 MP, f/2.2 | 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.2", 1.12µm, dual pixel PDAF |
| Video | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/240fps | 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 | 5.2, A2DP, LE | 5.3, A2DP, LE |
| Infrared port | Yes | - |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS (L1), BDS (B1I+B1c+B2a), GALILEO (E1+E5a), QZSS (L1+L5), NavIC (L5) | GPS, GALILEO, GLONASS, BDS, QZSS |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.1, OTG | 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 | Fingerprint (side-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer | 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 | 66W wired 5W reverse wired | 45W wired, PD3.0, 65% in 30 min 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Type | Market-dependent versions:· Li-Po 4600 mAh (w/ 8GB RAM)· Li-Po 4880 mAh (w/ 12GB RAM) | Li-Ion 5000 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Black, White, Purple | Phantom Black, Green, Cream, Lavender, Graphite, Sky Blue, Lime, Red, BMW M Edition |
| Models | PAL-AL00, PAL-LX9 | SM-S918B, SM-S918B/DS, SM-S918U, SM-S918U1, SM-S918W, SM-S918N, SM-S9180, SM-S918E, SM-S918E/DS |
| Price | About 2000 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 49h | Endurance rating 126h |
| Camera | Photo / Video | Photo / Video |
| Display | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | -25.8 LUFS (Very good) | -25.6 LUFS (Very good) |
| Performance | AnTuTu: 641608 (v9) GeekBench: 3131 (v5.1) GFXBench: 28fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) | AnTuTu: 1241531 (v9) GeekBench: 4927 (v5.1) GFXBench: 67fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Huawei Mate Xs 2
- Unique folding design
- Decent performance
- 66W fast charging
- Reverse wired charging
- Lower brightness display
- Less powerful chipset
- Shorter battery life
- Potential software limitations (due to US restrictions)
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
- Superior performance
- Brighter display
- Excellent camera system
- Longer battery life
- Fast charging (wired & wireless)
- Higher price
- Traditional design (no folding screen)
- Large size and weight
Display Comparison
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra boasts a significantly brighter display at 1274 nits compared to the Mate Xs 2's 725 nits. Both offer excellent contrast ratios (nominally infinite), but the S23 Ultra's superior brightness makes it more visible in direct sunlight. The Mate Xs 2's folding screen introduces a crease, which is noticeable but generally doesn't detract significantly from the viewing experience.
Camera Comparison
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra's camera system is more versatile and generally produces higher-quality images. It features a higher resolution main sensor, improved zoom capabilities, and better low-light performance. The Mate Xs 2's camera is competent, but lacks the advanced features and overall image quality of the S23 Ultra.
Performance
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in the S23 Ultra provides a noticeable performance edge over the Snapdragon 888 in the Mate Xs 2. While the Mate Xs 2 is still capable, the S23 Ultra handles demanding tasks and games with greater ease and efficiency. The S23 Ultra's newer CPU architecture contributes to its improved performance.
Battery Life
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra demonstrates significantly better battery endurance, with an endurance rating of 126h compared to the Mate Xs 2's 49h. The S23 Ultra also charges faster with 45W wired and 15W wireless charging, while the Mate Xs 2 offers 66W wired and 5W reverse wired charging.
Buying Guide
The Huawei Mate Xs 2 is ideal for tech enthusiasts who prioritize a unique, foldable design and don't mind potential software limitations. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is perfect for users who want the best possible performance, camera capabilities, and a reliable, polished experience.