Huawei P50 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: The Ultimate Flagship Battle
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🏆 Quick Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra emerges as the overall winner thanks to its superior performance, brighter display, more versatile camera system, and broader software support. While the P50 Pro offers exceptional battery life and a unique design, the S23 Ultra's comprehensive package makes it the more compelling choice for most users.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Huawei P50 Pro | 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, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41 - China | 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 / CDMA2000 / LTE | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 - International | 1, 7, 28, 41, 66, 71, 78, 258, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - USA | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2021, July 29 | 2023, February 01 |
| Status | Available. Released 2021, August 12 | Available. Released 2023, February 17 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front, glass back, aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 158.8 x 72.8 x 8.5 mm (6.25 x 2.87 x 0.33 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 | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time) |
| Weight | 195 g (6.88 oz) | 234 g (8.25 oz) |
| IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) | 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 | 1228 x 2700 pixels (~450 ppi density) | 1440 x 3088 pixels, 19.3:9 ratio (~500 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.6 inches, 105.4 cm2 (~91.2% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.8 inches, 114.7 cm2 (~89.9% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | OLED, 1B colors, 120Hz | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1200 nits (HBM), 1750 nits (peak) |
| - | Always-on display | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (1x3.13 GHz Cortex-A77 & 3x2.54 GHz Cortex-A77 & 4x2.05 GHz Cortex-A55)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 | Kirin 9000 (5 nm)Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 4G (5 nm) | Qualcomm SM8550-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm) |
| GPU | Mali-G78 MP24Adreno 660 | Adreno 740 |
| OS | HarmonyOS 2.0 (China), EMUI 14.2 (Europe), no Google Play Services | Android 13, up to 4 major Android upgrades, One UI 8 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | Nano Memory (uses shared SIM slot) | No |
| Internal | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM | 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 12GB RAM |
| - | UFS 4.0 | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | Laser AF, color spectrum sensor, Leica optics, dual-LED flash, panorama, HDR | Laser AF, LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Quad | 50 MP, f/1.8, 23mm (wide), PDAF, OIS 64 MP, f/3.5, 90mm (periscope telephoto), PDAF, OIS, 3.5x optical zoom, 7x lossless zoom 13 MP, f/2.2, 13mm (ultrawide), AF 40 MP, f/1.6, 23mm (B/W), AF | 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 | 13 MP, f/2.4, (wide), AF | 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), Dual Pixel PDAF |
| Video | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps, 1080p@960fps; gyro-EIS | 8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | Panorama, HDR | HDR, HDR10+ |
| Single | 13 MP, f/2.4, (wide), AF | 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.2", 1.12µm, dual pixel PDAF |
| Video | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps | 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+B2b), GALILEO (E1+E5a+E5b), QZSS (L1+L5), NavIC | 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 (under display, optical), 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 50W wireless Reverse wireless charging | 45W wired, PD3.0, 65% in 30 min 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Type | Li-Po 4360 mAh | Li-Ion 5000 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Golden Black, Cocoa Gold, Pearl White, Charm Pink | Phantom Black, Green, Cream, Lavender, Graphite, Sky Blue, Lime, Red, BMW M Edition |
| Models | JAD-AL50, JAD-LX9, JAD-AL00 | SM-S918B, SM-S918B/DS, SM-S918U, SM-S918U1, SM-S918W, SM-S918N, SM-S9180, SM-S918E, SM-S918E/DS |
| Price | $ 196.62 / £ 329.00 / € 473.13 | € 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 76h | Endurance rating 126h |
| Camera | Photo / Video | Photo / Video |
| Display | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | -27.3 LUFS (Good) | -25.6 LUFS (Very good) |
| Performance | AnTuTu: 793876 (v8), 786215 (v9) GeekBench: 3145 (v5.1) GFXBench: 44fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) | AnTuTu: 1241531 (v9) GeekBench: 4927 (v5.1) GFXBench: 67fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Huawei P50 Pro
- Exceptional battery life
- Unique and stylish design
- Excellent camera performance in certain conditions
- Reverse wireless charging
- Potentially limited software support (due to Huawei's situation)
- Performance lags behind the S23 Ultra
- Slower charging speeds
- Availability may be limited in some regions
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
- Top-tier performance with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
- Brighter and more vibrant display
- Versatile camera system with excellent zoom capabilities
- Faster charging speeds
- Latest software features and updates
- Battery life not as exceptional as the P50 Pro
- Design is more conventional
- Higher price point
- Large size may not be comfortable for all users
Display Comparison
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra's display is significantly brighter, reaching a measured 1274 nits compared to the P50 Pro's 754 nits. Both offer excellent contrast ratios (nominally infinite), but the S23 Ultra's brightness provides better outdoor visibility. Color accuracy is excellent on both, but Samsung's display offers more customization options.
Camera Comparison
Both phones have excellent camera systems, but the S23 Ultra offers greater versatility. Its multiple lenses, including a powerful telephoto lens, provide more creative options. The P50 Pro excels in certain lighting conditions and offers unique color science. The S23 Ultra generally produces more consistent and detailed images across all lenses.
Performance
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in the S23 Ultra delivers a substantial performance advantage over the Kirin 9000 (or even the Snapdragon 888 4G in some P50 Pro variants). Expect smoother multitasking, faster app loading times, and better gaming performance on the S23 Ultra. The S23 Ultra's CPU architecture is also more efficient.
Battery Life
The Huawei P50 Pro boasts an impressive endurance rating of 76 hours, significantly higher than the S23 Ultra's 126 hours (active use score of 13:24h). However, the S23 Ultra's faster charging (45W wired) helps offset the difference. The P50 Pro's battery life is a major selling point.
Buying Guide
The Huawei P50 Pro is ideal for users prioritizing exceptional battery life and a distinctive design, particularly those comfortable with Huawei's ecosystem and potential software limitations. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is perfect for power users who demand top-tier performance, a stunning display, a versatile camera system, and the latest software features.