Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs iPhone 14 Pro Max: The Ultimate Flagship Battle

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max represent the pinnacle of smartphone technology. Both boast stunning displays, powerful processors, and impressive camera systems, but which one truly deserves your money? This comprehensive comparison dives deep into every aspect to help you decide.

Phones Images

🏆 Quick Verdict

The S23 Ultra offers more versatility with its S Pen, superior zoom capabilities, and faster charging. The iPhone 14 Pro Max excels in seamless iOS integration, consistently smooth performance, and a slightly brighter display. It's a close call, but the S23 Ultra edges ahead for Android users seeking maximum features.

PHONES
Phone Names	Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra	Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max

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, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 - International	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 - A2894, A2896
5G bands	1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 75, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - International	1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 70, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A2894, A2896
Speed	HSPA, LTE (up to 7CA), 5G	HSPA, LTE, 5G, EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps
Technology	GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G	GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G
	1, 7, 28, 41, 66, 71, 78, 258, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - USA	1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 70, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A2895

Launch
Announced	2023, February 01	2022, September 07
Status	Available. Released 2023, February 17	Available. Released 2022, September 16

Body
Build	Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame	Glass front, glass back, stainless steel frame
Dimensions	163.4 x 78.1 x 8.9 mm (6.43 x 3.07 x 0.35 in)	160.7 x 77.6 x 7.9 mm (6.33 x 3.06 x 0.31 in)
SIM	· Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time)	· 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)
Weight	234 g (8.25 oz)	240 g (8.47 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)	IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 6m for 30 min) Apple Pay (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX certified)

Display
Protection	Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2	Ceramic Shield glass
Resolution	1440 x 3088 pixels, 19.3:9 ratio (~500 ppi density)	1290 x 2796 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~460 ppi density)
Size	6.8 inches, 114.7 cm2 (~89.9% screen-to-body ratio)	6.7 inches, 110.2 cm2 (~88.3% screen-to-body ratio)
Type	Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1200 nits (HBM), 1750 nits (peak)	LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED, 120Hz, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 1000 nits (typ), 2000 nits (HBM)
	Always-on display	Always-On display

Platform
CPU	Octa-core (1x3.36 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3x2.0 GHz Cortex-A510)	Hexa-core (2x3.46 GHz Everest + 4x2.02 GHz Sawtooth)
Chipset	Qualcomm SM8550-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm)	Apple A16 Bionic (4 nm)
GPU	Adreno 740	Apple GPU (5-core graphics)
OS	Android 13, up to 4 major Android upgrades, One UI 8	iOS 16, upgradable to iOS 26.1

Memory
Card slot	No	No
Internal	256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 12GB RAM	128GB 6GB RAM, 256GB 6GB RAM, 512GB 6GB RAM, 1TB 6GB RAM
	UFS 4.0	NVMe

Main Camera
Features	Laser AF, LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama	Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/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	12 MP, f/1.9, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6", PDAF, OIS (unconfirmed) SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor)
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	8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS	4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps, 10-bit HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), ProRes, stereo sound rec.

Selfie camera
Features	HDR, HDR10+	HDR
Single	12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.2", 1.12µm, dual pixel PDAF	12 MP, f/1.9, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor)
Video	4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps	4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS

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, GALILEO, GLONASS, BDS, QZSS	GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS
Radio	No	No
USB	USB Type-C 3.2, OTG	Lightning, USB 2.0
WLAN	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, hotspot

Features
Sensors	Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer	Face ID, 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	Ultra Wideband (UWB) support Emergency SOS via satellite (SMS sending/receiving)

Battery
Charging	45W wired, PD3.0, 65% in 30 min 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless	Wired, PD2.0, 50% in 30 min 15W wireless (MagSafe) 15W wireless (Qi2) - requires iOS 17.2 update
Type	Li-Ion 5000 mAh	Li-Ion 4323 mAh (16.68 Wh)

Misc
Colors	Phantom Black, Green, Cream, Lavender, Graphite, Sky Blue, Lime, Red, BMW M Edition	Space Black, Silver, Gold, Deep Purple
Models	SM-S918B, SM-S918B/DS, SM-S918U, SM-S918U1, SM-S918W, SM-S918N, SM-S9180, SM-S918E, SM-S918E/DS	A2894, A2651, A2893, A2895, A2896, iphone15,3
Price	€ 549.90 / $ 454.99 / £ 433.00	€ 530.79 / $ 489.81 / £ 446.75
SAR	1.12 W/kg (head) 0.92 W/kg (body)	1.15 W/kg (head) 1.07 W/kg (body)
SAR EU	0.96 W/kg (head) 1.40 W/kg (body)	0.99 W/kg (head) 0.98 W/kg (body)

Tests
Battery life	Endurance rating 126h	Endurance rating 121h
Camera	Photo / Video	Photo / Video
Display	Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal)	Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal)
Loudspeaker	-25.6 LUFS (Very good)	-24.3 LUFS (Very good)
Performance	AnTuTu: 1241531 (v9) GeekBench: 4927 (v5.1) GFXBench: 67fps (ES 3.1 onscreen)	AnTuTu: 955884 (v9) GeekBench: 5423 (v5.1) GFXBench: 54fps (ES 3.1 onscreen)

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

Versatile Camera System (especially zoom)
Integrated S Pen Stylus
Faster Charging (45W)
Larger Display
Android Customization

Software can feel cluttered
Design less premium than iPhone
No USB-C to headphone jack adapter included

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max

Seamless iOS Integration
Consistent Performance
Brighter Display
Excellent Video Recording (ProRes)
Premium Design

Slower Charging (PD2.0)
Less Camera Versatility (zoom)
Limited Customization
Lightning Port (transitioning to USB-C)

Display Comparison

Both phones feature exceptional displays. The iPhone 14 Pro Max boasts a peak brightness of 1760 nits, slightly surpassing the S23 Ultra's 1274 nits. However, the S23 Ultra's display is larger (6.8 inches vs 6.7 inches) and offers a more vibrant color profile. Both have excellent contrast ratios (infinite nominal) and adaptive refresh rates for smooth scrolling.

Camera Comparison

The S23 Ultra's camera system is arguably more versatile, with its incredible 10x optical zoom and impressive low-light capabilities. The iPhone 14 Pro Max delivers consistently excellent image quality with its improved 48MP main sensor and cinematic mode. Video recording is superb on both, but the iPhone's ProRes option gives it an edge for professional videographers.

Performance

The iPhone 14 Pro Max's A16 Bionic chip remains incredibly fast and efficient, delivering consistently smooth performance across all tasks. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in the S23 Ultra is also a powerhouse, offering impressive speed and handling demanding games with ease. While benchmarks might show slight differences, real-world performance is remarkably similar.

Battery Life

The S23 Ultra demonstrates a slightly longer active use score (13:24h) compared to the iPhone 14 Pro Max. Both phones offer excellent endurance ratings (126h vs 121h). The S23 Ultra's 45W wired charging is significantly faster than the iPhone's PD2.0 charging, and both support wireless charging.

Buying Guide

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is ideal for Android enthusiasts, power users who value camera versatility (especially zoom), and those who appreciate the S Pen stylus. The Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max is perfect for those deeply embedded in the Apple ecosystem, prioritizing ease of use, consistent performance, and a polished user experience.

Frequently Asked Questions

❓ Which phone has better video quality?

Both offer excellent video quality. The iPhone 14 Pro Max has ProRes for professional workflows, while the S23 Ultra excels in zoom capabilities during video recording.

❓ Is the S Pen worth it?

If you enjoy note-taking, sketching, or precise control, the S Pen is a significant advantage. Otherwise, it's a feature you won't utilize.