Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs OnePlus 11: The Ultimate Flagship Battle
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🏆 Quick Verdict
The S23 Ultra offers a more complete package with its superior camera versatility, brighter display, and S Pen functionality. However, the OnePlus 11 delivers blazing-fast charging and a more streamlined software experience at a more competitive price, making it a compelling alternative for power users.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra | OnePlus 11 |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 800 / 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, 38, 39, 41, 40, 46, 48, 66, 71 - International |
| 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, 20, 25, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 66, 71, 75, 77, 78 SA/NSA - International |
| Speed | HSPA, LTE (up to 7CA), 5G | HSPA, LTE, 5G |
| 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, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 77, 78 SA/NSA - China | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2023, February 01 | 2023, January 04 |
| Status | Available. Released 2023, February 17 | Available. Released 2023, January 09 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), glass back (Gorilla Glass 5), aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 163.4 x 78.1 x 8.9 mm (6.43 x 3.07 x 0.35 in) | 163.1 x 74.1 x 8.5 mm (6.42 x 2.92 x 0.33 in) |
| SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time) | · Nano-SIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time) |
| Weight | 234 g (8.25 oz) | 205 g (7.23 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) | IP64 | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus |
| Resolution | 1440 x 3088 pixels, 19.3:9 ratio (~500 ppi density) | 1440 x 3216 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~525 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.8 inches, 114.7 cm2 (~89.9% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.7 inches, 108.4 cm2 (~89.7% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1200 nits (HBM), 1750 nits (peak) | LTPO3 Fluid AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, 500 nits (typ), 800 nits (HBM), 1300 nits (peak) |
| 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) | Octa-core (1x3.2 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3x2.0 GHz Cortex-A510) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SM8550-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm) | Qualcomm SM8550-AB Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm) |
| GPU | Adreno 740 | Adreno 740 |
| OS | Android 13, up to 4 major Android upgrades, One UI 8 | Android 13, upgradable to Android 15, OxygenOS 15 (International), ColorOS 14 (China) |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 12GB RAM | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 16GB RAM, 512GB 16GB RAM |
| UFS 4.0 | UFS 3.1 - 128GB only UFS 4.0 | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | Laser AF, LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama | Hasselblad Color Calibration, color spectrum sensor, Dual-LED flash, 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 | 16 MP, f/2.5, 25mm (wide), 1.0µm |
| Triple | - | 50 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide), 1/1.56", 1.0µm, multi-directional PDAF, OIS 32 MP, f/2.0, 48mm (telephoto), 1/2.74", PDAF, 2x optical zoom 48 MP, f/2.2, 115˚, (ultrawide), 1/2.0", AF |
| Video | 8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS | 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, Auto HDR, gyro-EIS |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR, HDR10+ | HDR, panorama |
| Single | 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.2", 1.12µm, dual pixel PDAF | 16 MP, f/2.5, 25mm (wide), 1.0µm |
| Video | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps | 1080p@30fps, 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 | 24-bit/192kHz audio | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.3, A2DP, LE | 5.3, A2DP, LE, aptX HD |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS, GALILEO, GLONASS, BDS, QZSS | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS (G1), BDS (B1I+B1c+B2a), GALILEO (E1+E5a), QZSS (L1+L5) |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG | USB Type-C 2.0, OTG |
| 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/6/7, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer | Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass |
| 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 | 45W wired, PD3.0, 65% in 30 min 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless | 100W wired, PD, 50% in 10 min, 100% in 25 min - International 80W wired, PD - USA |
| Type | Li-Ion 5000 mAh | Li-Po 5000 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Phantom Black, Green, Cream, Lavender, Graphite, Sky Blue, Lime, Red, BMW M Edition | Titan Black, Eternal Green, Jupiter Rock |
| Models | SM-S918B, SM-S918B/DS, SM-S918U, SM-S918U1, SM-S918W, SM-S918N, SM-S9180, SM-S918E, SM-S918E/DS | PHB110, CPH2449, CPH2447, CPH2451 |
| Price | € 549.90 / $ 454.99 / £ 433.00 | $ 379.99 / ₹ 33,990 |
| SAR | 1.12 W/kg (head) 0.92 W/kg (body) | 1.19 W/kg (head) 0.99 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | 0.96 W/kg (head) 1.40 W/kg (body) | - |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | Endurance rating 126h | Endurance rating 108h |
| Camera | Photo / Video | Photo / Video |
| Display | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | -25.6 LUFS (Very good) | -25.2 LUFS (Very good) |
| Performance | AnTuTu: 1241531 (v9) GeekBench: 4927 (v5.1) GFXBench: 67fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) | AnTuTu: 1140661 (v9) GeekBench: 4899 (v5.1) GFXBench: 57fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
- Exceptional camera system with versatile zoom
- Brighter and more vibrant display
- Integrated S Pen functionality
- Excellent performance
- Water and dust resistance (IP68)
- Higher price point
- Software can feel bloated to some
- Charging speed is slower than competitors
OnePlus 11
- Blazing-fast 100W wired charging
- Clean and fast OxygenOS software
- Competitive price
- Excellent performance
- Premium design
- Camera lacks the versatility of the S23 Ultra
- Display not as bright as the S23 Ultra
- No official IP rating
Display Comparison
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra boasts a significantly brighter display at 1274 nits compared to the OnePlus 11's 767 nits. Both offer excellent contrast ratios (infinite nominal), but the S23 Ultra's brightness provides better outdoor visibility. The S23 Ultra also has a slightly larger screen size (6.8 inches vs 6.7 inches).
Camera Comparison
The S23 Ultra's camera system is its standout feature, offering incredible versatility with its multiple lenses and advanced zoom capabilities. The OnePlus 11's camera is no slouch, producing excellent images in most conditions, but lacks the S23 Ultra's zoom range and overall photographic flexibility. The S23 Ultra also generally excels in low-light photography.
Performance
Both phones are powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, but the S23 Ultra's variant (SM8550-AC) has a slightly different clock speed on the X3 core (3.36 GHz vs 3.2 GHz). In real-world usage, both offer incredibly smooth performance for gaming and multitasking. The S23 Ultra's cooling system might offer slightly better sustained performance during extended gaming sessions.
Battery Life
The S23 Ultra demonstrates a longer active use score (13:24h) compared to the OnePlus 11 (11:05h). Both have an endurance rating of 126h and 108h respectively. However, the OnePlus 11's charging speed is a game-changer, reaching 50% in just 10 minutes (International version) or 25 minutes (USA version) thanks to its 100W wired charging, significantly faster than the S23 Ultra's 45W charging.
Buying Guide
Who should buy the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra? Users who prioritize camera quality, a vibrant and bright display, and the added functionality of the S Pen. Who should buy the OnePlus 11? Users seeking exceptional charging speeds, a clean and fast software experience, and a more budget-friendly flagship option.