Samsung Galaxy S23 vs Apple iPhone 14: The Ultimate Showdown
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🏆 Quick Verdict
The Galaxy S23 edges out the iPhone 14 with its significantly brighter display, more powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, and faster charging. However, the iPhone 14's seamless iOS ecosystem and strong resale value remain compelling factors for Apple enthusiasts. It's a close call, but the S23 offers a slight performance advantage.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Samsung Galaxy S23 | Apple iPhone 14 |
| 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 - A2882, A2884 |
| 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 - A2882, A2884 |
| 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, 25, 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 - A2883 | |
| 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, aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 146.3 x 70.9 x 7.6 mm (5.76 x 2.79 x 0.30 in) | 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.8 mm (5.78 x 2.81 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 | 168 g (5.93 oz) | 172 g (6.07 oz) |
| IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) Armor aluminum frame with tougher drop and scratch resistance (advertised) | 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 | 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~425 ppi density) | 1170 x 2532 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~460 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.1 inches, 90.1 cm2 (~86.8% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.1 inches, 90.2 cm2 (~86.0% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1200 nits (HBM), 1750 nits (peak) | Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 800 nits (HBM), 1200 nits (peak) |
| 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 (2x3.23 GHz Avalanche + 4x1.82 GHz Blizzard) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SM8550-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm) | Apple A15 Bionic (5 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 | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 8GB RAM | 128GB 6GB RAM, 256GB 6GB RAM, 512GB 6GB RAM |
| UFS 3.1 - 128GB only UFS 4.0 | NVMe | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Dual | - | 12 MP, f/1.5, 26mm (wide), 1/1.7", 1.9µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS 12 MP, f/2.4, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide) |
| Features | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama) |
| Single | 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), Dual Pixel PDAF | 12 MP, f/1.9, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6", PDAF SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) |
| Triple | 50 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide), 1/1.56", 1.0µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 10 MP, f/2.4, 70mm (telephoto), 1/3.94", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55" 1.4µm, Super Steady video | - |
| 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, HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), 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 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, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO | GPS, 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 Emergency SOS via satellite (SMS sending/receiving) | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 25W wired, PD3.0, 50% 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 3900 mAh | Li-Ion 3279 mAh (12.68 Wh) |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Phantom Black, Cream, Green, Lavender, Graphite, Lime | Midnight, Purple, Starlight, Blue, Red, Yellow |
| Models | SM-S911B, SM-S911B/DS, SM-S911U, SM-S911U1, SM-S911W, SM-S911N, SM-S9110, SM-S911E, SM-S911E/DS | A2882, A2649, A2881, A2884, A2883, iphone14,7 |
| Price | $ 237.95 / C$ 336.75 / £ 255.00 / € 322.41 / ₹ 49,990 | € 344.00 / $ 277.58 / £ 300.00 / ₹ 64,900 |
| SAR | 0.95 W/kg (head) 0.88 W/kg (body) | 1.15 W/kg (head) 1.16 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | 0.96 W/kg (head) 1.30 W/kg (body) | 0.98 W/kg (head) 0.98 W/kg (body) |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | Endurance rating 101h | Endurance rating 90h |
| Camera | Photo / Video | Photo / Video |
| Display | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | -27.0 LUFS (Good) | -25.2 LUFS (Very good) |
| Performance | AnTuTu: 1231075 (v9) GeekBench: 4950 (v5.1) GFXBench: 110fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) | AnTuTu: 817125 (v9) GeekBench: 4761 (v5.1) GFXBench: 60fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Samsung Galaxy S23
- Brighter Display
- Faster Performance (Snapdragon 8 Gen 2)
- Faster Charging
- Excellent Battery Life
- Customizable Android OS
- OneUI can be overwhelming for some
- No charger included in the box
Apple iPhone 14
- Seamless iOS Ecosystem
- Excellent Video Recording
- Strong Resale Value
- User-Friendly Interface
- MagSafe Wireless Charging
- Slower Charging
- Less Customizable
- Lower Max Brightness
- A15 Bionic is older chipset
Display Comparison
The Samsung Galaxy S23 boasts a significantly brighter display, peaking at 1198 nits compared to the iPhone 14's 804 nits. Both offer excellent contrast ratios (infinite nominal), but the S23's brightness provides better visibility in direct sunlight. The S23 also typically has a slightly more vibrant color profile, while the iPhone 14 aims for color accuracy.
Camera Comparison
Both phones offer excellent camera systems, but with different strengths. The S23 generally captures more detailed photos, especially in well-lit conditions. The iPhone 14 excels in video recording, offering cinematic mode and excellent stabilization. Low-light performance is competitive, with each phone having its own strengths depending on the scene.
Performance
The Galaxy S23's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset delivers noticeably faster performance than the iPhone 14's A15 Bionic. While the A15 is still a capable chip, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 excels in demanding tasks like gaming and video editing. The S23's CPU architecture also offers improved efficiency.
Battery Life
The Galaxy S23 demonstrates superior battery endurance, with an endurance rating of 101 hours compared to the iPhone 14's 90 hours. While both offer all-day battery life for moderate users, the S23 provides more headroom for heavy usage. The S23 also supports faster 25W wired charging and 15W wireless charging (Qi), while the iPhone 14 is limited to 20W wired charging and 15W MagSafe/Qi2 wireless charging.
Buying Guide
The Samsung Galaxy S23 is ideal for Android users who prioritize performance, a vibrant display, and fast charging. It's a great choice for gamers and those who enjoy customizing their devices. The Apple iPhone 14 is best suited for users deeply embedded in the Apple ecosystem, valuing simplicity, ease of use, and long-term software support. It's also a solid choice for those who prioritize resale value.