Samsung Galaxy S23+ vs Google Pixel 7 Pro: Which Android Flagship Reigns Supreme?
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🏆 Quick Verdict
For most users, the Samsung Galaxy S23+ emerges as the stronger choice. Its significantly faster Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, coupled with a brighter display and quicker charging, provides a more consistently smooth and responsive experience. While the Pixel 7 Pro excels in camera processing, the S23+ offers a more balanced package.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Samsung Galaxy S23+ | Google Pixel 7 Pro |
| 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, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, 66, 71 - GE2AE |
| 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, 14, 20, 25, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 71, 77, 78, 257, 258, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - GE2AE |
| Speed | HSPA, LTE (up to 7CA), 5G | HSPA, LTE, 5G |
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| - | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 20, 25, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 71, 75, 76, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - GP4BC | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2023, February 01 | 2022, October 06 |
| Status | Available. Released 2023, February 17 | Available. Released 2022, October 13 |
| 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 Victus), aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 157.8 x 76.2 x 7.6 mm (6.21 x 3.00 x 0.30 in) | 162.9 x 76.6 x 8.9 mm (6.41 x 3.02 x 0.35 in) |
| SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time) | Nano-SIM + eSIM |
| Weight | 196 g (6.91 oz) | 212 g (7.48 oz) |
| - | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~393 ppi density) | 1440 x 3120 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~512 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.6 inches, 105.3 cm2 (~87.6% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.7 inches, 110.6 cm2 (~88.7% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1200 nits (HBM), 1750 nits (peak) | LTPO AMOLED, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1000 nits (HBM), 1500 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) | Octa-core (2x2.85 GHz Cortex-X1 & 2x2.35 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SM8550-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm) | Google Tensor G2 (5 nm) |
| GPU | Adreno 740 | Mali-G710 MP7 |
| OS | Android 13, up to 4 major Android upgrades, One UI 8 | Android 13, upgradable to Android 15, up to 5 major Android upgrades |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 256GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 8GB RAM | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 128GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM |
| - | UFS 3.1 | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama | Laser AF, Dual-LED flash, Pixel Shift, Auto-HDR, panorama |
| Single | - | 10.8 MP, f/2.2, 21mm (ultrawide), 1/3.1", 1.22µm |
| 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 | 50 MP, f/1.9, 25mm (wide), 1/1.31", 1.2µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 48 MP, f/3.5, 120mm (periscope telephoto), 1/2.55", 0.7µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS, 5x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 126˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.9", 1.25µm, AF |
| Video | 8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps; gyro-EIS, OIS, 10-bit HDR |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR, HDR10+ | HDR, panorama |
| Single | 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.2", 1.12µm, dual pixel PDAF | 10.8 MP, f/2.2, 21mm (ultrawide), 1/3.1", 1.22µm |
| Video | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | - | No |
| 35mm jack | No | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.3, A2DP, LE | 5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO | 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 3.2 |
| 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/6e, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer | Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| - | Ultra Wideband (UWB) support | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 45W wired, PD3.0, 65% in 30 min 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless | 23W wired, PD3.0, 50% in 30 min 23W wireless Reverse wireless |
| Type | Li-Ion 4700 mAh | Li-Ion 5000 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Phantom Black, Cream, Green, Lavender, Graphite, Lime | Obsidian, Snow, Hazel |
| Models | SM-S916B, SM-S916B/DS, SM-S916U, SM-S916U1, SM-S916W, SM-S916N, SM-S9160, SM-S916E, SM-S916E/DS | GP4BC, GE2AE, GFE4J |
| Price | € 399.00 / $ 277.97 / £ 424.00 / ₹ 64,999 | € 248.84 / $ 204.00 / £ 259.99 / ₹ 36,999 |
| SAR | 0.95 W/kg (head) 1.04 W/kg (body) | - |
| SAR EU | 0.77 W/kg (head) 1.45 W/kg (body) | - |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | - | Endurance rating 83h |
| Camera | - | Photo / Video |
| Display | - | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | - | -24.8 LUFS (Very good) |
| Performance | - | AnTuTu: 796369 (v9) GeekBench: 3187 (v5.1) GFXBench: 34fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Samsung Galaxy S23+
- Superior processing power with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
- Brighter and potentially more efficient display
- Faster wired charging (45W)
- Longer battery life in real-world use
- Samsung’s One UI can be feature-rich but overwhelming for some
- Potentially less impressive computational photography compared to Pixel
Google Pixel 7 Pro
- Exceptional computational photography and image processing
- Clean Android experience with exclusive Google features
- Competitive wireless charging speeds (23W)
- Unique software features like Magic Eraser
- Slower processor and potential for thermal throttling
- Lower peak display brightness
- Slower wired charging (23W)
Display Comparison
The Samsung Galaxy S23+ boasts a brighter display, reaching a measured 1205 nits compared to the Pixel 7 Pro’s 1090 nits. This translates to better visibility under direct sunlight. Both feature 120Hz refresh rates, but the S23+ likely benefits from Samsung’s LTPO technology for more dynamic refresh rate scaling, potentially improving battery efficiency. While the Pixel 7 Pro advertises an infinite contrast ratio, this is typical of OLED panels and doesn’t represent a significant advantage. The S23+'s higher peak brightness is a tangible benefit for outdoor use.
Camera Comparison
Both phones are capable of excellent photo and video capture, but approach it differently. The Pixel 7 Pro leverages Google’s computational photography expertise, excelling in dynamic range and detail preservation, particularly in challenging lighting conditions. However, the context data doesn’t provide sensor size details, making a direct hardware comparison difficult. The Pixel 7 Pro’s strength lies in its software processing, while the S23+ likely relies more on its hardware capabilities. Both offer robust video recording features, but the S23+'s faster processor could provide an edge in video stabilization and encoding speed. We'd need to test both to determine which has the better video quality.
Performance
The core difference lies in the chipsets. The Galaxy S23+ utilizes the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4nm), an octa-core processor with a peak clock speed of 3.36 GHz on its Cortex-X3 prime core. This is a substantial upgrade over the Google Pixel 7 Pro’s Google Tensor G2 (5nm). The Tensor G2, while optimized for machine learning tasks, features older Cortex-A78 cores and a less aggressive clock speed (2.85 GHz). The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2’s 4nm process offers superior thermal efficiency, reducing the likelihood of throttling during sustained workloads. The S23+ will demonstrably outperform the Pixel 7 Pro in CPU and GPU-intensive tasks, making it the better choice for gamers and power users.
Battery Life
The Galaxy S23+ achieves an active use battery score of 13:51h, significantly outperforming the Pixel 7 Pro’s endurance rating of 83h (converted from an older metric). While the Pixel 7 Pro offers 23W wired and wireless charging, the S23+ supports a faster 45W wired charging, reaching 65% charge in just 30 minutes. The Pixel 7 Pro takes 30 minutes to reach 50%. The S23+ also includes 4.5W reverse wireless charging, a feature absent in the Pixel 7 Pro. The combination of longer battery life and faster charging gives the S23+ a clear advantage in this category.
Buying Guide
Buy the Samsung Galaxy S23+ if you need a phone that excels in demanding tasks like gaming, video editing, or multitasking, and if you value consistently fast performance and a brighter, more visible display. Buy the Google Pixel 7 Pro if you prioritize computational photography, a clean Android experience with exclusive features, and are willing to trade some raw power for Google’s software prowess.