Ulefone Armor X9 Pro vs. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: A Clash of Titans
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🏆 Quick Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra unequivocally wins this comparison. While the Ulefone Armor X9 Pro offers incredible durability and affordability, the S23 Ultra's superior performance, stunning display, exceptional camera system, and faster charging make it the clear champion for most users.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Ulefone Armor X9 Pro | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra |
| 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, 17, 19, 20, 28 | 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 21/5.76 Mbps, LTE Cat6 300/150 Mbps | HSPA, LTE (up to 7CA), 5G |
| Technology | GSM / HSPA / LTE | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| - | 1, 7, 28, 41, 66, 71, 78, 258, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - USA | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2021, September 07 | 2023, February 01 |
| Status | Available. Released 2021, September 07 | Available. Released 2023, February 17 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | - | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 158 x 77.5 x 13.9 mm (6.22 x 3.05 x 0.55 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 + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time) |
| Weight | 235 g (8.29 oz) | 234 g (8.25 oz) |
| IP68/IP69K dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) Drop-to-concrete resistance from up to 1.2m MIL-STD-810G compliant | 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 | 720 x 1440 pixels, 18:9 ratio (~293 ppi density) | 1440 x 3088 pixels, 19.3:9 ratio (~500 ppi density) |
| Size | 5.5 inches, 78.1 cm2 (~63.8% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.8 inches, 114.7 cm2 (~89.9% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | IPS LCD | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1200 nits (HBM), 1750 nits (peak) |
| - | Always-on display | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (4x1.8 GHz Cortex-A53 & 4x1.5 GHz Cortex-A53) | Octa-core (1x3.36 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3x2.0 GHz Cortex-A510) |
| Chipset | Mediatek MT6762D Helio A25 (12 nm) | Qualcomm SM8550-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm) |
| GPU | PowerVR GE8320 | Adreno 740 |
| OS | Android 11 | Android 13, up to 4 major Android upgrades, One UI 8 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot) | No |
| Internal | 64GB 4GB RAM | 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 12GB RAM |
| eMMC 5.1 | UFS 4.0 | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Dual | 13 MP, f/2.2, (wide), AF Auxiliary lens | - |
| Features | Dual-LED flash, HDR, panorama | Laser AF, LED flash, auto-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 | 5 MP | 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), Dual Pixel PDAF |
| Video | 1080p@30fps | 8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR | HDR, HDR10+ |
| Single | 5 MP | 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.2", 1.12µm, dual pixel PDAF |
| Video | 1080p@30fps | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | Yes | No |
| 35mm jack | Yes | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| - | 32-bit/384kHz audio Tuned by AKG | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, LE | 5.3, A2DP, LE |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS | GPS, GALILEO, GLONASS, BDS, QZSS |
| Radio | FM radio, RDS, recording | No |
| USB | microUSB 2.0, OTG | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Accelerometer, proximity, compass | 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 | 10W wired | 45W wired, PD3.0, 65% in 30 min 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Type | Li-Po 5000 mAh | Li-Ion 5000 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Red, Black, Green | Phantom Black, Green, Cream, Lavender, Graphite, Sky Blue, Lime, Red, BMW M Edition |
| Models | - | SM-S918B, SM-S918B/DS, SM-S918U, SM-S918U1, SM-S918W, SM-S918N, SM-S9180, SM-S918E, SM-S918E/DS |
| Price | About 160 EUR | € 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 126h |
| Camera | - | Photo / Video |
| Display | - | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | - | -25.6 LUFS (Very good) |
| Performance | - | AnTuTu: 1241531 (v9) GeekBench: 4927 (v5.1) GFXBench: 67fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Ulefone Armor X9 Pro
- Extremely durable and rugged
- Affordable price
- Decent battery life
- Water and dust resistant
- Slow performance
- Low-resolution display
- Mediocre camera
- Slow charging
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
- Exceptional performance
- Stunning display
- Outstanding camera system
- Fast charging (wired & wireless)
- Premium design
- High price
- Large size and weight
Display Comparison
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra's display is in a league of its own. Its 1274 nits peak brightness and infinite contrast ratio provide vibrant colors, deep blacks, and excellent visibility even in direct sunlight. The Ulefone Armor X9 Pro's display is adequate for its price point but lacks the resolution, brightness, and color accuracy of the S23 Ultra. It's a functional screen, but not a visually stunning one.
Camera Comparison
Samsung's camera system is renowned for its quality, and the S23 Ultra continues that tradition with its versatile lenses and advanced image processing. The Ulefone Armor X9 Pro's camera is functional but produces noticeably inferior images, especially in low light. The S23 Ultra offers far greater detail, dynamic range, and overall image quality.
Performance
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in the Galaxy S23 Ultra delivers blistering performance, effortlessly handling demanding games and multitasking. The Helio A25 in the Armor X9 Pro is a budget chipset, resulting in noticeable lag and slower app loading times. The S23 Ultra's CPU and GPU are significantly more powerful.
Battery Life
While the Ulefone Armor X9 Pro has a decent battery capacity, the Galaxy S23 Ultra's active use score of 13:24h and endurance rating of 126h demonstrate its superior battery optimization and efficiency. The S23 Ultra also supports 45W wired charging, 15W wireless charging, and reverse wireless charging, features absent in the Armor X9 Pro.
Buying Guide
The Ulefone Armor X9 Pro is ideal for those needing a virtually indestructible phone for demanding outdoor jobs, construction, or anyone prone to accidents. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is perfect for power users, photography enthusiasts, and anyone seeking the best possible smartphone experience, regardless of price.