vivo X80 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: The Ultimate Flagship Battle
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🏆 Quick Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra emerges as the overall winner thanks to its superior Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 performance, brighter display, and more versatile camera system. However, the vivo X80 Pro offers incredibly fast charging and a unique design, making it a compelling alternative for those prioritizing those aspects.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | vivo X80 Pro | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 800 / 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, 26, 28, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 66 - International | 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, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 77, 78 SA/NSA - International | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 75, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - International |
| Speed | HSPA, LTE, 5G | HSPA, LTE (up to 7CA), 5G |
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 28, 66, 38, 40, 41, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA - China | 1, 7, 28, 41, 66, 71, 78, 258, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - USA | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2022, April 25 | 2023, February 01 |
| Status | Available. Released 2022, April 29 | Available. Released 2023, February 17 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front (Schott Xensation Up), glass back or ceramic back or eco leather back, aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 164.6 x 75.3 x 9.1 mm (6.48 x 2.96 x 0.36 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 | 215 g / 219 g (7.58 oz) | 234 g (8.25 oz) |
| IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) | 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 | Schott Xensation Up | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 |
| Resolution | 1440 x 3200 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~517 ppi density) | 1440 x 3088 pixels, 19.3:9 ratio (~500 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.78 inches, 111.4 cm2 (~89.9% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.8 inches, 114.7 cm2 (~89.9% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | LTPO3 AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1500 nits (peak) | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1200 nits (HBM), 1750 nits (peak) |
| - | Always-on display | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (1x3.00 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3x2.50 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A510)Octa-core (1x3.05 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3x2.85 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A510) | Octa-core (1x3.36 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3x2.0 GHz Cortex-A510) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SM8450 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (4 nm)Mediatek Dimensity 9000 (4 nm) | Qualcomm SM8550-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm) |
| GPU | Adreno 730Mali-G710 MC10 | Adreno 740 |
| OS | Android 12, upgradable to Android 14, Funtouch 14 (Global), OriginOS Ocean (China) | Android 13, up to 4 major Android upgrades, One UI 8 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM | 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 12GB RAM |
| UFS 3.1 | UFS 4.0 | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | Laser AF, color spectrum sensor, Zeiss optics, Zeiss T* lens coating, Pixel Shift, dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR, panorama | Laser AF, LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Quad | 50 MP, f/1.6, (wide), 1/1.3", PDAF, OIS 8 MP, f/3.4, (periscope telephoto), 1/4.4", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 5x optical zoom 12 MP, f/1.9, 50mm (telephoto), 1/2.93", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF, 2x optical zoom, gimbal OIS 48 MP, f/2.2, 114˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.0", AF | 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 | 32 MP, f/2.5, 24mm (wide), 1/2.8", 0.8µm | 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), Dual Pixel PDAF |
| Video | 8K@30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS | 8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR | HDR, HDR10+ |
| Single | 32 MP, f/2.5, 24mm (wide), 1/2.8", 0.8µm | 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 | No | No |
| 35mm jack | No | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| 32-bit/192kHz audio | 32-bit/384kHz audio Tuned by AKG | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.2 (Snapdragon)/ 5.3 (Dimensity), A2DP, LE, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless | 5.3, A2DP, LE |
| Infrared port | Yes | - |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS, NavIC | GPS, GALILEO, GLONASS, BDS, QZSS |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.1 (Global)/ 3.2 (China), OTG | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-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 | 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 | 80W wired, 100% in 38 min 50W wireless, 100% in 50 min Reverse wired | 45W wired, PD3.0, 65% in 30 min 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Type | 4700 mAh | Li-Ion 5000 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Cosmic Black, Blue, Orange | Phantom Black, Green, Cream, Lavender, Graphite, Sky Blue, Lime, Red, BMW M Edition |
| Models | V2185A, V2145 | SM-S918B, SM-S918B/DS, SM-S918U, SM-S918U1, SM-S918W, SM-S918N, SM-S9180, SM-S918E, SM-S918E/DS |
| Price | About 850 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 79h | Endurance rating 126h |
| Camera | Photo / Video | Photo / Video |
| Display | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | -25.1 LUFS (Very good) | -25.6 LUFS (Very good) |
| Performance | - | AnTuTu: 1241531 (v9) GeekBench: 4927 (v5.1) GFXBench: 67fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
vivo X80 Pro
- Incredibly fast 80W wired charging
- Unique and stylish design
- Excellent computational photography
- Good display quality
- Performance slightly behind S23 Ultra
- Software support potentially less extensive than Samsung
- Wireless charging slower than some competitors
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
- Top-tier Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 performance
- Brighter and more vibrant display
- Versatile camera system with incredible zoom
- Long-term software support from Samsung
- Slower charging speeds compared to X80 Pro
- Design less distinctive
- Reverse wireless charging is relatively slow
Display Comparison
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra takes the display crown with a measured peak brightness of 1274 nits, significantly brighter than the vivo X80 Pro's 1014 nits. Both offer excellent contrast ratios (nominally infinite) and vibrant colors, but the S23 Ultra's extra brightness provides better visibility in direct sunlight. Both utilize AMOLED technology for deep blacks and excellent viewing angles.
Camera Comparison
Both phones boast impressive camera systems, but the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra offers greater versatility. The S23 Ultra's 200MP main sensor and advanced zoom capabilities (10x optical) provide unparalleled detail and reach. The vivo X80 Pro excels in computational photography, producing vibrant and often stylized images. Video recording is excellent on both, but the S23 Ultra's stabilization is slightly superior.
Performance
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra delivers noticeably better performance than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or Dimensity 9000 in the vivo X80 Pro. While both phones are capable of handling demanding tasks, the S23 Ultra's chipset offers smoother multitasking, faster app loading times, and improved gaming performance. The S23 Ultra's CPU architecture also shows a clear advantage.
Battery Life
The vivo X80 Pro boasts an impressive endurance rating of 79h, while the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra scores 126h. However, active use shows the S23 Ultra lasting 13:24h, suggesting the vivo's endurance rating is based on very conservative usage. The vivo X80 Pro's 80W wired charging is significantly faster than the S23 Ultra's 45W, and its 50W wireless charging is also quicker. The S23 Ultra offers reverse wireless charging.
Buying Guide
The vivo X80 Pro is ideal for users who value fast charging, a distinctive design, and a focus on photography with its unique computational photography features. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is perfect for power users who demand top-tier performance, a stunning display, a versatile camera system with incredible zoom capabilities, and the longevity of Samsung's software support.