vivo X90 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: The Ultimate Flagship Battle
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🏆 Quick Verdict
The S23 Ultra offers a more polished overall experience with its superior software, broader ecosystem, and slightly more versatile camera system. However, the X90 Pro shines with its incredibly fast charging and potentially better low-light photography, making it a compelling alternative for those prioritizing those aspects.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | vivo X90 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, 25, 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, 71, 75, 77, 78, 79 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, 8, 28, 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, November 22 | 2023, February 01 |
| Status | Available. Released 2022, December 06 | Available. Released 2023, February 17 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front, aluminum frame, eco leather back | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 164.1 x 74.5 x 9.3 mm (6.46 x 2.93 x 0.37 in) | 163.4 x 78.1 x 8.9 mm (6.43 x 3.07 x 0.35 in) |
| SIM | · Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time)· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time) |
| Weight | 214.9 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 | - | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 |
| Resolution | 1260 x 2800 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~453 ppi density) | 1440 x 3088 pixels, 19.3:9 ratio (~500 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.78 inches, 111.0 cm2 (~90.8% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.8 inches, 114.7 cm2 (~89.9% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1300 nits (peak) | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1200 nits (HBM), 1750 nits (peak) |
| - | Always-on display | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (1x3.05 GHz Cortex-X3 & 3x2.85 GHz Cortex-A715 & 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 | Mediatek Dimensity 9200 (4 nm) | Qualcomm SM8550-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm) |
| GPU | Immortalis-G715 MC11 | Adreno 740 |
| OS | Android 13, upgradable to Android 14, Funtouch 14 (Global), OriginOS 3 (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 4.0 | 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 | - | 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 |
| Triple | 50.3 MP, f/1.8, 23mm (wide), 1.0"-type, 1.6µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 50 MP, f/1.6, 50mm (telephoto), 1/2.4", 0.7µm, AF, 2x optical zoom, OIS 12 MP, f/2.0, 108˚ 16mm (ultrawide), AF | - |
| Video | 8K@24fps, 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@30/60fps | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | No | No |
| 35mm jack | No | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| 24-bit/192kHz audio | 32-bit/384kHz audio Tuned by AKG | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.3, A2DP, LE, aptX HD | 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 3.2, 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, optical), 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 | 120W wired, 50% in 8 min 50W wireless Reverse wired | 45W wired, PD3.0, 65% in 30 min 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Type | 4870 mAh | Li-Ion 5000 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Legendary Black, Red | Phantom Black, Green, Cream, Lavender, Graphite, Sky Blue, Lime, Red, BMW M Edition |
| Models | V2242A, V2219 | SM-S918B, SM-S918B/DS, SM-S918U, SM-S918U1, SM-S918W, SM-S918N, SM-S9180, SM-S918E, SM-S918E/DS |
| Price | About 1200 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 96h | Endurance rating 126h |
| Camera | Photo / Video | Photo / Video |
| Display | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | -24.5 LUFS (Very good) | -25.6 LUFS (Very good) |
| Performance | AnTuTu: 1228735 (v9) GeekBench: 4273 (v5.1) GFXBench: 74fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) | AnTuTu: 1241531 (v9) GeekBench: 4927 (v5.1) GFXBench: 67fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
vivo X90 Pro
- Incredibly fast 120W wired charging
- Excellent low-light camera performance
- Unique and stylish design
- High endurance rating (96h)
- Software experience may not be as polished as Samsung's
- Slightly less versatile camera system compared to S23 Ultra
- Potentially aggressive image processing
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
- Brighter display (1274 nits)
- Versatile camera system with excellent zoom
- Robust software support and updates
- Seamless integration with Samsung ecosystem
- Slightly better sustained performance
- Slower charging speeds (45W)
- Wireless charging is slower (15W)
- Design can be perceived as less exciting
Display Comparison
Both phones feature stunning displays with excellent contrast ratios (nominally infinite). The S23 Ultra takes the lead with a significantly higher peak brightness of 1274 nits compared to the X90 Pro's 934 nits, making it easier to view in direct sunlight. Both offer vibrant colors and smooth scrolling, but the S23 Ultra's brighter screen provides a noticeable advantage.
Camera Comparison
Both phones have exceptional camera systems. The S23 Ultra's versatility, particularly with its zoom capabilities (10x optical zoom), gives it an edge. The X90 Pro is known for its excellent low-light performance and natural-looking color reproduction. The S23 Ultra's software processing is generally more refined, while the X90 Pro's image processing can sometimes be a bit more aggressive. Video recording is excellent on both, but the S23 Ultra offers more advanced features.
Performance
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in the S23 Ultra generally delivers slightly better sustained performance and efficiency compared to the Dimensity 9200 in the X90 Pro. While both chips are incredibly powerful, the S23 Ultra's thermal management appears to be more effective, preventing throttling during extended gaming sessions. Both offer flagship-level performance for everyday tasks and demanding applications.
Battery Life
The X90 Pro boasts an impressive endurance rating of 96h, suggesting exceptional battery life. However, the S23 Ultra's active use score of 13:24h is a more realistic measure of daily usage. The X90 Pro's 120W wired charging is significantly faster than the S23 Ultra's 45W, allowing for incredibly quick top-ups. The S23 Ultra offers wireless charging, which the X90 Pro also supports at 50W.
Buying Guide
The vivo X90 Pro is ideal for users who prioritize fast charging, exceptional low-light photography, and a unique design. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is best for those seeking a complete flagship experience with a top-tier camera system, robust software support, and seamless integration with the Samsung ecosystem.