Xiaomi K90 Pro Max vs. Samsung Galaxy S23+: A Head-to-Head Performance and Value Showdown
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🏆 Quick Verdict
For the power user prioritizing raw performance and blazing-fast charging, the Xiaomi Redmi K90 Pro Max emerges as the winner. Its Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset and 100W charging significantly outperform the S23+. However, the Samsung Galaxy S23+ remains a compelling choice for those valuing a more polished software experience and longer battery endurance.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Xiaomi Redmi K90 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S23+ |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SIM 1 & SIM 2 (Dual SIM model only) |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 18, 19, 26, 28, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 66 | 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, 3, 5, 7, 8, 18, 26, 28, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 77, 78, 80, 81, 83, 84, 89 SA/NSA | 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-A (up to 7CA), 5G |
| Technology | GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| - | 1, 7, 28, 41, 66, 71, 78, 258, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - USA | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2025, October 23 | 2023, February 01 |
| Status | Available. Released 2025, October 23 | Available. Released 2023, February 17 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front (Dragon Crystal Glass), aluminum alloy frame, fiber-reinforced plastic back or silicone polymer back | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 163.3 x 77.8 x 7.9 mm (6.43 x 3.06 x 0.31 in) | 157.8 x 76.2 x 7.6 mm (6.21 x 3.00 x 0.30 in) |
| SIM | Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM | Nano-SIM and eSIM or Dual SIM (2 Nano-SIMs and eSIM, dual stand-by) |
| Weight | 218 g (7.69 oz) | 196 g (6.91 oz) |
| - | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) Armor aluminum frame with tougher drop and scratch resistance (advertised) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | Xiaomi Dragon Crystal Glass | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 |
| Resolution | 1200 x 2608 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~416 ppi density) | 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~393 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.9 inches, 116.6 cm2 (~91.8% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.6 inches, 105.3 cm2 (~87.6% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | AMOLED, 68B colors, 2560Hz PWM, 120Hz, Dolby Vision, HDR Vivid, HDR10+, 3500 nits (peak) | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1200 nits (HBM), 1750 nits (peak) |
| - | Always-on display | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (2x4.6 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix L + 6x3.62 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix M) | Octa-core (1x3.36 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3x2.0 GHz Cortex-A510) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SM8850-AC Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3 nm) | Qualcomm SM8550-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm) |
| GPU | Adreno 840 | Adreno 740 |
| OS | Android 16, HyperOS 3 | Android 13, One UI 5.1 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 16GB RAM, 1TB 16GB RAM | 256GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 8GB RAM |
| - | UFS 4.0 | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | Color spectrum sensor, LED flash, HDR, panorama | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Triple | 50 MP, f/1.7, 23mm (wide), 1/1.31", 1.2µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 50 MP, f/3.0, 115mm (periscope telephoto), 1/2.76", 0.64µm, PDAF (30cm - ∞), OIS, 5x optical zoom 50 MP, f/2.4, 18mm, 102˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.88", 0.61µm | 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@30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240/960fps, 720p@1920fps, gyro-EIS, HDR10+ | 8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 1080p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | - | Dual video call, Auto-HDR, HDR10+ |
| Single | 32 MP, f/2.2, 21mm (wide), 1/3.44", 0.64µm | 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), Dual Pixel PDAF |
| Video | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | - | No |
| 35mm jack | No | - |
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers (with Dolby Atmos) | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| - | 32-bit/384kHz audio Tuned by AKG | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.4, A2DP, LE, LHDC 5.0, ASHA, MIHC | 5.3, A2DP, LE |
| Infrared port | Yes | - |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS (L1+L5), BDS (B1I+B1c+B2a), GALILEO (E1+E5a), QZSS (L1+L5), NavIC, GLONASS | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.2, Display Port, OTG | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6/7, 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, proximity, gyro, 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 | 100W wired, PD3.0, QC3+, 100W PPS 50W wireless 22.5W reverse wireless | 45W wired, PD3.0, 65% in 30 min (advertised) 15W wireless (Qi/PMA) 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Type | Si/C Li-Ion 7560 mAh | Li-Ion 4700 mAh, non-removable |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Black, White, Denim Blue, Lamborgini White | Phantom Black, Cream, Green, Lavender, Graphite, Lime |
| Models | - | SM-S916B, SM-S916B/DS, SM-S916U, SM-S916U1, SM-S916W, SM-S916N, SM-S9160, SM-S916E, SM-S916E/DS |
| Price | About 500 EUR | $ 780.00 / C$ 1,399.99 / £ 919.08 / € 1,185.89 / ₹ 94,999 |
| 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 111h |
| Camera | - | Photo / Video |
| Display | - | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | - | -26.5 LUFS (Good) |
| Performance | - | AnTuTu: 1234077 (v9) GeekBench: 5073 (v5.1) GFXBench: 110fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Xiaomi Redmi K90 Pro Max
- Significantly faster charging (100W wired, 50W wireless)
- Potentially superior CPU performance with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
- More advanced wireless charging capabilities
- Battery endurance is unknown and may be lower than the S23+
- Camera specifications are currently unknown
Samsung Galaxy S23+
- Excellent battery life (111h endurance rating)
- Refined software experience and ecosystem integration
- Likely superior camera system with advanced image processing
- Slower charging speeds (45W wired, 15W wireless)
- Less powerful chipset compared to the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
Display Comparison
While the Galaxy S23+ boasts an 'Infinite' contrast ratio, the context data lacks specific display details for the K90 Pro Max. However, given Xiaomi’s recent flagship displays, we anticipate a high-quality AMOLED panel. The S23+'s display is likely to have a higher peak brightness, benefiting outdoor visibility. The absence of LTPO information for the K90 Pro Max suggests it may not have the same adaptive refresh rate efficiency as the S23+, potentially impacting battery life during prolonged use. Bezels are expected to be comparable, with both aiming for a modern, immersive viewing experience.
Camera Comparison
The provided data doesn’t detail camera specs beyond the existence of a photo/video capability on the S23+. Historically, Samsung Galaxy S-series phones excel in image processing and offer versatile camera systems. The K90 Pro Max’s camera performance is unknown, but Xiaomi has been increasingly competitive in this area. Without sensor size or aperture information, it’s difficult to make a direct comparison. We anticipate the S23+ to offer more refined image stabilization and video recording capabilities, leveraging Samsung’s established algorithms. The absence of detail on the K90 Pro Max’s camera system makes it difficult to assess its capabilities beyond speculation.
Performance
The core battleground is the chipset. The Xiaomi K90 Pro Max’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, built on a 3nm process, represents a significant leap in efficiency and performance over the Samsung Galaxy S23+'s 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. The K90 Pro Max’s Oryon V3 Phoenix CPU architecture (2x4.6 GHz + 6x3.62 GHz) promises superior multi-core performance compared to the S23+'s (1x3.36 GHz Cortex-X3, 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A715, 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A710, 3x2.0 GHz Cortex-A510). The 3nm node of the 8 Elite Gen 5 should translate to lower heat generation and less thermal throttling during sustained workloads like gaming. While the S23+ benefits from Samsung’s optimization, the raw power advantage lies with the K90 Pro Max. Both devices likely utilize LPDDR5x RAM, but the K90 Pro Max’s chipset is designed to maximize its bandwidth.
Battery Life
The Samsung Galaxy S23+ boasts an endurance rating of 111 hours, indicating excellent battery life. The K90 Pro Max, while lacking an endurance rating, compensates with significantly faster charging. Its 100W wired charging, supporting PD3.0, QC3+, and PPS, dwarfs the S23+'s 45W charging, promising a full charge in a fraction of the time. The K90 Pro Max also offers 50W wireless and 22.5W reverse wireless charging, far exceeding the S23+'s 15W wireless and 4.5W reverse wireless. While the S23+ may last longer on a single charge, the K90 Pro Max’s charging speed mitigates range anxiety.
Buying Guide
Buy the Xiaomi Redmi K90 Pro Max if you need uncompromising processing power for gaming and demanding applications, and if you value the convenience of incredibly fast wired and wireless charging. Buy the Samsung Galaxy S23+ if you prefer a more refined and consistent user experience, prioritize battery life exceeding 110 hours, and appreciate the seamless integration within the Samsung ecosystem.