Xiaomi Redmi K90 Pro Max vs. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: A Deep Dive into Flagship Power
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🏆 Quick Verdict
For the average user prioritizing a polished experience and a versatile camera system, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra remains the superior choice. However, the Redmi K90 Pro Max offers a compelling value proposition with its cutting-edge chipset and blazing-fast 100W charging, making it ideal for power users and gamers.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Xiaomi Redmi K90 Pro Max | 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, 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 (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) | 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 | 218 g (7.69 oz) | 234 g (8.25 oz) |
| - | 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 | Xiaomi Dragon Crystal Glass | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 |
| Resolution | 1200 x 2608 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~416 ppi density) | 1440 x 3088 pixels, 19.3:9 ratio (~500 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.9 inches, 116.6 cm2 (~91.8% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.8 inches, 114.7 cm2 (~89.9% 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, up to 4 major Android upgrades, One UI 8 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 16GB RAM, 1TB 16GB RAM | 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 12GB RAM |
| - | UFS 4.0 | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | Color spectrum sensor, 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 | - | 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), Dual Pixel PDAF |
| 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 | - |
| Video | 8K@30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240/960fps, 720p@1920fps, gyro-EIS, HDR10+ | 8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | - | HDR, HDR10+ |
| Single | 32 MP, f/2.2, 21mm (wide), 1/3.44", 0.64µm | 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.2", 1.12µm, dual pixel PDAF |
| Video | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | - | No |
| 35mm jack | No | 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, GALILEO, GLONASS, BDS, QZSS |
| 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 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Type | Si/C Li-Ion 7560 mAh | Li-Ion 5000 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Black, White, Denim Blue, Lamborgini White | 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 500 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) |
Xiaomi Redmi K90 Pro Max
- Cutting-edge Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor
- Blazing-fast 100W wired and 50W wireless charging
- Potentially superior CPU performance for demanding tasks
- Camera system details are unknown, potential for inconsistency
- Battery life may be shorter than the S23 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
- Exceptional battery life and endurance
- Versatile and highly-rated camera system
- Refined software experience and Samsung ecosystem integration
- Slower charging speeds compared to the K90 Pro Max
- Older generation Snapdragon processor
Display Comparison
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra boasts a measured peak brightness of 1274 nits, ensuring excellent visibility even in direct sunlight. While the K90 Pro Max’s display specs are not provided, Samsung’s display technology, coupled with its infinite contrast ratio, delivers a visually stunning experience. The S23 Ultra’s adaptive refresh rate (LTPO) likely contributes to better power efficiency compared to a standard adaptive refresh rate on the K90 Pro Max, though this is speculative without further data. The S23 Ultra’s established color calibration is also a significant advantage for content creators.
Camera Comparison
Both devices feature capable camera systems, but the S23 Ultra’s strengths lie in its overall consistency and versatility. While the K90 Pro Max’s camera specs are unknown, Samsung’s image processing algorithms are renowned for their natural-looking results and excellent dynamic range. The S23 Ultra’s advanced OIS and larger sensor size (speculation based on S23 Ultra history) contribute to superior low-light performance and video stabilization. The inclusion of a dedicated telephoto lens on the S23 Ultra provides greater zoom capabilities, a feature likely absent or less refined on the K90 Pro Max.
Performance
The Redmi K90 Pro Max’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, built on a 3nm process, represents a significant leap in mobile silicon. Its octa-core configuration, featuring 2x 4.6 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix L cores and 6x 3.62 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix M cores, promises substantial performance gains over the S23 Ultra’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4nm). The 3nm node inherently offers better thermal efficiency, potentially mitigating throttling during sustained workloads. However, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is a highly optimized chip, and real-world performance differences may be less dramatic than the architectural advantages suggest. The K90 Pro Max is likely to excel in CPU-intensive tasks, while the S23 Ultra benefits from Samsung’s software optimizations.
Battery Life
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra achieves an impressive endurance rating of 126 hours and a 13:24h active use score, demonstrating exceptional battery life. The Redmi K90 Pro Max compensates with significantly faster charging: 100W wired, 50W wireless, and 22.5W reverse wireless, compared to the S23 Ultra’s 45W wired, 15W wireless, and 4.5W reverse wireless. While the K90 Pro Max’s battery capacity is unknown, the faster charging speeds allow for a quick top-up, minimizing downtime. The S23 Ultra prioritizes longevity, while the K90 Pro Max focuses on convenience.
Buying Guide
Buy the Xiaomi Redmi K90 Pro Max if you need uncompromising CPU performance for demanding tasks like video editing or emulation, and value incredibly fast charging speeds. Buy the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra if you prefer a refined, all-around experience with a class-leading camera system, exceptional battery life, and the seamless integration of the Samsung ecosystem.