Samsung Galaxy S23, S23+ and S23 Ultra vs. the competition: All about those cameras
Performance and battery life upgrades are modest.
Samsung has unveiled the Galaxy S23 series, and the formula will seem familiar if you've seen the company's phones from the past few years: one 'small' 6.1-inch handset, a larger 6.6-inch version and a range-topping 6.8-inch Ultra that steals the show. They're all faster and take better photos. The competitive landscape is very different this year, however. The S23 line is competing against not just an expanded Apple lineup with two large-screen iPhones, but a Pixel family that finally lives up to some of Google's loftier promises. Check out the specs below to see how they compare, and be sure to look at our hands-on sessions with the S23, S23+ and S23 Ultra.
What's Changed
The centerpiece upgrade, as you may have guessed, is the Galaxy S23 Ultra's 200-megapixel main camera. It makes the S22 Ultra's 108MP sensor seem modest, and Samsung claims strong low-light photography as well as 8K video at 30 frames per second. You can also expect an improved 12MP selfie camera on the S23 and S23+ models (up from 10MP) with 60FPS HDR, and those phones can shoot Expert RAW photos at their primary camera's full 50MP resolution.
After that, the Galaxy S23 series revolves around incremental (if welcome) updates. They all use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, which promises ray-traced graphics and big boosts for AI performance and power efficiency. Batteries are ever-so-slightly larger, and there's greater use of recycled components. Memory and storage are largely unchanged, although that still delivers up to 12GB of RAM and 1TB of storage on the S23 Ultra. You'll still want the highest-end device if you crave more than 8GB of RAM and a 1080p display. Simply speaking, there's no rush to upgrade from the S22 if you're still happy with its capabilities.
Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. iPhone 14 Pro Max
Galaxy S23 Ultra | iPhone 14 Pro Max | |
Pricing | Starts at $1,200 | Starts at $1,099 |
Dimensions | 163.3 x 78 x 8.9 mm (6.43 x 3.07 x 0.35 in) | 160.7 x 77.6 x 7.85 mm (6.33 x 3.05 x 0.31 in) |
Weight | 233.9g (8.25oz) | 240g (8.47oz) |
Screen size | 6.8in (173mm) | 6.7in (170mm) |
Screen resolution | 3,088 x 1,440 (501PPI) | 2,778 x 1,284 (458PPI) |
Screen type | AMOLED (120Hz, always on) | Super Retina XDR (120Hz, always on) |
Battery | 5,000mAh | 4,323mAh |
Internal storage | 128 / 256 / 512 GB / 1 TB | 128 / 256 / 512 GB / 1 TB |
External storage | None | None |
Rear camera(s) | Four cameras: Wide, 200MP, f/1.7 Ultra-wide, 12MP, f/2.2 Right telephoto, 10MP, f/2.4 Left telephoto, 10MP, f/4.9 | Three cameras: Wide, 48MP f/1.78 Ultra-wide, 12MP, f/2.2 Telephoto, 12MP, f/2.8 |
Front camera(s) | 12MP, f/2.2 | 12MP, f/1.9 |
Video capture | 8K at 30FPS | 4K at 60FPS |
SoC | Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy | Apple A16 Bionic |
CPU | 3.36GHz octa-core | 3.46GHz hexa-core |
GPU | Adreno 740 | Apple penta-core GPU |
RAM | 8 / 12 GB | 6 GB |
WiFi | WiFi 6e | WiFi 6 |
Bluetooth | v.5.3 | v.5.3 |
NFC | Yes | Yes |
Operating system | Android 13 | iOS 16 |
Other features | USB-C, Qi wireless charging, reverse charging | Lightning, Qi wireless charging, MagSafe charging |
Galaxy S23+ vs. Pixel 7 Pro and iPhone 14 Plus
Galaxy S23+ | Pixel 7 Pro | iPhone 14 Plus | |
Pricing | Starts at $1,000 | Starts at $899 | Starts at $899 |
Dimensions | 157.7 x 76.2 x 7.6 mm (6.21 x 3 x 0.3 in) | 162.9 x 76.6 x 8.9 mm (6.4 x 3 x 0.35 in) | 160.8 x 78.1 x 7.8 mm (6.33 x 3.07 x 0.31 in) |
Weight | 195.9g (6.9oz) | 212g (7.5oz) | 203g (7.16oz) |
Screen size | 6.6in (167.6mm) | 6.7in (170.2mm) | 6.7in (170.2mm) |
Screen resolution | 2,340 x 1,080 (422PPI) | 3,120 x 1,440 | 2,778 x 1,284 |
Screen type | AMOLED (120Hz, always on) | AMOLED (120Hz, always on) | AMOLED (60Hz) |
Battery | 4,700mAh | 5,000mAh | 4,323mAh |
Internal storage | 256 / 512 GB | 128 / 256 GB | 128 / 256 / 512 GB |
External storage | None | None | None |
Rear camera(s) | Three cameras: Wide, 50MP, f/1.8 Ultra-wide, 12MP, f/2.2 Telephoto, 10MP, f/2.4 | Three cameras: Wide, 50MP, f/1.85 Ultra-wide, 12MP, f/2.2 Telephoto, 48MP, f/3.5 | Two cameras: Wide, 12MP, f/1.5 Ultra-wide, 12MP, f/2.4 |
Front camera(s) | 12MP, f/2.2 | 10.8MP, f/2.2 | 12MP, f/1.9 |
Video capture | 8K at 30FPS | 4K at 60FPS | 4K at 60FPS |
SoC | Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy | Google Tensor G2 | Apple A15 Bionic |
CPU | 3.36GHz octa-core | 2.85GHz octa-core | 3.24GHz hexa-core |
GPU | Adreno 740 | Mali-G710 MP07 | Apple penta-core GPU |
RAM | 8GB | 12GB | 6GB |
WiFi | WiFi 6e | WiFi 6e | WiFi 6 |
Bluetooth | v.5.3 | v.5.2 | v.5.3 |
NFC | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Operating system | Android 13 | Android 13 | iOS 16 |
Other features | USB-C, Qi wireless charging, reverse charging | USB-C, Qi wireless charging, reverse charging | Lightning, Qi wireless charging, MagSafe charging |
Galaxy S23 vs. Pixel 7 and iPhone 14
Galaxy S23 | Pixel 7 | iPhone 14 | |
Pricing | Starts at $800 | Starts at $599 | Starts at $799 |
Dimensions | 146.3 x 70.9 x 7.6 mm (5.76 x 2.8 x 0.3 in) | 155.6 x 73.2 x 8.7 mm (6.1 x 2.9 x 0.34 in) | 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.8 mm (5.8 x 2.8 x 0.31 in) |
Weight | 168.1g (5.93oz) | 197g (6.95oz) | 172g (6.07oz) |
Screen size | 6.1in (154.94mm) | 6.3in (160.5mm) | 6.1in (154.94mm) |
Screen resolution | 2,340 x 1,080 (422PPI) | 2,400 x 1,080 (416PPI) | 2,532 x 1,170 (460PPI) |
Screen type | AMOLED (120Hz, always on) | AMOLED (90Hz, always on) | AMOLED (60Hz) |
Battery | 3,900mAh | 4,355mAh | 3,279mAh |
Internal storage | 128 / 256 GB | 128 / 256 GB | 128 / 256 / 512 GB |
External storage | None | None | None |
Rear camera(s) | Three cameras: Wide, 50MP, f/1.8 Ultra-wide, 12MP, f/2.2 Telephoto, 10MP, f/2.4 | Two cameras: Wide, 50MP, f/1.85 Ultra-wide, 12MP, f/2.2 | Two cameras: Wide, 12MP, f/1.5 Ultra-wide, 12MP, f/2.4 |
Front camera(s) | 12MP, f/2.2 | 10.8MP, f/2.2 | 12MP, f/1.9 |
Video capture | 8K at 30FPS | 4K at 60FPS | 4K at 60FPS |
SoC | Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy | Google Tensor G2 | Apple A15 Bionic |
CPU | 3.36GHz octa-core | 2.85GHz octa-core | 3.24GHz hexa-core |
GPU | Adreno 740 | Mali-G710 MP07 | Apple penta-core GPU |
RAM | 8GB | 8GB | 6GB |
WiFi | WiFi 6e | WiFi 6e | WiFi 6 |
Bluetooth | v.5.3 | v.5.2 | v.5.3 |
NFC | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Operating system | Android 13 | Android 13 | iOS 16 |
Other features | USB-C, Qi wireless charging, reverse charging | USB-C, Qi wireless charging, reverse charging | Lightning, Qi wireless charging, MagSafe charging |
