Samsung is set to release its new flagship, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. The Galaxy S23 Ultra will launch on February 1, 2023, at Unpacked Event and features a bright display with LTPO 3.0, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, a 200MP primary camera, and perhaps better battery life. As per the norm, the Galaxy S23 Ultra will be compared to the iPhone 14 Pro Max. So, how do these flagship phones compare, and which should you buy? Let’s find out.
iPhone 14 Pro Max Overview
The iPhone 14 Pro Max comes with a 2000 nits bright display, the new A16 Bionic, a 48MP primary camera, Dynamic Island, and a new front camera. In addition, it features some impressive new features like Crash Detection and SOS via Satellite. It also supports Always-ON display for the first time.
Galaxy S23 Ultra Overview
The Galaxy S23 Ultra will succeed the current Galaxy S22 Ultra in February 2023. It will feature a 6.8-inch QHD+ display with LTPO 3.0 and a peak brightness of 2000+ nits. As for performance, it will be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip and have up to 12GB of RAM. It will also feature a new 200MP primary camera, 100X Zoom, built-in S Pen support, and the power of One UI with five years of software support.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra and the iPhone 14 Pro Max are great smartphones. But which one to choose? Which one is better? Let’s find out with this head-to-head comparison based on early leaks.
Galaxy S23 Ultra vs iPhone 14 Pro Max: Full Comparison
| Galaxy S23 Ultra | iPhone 14 Pro Max |
Display
|
Display
|
Rear camera
|
Rear camera
|
Front Camera
|
Front Camera
|
Chipset
|
Chipset
|
Battery & Charging
|
Battery & Charging
|
Miscellaneous
|
Miscellaneous
|
1. Design
The Galaxy S23 Ultra will go for a boxier design, much like the iPhone 14 Pro Max. The camera module shall remain almost the same. The S23 Ultra will still have a curved display, resulting in a better and more comfortable grip on the hand.
On the other hand, the iPhone 14 Pro Max has a similar design to its predecessor— a giant camera module, boxy design, stainless steel frame, and glass back. It is a heavy phone, making it unpleasant to hold in hand for long hours.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra will have a built-in S Pen, which has a lot of functionality, like camera control.
On the front, the iPhone 14 Pro Max has the new Dynamic Island that changes according to your apps. It is an interactive part of the display that displays content based on the app you’re using. The Galaxy S23 Ultra has a cleaner-looking punch-hole in the center.
The iPhone 14 Pro Max uses the lightning port for charging, while the Galaxy S23 Ultra uses USB-C. USB-C is much faster than the lightning port and compatible with many devices.
You should note that the iPhone 14 Pro Max does not have a physical SIM card slot, at least in the US. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra shall have two physical SIM card slots.
2. Display
Let’s talk about the display now. The iPhone 14 Pro Max has a 6.7-inch 120Hz OLED screen with a resolution of 1290p and a peak brightness of 2000 nits. As per the latest leaks, the Galaxy S23 Ultra will feature a 6.8-inch 120Hz OLED screen with QHD+ resolution and a peak brightness of over 1750 nits. Both smartphones support Always-ON display and LTPO technology. However, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is rumoured to support LTPO 3.0.
As for display protection, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is rumored to use the Gorilla Glass Victus 2 for protection. However, we do not know if it is better than Apple’s Ceramic Shield on the iPhone 14 Pro Max. The Galaxy S23 Ultra takes the win in this department.
3. Biometrics
The Galaxy S23 Ultra will feature an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner for biometric authentication and face unlock. However, this face unlock is less secure than Apple’s Face ID. This is because Samsung uses picture-based face unlock while Apple uses IR-based that scans your face thoroughly.
Talking about Face ID, the iPhone 14 Pro Max uses that for biometric authentication. You can even use Face ID in landscape mode.
4. Performance
For the first time, at least as per the early benchmarks, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 seems to perform head-to-head with the A15 Bionic. Not the A16 Bionic, the A15. This is based on the multi-core results of the benchmark.
Since the Apple A16 focused majorly on improving efficiency rather than performance, we can assume that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 will perform very similarly to the A16 Bionic. However, the Galaxy S23 Ultra might feature a custom Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 with a higher clock speed. For instance, the stock version of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is clocked at 3.2 GHz, but the custom one made for the Galaxy S23 Ultra will be clocked at 3.36 GHz.
Samsung’s special edition Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (we don’t know its official name yet) CPU 3.2GHz→3.36GHz. Surprisingly, the GPU is also increased from 680MHz to 719MHz
— ICE UNIVERSE (@UniverseIce) November 18, 2022
Perhaps due to the higher clock speed, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 scored 1521 and 4689 in single-core and multi-core performance, respectively, on GeekBench. For instance, the A16 Bionic on the iPhone 14 Pro Max scored 1884 and 5491 in single-core and multi-core performance, respectively.
We might also see a massive leap in the GPU department of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 on the Galaxy S23 Ultra. As per early benchmarks, the new Adreno 740 GPU outperforms the 5-core GPU on the A16 Bionic.
5. RAM and Storage
The Galaxy S23 Ultra shall offer 8GB RAM on the base model and 12GB on the highest-end model. On the contrary, the iPhone 14 Pro Max only has 6GB RAM across all models. However, both smartphones perform very well in multitasking and day-to-day usage.
Both smartphones offer 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage variants. Neither of these smartphones has support for a microSD card.
6. Software
The Galaxy S23 Ultra shall ship with the latest One UI 5.1 based on Android 13. Samsung has also promised four years of major OS updates and five years of security updates for the Galaxy S23 Ultra. The iPhone 14 Pro Max runs on iOS 16 and is expected to receive 5-6 years of iOS updates.
7. Camera
- Primary camera: 48MP vs 200MP
- Ultra-wide camera: 12MP on both
- Telephoto lens: 12MP with 3X optical zoom vs 10MP with 3X optical zoom
- 10X periscope lens on the Galaxy S23 Ultra
The Galaxy S23 Ultra is getting the most significant camera in a long time. It will feature a custom-made ISOCELL HP2 200MP Sensor. This camera upgrade annihilates the 48MP camera on the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
The rest of the Galaxy S23 Ultra cameras shall remain almost the same. Samsung is also ready to answer Apple’s 4K Cinematic Mode and the new Action Mode. While Samsung already had these features, they were not as good as Apple’s until now.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra has several unique camera features like 100X zoom, dual-mode video, and more. However, the iPhone 14 Pro Max stands no behind. It has better video quality and 48MP ProRAW that remains unmatched.
8. Battery and Charging
The Galaxy S23 Ultra shall feature a 5,000mAh battery, while the iPhone 14 Pro Max has a 4,323mAh battery. Both smartphones have a massive battery, but the iPhone 14 Pro Max should last longer, at least from what we expect. For instance, the iPhone 14 Pro Max has a longer battery life than the Galaxy S22 Ultra despite having a smaller battery.
However, the Galaxy S23 Ultra could give a battery life, thanks to the more power-efficient Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip. Nevertheless, both smartphones will provide you with better battery life.
When it comes to charging, the Galaxy S23 Ultra takes the win. It supports faster wired 45W charging support, while the iPhone 14 Pro Max only supports 27W. As a result, the iPhone 14 Pro Max takes around 2 hours for a full charge, while the Galaxy S23 Ultra takes just over an hour.
Both smartphones also support wireless charging. However, the Galaxy S23 Ultra also supports reverse wireless charging, which you can use to charge your wireless earbuds. The iPhone 14 Pro Max also has its wireless charging solution, MagSafe.
Summary
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra has a better display, better design, S Pen, faster charging, better GPU performance, 100X zoom, better HDR, and five years of software support.
The iPhone 14 Pro Max has better CPU performance, video quality, longer battery life, SOS via Satellite support, Crash Detection, and extensive software support.
Which One Should You Buy?
The best answer to this question depends on your individual needs and preferences. Both phones offer many features and advantages, but your choice depends on what matters most to you. The Galaxy S23 Ultra has a better display and faster charging capabilities, while the iPhone 14 Pro Max has better video quality and longer battery life. Ultimately, the choice is up to what you want in a smartphone.
