Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs iPhone 14 Pro Max: Which flagship should you buy? - ZDNet

June Wan/ZDNET

2022 was a rough twelvemonth for smartphones, but 2 companies, Apple and Samsung, inactive dominated the market. The crushed is beauteous obvious: Both parties marque truly bully phones, immoderate of the best phones that we've tested astatine ZDNET. 

This year, Samsung looks to enactment connected apical with its market-leading entrant, the Galaxy S23 Ultra. The telephone is ultra-big, packed with ultra-specs and features, and... ultra-expensive.

But if the champion smartphone disposable is what you're aft -- and you're consenting to wage for it -- past I wouldn't hesitate to urge Samsung's latest flagship alongside Apple's tried and tested iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. 

Also: Samsung unveils Galaxy S23 bid unrecorded astatine Unpacked

Both devices correspond the champion of their respective brands. If you're acceptable to slap your wallet down and reap each the benefits that the flagship smartphones person to offer, fto this examination usher you to the champion investment.

Specifications

You should bargain the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra if...

June Wan/ZDNET

1. You privation everything but the room descend

Samsung's Ultra enactment has go notorious for offering virtually everything that a smartphone tin provide, whether you request it oregon not. That holds existent with this year's flagship model, with features similar the S Pen for stylus controls, a five-camera setup that's headlined by a whopping 200-megapixel sensor, a SIM paper slot that's much important than ever acknowledgment to Apple's anti-consumer behaviors, and each the One UI fix-ins that marque Samsung's bundle acquisition 1 of the astir customizable.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra is 1 of the fewer phones that tin someway warrant its $1,000-plus listing price.

Also: S23 vs S22: What are the differences?

2. Mobile amusement has go your regular ritual (and more)

Does anyone other consciousness similar they're consuming much media contented from their phones than ever before? If you're similar me, past the mobile amusement acquisition connected the Galaxy S23 Ultra whitethorn beryllium adjacent much appealing than each the features I mentioned earlier -- and that you've present mislaid number of. For one, the instrumentality uses Samsung's ain Dynamic AMOLED display, which gets noticeably brighter (1,750 nits) and sharper (QHD+) than Apple's champion iPhone. Samsung's gotten truthful bully astatine calibrating these panels that even the iPhone 14 Pro uses one, seriously.

Also: Samsung brings precocious smartphone OLED tech to laptops

Did I notation that there's nary obnoxious, pill-shaped cutout named Dynamic Island connected the apical of the screen? If you privation the astir immersive mobile amusement machine, past the Galaxy S23 Ultra is the mode to go. 

3. The trade-in offers are conscionable excessively bully

Carriers are ever trying to upsell Apple's latest and greatest, but there's nary beating Samsung's assertive trade-in offers travel motorboat season. Even if you ain a telephone that's 5 to six years old, there's a precocious probability that your carrier, oregon adjacent Samsung itself, volition sound a mates of 100 bucks disconnected of the Galaxy S23 Ultra if you commercialized it in. AT&T volition happily judge cracked phones, too, from what I'm hearing.

You should bargain the iPhone 14 Pro if...

June Wan/ZDNET

1. Battery beingness comes earlier thing other

On paper, the Galaxy S23 Ultra (5,000 mAh) has a larger artillery capableness than adjacent the iPhone 14 Pro Max (4,323 mAh). But if you've been successful the crippled agelong enough, you cognize that numbers don't specify the winner; the powerfulness ratio of the telephone does. With the iPhone 14 Pro Max successful particular, Apple is combining the ratio of its A16 Bionic Chip with its ever-simplified iOS 16 acquisition to present immoderate of the champion endurance numbers we've tested astatine ZDNET.

Also: Five iOS 16 features I can't unrecorded without

The iPhone's standby clip is inactive king, too, with the 14 Pro being susceptible of putting a harder intermission connected inheritance usage than Samsung's Galaxy S23 Ultra.

2. You've already sold your psyche to Apple

As overmuch arsenic I don't privation to instrumentality the casual mode retired of the Samsung versus Apple debate, you whitethorn person efficaciously picked a victor already based connected different products you own. For example, if you already person a brace of AirPods oregon an iPad oregon a MacBook, oregon a operation of the three, past determination are wide benefits to buying an iPhone, similar iMessage syncing and AirDrop, to implicit the ensemble.

Also: Samsung Galaxy Book3 Ultra vs Apple MacBook Pro: A premium laptop showdown

3. Some exigency features are amended than nary

In an unexpected crook of events, Apple promoted its iPhone 14 Pro bid backmost successful September for its life-saving features much than, say, its colors. This displacement successful precedence speaks volumes to Apple's imaginativeness for the iPhone, a pouch companion that tin supply you with immoderate accusation you need, whenever, wherever. Features similar Emergency SOS and Crash Detection, portion hidden successful the background, tin genuinely prevention you from life's unsafe encounters.

Alternatives to consider

Open to different smartphone prospects? Consider these ZDNET-recommended devices: