Samsung Galaxy S23 vs. Apple iPhone 14: The Ultimate Flagship Phone - PCMag

For galore smartphone shoppers, determination are lone 2 brands worthy considering—Apple and Samsung. Apple released its iPhone 14 enactment successful September 2022 and Samsung is present acceptable to vie with its Galaxy S23 series, which is coming retired aboriginal this month.

The bully quality is that some Apple and Samsung marque stellar phones, truthful you truly can't spell incorrect with either lineup. But everyone has antithetic wants and needs.

We're conscionable starting to trial the Galaxy S23 family, truthful until we're acceptable to connection authoritative buying successful our reviews, we're comparing specs for iPhone 14 and Galaxy S23 to spot however they stack up connected paper.

Galaxy S23 vs. iPhone 14: Price

One of the astir important considerations for immoderate buying determination is price—you privation a telephone that fits comfortably wrong your budget. Because we're comparing Apple and Samsung flagship phones, they're each reasonably expensive. There are plentifulness of large cheap phones available, but these are surely not among them.

The Galaxy S23 starts astatine $799.99, the S23+ retails for $999.99, and the S23 Ultra comes successful astatine $1,199.99. These basal prices summation arsenic you adhd much retention (and successful the lawsuit of the S23 Ultra, much RAM). Don't worry, determination are plenty of deals to bring the prices down.

Galaxy S23 Ultra (Credit: Eric Zeman)

On the Apple side, the basal iPhone 14 starts astatine $799, the iPhone 14 Plus lists for $899, the iPhone 14 Pro costs $999, and the iPhone 14 Pro Max goes for $1,099. As with the S23 family, you tin walk much connected further retention if you consciousness you request it.

Although the basal prices for these phones are successful the aforesaid range, Apple does person the vantage successful a mates of places. For example, the $899 iPhone 14 Plus, which is astir the aforesaid size arsenic the S23+, is $100 cheaper. Similarly, Apple's top-of-the-line iPhone 14 Pro Max is disposable for $100 little than the basal Galaxy S23 Ultra.

Galaxy S23 vs. iPhone 14: Design and Durability

Design is the astir subjective facet of a smartphone. There's nary specification we tin supply that tin sway you to 1 broadside oregon another. The champion happening you tin bash is intimately analyse photos and videos of the devices. Or, amended yet, spell to a store and prime them up successful idiosyncratic to spot if they spark that warm, fuzzy feeling.

iPhone 14 Pro Max (Credit: Eric Zeman)

As acold arsenic durability, it's a adjacent matchup betwixt the two. All the phones diagnostic IP68 ratings, which means they are afloat resistant to particulate and tin past submersion astatine depths of up to 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) for fractional an hour. Whichever mode you go, you tin beryllium assured that your telephone tin past galore of the dangers beingness throws astatine it.

Apple uses aluminum and alloy for the frames of its phones, portion Samsung uses aluminum. As for the glass, Samsung uses Gorilla Glass Victus 2 whereas Apple uses its in-house Ceramic Shield. There's nary existent information to accidental which is much durable, however. We'd person to execute tons of driblet tests and spell with the instrumentality of averages to spot which is superior. Either way, these phones person stronger solid than astir competitors.

Galaxy S23 vs. iPhone 14: Power and Performance

Thankfully, each of these phones travel with industry-leading chips nether the hood. Samsung includes the aforesaid Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy successful each of its S23 devices, truthful each 3 person the aforesaid earthy computing power. The lone difference? The Ultra is disposable with an optional upgrade to 12GB of RAM, whereas the different models are stuck astatine 8GB.

Galaxy S23 Ultra (Credit: Eric Zeman)

Things are a small antithetic for the iPhone. Apple returned its 2021-era A15 Bionic spot for the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus, whereas the much costly 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max get the company's caller A16 Bionic processor. All versions of the iPhone 14 person 6GB of RAM.

We haven't been capable to enactment the Galaxy S23 done our benchmark tests yet, but we compared the iPhone 14's A16 with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 successful a notation phone. In the GeekBench 5 test, the iPhone 14 Pro Max's A16 spot scored 1,874 and 5,445 connected the single- and multi-core tests, respectively. For comparison, the 8 Gen 2 scored 1,489 and 5,178. This adjacent conflict marginally goes Apple's way, but Samsung's souped-up mentation of the 8 Gen 2 mightiness marque the results adjacent closer.

Galaxy S23 vs. iPhone 14: Battery Life

We don't presently cognize the artillery beingness for the Galaxy S23 phones due to the fact that we haven't tested them yet. We do, however, cognize the size of the batteries for each device. The Galaxy S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra respectively person a 3,900mAh, 4,700mAh, and 5,000mAh cells. In the lawsuit of the Ultra, it's the aforesaid size artillery arsenic last year's model, which lasted 12 hours and 14 minutes successful our artillery drain test.

iPhone 14 Pro Max (Credit: Eric Zeman)

iPhone batteries typically don't lucifer those of competitors, astatine slightest successful presumption of capacity. For example, the 14 Pro Max has a 4,323mAh cell, which is rather a spot smaller than the artillery successful Samsung's equivalent Galaxy S23 Ultra. That said, the iPhone 14 Pro Max lasted an unthinkable 19 hours successful our aforesaid artillery test.

One facet successful which Samsung intelligibly beats Apple is successful charging speed. It offers wired charging speeds of up to 45W connected its 2 higher-end Galaxy S23 phones. Apple, connected the different hand, offers lone 20W wired charging. Both families of devices enactment 15W wireless charging speeds. You don't get a charger successful the container with either phone, truthful you request to acquisition 1 separately.

Galaxy S23 vs. iPhone 14: Display

Both the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro person 6.1-inch displays, whereas the iPhone 14 Plus and iPhone 14 Pro Max person 6.7-inch screens. On Samsung's side, the basal S23 has a 6.1-inch screen, the S23+ features a 6.6-inch screen, and the S23 Ultra sports a 6.8-inch panel. If simply owning the biggest surface imaginable is important to you, the S23 Ultra is the winner.

Left to right: Galaxy S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra (Credit: Eric Zeman)

In presumption of resolution, the devices are akin crossed the board. The iPhone 14 features a solution of 2,532 by 1,170 pixels (457ppi). Compared with the basal Galaxy S23's 2,340-by-1,080 surface (422ppi), the iPhone has a somewhat higher pixel density. The iPhone 14 Plus and Galaxy S23+ are besides reasonably close, with the iPhone show containing 2,778 by 1,284 pixels (457ppi) and the S23+ supporting 2,340 by 1,080 pixels (390ppi). Finally, the iPhone 14 Pro Max has a 2,796-by-1,290-pixel surface (460ppi) and the S23 Ultra comes with a 3,088-by-1,440-pixel display. The second has the highest-resolution show of immoderate of the phones, with a density of 500ppi.

The basal iPhone 14 and 14 Plus person 60Hz screens portion the 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max person 120Hz Pro Motion displays. All 3 Samsung Galaxy S23 models enactment 120Hz refresh rates.

Galaxy S23 vs. iPhone 14: Cameras

For Samsung, some the Galaxy S23 and S23+ person the aforesaid 50MP main camera with optical representation stabilization, 12MP ultra-wide camera, and 10MP telephoto camera. The Galaxy S23 Ultra features a 200MP main camera with OIS and Laser Auto Focus, and the aforesaid 12MP ultra-wide and 10MP telephoto cameras of the lesser 2 phones, though it adds a 2nd 10MP telephoto lens with 10x zoom.

Left to right: Galaxy S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra (Credit: Eric Zeman)

On Apple’s much affordable iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus, you get a 12MP superior camera with sensor-shift OIS. You besides get a 12MP ultra-wide shooter. These phones diagnostic lone 2x optical zoom, which gives Samsung the zoom advantage.

The top-end iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max diagnostic a 48MP main shooter and Apple’s second-generation sensor-shift OIS for maximum stability. You besides get 12MP ultra-wide and 3x telephoto cameras, which pales successful examination with the Galaxy S23 Ultra's 10x telephoto lens.

iPhone 14 Pro Max (Credit: Eric Zeman)

For video, Samsung has a flimsy borderline due to the fact that its phones tin grounds up to 8K astatine 30fps, whereas Apple's devices apical retired astatine 4K and 60fps. Notably, however, the iPhone supports Pro Res and an precocious Action Mode for stabilization.

Galaxy S23 vs. iPhone 14: Connectivity

Let's not hide 1 of the astir indispensable aspects of mobile phones: connectivity! There are immoderate stark differences here. The Apple iPhone 14 household relies connected the Qualcomm Snapdragon X65 modem, which boasts plentifulness of 5G bands, ranging from sub-6GHz to mid-band to mmWave, arsenic good arsenic beardown enactment for bequest LTE networks. The phones did good erstwhile tested. In summation to 5G, the X65 enables Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3.

The Galaxy S23 series, meanwhile, packs the newer Snapdragon X70 modem. More importantly, the X70 works dynamically with the S23's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor to negociate assorted facets of connectivity, specified arsenic balancing powerfulness output to lucifer the ambient awesome strength. The X70 besides supports much bands, arsenic good arsenic faster theoretical maximum throughput speeds. This gives the S23 a earthy velocity borderline connected definite types of networks. And portion the S23 household besides has Bluetooth 5.3, it upgrades to Wi-Fi 6E.

The Best Flagship for You

Ultimately, your needs and preferences should instrumentality precedence implicit astir of the specs here. If you similar iOS and person a agelong past with iPhones, you should astir apt instrumentality with thing successful the iPhone 14 line. If you're already and Android idiosyncratic looking for the eventual upgrade, look nary further than the Galaxy S23 lineup.

We're moving connected our reviews of the Galaxy S23 enactment now, truthful marque definite to cheque backmost soon to spot which telephone comes retired connected top.