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
Apple A16 Bionic
CPU
3.2GHz 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
Google Tensor G2
Apple A15 Bionic
CPU
3.2GHz 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
Google Tensor G2
Apple A15 Bionic
CPU
3.2GHz 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