Choosing between flagship and premium phones is always difficult, especially from top companies such as Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs iPhone 14 Pro Max. Both devices start at the same price as their predecessors in Pakistan: Samsung Galaxy S23 Price In Pakistan PKR. 559,999 and 495,000 for iPhone, respectively.
Outside the US, both devices are more expensive than previous versions—presumably mainly due to inflation and higher manufacturing costs. Regardless, if you are looking for the best of the two, this guide will help you decide which is the best to buy, the Galaxy S23 Ultra or the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Dimensions and build quality
- Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: It measures 163.4 x 78.1 x 8.9 mm and Weighs 234 grams.
- iPhone 14 Pro Max: It measures 160.7 x 77.6 x 7.85 mm; With a weight of 240 grams.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra looks almost identical to its predecessor and thus remains longer, wider, thicker, and lighter than the iPhone 14 Pro Max. It uses an aluminum frame, while the iPhone uses a stronger structure than stainless steel but is heavier and more susceptible to scratches.
The iPhone has rounded corners and flat edges, but the Galaxy has flat corners and slightly curved edges. Both phones have an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance.
iPhones 14 feature eSIM only for US buyers; Fortunately, Samsung still has a SIM card slot. The S23 Ultra uses the new Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front and back, while the iPhone 14 Pro Max is protected by a Ceramic Shield coating on the front glass that is stronger than any smartphone glass.
Although USB-C is superior, the iPhone has yet to relinquish the Lightning port.
Camera
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: Camera: 200MP f/1.7 main wide-angle camera, OIS, PDAF, Laser AF, 8K video at 30fps; 12MP f/2.2 Ultra Wide Angle Camera (120° FoV), Dual Pixel PDAF, 10MP f/2.4 3x optical zoom Telephoto Camera with OIS; Telephoto camera with 10x optical zoom 10MP f/4.9 10x optical zoom with OIS and 100x digital zoom. Front: 12 MP f/2.2, PDAF, 4K video at 60fps.
iPhone 14 Pro Max: 48MP f/1.8 main camera, OIS sensor, Dual Pixel PDAF, 4K video at 60fps; 12MP f/2.2 Ultra Wide Angle Camera (120° FoV), Dual Pixel PDAF, Telephoto Camera; 12MP f/2.8 telephoto, OIS, 3x digital zoom. Front: 12 MP f/1.9, PDAF, 4K video at 60fps.
In comparing the iPhone 14 Pro Max to the S22 Ultra, we made three main complaints about Samsung’s camera quality: overexposure, noise in low-light shots, and poor video quality, while portrait shots were lacking on the iPhone. With the Galaxy S23 Ultra, the company has addressed all these issues head-on.
You can now capture 4 and 8K videos at 30 frames per second. The main camera is equipped with a 2X wider OIS for improved stability. Samsung is also reducing excessive color saturation in low-light videos to make them look more natural. The microphone quality has also been upgraded, so your voice sounds fuller and cleaner.
The new camera resolution of 200MP is one of the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s best features for capturing high-resolution daytime shots, but the default 12MP is best for most conditions. The dynamic range has also been improved, and the color profile is still geared to look Instagrammable.
iPhone 14 Pro Max has a new 48MP camera and retains the same qualities we love about iPhone cameras: smooth video, good shutter speed, and consistent image quality across all lenses. However, it needs more interesting features found in Samsung, such as 100X Hybrid Zoom, Director’s View, Astro Hyperlapse, and more.
iPhone is still more reliable overall and provides peace of mind. But now that Samsung is finally acknowledging and fixing the issues with highly accurate image processing algorithms, switching to the Galaxy will be more tempting than in the past.
Processor
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: It offers the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip; 4nm Adreno 740 GPU.
iPhone 14 Pro Max: introduces the A16 Bionic chip; 4nm process five-core GPU.
The S23 Ultra comes with the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor worldwide, meaning there is no inferior Exynos variant this time. Samsung has also partnered with Qualcomm to develop an exclusive version of the chip called “Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy,” which sounds exciting but isn’t much better than the regular SD 8 Gen 2 chipset.
iPhone 14 Pro Max houses the new A16 Bionic chip, which still holds the record for the best CPU performance on a smartphone. However, the S23 Ultra shows slightly better GPU results than the iPhone, indicating a superior gaming experience.
However, most people will notice no significant difference in performance between the two phones. Why? There are two reasons: one, that both chipsets are manufactured by the same company, TSMC, and two, that the benchmark scores don’t matter after a certain point. Both devices are powerful and efficient, capable of running all the latest apps and games.
Display
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: It has a 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x screen; 1440 x 3088 resolution; 501 pixels per inch; 1,750 nits peak brightness; 120Hz dynamic refresh rate with LTPO 2.0; HDR10+; Gorilla Glass Victus 2; Always-on screen.
iPhone 14 Pro Max: 6.7-inch LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED display; 2796 x 1290 resolution; 460 pixels per inch; 2000 lumens peak brightness; 120 Hz ProMotion; HDR10; Ceramic Shield to protect the glass.
The Dynamic Island feature on the iPhone 14 Pro series grabbed all the headlines during its launch. But after spending some time with the device, it’s becoming increasingly clear that while the feature is useful and fun, it could be more revolutionary and has been overdone.
The Dynamic Island cutout is much better than the notch on older iPhones. But the punch-hole front camera design makes more sense when watching movies, playing games, scrolling social networking feeds, or multitasking.
The only area where the iPhone screen is superior to the Samsung screen is brightness. The former peaks at 2,000 lumens while the latter peaks at 1,750 lumens — the same as its predecessor.
RAM and Storage
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: 8/12GB LPDDR5X RAM; 256GB/512GB/1TB UFS 4.0 storage.
iPhone 14 Pro Max: comes with 6GB LPDDR5 RAM; 128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB NVMe Storage.
Since iPhones are better at managing RAM, they need less space than Android phones. It means that the 8GB RAM in the Galaxy S23 Ultra will provide almost the same multitasking ability as the 6GB RAM on the iPhone; You will only notice slight differences when you get to 12GB of RAM.
What’s more interesting is that the S23 Ultra comes with 256GB of basic storage. It is a huge advance because while 128GB is enough for most people, large games and major apps usually consume storage faster, so more storage is greatly appreciated. Both devices have a 1 TB cap.
Battery Capacity
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: 5,000 mAh battery; 45W fast wired charging; 15W wireless charging; 4.5W reverse wireless charging.
iPhone 14 Pro Max: 4323 mAh battery; 15W MagSafe wireless charging support; 7.5W Qi wireless support.
Because the Apple Silicon chip is so energy efficient, the smaller 4,323mAh battery in the iPhone 14 Pro Max easily outperforms Android phones with a 5,000mAh battery. You can save battery life if you turn off the Always On Display on your iPhone or hide the background from the AOD screen.
Fortunately, the S23 Ultra has much better battery life than its predecessor despite having the same 5,000mAh total capacity—thanks to a more efficient Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip made by TSMC. We wouldn’t be surprised if the battery life on the S23 Ultra matches that of the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Samsung also has faster 45W charging, and the battery can be fully charged in an hour; the iPhone takes nearly two hours using Apple’s 20W charger. The former can also reverse wireless charging to charge the Galaxy Buds and Galaxy Watch—something the iPhone can’t do.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra is a smart improvement.
Samsung made many good decisions with the Galaxy S23 Ultra:
Addressing issues with image processing
Ditching the Exynos chipset
Offering 256GB as base storage
Using the latest LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage standards
Although the device looks similar to its predecessor, it has been almost completely redesigned inside.
At the same time, iPhone 14 Pro Max has a more reliable camera system, brighter display, new Dynamic Island cutout, and deep integration with the Apple ecosystem. If you already own other Apple products, the iPhone is a no-brainer, but if you want to switch to a Galaxy, now’s the best time.