Home Phone comparison Apple iPhone 16 and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra - Which is better?

Apple iPhone 16 vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

86 out 100
Apple iPhone 16
VS
81 out 100
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Apple iPhone 16
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

Compared 2 smartphones : Apple iPhone 16 Manufactured in September, 2024, with display 6.1 with chipsetApple A18, vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, Manufactured in February, 2023with chipsetSnapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy. Below are specs, tests, pros and cons for each device

  1. Differences
  2. Review
  3. Specs
  4. Benchmarks
  5. Battery Life
  6. Cameras
  7. Comments (0)

Key Differences

Device key advantages
Reasons to choose Apple iPhone 16
  • Lighter design: 170g vs 233g
Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
  • Larger display: 6.8in
  • Higher pixel density: 500ppi
  • Higher refresh rate: 120Hz
  • Higher battery capacity: 5000mAh vs 3561mAh
  • Supports newer USB: 3.2 vs 2
  • Fingerprint scanner

Versions

Available versions and configurations
Memory Options - 8/128 GB
- 8/256 GB
- 8/512 GB		 - 8/256 GB
- 12/256 GB
- 12/512 GB
- 12/1024 GB

Review

Key Specs Apple iPhone 16 and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Display
Color accuracy, sharpness & brightness
Camera
Main & front camera tests
Performance
App & system performance
Games
3D gaming performance
Battery
Battery life, charging speed & type
Connectivity
Connectivity features
NanoReview Score
Overall score by NanoReview
Adjust each parameter’s importance to find the best match for you.
Customize your score
Function
Importance (Weight)
Display:
Camera:
Performance:
Gaming:
Battery:
Connectivity:
Higher weight means greater impact on NanoReview score.

Tests & specs

Specs & test comparison
Smartphones:
Apple iPhone 16
vs
Galaxy S23 Ultra

Display

Display quality comparison
Type OLED Dynamic AMOLED
Size 6.1 in 6.8 in
Resolution 1179x2556 pixels 1440x3088 pixels
Aspect ratio 19.5:9 19.3:9
Pixel density 460 ppi 500 ppi
Refresh rate 60 Hz 120 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate No Yes (1-120 Hz)
Max brightness 2000 nits 850 nits
HDR support Yes Dolby Vision Yes HDR10+
Touch Sampling Rate n/a 240 Hz
Screen-to-body ratio 86.4 % 89.5 %
Features DCI-P3 - DCI-P3
- Always-On Display
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Apple iPhone 16
1719 nits
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
1269 nits
sRGB gamut99.7 %96.9 %
PWM (Flicker)60 Hz240 Hz
Response time3 ms2 ms
Contrast∞ Infinite∞ Infinite
Sources: NotebookCheck [Apple iPhone 16], [Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra]

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 147.6 mm (5.81 in) 163.4 mm (6.43 in)
Width 71.6 mm (2.82 in) 78.1 mm (3.07 in)
Thickness 7.8 mm (0.31 in) 8.9 mm (0.35 in)
Weight 170 g (6 oz) 233 g (8.22 oz)
Water resistance IP68 IP68
Cooling system n/a Vapor chamber
Back panel Glass Glass
Frame Metal Metal
Colors - White
- Black
- Blue
- Green
- Pink		 - White
- Black
- Gray
- Blue
- Green
- Red
- Purple
Fingerprint sensor No Yes In-Display
Screen-to-body ratio
Apple iPhone 16
86.4 %
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
89.5 %

Performance

Testing Apple iPhone 16 and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset Apple A18 Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy
Max Frequency 4040 MHz 3360 MHz
CPU Cores 6 (2 + 4) 8 (1 + 2 + 2 + 3)
Architecture - 4/2.42 (Sawtooth)
- 2/4.05 (Everest)		 - 3/2 (Cortex-A510)
- 2/2.8 (Cortex-A710)
- 2/2.8 (Cortex-A715)
- 1/3.2 (Cortex-X3)
Process TSMC TSMC
Transistor Size 3 nm 4 nm
Neural Processor Neural Engine Hexagon
Graphics Apple A18 GPU Adreno 740
GPU Cores 640 1536
GPU Frequency 1490 MHz 719 MHz
FLOPS 1907 GFLOPS 2089 GFLOPS
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Apple iPhone 16
3283
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
1976
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Apple iPhone 16
8094
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
5221
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)32831976
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)80945221
Geekbench Compute (GPU)28055n/a
Sources: Geekbench v6 [Apple iPhone 16]
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Apple iPhone 16
1580390
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
1541246
CPU439113371084
GPU611111600732
Memory181791299004
UX348375270462
NanoReview Score15803901541246
3DMark Wild Life
3DMark Wild Life
Apple iPhone 16
n/a
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
12160
Max Surface Temp.n/a34.8 °C
Stabilityn/a64 %
Graphics Testn/a72 fps
Graphics Scoren/a12160
Sources: 3DMark [Apple iPhone 16], [Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra]
PCMark 3.0
PCMark 3.0
Apple iPhone 16
n/a
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
16130
Writing scoren/a19799
Web scoren/a16101
Video editingn/a7815
Data manipulationn/a13142
NanoReview Scoren/a16130

Memory

RAM
RAM Size 8 GB - 8 GB
- 12 GB
Memory Type LPDDR5X LPDDR5X
Memory Frequency n/a 4200 MHz
Channels 4 4
Storage
Storage Capacity128 GB- 256 GB
- 512 GB
- 1024 GB
Storage TypeNVMeUFS 4.0
Memory CardNoNo

Software

OS iOS 18 (Upgradeable to iOS 18.5) Android 13 (Upgradeable to Android 14)
OS Size 16 GB 39.9 GB
UI Skin n/a One UI 6.1

Battery

Volume 3561 mAh 5000 mAh
Max Charging Power 30 W 45 W
Battery Type Li-ion Li-ion
Removable No No
Wireless Charging Yes (15 W) Yes (15 W)
Reverse Charging Yes Yes (Wireless)
Fast Charging Yes (59% in 30 min) Yes (68% in 30 min)
Full Charge Time 1:42 h 0:59 h
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Apple iPhone 16
29:45
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
26:01
Web Browsing13:44 h09:57 h
Video Playback18:09 h15:38 h
Games05:56 h06:22 h
Standby Mode130 h130 h

Main camera

Matrix 48 MP 200 MP
Photo resolution 8064x6048 pixels 16320x12240 pixels
Zoom 116 Optical, 10x
Flash Dual LED LED
Stabilization Optical Optical
8K Recording No Yes (Up to 30 fps)
4K Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 60 fps)
1080p Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 120 fps)
Slow Motion 240 fps (1080p) 960 fps (1080p)
Wide-angle lens 120 ° 120 °
Lenses count Standard: 48 MP
Ultra-wide: 12 MP		 Standard: 200 MP
Telephoto: 10 MP
Telephoto: 10 MP
Ultra-wide: 12 MP
Features - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode		 - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
- RAW support
Main lens
Matrix48 MP200 MP
Aperturef/1.6f/1.7
Focal length26 mm23 mm
Sensorn/aSamsung ISOCELL HP2
Sensor size1/1.561/1.3
Pixel size1 μm0.64 μm
AutofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)Laser autofocus
StabilizationOpticalOptical
Telephoto
Matrixn/a10 MP
Aperturen/af/4.9
Focal lengthn/a230 mm
Sensorn/aSony IMX754
Sensor sizen/a1/3.52
Pixel sizen/a1.12 μm
Stabilizationn/aOptical
Ultra-wide lens
Matrix12 MP12 MP
Aperturef/2.2f/2.2
Focal length13 mm13 mm
Sensorn/aSony IMX564
Sensor sizen/a1/2.55
Pixel size0.7 μm1.4 μm
StabilizationDigitalDigital
Main camera DxOMark results
Photo quality
Apple iPhone 16
149
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
139
Video quality
Apple iPhone 16
154
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
137
Overall camera score
Apple iPhone 16
147
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
140
Bokeh8070
Preview8473
Zoomn/a141
Sources: DxOMark [Apple iPhone 16], [Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra]

Front camera

Matrix 12 MP 12 MP
Photo resolution 4032x3024 pixels 4000x3000 pixels
Aperture f/1.9 f/2.2
Focal length 23 mm 26 mm
Sensor CMOS Samsung S5K3LU
Sensor size 1/3.6 1/3.24
Pixel size 1.12 μm 1.12 μm
Autofocus Phase autofocus Phase autofocus
Stabilization Digital Digital
Video resolution 2160p (4K) at 60 fps 2160p (4K) at 60 fps
TOF 3D sensor Yes No
Selfie camera DxOMark results
Photo quality
Apple iPhone 16
n/a
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
139
Video quality
Apple iPhone 16
n/a
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
145

Connectivity

Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 7 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be) Wi-Fi 6E (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)
Wi-Fi features - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi MiMO
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display		 - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi MiMO
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version 5.3 5.3
Bluetooth features LE LE
USB type USB Type-C USB Type-C
USB version 2 3.2
USB features - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG		 - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG
DisplayPort Yes Yes DP 1.2
GPS - GPS
- GLONASS
- Beidou
- Galileo
- QZSS		 - GPS
- GLONASS
- Beidou
- Galileo
- QZSS
NFC* Yes Yes
Infrared Port No No
Connectivity
SIM Count*n/a1
SIM TypeNanoNano
SIM Moden/aDual SIM Standby
eSIM Support *YesYes
Hybrid SlotNoNo
2G BandsGSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)n/a
3G BandsUMTS/HSPA+/DC‑HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz)n/a
LTE Bands*LTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B12/B13/B14/B17/B18/B19/B20/B25/B26/B28/B29/B30/B32/B34/B38/B39/B40/B41/B42/B48/B53/B66/B71)n/a
LTE categoryn/a20
5G SupportYesYes

Sound

Speakers n/a Stereo
3.5 mm Jack No No
FM Radio No No
Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
Speaker Test
Max Volume
Apple iPhone 16
90.4 dB
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
91.8 dB

Other

Class Flagship Flagship
Announced September, 2024 yr February, 2023 yr
Release Date September, 2024 yr February, 2023 yr
Launch Price ($) n/a 1199
MSRP ($) 799 n/a
Sensors - Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Face Sensor		 - Hall Sensor
- Barometer
- Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor
Charger Included No No

Note

Apple iPhone 16:

The US model is eSIM-only, while the international version offers both a physical SIM slot and eSIM support.

* Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

Results

No clear favorite identified yet; updates may follow as new data arrives.

Survey

Which smartphone would you pick?
0 (0%)
4 (100%)
Total Votes: 4

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