Home Phone comparison Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max - Which is better?

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max

81 out 100
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
VS
79 out 100
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max

Compared 2 smartphones : Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Manufactured in February, 2023, with display 6.8 with chipsetSnapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy, vs Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max, Manufactured in September, 2021with chipsetApple A15 Bionic. 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 Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
  • Larger display: 6.8in
  • Higher pixel density: 500ppi
  • Lighter design: 233g vs 240g
  • Higher battery capacity: 5000mAh vs 4352mAh
  • Newer Bluetooth version: 5.3 vs 5
  • Supports newer USB: 3.2 vs 2
  • Supports DisplayPort
  • Fingerprint scanner
Reasons to choose Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max

    Versions

    Available versions and configurations
    Memory Options - 8/256 GB
    - 12/256 GB
    - 12/512 GB
    - 12/1024 GB    		 - 6/128 GB
    - 6/256 GB
    - 6/512 GB
    - 6/1024 GB

    Review

    Key Specs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
    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:
    Galaxy S23 Ultra
    vs
    iPhone 13 Pro Max

    Display

    Display quality comparison
    Type Dynamic AMOLED OLED
    Size 6.8 in 6.7 in
    Resolution 1440x3088 pixels 1284x2778 pixels
    Aspect ratio 19.3:9 19.5:9
    Pixel density 500 ppi 458 ppi
    Refresh rate 120 Hz 120 Hz
    Adaptive refresh rate Yes (1-120 Hz) Yes (10-120 Hz)
    Max brightness 850 nits 1000 nits
    HDR support Yes HDR10+ Yes Dolby Vision
    Touch Sampling Rate 240 Hz n/a
    Screen-to-body ratio 89.5 % 87.7 %
    Features - DCI-P3
    - Always-On Display    		 DCI-P3
    Display test
    Peak brightness (auto)
    Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
    1269 nits
    Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
    1049 nits
    sRGB gamut96.9 %99.9 %
    PWM (Flicker)240 Hz238 Hz
    Response time2 ms8.5 ms
    Contrast∞ Infinite∞ Infinite
    Sources: NotebookCheck [Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra], [Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max]

    Design & Build

    Design and ergonomics comparison
    Height 163.4 mm (6.43 in) 160.8 mm (6.33 in)
    Width 78.1 mm (3.07 in) 78.1 mm (3.07 in)
    Thickness 8.9 mm (0.35 in) 7.65 mm (0.3 in)
    Weight 233 g (8.22 oz) 240 g (8.47 oz)
    Water resistance IP68 IP68
    Cooling system Vapor chamber n/a
    Back panel Glass Glass
    Frame Metal Metal
    Colors - White
    - Black
    - Gray
    - Blue
    - Green
    - Red
    - Purple    		 - Black
    - Silver
    - Gold
    - Blue
    - Green
    Fingerprint sensor Yes In-Display No
    Screen-to-body ratio
    Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
    89.5 %
    Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
    87.7 %

    Performance

    Testing Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max In benchmarks
    Processor
    Chipset Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy Apple A15 Bionic
    Max Frequency 3360 MHz 3230 MHz
    CPU Cores 8 (1 + 2 + 2 + 3) 6 (2 + 4)
    Architecture - 3/2 (Cortex-A510)
    - 2/2.8 (Cortex-A710)
    - 2/2.8 (Cortex-A715)
    - 1/3.2 (Cortex-X3)    		 - 4/2.02 (Blizzard)
    - 2/3.23 (Avalanche)
    Process TSMC TSMC
    Transistor Size 4 nm 5 nm
    Neural Processor Hexagon Apple Neural Engine
    Graphics Adreno 740 Apple A15 GPU
    GPU Cores 1536 640
    GPU Frequency 719 MHz 1338 MHz
    FLOPS 2089 GFLOPS 1712.6 GFLOPS
    GeekBench v6
    Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
    Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
    1976
    Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
    2266
    Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
    Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
    5221
    Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
    5459
    Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)19762266
    Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)52215459
    Sources: Geekbench v6 [Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max]
    AnTuTu 10
    AnTuTu 10
    Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
    1541246
    Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
    1326730
    CPU371084327704
    GPU600732434683
    Memory299004248498
    UX270462315845
    NanoReview Score15412461326730
    3DMark Wild Life
    3DMark Wild Life
    Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
    12160
    Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
    9444
    Max Surface Temp.34.8 °C45.8 °C
    Stability64 %82 %
    Graphics Test72 fps56 fps
    Graphics Score121609444
    Sources: 3DMark [Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra], [Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max]
    PCMark 3.0
    PCMark 3.0
    Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
    16130
    Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
    n/a
    Writing score19799n/a
    Web score16101n/a
    Video editing7815n/a
    Data manipulation13142n/a
    NanoReview Score16130n/a

    Memory

    RAM
    RAM Size - 8 GB
    - 12 GB    		 6 GB
    Memory Type LPDDR5X LPDDR4X
    Memory Frequency 4200 MHz 2133 MHz
    Channels 4 2
    Storage
    Storage Capacity- 256 GB
    - 512 GB
    - 1024 GB    		- 128 GB
    - 256 GB
    - 512 GB
    - 1024 GB
    Storage TypeUFS 4.0NVMe
    Memory CardNoNo

    Software

    OS Android 13 (Upgradeable to Android 14) iOS 15 (Upgradeable to iOS 18.3.2)
    OS Size 39.9 GB 13 GB
    UI Skin One UI 6.1 n/a

    Battery

    Volume 5000 mAh 4352 mAh
    Max Charging Power 45 W 23 W
    Battery Type Li-ion Li-ion
    Removable No No
    Wireless Charging Yes (15 W) Yes (7.5 W)
    Reverse Charging Yes (Wireless) No
    Fast Charging Yes (68% in 30 min) Yes (42% in 30 min)
    Full Charge Time 0:59 h 1:46 h
    Battery Life Test
    Battery Life
    Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
    26:01
    Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
    28:08
    Web Browsing09:57 h11:16 h
    Video Playback15:38 h17:03 h
    Games06:22 h06:41 h
    Standby Mode130 h136 h

    Main camera

    Matrix 200 MP 12 MP
    Photo resolution 16320x12240 pixels 4032x3024 pixels
    Zoom Optical, 10x Optical, 3x
    Flash LED Dual LED
    Stabilization Optical Optical
    8K Recording Yes (Up to 30 fps) No
    4K Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 60 fps)
    1080p Recording Yes (Up to 120 fps) Yes (Up to 60 fps)
    Slow Motion 960 fps (1080p) 240 fps (1080p)
    Wide-angle lens 120 ° 120 °
    Lenses count Standard: 200 MP
    Telephoto: 10 MP
    Telephoto: 10 MP
    Ultra-wide: 12 MP    		 Standard: 12 MP
    Telephoto: 12 MP
    Ultra-wide: 12 MP
    Depth
    Features - Bokeh effect
    - Pro mode
    - RAW support    		 - Bokeh effect
    - Pro mode
    - RAW support
    Main lens
    Matrix200 MP12 MP
    Aperturef/1.7f/1.5
    Focal length23 mm26 mm
    SensorSamsung ISOCELL HP2Sony IMX703
    Sensor size1/1.31/1.66
    Pixel size0.64 μm1.9 μm
    AutofocusLaser autofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
    StabilizationOpticalOptical
    Telephoto
    Matrix10 MP12 MP
    Aperturef/4.9f/2.8
    Focal length230 mm77 mm
    SensorSony IMX754Sony IMX713
    Sensor size1/3.521/3.4
    Pixel size1.12 μm1 μm
    StabilizationOpticalOptical
    Ultra-wide lens
    Matrix12 MP12 MP
    Aperturef/2.2f/1.8
    Focal length13 mm13 mm
    SensorSony IMX564Sony IMX772
    Sensor size1/2.551/3.4
    Pixel size1.4 μm1 μm
    StabilizationDigitalDigital
    Main camera DxOMark results
    Photo quality
    Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
    139
    Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
    140
    Video quality
    Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
    137
    Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
    146
    Overall camera score
    Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
    140
    Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
    141
    Bokeh7075
    Preview7381
    Zoom141119
    Sources: DxOMark [Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra], [Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max]

    Front camera

    Matrix 12 MP 12 MP
    Photo resolution 4000x3000 pixels 4032x3024 pixels
    Aperture f/2.2 f/2.2
    Focal length 26 mm 23 mm
    Sensor Samsung S5K3LU Sony IMX514
    Sensor size 1/3.24 1/3.6
    Pixel size 1.12 μm 1 μm
    Autofocus Phase autofocus Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
    Stabilization Digital Digital
    Video resolution 2160p (4K) at 60 fps 2160p (4K) at 60 fps
    TOF 3D sensor No Yes
    Selfie camera DxOMark results
    Photo quality
    Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
    139
    Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
    128
    Video quality
    Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
    145
    Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
    143

    Connectivity

    Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 6E (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) Wi-Fi 6 (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
    Bluetooth features LE LE, A2DP
    USB type USB Type-C n/a
    USB version 3.2 2
    USB features - Charging
    - USB Storage Mode
    - OTG    		 - Charging
    - USB Storage Mode
    - OTG
    DisplayPort Yes DP 1.2 n/a
    GPS - GPS
    - GLONASS
    - Beidou
    - Galileo
    - QZSS    		 - GPS
    - GLONASS
    - Beidou
    - Galileo
    - QZSS
    NFC* Yes Yes
    Infrared Port No No
    Connectivity
    SIM Count*11
    SIM TypeNanoNano
    SIM ModeDual SIM Standbyn/a
    eSIM Support *YesYes
    Hybrid SlotNoNo
    2G Bandsn/aGSM/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
    3G Bandsn/aUMTS 850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz
    LTE Bands*n/aLTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B11/B12/B13/B14/B17/B18/B19/B20/B21/B25/B26/B28/B29/B30/B32/B66/B71)
    LTE category2018
    5G SupportYesYes

    Sound

    Speakers Stereo Stereo
    3.5 mm Jack No No
    FM Radio No No
    Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
    Speaker Test
    Max Volume
    Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
    91.8 dB
    Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
    80.2 dB

    Other

    Class Flagship Flagship
    Announced February, 2023 yr September, 2021 yr
    Release Date February, 2023 yr September, 2021 yr
    Launch Price ($) 1199 1100
    Sensors - Hall Sensor
    - Barometer
    - Proximity Sensor
    - Gyroscope
    - Accelerometer
    - Ambient Light Sensor
    - Compass
    - Fingerprint sensor    		 - Barometer
    - Proximity Sensor
    - Gyroscope
    - Accelerometer
    - Ambient Light Sensor
    - Compass
    - Face Sensor
    Charger Included No n/a
    * 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?
    2 (66.67%)
    1 (33.33%)
    Total Votes: 3

    User comments

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