Home Phone comparison Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and Google Pixel 6a - Which is better?

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs Google Pixel 6a

81 out 100
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
VS
62 out 100
Google Pixel 6a
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Google Pixel 6a

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 Google Pixel 6a, Manufactured in June, 2022 with chipsetGoogle Tensor. 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
  • Higher refresh rate: 120Hz
  • Higher battery capacity: 5000mAh vs 4410mAh
  • Newer Bluetooth version: 5.3 vs 5.2
  • Supports newer USB: 3.2 vs 3.1
  • Supports DisplayPort
  • Supports Dolby Atmos
Reasons to choose Google Pixel 6a
  • Lighter design: 178g vs 233g

Versions

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

Review

Key Specs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and Google Pixel 6a
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
Google Pixel 6a

Display

Display quality comparison
Type Dynamic AMOLED OLED
Size 6.8 in 6.1 in
Resolution 1440x3088 pixels 1080x2400 pixels
Aspect ratio 19.3:9 20:9
Pixel density 500 ppi 429 ppi
Refresh rate 120 Hz 60 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate Yes (1-120 Hz) No
Max brightness 850 nits 500 nits
HDR support Yes HDR10+ Yes HDR10+
Touch Sampling Rate 240 Hz n/a
Screen-to-body ratio 89.5 % 82.2 %
Features - DCI-P3
- Always-On Display		 - DCI-P3
- Always-On Display
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
1269 nits
Google Pixel 6a
869 nits
sRGB gamut96.9 %96.9 %
PWM (Flicker)240 Hz240 Hz
Response time2 ms3 ms
Contrast∞ Infinite∞ Infinite
Sources: NotebookCheck [Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra], [Google Pixel 6a]

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 163.4 mm (6.43 in) 152.2 mm (5.99 in)
Width 78.1 mm (3.07 in) 71.8 mm (2.83 in)
Thickness 8.9 mm (0.35 in) 8.9 mm (0.35 in)
Weight 233 g (8.22 oz) 178 g (6.28 oz)
Water resistance IP68 IP67
Cooling system Vapor chamber n/a
Back panel Glass Plastic
Frame Metal Metal
Colors - White
- Black
- Gray
- Blue
- Green
- Red
- Purple		 - White
- Black
- Green
Fingerprint sensor Yes In-Display Yes In-Display
Screen-to-body ratio
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
89.5 %
Google Pixel 6a
82.2 %

Performance

Testing Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and Google Pixel 6a In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy Google Tensor
Max Frequency 3360 MHz 2800 MHz
CPU Cores 8 (1 + 2 + 2 + 3) 8 (2 + 2 + 4)
Architecture - 3/2 (Cortex-A510)
- 2/2.8 (Cortex-A710)
- 2/2.8 (Cortex-A715)
- 1/3.2 (Cortex-X3)		 - 4/1.8 (Cortex A55)
- 2/2.25 (Cortex A76)
- 2/2.8 (Cortex-X1)
Process TSMC Samsung
Transistor Size 4 nm 5 nm
Neural Processor Hexagon Tensor Processing Unit
Graphics Adreno 740 Mali-G78 MP20
GPU Cores 1536 1280
GPU Frequency 719 MHz 848 MHz
FLOPS 2089 GFLOPS 2170.9 GFLOPS
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
1976
Google Pixel 6a
1448
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
5221
Google Pixel 6a
3412
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)19761448
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)52213412
Sources: Geekbench v6 [Google Pixel 6a]
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
1541246
Google Pixel 6a
909498
CPU371084250722
GPU600732324786
Memory299004143829
UX270462190161
NanoReview Score1541246909498
3DMark Wild Life
3DMark Wild Life
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
12160
Google Pixel 6a
6194
Max Surface Temp.34.8 °C41.4 °C
Stability64 %56 %
Graphics Test72 fps37 fps
Graphics Score121606194
Sources: 3DMark [Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra], [Google Pixel 6a]
PCMark 3.0
PCMark 3.0
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
16130
Google Pixel 6a
9940
Writing score1979915353
Web score161016280
Video editing78155843
Data manipulation131429519
NanoReview Score161309940

Memory

RAM
RAM Size - 8 GB
- 12 GB		 6 GB
Memory Type LPDDR5X LPDDR5
Memory Frequency 4200 MHz 3200 MHz
Channels 4 4
Storage
Storage Capacity- 256 GB
- 512 GB
- 1024 GB		128 GB
Storage TypeUFS 4.0UFS 3.1
Memory CardNoNo

Software

OS Android 13 (Upgradeable to Android 14) Android 12 (Upgradeable to Android 15)
OS Size 39.9 GB 14.3 GB
UI Skin One UI 6.1 Stock Android

Battery

Volume 5000 mAh 4410 mAh
Max Charging Power 45 W 18 W
Battery Type Li-ion Li-Po
Removable No No
Wireless Charging Yes (15 W) No
Reverse Charging Yes (Wireless) No
Fast Charging Yes (68% in 30 min) Yes (42% in 30 min)
Full Charge Time 0:59 h 1:51 h
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
26:01
Google Pixel 6a
20:44
Web Browsing09:57 h08:25 h
Video Playback15:38 h14:20 h
Games06:22 h05:34 h
Standby Mode130 h89 h

Main camera

Matrix 200 MP 122 MP
Photo resolution 16320x12240 pixels 4032x3024 pixels
Zoom Optical, 10x Digital
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 ° 114 °
Lenses count Standard: 200 MP
Telephoto: 10 MP
Telephoto: 10 MP
Ultra-wide: 12 MP		 Standard: 12.2 MP
Ultra-wide: 12 MP
Features - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
- RAW support		 - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
- RAW support
Main lens
Matrix200 MP122 MP
Aperturef/1.7f/1.7
Focal length23 mm27 mm
SensorSamsung ISOCELL HP2Sony IMX363
Sensor size1/1.31/2.55
Pixel size0.64 μm1.4 μm
AutofocusLaser autofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
StabilizationOpticalOptical
Telephoto
Matrix10 MPn/a
Aperturef/4.9n/a
Focal length230 mmn/a
SensorSony IMX754n/a
Sensor size1/3.52n/a
Pixel size1.12 μmn/a
StabilizationOpticaln/a
Ultra-wide lens
Matrix12 MP12 MP
Aperturef/2.2f/2.2
Focal length13 mm17 mm
SensorSony IMX564Sony IMX386
Sensor size1/2.551/2.9
Pixel size1.4 μm1.12 μm
StabilizationDigitalDigital
Main camera DxOMark results
Photo quality
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
139
Google Pixel 6a
133
Video quality
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
137
Google Pixel 6a
126
Overall camera score
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
140
Google Pixel 6a
122
Bokeh7065
Preview7367
Zoom14174
Sources: DxOMark [Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra], [Google Pixel 6a]

Front camera

Matrix 12 MP 8 MP
Photo resolution 4000x3000 pixels 3840x2160 pixels
Aperture f/2.2 f/2.0
Focal length 26 mm 24 mm
Sensor Samsung S5K3LU Sony IMX355
Sensor size 1/3.24 1/2.8
Pixel size 1.12 μm 1.12 μm
Autofocus Phase autofocus No
Stabilization Digital Digital
Video resolution 2160p (4K) at 60 fps 1080p (Full HD) at 30 fps
TOF 3D sensor No No
Selfie camera DxOMark results
Photo quality
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
139
Google Pixel 6a
n/a
Video quality
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
145
Google Pixel 6a
n/a

Connectivity

Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 6E (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) 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 5.2
Bluetooth features LE LE, A2DP
USB type USB Type-C USB Type-C
USB version 3.2 3.1
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 Quad-band (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
3G Bandsn/aUMTS/HSPA+/HSDPA 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 19
LTE Bands*n/aLTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B12/B13/B14/B17/B18/B19/B20/B25/B26/B28/B29/B30/B38/B39/B40/B41/B42/B48/B66/B71)
LTE category2020
5G SupportYesYes

Sound

Speakers Stereo Stereo
3.5 mm Jack No No
FM Radio No No
Dolby Atmos Yes No
Speaker Test
Max Volume
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
91.8 dB
Google Pixel 6a
87.4 dB

Other

Class Flagship Mid-range
Announced February, 2023 yr May, 2022 yr
Release Date February, 2023 yr June, 2022 yr
Launch Price ($) 1199 449
Sensors - Hall Sensor
- Barometer
- Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor		 - Barometer
- Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor
Charger Included No No
* Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

Results

After analyzing the data, we consider Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra the clear winner in this comparison.

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