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The Samsung Galaxy S23 launched earlier this month, and it’s a natural competitor to the iPhone 14 Pro. That’s why we’ll compare these two phones here, the Samsung Galaxy S23 vs Apple iPhone 14 Pro. These two phones have the same display sizes, but both look different, and feel different in the hand. There’s plenty to talk about here, actually, as they’re both very compelling, but different in general.
As per usual, we’ll first list the specifications of both devices, and will then move to compare them across a bunch of categories. We’ll compare their designs, displays, performance, battery life, cameras, and audio performance. That being said, let’s get this show on the road, shall we?
Specs
| Samsung Galaxy S23 | Apple iPhone 14 Pro | |
| Screen size | 6.1-inch fullHD+ flat AMOLED display (120Hz refresh rate, 1,750 nits peak brightness) | 6.1-inch LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED display (120Hz refresh rate) |
| Screen resolution | 2340 x 1080 | 2556 x 1179 |
| SoC | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 | Apple A16 Bionic |
| RAM | 8GB (LPDDR5X) | 6GB |
| Storage | 128GB (UFS 3.1)/256GB (UFS 4.0)/512GB (UFS 4.0), non-expandable | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, non-expandable |
| Rear cameras | 50MP (f/1.8 aperture, 24mm lens, 1.0um pixel size, OIS, Dual Pixel PDAF) 12MP (ultrawide, f/2.2 aperture, 13mm lens, 120-degree FoV, 1.4um pixel size) 10MP (telephoto, f/2.4 aperture, 70mm lens, 1.0um pixel size, OIS, 3x optical zoom, PDAF) |
48MP (f/1.8 aperture, wide-angle, 1.22um pixel size, sensor-shift OIS, dual pixel PDAF) 12 MP (ultrawide, f/2.2 aperture, 13mm, 120-degree FoV, 1.4um pixel size, dual pixel PDAF) 12MP (telephoto, f/2.8 aperture, 77mm lens, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom) |
| Front cameras | 12MP (f/2.2 aperture, 26mm lens, Dual Pixel PDAF) | 12MP (wide-angle, f/1.9 aperture, 23mm lens, PDAF) SL 3D (depth/biometrics sensor) |
| Battery | 3,900mAh, non-removable, 25W wired charging, 15W wireless charging (Qi/PMA), reverse wireless charging Charger not included |
3,200mAh, non-removable, 20W wired charging, 15W MagSafe wireless charging, 7.5W Qi wireless charging, 5W reverse wireless charging Charger not included |
| Dimensions | 146.3 x 70.9 x 7.6mm | 147.5 x 71.5 x 7.9mm |
| Weight | 168 grams | 206 grams |
| Connectivity | 5G, LTE, NFC, Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C | 5G, LTE, NFC, Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi, Lightning port |
| Security | In-display fingerprint scanner (ultrasonic) | Advanced facial scanning |
| OS | Android 13 One UI 5.1 |
iOS 16 |
| Price | $799/$849/TBA | $999 |
| Buy | Samsung | Apple |
Samsung Galaxy S23 vs Apple iPhone 14 Pro: Design
Both phones are made out of metal and glass, but not the same materials. The Galaxy S23 combines an aluminum frame with a Gorilla Glass Victus 2 backplate. The iPhone 14 Pro has a stainless steel frame, and “Corning-made glass” on the back. The iPhone 14 Pro is slightly taller, wider, and thicker than the Galaxy S23. It is considerably heavier, though, at 206 grams, compared to 168 grams of the Galaxy S23. The main reason is the stainless steel frame. Truth be said, it does feel a bit too heavy for its size, but some people like that.
The Galaxy S23 has a centered display camera hole on the front, while the iPhone 14 Pro includes a pill-shaped cutout on the front. Both phones have uniform bezels, and both feature curved corners. You’ll notice flat displays on both of these devices, while their buttons are in different spots. The Galaxy S23 has both its power/lock and volume rocker buttons on the right side, while the iPhone 14 Pro’s power button is on the right, while the volume up and down buttons are on the left.
If we flip them around, you’ll see considerably different-looking camera modules. The Galaxy S23 has three vertically-aligned cameras in the top-left corner. Each of those cameras protrudes directly from the backplate. The iPhone 14 Pro has three cameras with standard Apple alignment, all of which are included inside the same camera module. Both smartphones do feel quite premium, and are quite slippery. Do note that the iPhone 14 Pro is a lot heavier than the Galaxy S23, it’s not even close. Both are one-hand friendly, at least compared to most other phones out there.
Samsung Galaxy S23 vs Apple iPhone 14 Pro: Display
When it comes to displays, they do include the same display sizes, but different panels. The Galaxy S23 features a 6.1-inch fullHD+ (2340 x 1080) flat Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a 120Hz refresh rate. It does support HDR10+ content, and gets up to 1,750 nits of peak brightness. The display aspect ratio is 19.5:9, and this display is protected by the Gorilla Glass Victus 2. The panel has a hole punch at the top.
The iPhone 14 Pro, on the flip side, includes a 6.1-inch 2556 x 1179 LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED display. This display is also flat, and has a 120Hz refresh rate. It supports HDR10 content, and also Dolby Vision. The max brightness is 2,000 nits, and the display aspect ratio is 19.5:9. The Ceramic Shield Glass protects this display, by the way, and there’s a pill-shaped cutout at the top.
When it comes to actual use, both are fantastic. We can nitpick all we want, but the point is they both offer nice, vivid colors, deep blacks, good viewing angles, and good touch response. The iPhone 14 Pro’s display can technically get brighter, so in direct sunlight that may help, but the Galaxy S23 is not far behind in that regard. Truth be said, both panels are fantastic, and also quite smooth, and well protected, so you really can’t go wrong here.
Samsung Galaxy S23 vs Apple iPhone 14 Pro: Performance
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy fuels the Galaxy S23. The Galaxy S23 is also equipped with 8GB of LPDDR5X RAM (only the 128GB storage model comes with LPPDR5 RAM) and UFS 4.0 flash storage. The iPhone 14 Pro includes the Apple A16 Bionic processor, along with 6GB of RAM, and NVMe storage. These two SoCs are amongst the best in the market, if not the best mobile SoCs at the moment. Both phones are really well-equipped hardware-wise, and the same goes for performance-related hardware.
Both of these phones fly through anything you throw at them, basically. They handle multitasking with grace, and the same goes for consuming multimedia, launching the camera and taking pictures, processing images, browsing, and so on. Even when it comes to gaming, they both do an excellent job without getting too hot. They can handle the most demanding games available in their respective app stores, without a problem. We didn’t notice any performance-related problems on either phone.
Samsung Galaxy S23 vs Apple iPhone 14 Pro: Battery
The Galaxy S23 includes a 3,900mAh battery pack. The iPhone 14 Pro, on the flip side, has a 3,200mAh battery. Apple’s iPhones usually need less battery juice than Android phones, so keep that in mind, don’t compare them directly. In fact, the iPhone 14 Pro is the device that offers better battery life in this comparison. The Galaxy S23 is much improved in that regard compared to its predecessor, but it’s still not great.
The Galaxy S22’s battery life was truly bad, and the Galaxy S23 does bring an improvement of around 25% in comparison. Getting over 5 hours of screen-on-time is easily doable. For some of you, you may even be able to get considerably more, depending on your usage. The iPhone 14 Pro can reach the 7-hour screen-on-time mark, at least in our experience. Your mileage may vary, of course, as your usage habits are different, as are the apps you use, plus there’s the signal factor, and so on.
Both devices support wired and wireless charging. The Galaxy S23 offers support for 25W wired, 15W wireless, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging. The iPhone 14 Pro supports 20W wired, 15W MagSafe wireless, and 7.5W Qi wireless charging. Unlike the iPhone 14 Pro, the Galaxy S23 also supports reverse wireless charging. One thing to note is that neither phone includes a charger in the box.
Samsung Galaxy S23 vs Apple iPhone 14 Pro: Cameras
The Samsung Galaxy S23 includes a 50-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide unit, and a 10-megapixel telephoto camera. The iPhone 14 Pro is equipped with a 48-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera, and a 12-megapixel telephoto camera. There’s also a LiDAR scanner on its back. Both of these devices do a really good job in the camera department, actually.
The camera performance improved on the Galaxy S23 compared to its predecessor. The device tends to provide warmer-looking images, compared to the iPhone 14 Pro. Apple’s handset tends to go for closer-to-real-life shots. Both offer plenty of detail during the day, and have really good dynamic range. The iPhone 14 Pro does struggle with highlights sometimes, in extreme HDR conditions.
At nighttime, both do a fairly good job. The iPhone 14 Pro images do turn up a bit darker, just so they feel closer to real life. They look great, though. The Galaxy S23 tends to brighten things up a bit more, but at times, the images do look a bit too warm in low light. Ultrawide cameras are great on both devices, though the iPhone 14 Pro keeps a better balance between main and ultrawide cameras, in terms of colors, first and foremost. The video recording is better on the iPhone 14 Pro, but the Galaxy S23 did improve considerably compared to its predecessor.
Audio
When it comes to audio, you’ll be glad to hear that both phones have stereo speakers. The sound is loud enough from both, and also detailed enough, but neither set of speakers are the best out there. Truth be said, the sound does sound a bit deeper from the Galaxy S23, and there’s also more bass here
You will not find a 3.5mm headphone jack on either device. You can, however, use their charging ports (Type-C and Lightning port, respectively) to connect your headphones. If you prefer to do that wirelessly, both phones are equipped with Bluetooth 5.3.