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The Battle of the Best: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Vs iPhone 14 Pro Max

The Battle of the Best: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Vs iPhone 14 Pro Max

After the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (the best Samsung phone ever), you will be curious to know where it stands against the iPhone 14 Pro Max (the best iPhone ever). So, we are here with an in-depth comparison of Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Vs iPhone 14 Pro Max to see which is better in different departments such as camera, performance, design, etc. 

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Before we start the comparison, let’s see what’s new in the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra & iPhone 14 Pro Max compared to their predecessors.

iPhone 14 Pro MaxSamsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Satellite connectivityUFS 4.0 fast storage type
48MP camera200MP camera
A16 chipSnapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip &
Adreno 740 GPU
Always on DisplayAndroid 13 & One UI 5.1
Dynamic Island featureBetter cooling system
New colors New colors

Now, let’s compare Samsung S23 Ultra vs iPhone 14 Pro Max.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Vs iPhone 14 Pro Max: Body and Display

Well, there isn’t too much difference when we talk about the body size of the iPhone 14 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. The latter is thicker though and shockingly, the former is a bit heavier. Both devices have a unique design as S23 Ultra has a boxy shape whereas the 14 Pro Max comes with round sides. On the contrary, S23 Ultra comes with round edges but iPhone 4 Pro Max comes with flat edges.

Coming to the front side, you get a pill-shaped punch-hole camera cutout on the iPhone whereas Samsung S23 Ultra has a conventional circular punch-hole camera cutout. The iPhone is the winner here as it has used Destiny Island software (shape-changing) for this camera cutout that brings a lot of cool features. 

If we talk about the display, the iPhone 14 Pro Max is better on paper as its screen is brighter and that will be helpful in daylight conditions. For watching videos, and consuming other content, the displays of both devices are exceptional. And guess what? The iPhone now comes with an always-on display. 

SpecificationsiPhone 14 Pro MaxSamsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Dimensions160.7 x 77.6 x 7.85 mm163.4 x 78.1 x 8.9 mm
Weight240g234 g
Build & ProtectionGorilla Glass (front & back)
Stainless Steel Frame
Front & Back Glass (Gorilla Glass Victus 2)
Aluminum frame
ColorsSpace Black, Silver, Gold, Deep PurplePhantom Black, Green, Cream, Lavender
Display Size6.7 inches6.8 inches
Resolution1290 x 2796(~460 ppi density)1440 x 3088 pixels ~501 ppi density
Display typeLTPO Super Retina XDR OLED, 120Hz,
HDR10, Dolby Vision, 2000 nits (HBM)
Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz,
HDR10+, 1750 nits (peak)
Display FeaturesDynamic Island (shape shifting) punch hole camera cutout
Always-on Display
Always-on Display

iPhone 14 Pro Max Vs Samsung S23 Ultra: Camera Comparison

Well, many of us declare the iPhone camera the winner without even comparison. But now, let’s look at the reality of the iPhone camera vs Samsung’s best smartphone camera.

Galaxy S23 Ultra now comes with a 200 MP primary camera. On the other hand, the iPhone 14 Pro Max comes with a 48 MP primary camera (first iPhone with a 48 MP camera). But does it mean iPhone’s camera results will not be as good as the S23 Ultra? Well! That’s hard to say as the actual results are not entirely dependent on the pixel count. Also, software plays a vital role in producing exceptional-quality images. So, let’s give the primary camera the benefit of doubt. 

However, Samsung S23 Ultra wins in this department due to 1 extra camera. Yes! We are talking about its periscopic telephoto camera with 10x optical zoom. This feature is missing in the iPhone. Also, Galaxy S23 Ultra can record videos up to 8K whereas iPhone can record up to 4K. S23 Ultra has a super slow motion mode that can record 720p videos at 960fps. 

Both devices come with 12MP selfie cameras. The results may vary depending due to software or other differences. 

SpecificationsiPhone 14 Pro MaxSamsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Rear cameras34
48 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide),
1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF
200 MP, f/1.7, 24mm (wide), 1/1.3″, 0.6µm,
multi-directional PDAF, Laser AF, OIS
12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide),
1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF
12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide),
1/2.55″, 1.4µm, Dual Pixel PDAF,
Super Steady video
12 MP, f/2.8, 77mm (telephoto),
PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom
10 MP, f/2.4, 70mm (telephoto),
1/3.52″, 1.12µm, Dual Pixel PDAF,
OIS, 3x optical zoom
10 MP, f/4.9, 230mm (periscope telephoto),
1/3.52″, 1.12µm, Dual Pixel PDAF,
OIS, 10x optical zoom
Rear camera video4K@24/25/30/60fps,
1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps
8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60fps,
1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps,
HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS
Rear camera featuresSensor-shift OIS10-bit HDR,
Dolby Vision HDR
Cinematic mode LED flash (adaptive)
LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama,
multi-directional PDAF & Laser AF
Selfie / front camera12 MP, f/1.9, 23mm (wide),
1/3.6″Depth / biometrics sensor, SL 3D
12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide)
Selfie / front camera video4K@24/25/30/60fps
1080p@25/30/60/120fps, 
gyro-EIS
4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps,
Dual video call

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Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Vs iPhone 14 Pro Max: The Best Performer?

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and iPhone 14 Pro Max, both are supreme in terms of performance. The latter uses Apple’s top A16 Bionic mobile chip whereas the former comes with the top Snapdragon chip. But Apple’s chip is reportedly better as compared to the Snapdragon’s chips. 

According to Tomsguide, iPhone 14 Pro Max’s CPU performs better than the Galaxy S23 Ultras’s CPU. However, the GPU performance of the Samsung S23 Ultra is better than its competitor. In terms of RAM, many people like the RAM management of Apple compared to Samsung. 

Although Samsung S23 Ultra comes with more RAM, the storage type of the iPhone 14 Pro Max is NVMe which gives an extra boost to its performance. But, Samsung S23 Ultra now comes with UFS 4.0 storage type which is also lightning fast.

SpecificationsiPhone 14 Pro MaxSamsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
OSiOS 16Android 13, One UI 5.1
ChipsetApple A16 Bionic (4 nm)Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm)
CPUHexa-coreOcta-core (1×3.36 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2×2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 &
2×2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3×2.0 GHz Cortex-A510)
GPUApple GPU (5-core graphics)Adreno 740
MemoryRAM: 6GB
Storage: 128GB/256GB/512GB / 1TB
RAM: 8GB & Storage: 256GB
RAM: 12GB & Storage: 256GB/512GB/1TB
Memory typeNVMeUFS 4.0

Who’s Got More Features 

Featurewise, S23 Ultra is a little behind the iPhone 14 Pro Max. It is because Apple has introduced a Satellite Connectivity feature that allows a person to send an SOS message to emergency services if the cellular signals are not working. Cool right? Also, its GPS has QZSS which is absent in S23 Ultra. 

But, there is one area where Samsung is the clear winner. Samsung DeX, which allows swift mobile connection with the desktop (computer or laptop). If you want to play mobile games or run your mobile apps on your PC quickly without any interruption, Samsung S23 Ultra is the right choice. Also, how can we forget about the famous S Pen? It isn’t available on the iPhone.

NameiPhone 14 Pro MaxSamsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
SoundStereo speakersStereo speakers
ConnectivityWi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.3,
NFCGPS (L1+L5), GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS
Lightning USB 2.0
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.3,
NFCGPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO
USB Type-C 3.2, OTG
SensorsFace ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity,
compass, barometer
Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic),
accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer
Extra FeaturesUltra Wideband (UWB) support
Emergency SOS via satellite
(SMS sending/receiving)
Samsung DeX
Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support)
Bixby natural language commands and dictation
Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified)
Ultra Wideband (UWB) support
Multi-functional Stylus PenNoYes

Samsung S23 Ultra Vs iPhone 14 Pro Max: Battery Comparison

Battery timings of both smartphones are nearly the same. The difference is in their charging speed where S23 Utra is the clear winner in wired charging speed whereas iPhone is the winner in wireless charging speed. 

NameiPhone 14 Pro MaxSamsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Battery Video playback (streamed): Up to 25 hrs
Audio playback: Up to 95 hours
Li-Ion 5000 mAh
Up to 26 hours of video playback
ChargingFast charging, 50% in 30 min (advertised)
with USB Power Delivery 2.0
MagSafe wireless charging 15W
Qi magnetic fast wireless charging 7.5W
45W wired, PD3.0, 65% in 30 min (advertised)
10W wireless (Qi/PMA)
4.5W reverse wireless

Price Comparison

The price of the iPhone 14 is not confirmed in Pakistan after taxes and duties. Let’s find out their global prices here.

iPhone 14 Pro Max Price in PakistanSamsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Price in Pakistan
6GB RAM / 128GB Storage: $1099 (~Rs.292,000)No 128GB Storage Variant
6GB RAM / 256GB Storage: $1199 (~Rs.319,000)8GB RAM / 256GB Storage: $1,199 (~Rs.319,000)
6GB RAM / 512GB Storage: $1399 (~Rs.372,000)12GB RAM / 512GB Storage: $1380 (~Rs.367,000)
6GB RAM / 1TB Storage: $1599 (~Rs.425,000)12GB RAM / 1TB Storage: $1620 (~Rs.431,000)

*iPhone’s prices in Rupees are approximate and as per the current dollar rate.

You can buy the iPhone 14 Pro Max right now as it is available in Pakistan but you will have to wait for the launch of the Samsung S23 Ultra here. Until then, you can buy other Samsung phones for sale in Pakistan

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Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Vs iPhone 14 Pro Max: Highlights

Here are some notable differences between both devices.

iPhone 14 Pro MaxSamsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Better desktop experience
Periscopic camera (10 x optical zoom)
S-Pen
Satellite Connectivity (Emergency SOS)
Dynamic Island (shape shifting) punch hole camera cutout
Customizable but less than Samsung S23 UltraBetter customizability

Final Verdict

There is never a winner in the iPhone vs Samsung battle. It is because people who love the Apple ecosystem don’t turn to Samsung phones even if they offer more features. The same is the case with Samsung lovers who will find it difficult to use the iPhone if they don’t have other Apple Products.

iPhone 14 Pro Max is no doubt a great smartphone in terms of performance, design, and camera (the primary one). It also got some new features like Satellite Connectivity and Dynamic Island (shape shifting) punch hole camera cutout that is pretty appealing for iPhone lovers. 

On the other hand, Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra comes with a 200 MP primary camera and has an additional camera (periscopic with 10x zoom). It also got an S-pen, better multi-window experience, customizability, and connectivity with desktops and other devices (except Apple products). S23 Ultra also has a better-performing GPU.

Samsung S23 Ultra Vs iPhone 14 Pro Max. Which one will you pick? Tell us in the comment section below.

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Photos Credits: samsung.com, apple.com

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