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 Max | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra |
| Satellite connectivity | UFS 4.0 fast storage type |
| 48MP camera | 200MP camera |
| A16 chip | Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip & Adreno 740 GPU |
| Always on Display | Android 13 & One UI 5.1 |
| Dynamic Island feature | Better 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.
| Specifications | iPhone 14 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra |
| Dimensions | 160.7 x 77.6 x 7.85 mm | 163.4 x 78.1 x 8.9 mm |
| Weight | 240g | 234 g |
| Build & Protection | Gorilla Glass (front & back) Stainless Steel Frame | Front & Back Glass (Gorilla Glass Victus 2) Aluminum frame |
| Colors | Space Black, Silver, Gold, Deep Purple | Phantom Black, Green, Cream, Lavender |
| Display Size | 6.7 inches | 6.8 inches |
| Resolution | 1290 x 2796(~460 ppi density) | 1440 x 3088 pixels ~501 ppi density |
| Display type | LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED, 120Hz, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 2000 nits (HBM) | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1750 nits (peak) |
| Display Features | Dynamic 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.
| Specifications | iPhone 14 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra |
| Rear cameras | 3 | 4 |
| 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 video | 4K@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 features | Sensor-shift OIS10-bit HDR, Dolby Vision HDR Cinematic mode LED flash (adaptive) | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama, multi-directional PDAF & Laser AF |
| Selfie / front camera | 12 MP, f/1.9, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6″Depth / biometrics sensor, SL 3D | 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide) |
| Selfie / front camera video | 4K@24/25/30/60fps 1080p@25/30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps, Dual video call |
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.
| Specifications | iPhone 14 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra |
| OS | iOS 16 | Android 13, One UI 5.1 |
| Chipset | Apple A16 Bionic (4 nm) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm) |
| CPU | Hexa-core | Octa-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) |
| GPU | Apple GPU (5-core graphics) | Adreno 740 |
| Memory | RAM: 6GB Storage: 128GB/256GB/512GB / 1TB | RAM: 8GB & Storage: 256GB RAM: 12GB & Storage: 256GB/512GB/1TB |
| Memory type | NVMe | UFS 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.
| Name | iPhone 14 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra |
| Sound | Stereo speakers | Stereo speakers |
| Connectivity | Wi-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 |
| Sensors | Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer | Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| Extra Features | Ultra 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 Pen | No | Yes |
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.
| Name | iPhone 14 Pro Max | Samsung 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 |
| Charging | Fast 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 Pakistan | Samsung 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 Max | Samsung 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 Ultra | Better 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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