Apple has finally released its new iPhone. Many of you are looking for a comparison of the iPhone 15 Pro Max vs. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. Undoubtedly, the most advanced iPhone up to 2023 is the iPhone 15 Pro Max. But Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is also the best Android phone in the market with excellent features. There are many small and big differences that we are going to uncover in this blog.
There’s a good reason to compare the iPhone 15 Pro Max vs the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. You can compare special features, prices, and performance and decide which is better. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is the How to Fix the Camera Issue on Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: The Ultimate Fixing And Repair Step-by-Step Guide best camera phone you can buy, with a great display, amazing hardware, and a Samsung-customized user interface. Meanwhile, the iPhone 15 Pro Max has a more light titanium build, a telephoto lens, and a USB-C port.
Read the full iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra comparison for more interesting details about these two top phones in 2023.
iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Galaxy S23 Ultra differences
Over 1 million people worldwide watched Apple’s event on September 12, 2023, where they released the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra was released on February 17, 2023, earlier this year. 5X optical zoom is, so far, the best iPhone feature. However, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra has 10X optical zoom. Here is a table that shows a full comparison of all the features of these two best smartphones of 2023.
Features | iPhone 15 Pro Max | Galaxy S23 Ultra |
---|---|---|
Battery | 4,422mAh | 5,000mAh |
Charging Speeds | 20W | 45W |
Camera Sensors | 48MP | 200MP |
Optical Zoom | 5.0X | 10X |
Scanner | Face ID | In-screen fingerprint |
Display | 6.7-inch | 6.8-inch |
Processor | 3nm Apple A17 Pro | 4nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 |
Thickness | 8.25 mm | 8.9 mm |
Weight | 221 g | 234 g |
CPU Cores | Hexa Core | Octa Core |
CPU Clock Speed | 3.78 GHz | 3.36 GHz |
Display Resolution | 1290 x 2796 pixels | 1440 x 3088 pixels |
RAM | 8 GB | 12 GB |
Dimensions | 76.7 x 159.9 x 8.25 mm | 78.1 x 163.4 x 8.9 mm |
IP Rating | IP68 | IP68 |
Price | $1,199 | Starting at $1,200 |
Colors | White Titanium, Black Titanium, Natural Titanium, Blue Titanium | Phantom Black, Cream, Lavender, Lime, Sky Blue, Graphite, Red, Green, BMW M Edition |
Extra Features | Titanium Frame, Ray Tracing, Action Button, New 16‑core Neural Engine, Voice Isolation, Ultra Wideband Chip, Satellite Services, Emergency SOS, Road roadside assistance, Crash Detection footnote, Supports Dolby Atmos, Spatial Audio playback. | S Pen stylus support, Reverse Charging, Stereo Speakers, Tuned by AKG, 32-bit/384kHz Audio, Samsung DeX, Ultra Wideband (UWB) Support, Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard Certified) |
So you can see that the iPhone 15 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra are giving each other tough competition regarding features, display, and other features. But there is no doubt that Samsung and iPhone provide the best smartphones. So if you want to choose the greatest and latest smartphone, choose between these two phones. You can read an in-depth detail below about the differences and choose which smartphone is best for you.
iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Galaxy S23 Ultra: Design and Size
One of the biggest differences between the iPhone 15 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is its design and size. The iPhone 15 Pro Max has a smaller screen than the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra; therefore, it is narrower and shorter. The weight of the new iPhone is 13 grams less than that of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. This difference in weight is because Apple has shifted from solid steel to titanium.
You can also see that the iPhone 15 Pro Max has an Action button replacing the physical mute switch. This switch also allows for the customization of new actions. This feature resembles the Apple Watch Ultra.
Apple has now adopted USB Type-C in the iPhone 15 Pro Max. This means you can use this connector for charging and transferring files. But you must use an Apple cable if you want the highest data transfer speeds. This is a nice upgrade that many of you are going to enjoy.
The design of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is similar to its previous model, the Galaxy S22 Ultra. It is bigger than the iPhone 15 Pro Max, so that you can enjoy a bigger screen. If you like note-taking and drawing, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is the best smartphone because it has an inbuilt S-Pen.
Apple has introduced four color choices for the iPhone 15 Pro Max, and these colors, including Natural Titanium, White Titanium, Blue Titanium, and Black Titanium, are unique and beautiful. However, Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra has many more colors to choose from. You can choose from any of these colors: Phantom Black, Cream, Lavender, Lime, Sky Blue, Graphite, Red, Green, or BMW M Edition.
Display Differences
Another difference between the iPhone 15 Pro Max and the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is the display. Both smartphones offer big-screen OLED displays. The iPhone 15 Pro Max has a 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR display and a 2796×1290 resolution panel. It makes the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s display brighter and less dense than the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra offers a bigger display, which is 6.8 inches. Its display also has an AMOLED panel. The edges of this Android phone are more curved, which gives it a modern look. The display of Galaxy S23 Ultra is sharper than the iPhone 15 Pro Max as it has 1440×3088 resolution and 500 pixel density per inch. But it is still less bright than the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Other display differences between iPhone 15 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra are as follows:
Display Features | iPhone 15 Pro Max | Galaxy S23 Ultra |
---|---|---|
Size | 6.7 inches, 120 Hz, 1290 x 2796 pixels | 6.8 inches, 120 Hz, 1440 x 3088 pixels |
Type | Color Super Retina XDR OLED (1B Colors) | Color Dynamic AMOLED 2X (1B Color) |
Touch | Yes | Yes |
Aspect Ratio | 19.5:9 | 20:9 |
Screen-to-Body Ratio | ~ 89.75% | ~ 89.5% |
PPI | ~ 460 PPI | ~ 501 PPI |
Notch | Yes, Dynamic Island | Yes, Punch Hole |
Features | HDR Display, Haptic Touch, True Tone, 1000 nits max brightness (typical); 1600 nits peak brightness (HDR); 2000 nits peak brightness (outdoor), 20,00,000:1 Contrast Ratio, ProMotion technology | Always-on Display, HDR10+, Curved Display, 1750 nits (peak) Brightness |
Software and Performance
Although we have not tried and tested the iPhone 15 Pro Max software and performance, we hope that it will perform better than the Galaxy S23 Ultra. The iPhone 15 Pro Max has a new A17 Pro chip. Moreover, the operating system of the iPhone 15 Pro Max is iOS 17, which is more advanced than the previous iPhone models. It offers a complete balance between customization and security.
Unlike Samsung’s One UI, iOS generally offers you less room for customization, but at the same time, it provides greater security. Now, choosing iOS or Samsung’s One UI is up to your preferences. The iPhone 15 Pro Max comes with iOS 17 and will get major software and security updates until 2028 (at least five years). The Galaxy S23 Ultra will receive software support until 2027 and security updates until 2028 (four more years). It means for several years, your smartphones remain up-to-date, secure, and compatible with the latest features and applications.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra has a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip. You can get it with either 8GB or 12GB of memory, which makes it more than enough for Android. While it currently has One UI 5, you will be excited to know that an upgrade to One UI 6 will soon launch. Now, there is a beta testing going on. Try it early if you want to.
The features like split-screen view, multitasking, fully-fledged DeX desktop-like solution, and S Pen stylus’s usability boon make Galaxy S23 Ultra more productive than the iPhone 15 Pro Max. You will be able to do more things on your Galaxy S23 Ultra.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max offers 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage options at higher prices than the previous model. Similarly, the Galaxy S23 Ultra also comes with 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB storage and great storage in every model.
Camera
The iPhone 15 Pro Max has a new telephoto camera, but the other camera system is similar to the previous model of the iPhone. The iPhone 15 Pro Max has a 12MP telephoto camera with improved zoom, a 48MP main camera, and a 12MP ultra-wide camera. The front camera has the same 12MP, but you will see new photography features are added. You will get an upgraded telephoto camera that has improved zoom capabilities. As a result, you will get better-quality photos.
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra has a more impressive camera system. It has a 200MP main camera with great low-light performance and a 10x optical zoom that helps you capture closer subjects. It also has a standard 10MP telephoto, a 10MP periscope telephoto lens, and a 12MP ultra-wide camera. This is one of the best smartphones known for its excellent zoom capabilities. You can take clear pictures from a distance and even record 8K videos. It is, so far, the best smartphone for videographers.
Other camera differences between iPhone 15 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra are as follows:
Camera Features | iPhone 15 Pro Max | Galaxy S23 Ultra |
---|---|---|
Front Camera | 12 MP f/1.9 (Ultra Wide) with Retina Flash | Punch Hole 12 MP 26mm, Dual Pixel PDAF f/2.2 (Wide Angle) with Screen Flash |
Rear Camera | 48 MP f/1.78 (Main) 12 MP 120 mm, 12 MP f/2.2 (Ultra Wide) tetra prism design f/2.8 (5x Telephoto) with autofocus |
200 MP 24mm, 0.6µm, Laser AF f/1.7 (Wide Angle) 10 MP 230mm, 1/3.52″, 1.12µm,10x optical zoom f/4.9 (Telephoto) 10 MP 70mm, 1/3.52″, 3x optical zoom f/2.4 (Telephoto) 12 MP 13mm, 120˚, 1/2.55″, 1.4µm, Super Steady video f/2.2 (Ultra Wide) with autofocus |
Flash | Yes, LED | Yes, LED |
Video Recording | 4K @ 24/25/30/60 fps UHD, 1080p | 8K @ 24/30 fps UHD, 4K @ 30/60 fps UHD, 1080p @ 240/30/60 fps FHD, 720p @ 960 fps HD |
Front Video Recording | 4K | 4K @ 30 fps UHD, 1080p @ 30 fps FHD |
Features | Photonic Engine, Smart HDR 5, Deep Fusion, Next-generation portraits with Focus and Depth Control, Night mode, Portrait Lighting with six effects, Night mode portraits enabled by LiDAR Scanner, panorama, Macro photography Apple ProRAW, Photographic Styles, Wide color capture for photos and, Live Photos, Advanced red-eye correction, Lens correction (Ultra Wide), Auto image stabilization, Burst mode, Photo geotagging, Burst mode, 12MP 2x Telephoto (enabled by a quad‑pixel sensor): 48 mm, ƒ/1.78 aperture, 10x optical zoom range |
AR Zone, Director’s View, Bixby Vision, Food, Night, Hyperlapse, Panorama, Portrait, Photo, Video Feature: Portrait Video, Pro, Pro Video, Slow Motion, Single Take, Super Slow-Mo, Video |
Battery Life and Charging
When it comes to battery, there is no big difference between the iPhone 15 Pro Max and the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. The iPhone 15 Pro Max has a 4,422mAh battery. It is about the same as the previous model of the iPhone. This means it should last a full day if you use it normally. However, your new iPhone 15 Pro Max’s battery will end faster if you play games or use apps a lot.
Now, the Galaxy S23 Ultra has a bigger 5,000mAh battery. However, it lasted less than the iPhone 14 Pro Max in tests. So, the iPhone 15 Pro Max has a similar or even better battery life. Both phones will last during the day, but the iPhone 15 Pro Max has better battery performance. It is good news for everyone who wants a long battery life for various activities.
Another advantage of Galaxy S23 Ultra is that it provides faster wired charging. It also offers the ability to charge other devices wirelessly. The iPhone 15 Pro Max has 20W wired charging, whereas the Galaxy S23 Ultra can provide 45W wired charging. These top smartphones have 15W wireless charging, but the Galaxy S23 Ultra also has reverse wireless charging, which the iPhone 15 Pro Max does not have.
Other battery and charging differences between the iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra are given in the table below:
Battery and Charging Features | iPhone 15 Pro Max | Galaxy S23 Ultra |
---|---|---|
Battery Size | Li-ion Battery | 5000 mAh, Li-Po Battery |
Type | Non-Removable Battery | Non-Removable Battery |
Fast Charging | Yes | Yes, 45W Fast Charging |
Music Playback Time | 95 Hours | 75 Hours |
Wireless Charging | Yes, 15W | Yes, 15W |
Reverse Charging | No | Yes |
Reverse Wireless Charging | No | Yes, 4.5W |
Conclusion
The iPhone 15 Pro Max is a major upgrade for Apple. There are a lot of improvements that we see, like the camera, performance, battery, and design. However, there is a slight increase in the prices starting at $1,199. But still, with all the features, it is a great value for a large iPhone.
On the other hand, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is the best Android phone right now. It offers a great balance of features, hardware, camera options, and overall value. It starts at a $1,200 price point. But you can often find deals and other offers to get it for less.
We hope you have valuable information on the iPhone 15 Pro Max vs. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. You can choose from the iPhone 15 Pro Max and Galaxy S23 Ultra, as both offer excellent value.