Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
A spec-by-spec comparison of the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max and the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
VS
Head to head
| Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Our rating | 9/10 | 9/10 |
| Battery | 4,323 mAh | 5,000 mAh |
| Wired charging | 15W | 45W |
| RAM (max) | — | 12 GB |
| Storage (max) | 512 GB | 512 GB |
| Screen size | 6.7 in | 6.8 in |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Main camera | 48 MP | 200 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | 240 g | 234 g |
| Released | Sep 2022 | Feb 2023 |
Summary: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is ahead on battery, wired charging, screen size, main camera.
★ Which should you buy? Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is the stronger overall pick on the measured specs.
Display
| Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED, 120Hz, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 1000 nits (typ), 2000 nits (HBM) | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1750 nits (peak) |
| Size | 6.7 inches | 6.8 inches |
| Resolution | 1290 x 2796 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~460 ppi density) | 1440 x 3088 pixels |
| Protection | Ceramic Shield glass | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 |
| Features | Dynamic Island, Always-On display, ProMotion technology with adaptive refresh rates up to 120Hz, HDR display, True Tone, Wide color (P3), Haptic Touch | Always-on display, adaptive refresh rate (1Hz-120Hz) |
Platform
| Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| OS | iOS 16, upgradable to iOS 26.6.1 (as of current time) | Android 13, One UI 5.1 (upgradable to newer Android versions) |
| Chipset | Apple A16 Bionic (4 nm) | Qualcomm SM8550-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy (4 nm) |
| CPU | Hexa-core (2x3.46 GHz Everest + 4x2.02 GHz Sawtooth) | Octa-core (1x3.36 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3x2.0 GHz Cortex-A510) |
| GPU | Apple GPU (5-core graphics) | Adreno 740 |
Memory
| Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Internal | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB NVMe | 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 12GB RAM |
| RAM | 6GB LPDDR5 | — |
| Card slot | No | No |
| Type | — | UFS 4.0 |
Main Camera
| Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Modules | Triple camera system with LiDAR scanner | — |
| Wide | 48 MP, f/1.8, 24mm, 1/1.28", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS (second-generation) | — |
| Telephoto | 12 MP, f/2.8, 77mm, 1/3.5", PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom | — |
| Ultrawide | 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚, 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF | — |
| Depth | TOF 3D LiDAR scanner | — |
| Features | Sapphire crystal lens cover, Adaptive True Tone flash, Photonic Engine, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 4, Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control, Portrait Lighting (six effects), Night mode, ProRAW | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama, Expert RAW |
| Video | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps, 10-bit HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), ProRes, Cinematic mode (4K@24/30fps), stereo sound rec, Action mode (2.8K) | 8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS |
| Quad | — | 200 MP, f/1.7, 24mm (wide), 1/1.3", 0.6µm, multi-directional PDAF, OIS; 10 MP, f/2.4, 70mm (telephoto), 1/3.52", 1.12µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom; 10 MP, f/4.9, 230mm (periscope telephoto), 1/3.52", 1.12µm, PDAF, OIS, 10x optical zoom; 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, Super Steady video |
Selfie Camera
| Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Modules | Dual camera system | — |
| Wide | 12 MP, f/1.9, 23mm, 1/3.6", PDAF, OIS | — |
| Depth | SL 3D (depth/biometrics) | — |
| Features | HDR, Cinematic mode | Dual video call, Auto-HDR, HDR10+ |
| Video | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps |
| Single | — | 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), Dual Pixel PDAF |
Battery
| Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Li-Ion 4323 mAh, non-removable | Li-Ion 5000 mAh, non-removable |
| Charging | Fast charging, USB Power Delivery 2.0, MagSafe fast wireless charging 15W, Qi wireless charging 7.5W | 45W wired (PD3.0, 65% in 30 min advertised), 15W wireless (Qi/PMA), 4.5W reverse wireless |
Body
| Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 160.7 x 77.6 x 7.85 mm (6.33 x 3.05 x 0.31 in) | 163.4 x 78.1 x 8.9 mm |
| Weight | 240 g (8.47 oz) | 234 g |
| Build | Glass front (Corning-made glass), glass back (Corning-made glass), stainless steel frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame |
| SIM | Dual SIM (Nano-SIM and eSIM) or Dual eSIM (US models) | Dual SIM (Nano-SIM and/or eSIM) |
| Water & Dust Resistance | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 6m for 30 mins) | — |
| Other | — | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 mins), Stylus (Bluetooth integration, accelerometer, gyro) |
Comms
| Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Bluetooth | 5.3, A2DP, LE | 5.3, A2DP, LE |
| GPS | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS | — |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | Lightning, USB 2.0 | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG |
| Positioning | — | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
Launch
| Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | September 7, 2022 | February 1, 2023 |
| Status | Available. Released September 16, 2022. | Available |
Frequently asked questions
Which has the better battery, Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max or Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra?
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra — 4,323 mAh for the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max versus 5,000 mAh for the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Which is lighter, Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max or Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra?
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra — 240 g for the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max versus 234 g for the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Which is newer, Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max or Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra?
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra — Sep 2022 for the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max versus Feb 2023 for the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Is the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max or the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra rated higher?
We rate the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max 9/10 and the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra 9/10.