Which big-screen flagship is best?

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  Source: Apple

  Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max

  Apple finally brings 5x optical zoom to the iPhone 15 Pro Max with this upgrade, but it’s still not as advanced as the Galaxy S23 Ultra. But by choosing the iPhone 15 Pro Max, you get a customizable Action button, a titanium chassis, and a USB-C port. It also runs iOS 17, which is a plus for some people.

  Pros

  • New, lighter titanium build
  • 5x optical zoom via new telephoto lens
  • USB-C with USB 3.0 data speeds

  Cons

  • Optical zoom still isn’t on-par with Samsung
  • Base model costs $100 more (but starts at 256GB)
  • A17 Pro is like an overclocked A16 Bionic with better graphics

• 

  Source: Samsung 

  Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

  We still have a few months left with the Galaxy S23 Ultra atop the lineup as Samsung’s big-screen flagship. It’s got a powerful 200MP sensor and impressive zoom capabilities. Plus, you get a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chip with the latest One UI 5 software.

  Pros

  • 10x optical zoom with periscope telephoto lens
  • Improved Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset
  • Features inbuilt S-Pen for note-taking

  Cons

  • Display isn’t as bright as iPhone 15 Pro Max
  • Very large form factor can be cumbersome

Apple debuted its new iPhone 15 Pro Max at the company’s annual fall event, and the phone’s biggest feature is arguably the 5x optical zoom offered by a new telephoto lens. That instantly brings up a comparison to Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra, which features a flagship periscope lens with 10x optical zoom. Both smartphones are the best phones that Apple and Samsung have to offer, so if you’re looking for the latest and greatest, you might be choosing between these two devices. But they also have a lot of differences, from design and form factor to processor and operating system. To help you figure out which powerful smartphone is right for you, we’ve put the iPhone 15 Pro Max and the Galaxy S23 Ultra up against each other.

Price, specs & availability

Apple announced the new iPhone 15 Pro Max on Sept. 12, and the device started shipping Sept. 22. The base-model iPhone 15 Pro Max costs $100 more than last year’s Pro Max model, at $1,200, but it now comes with 256GB of storage by default. As such, the 256GB base-model iPhone 15 Pro Max costs the same as the equivalent 256GB iPhone 14 Pro Max. If you need more space, you can upgrade to either 512GB, or 1TB of storage at the time of purchase for an additional fee. It features a titanium build that can be configured in Natural, Blue, White, or Black colors. The iPhone 15 Pro Max can be purchased at Apple and third-party retailers, including major cellular carriers, which are offering up to $1,000 off via an eligible trade-in.

Samsung revealed the Galaxy S23 Ultra in February 2023, but it’s still the newest version of that model you can buy. The base model ships with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage, but you can upgrade to 12GB and 512GB or 12GB and 1TB for an additional fee. The smartphone starts at the same $1,200 starting price as the iPhone 15 Pro Max, but you can save with select deals and discounts. The Galaxy S23 Ultra comes in Phantom Black, Cream, Green, and Lavender colors, but if you order from Samsung, you can choose Lime, Graphite, Sky Blue, and Red as well.

• 	Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max	Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
  SoC	Apple A17 Pro	Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy
  Display	6.7-inch OLED Super Retina XDR	6.8-inch QHD+ Edge, Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display, Super Smooth 120Hz refresh rate (1-120Hz), 240Hz touch sampling rate in gaming mode
  Storage	256GB, 512GB, 1TB	256GB, 512GB, 1TB UFS 4.0
  Battery	4,422mAh	5,000mAh
  Operating System	iOS 17	Android 13 / One UI 5.1
  Connectivity	USB 3.0, 5G, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, Thread	5G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
  Dimensions	6.29 x 3.01 x 0.32 inches (159.9 x 76.7 x 8.25mm)	6.43 x 3.07 x 0.35 inches (163.3 x 77.9 x 8.89mm)
  Colors	Natural Titanium, Blue Titanium, White Titanium, Black Titanium	Cream, Green, Lavender, Phantom Black, Samsung exclusive colors (Lime, Graphite, Sky Blue, and Red)
  Camera	48MP f/1.78 main, 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide, & 12MP f/2.8 telephoto with 5x optical zoom; 12MP TrueDepth camera	200MP f/1.7 wide angle, 10MP f/2.4 2x zoom, 10MP f/4.9 10x zoom, 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide, 12MP f/2.2 front camera
  Weight	7.8 ounces (221g)	8.25 ounces (233.8g)
  IP Rating	IP68	IP68
  Price	$1,100	Starts at $1,200

Design

Aside from being the biggest slab smartphones sold by Apple and Samsung, the iPhone 15 Pro Max and the Galaxy S23 Ultra don’t have a lot in common in terms of design. The iPhone 15 Pro Max is shorter and narrower than the Galaxy S23 Ultra, and that’s because it has a slightly smaller screen. Apple smartphone is thinner as well by a difference of 0.65 millimeters, which won’t be that noticeable if you’re using a great case with the iPhone 15 Pro Max. What will matter is the smartphone’s weight, and Apple’s switch from solid steel to titanium helps the iPhone 15 Pro Max weigh about 13 grams less than the Galaxy S23 Ultra. You’ll also find the Action button on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which replaces the physical mute switch and can be customized to new actions.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is bigger than the iPhone 15 Pro Max by every quantifiable metric, but that might not be a bad thing. You get more due to the added space, like an inbuilt S-Pen that is perfect for drawing and note-taking. As far as build goes, the S23 Ultra features an aluminum build that isn’t as premium as the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s titanium build. However, it is worth noting that there is some aluminum on the inside of the iPhone 15 Pro Max chassis, but it isn’t visible from the outside. Both smartphones are rated for IP68 dust and water-resistant, but they are not fully waterproof.

Display

Although both smartphones feature a big-screen OLED display, there are a lot of differences between the iPhone 15 Pro Max and the Galaxy S23 Ultra. The iPhone 15 Pro Max features a 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR display, which makes use of OLED technology. It’s brighter than the S23 Ultra with a peak brightness rating of 2,000 nits. The panel has a 2796×1290 resolution with 460 pixels per inch, so the display is less dense than Samsung’s offering. Overall, the iPhone 15 Pro Max display looks great with HDR modes and P3 color gamut support, as we found with our hands-on time with the device.

With a modern iPhone, you’ll also find the Dynamic Island, which might be a compelling feature or a non-factor depending on your preferences. Instead of simply having a notch or a hole-punch camera cutout in the display, the iPhone 15 Pro Max uses that dead space to show relevant information. The Face ID sensors are housed in a small pill-shaped cutout, but there’s a second hole-punch cutout for the front-facing camera. The space in between those two sensors — although they appear as one unit — is part of the display panel. That means you can see things like status indicators and Live Activities on and around the Dynamic Island.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra has a bigger 6.8-inch display that features an AMOLED panel, and it has slightly-curved edges. The display is sharper than the iPhone 15 Pro Max, at least on paper, with a resolution of 1440×3088 and a pixel density of 500 pixels per inch. But it isn’t as bright, with a peak brightness rating of 1,750 nits. Both smartphones are capable of always-on displays, and use variable refresh rate technology to preserve power when using these modes. They’re also both capable of reaching 120Hz for increased fluidity during usage.

Performance and software

After testing the iPhone 15 Pro Max for ourselves, it’s clear the smartphone performs better than the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Apple debuted a new A17 Pro chip for the iPhone 15 Pro Max, and it’s essentially an overclocked version of the A16 Bionic system-on-a-chip that we saw last year with an additional graphics core. With the introduction of the A17 Pro, the chip’s single-core speeds match the M2 chips found on laptops and desktops. Since the chip is the first system-on-a-chip to be made with the 3nm process, there are efficiency gains here that no other chip will have.

For perspective, here’s how the iPhone 15 Pro Max compares to the iPhone 14 Pro Max and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, which is powered by the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 platform as the S23 Ultra. Be sure to check out our iPhone 15 Pro Max review for more in-depth performance analysis. Though benchmarks aren’t everything, the following Geekbench 6 CPU test shows just how powerful A17 Pro is compared to the competition

The Galaxy S23 Ultra is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy, a chip that isn’t as exclusive as we thought. However, it’s still a very capable chip that should handle anything you throw at it with ease. Since the S23 Ultra comes with either 8GB or 12GB or memory, it’s more than enough to handle Android. Samsung shipped the S23 Ultra with One UI 5, but the company’s 2023 lineup of smartphones should be getting the upgrade to One UI 6 soon. It’s currently in the beta testing stage, so those who are comfortable running pre-release software can try out One UI 6 on the S23 Ultra right now.

The iPhone 14 Pro Max ships with iOS 17 installed, which is the next operating system release for Apple’s mobile devices. This version is a pretty big improvement over iOS 16, and includes features like Contact Posters, NameDrop, and more. While Apple doesn’t give a guarantee when it comes to future OS support, we’ve come to expect five to six years of support from iPhones. Compared to Samsung’s One UI, iOS typically gives you less room for customization but more security. So, depending on which you value more, you might find iOS or One UI to be the better operating system. Personally, after trying iOS and all the best Android skins, I find Samsung’s One UI to be overly bloated compared to iOS and Pixel UI.

Battery life looks to be great on both the Galaxy S23 Ultra and the iPhone 15 Pro Max. The former sports a 5,000 mAh battery, while the latter features a 4,852 mAh battery. Though Apple didn’t mention it at the event, the iPhone 15 Pro Max has a bigger battery than the 4,323 mAh one found on the iPhone 14 Pro Max. With the increased efficiency set to come with the A17 Pro chip, the iPhone 15 Pro Max looks to improve on the battery woes of the iPhone 14 Pro series. After nearly a month of daily use, I have yet to kill the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s battery in a single day.

Cameras

The biggest change coming to the iPhone 15 Pro Max is the new telephoto camera, but aside from that, the camera system is unchanged from last year’s model. The main camera is a 48MP, f/1.78 sensor that has optical image stabilization and can take either 24MP or 48MP shots. The telephoto is a 12MP sensor that can either utilize an f/1.78 aperture or an f/2.8 aperture, depending on whether you’re shooting in 2x or 5x optical zoom, respectively. There’s also an ultra-wide camera as well, which is a 12MP, f/2.2 lens. Although the improvement to 5x optical zoom and 25x digital zoom is a big one, it still isn’t enough to beat the S23 Ultra.

Apple didn’t change the front-facing camera at all on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, so it’s still the familiar 12MP, f/1.9 sensor we’re used to. However, the company has worked up a few new computational photography improvements for both the front-facing and rear cameras. The iPhone 15 Pro Max now supports Smart HDR 5 and a new Portrait Mode feature that should result in better photos featuring Focus and Depth Control.

Samsung has perhaps the best camera system on any smartphone with the S23 Ultra, at least on paper. There are four cameras in total, and the main one is a 200MP sensor with an f.1.7 aperture featuring optical image stabilization. You get impressive 10x optical zoom thanks to a 10MP periscope telephoto lens with an f/4.9 sensor shooting at 230mm. You’ll also find a standard 10MP, f/2.4 telephoto and a 12MP, f/2.2 ultra-wide camera onboard.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra is known for its zoom capabilities, which have resulted in shots of the moon and viral concert videos. It also has other key offerings, like the ability to shoot 8K video. If you’re looking for the absolute best camera hardware in a smartphone, you’ll find it here. However, our reviewer found that the iPhone is superior in videography and produces overall great content. New this year is the ability to capture all kinds of raw data when shooting on the iPhone 15 Pro, so you can make changes to things like portrait mode and exposure in post.

To see for yourself which camera you prefer, check out our camera shootout between the Galaxy S23 Ultra and the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Here are a few examples of how the two camera systems compare. iPhone 15 Pro Max left, Galaxy S23 Ultra right.

Which is right for you?

Most people considering an upgrade to the iPhone 15 Pro Max either fall in two camps: they’re a current iPhone user looking for a new phone or an Android user wanting to make the switch. Either way, the iPhone 15 Pro Max won’t disappoint, even if it’s not the far-and-away winner on paper. This year’s model is lighter and packs key improvements, from USB-C to the Action button. So, if you’re looking to grab a new iPhone, this is the best one you can buy.

Source: Apple

Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max

Best Apple phone

The iPhone 15 Pro Max introduces an all-new, customizable Action button, a titanium chassis with round edges, and a USB Type-C port. It exclusively offers up to 5x optical zoom, too.

However, if you’re looking for an Android phone or need a specific feature, the S23 Ultra is a bona-fide flagship. There are things you can get on the Galaxy S23 Ultra that you can’t find on an iPhone, like an inbuilt S-Pen and 10x optical zoom. Even in the areas where Apple pushes ahead, Samsung is a more than capable alternative. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy is a great system-on-a-chip, and the 5,000mAh battery on the S23 Ultra will definitely last a full day. If the iPhone 15 Pro Max doesn’t check all of your boxes, the S23 Ultra might be the smartphone for you.

Source: Samsung 

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

Excellent camera system

The Galaxy S23 Ultra is one of the best phones on the market, packing an all-new 200MP sensor, a refined design, a custom Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset, and One UI 5.1.