Samsung Galaxy S23 vs Apple iPhone SE (2020)

85 out of 100

58 out of 100

Apple iPhone SE (2020)

Here we compared two smartphones: the 6.1-inch Samsung Galaxy S23 (with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy) that was released on February 1, 2023, against the Apple iPhone SE (2020), which is powered by Apple A13 Bionic and came out 34 months before. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the devices.

Differences
Review
Specs
Benchmarks
Battery life
Camera
Comments

Key differences

An overview of the main advantages of each smartphone

Reasons to consider the Samsung Galaxy S23

Comes with 2079 mAh larger battery capacity: 3900 vs 1821 mAh
Thinner bezels – 22.7% more screen real estate
The rear camera has a 3x optical zoom
Has 2.7x more RAM: 8GB versus 3GB
Higher display refresh rate – 120 Hz
Has a 1.4 inches larger screen size
2x better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (1362K versus 665K)
Shows 44% longer battery life (34:29 vs 23:55 hours)
Better camera quality (According to DxOMark rating)
Delivers 82% higher peak brightness (1209 against 663 nits)
Modern USB Type-C port
Newer Bluetooth version (v5.3)
Waterproof body (IP68 classification)

Reasons to consider the Apple iPhone SE (2020)

Apple releases software updates and supports their phones a few years longer than Samsung
Weighs 20 grams less

Review

Evaluation of Samsung Galaxy S23 and Apple iPhone SE (2020) crucial features

Display

Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness

Type	Dynamic AMOLED	IPS LCD
Size	6.1 inches	4.7 inches
Resolution	1080 x 2340 pixels	750 x 1334 pixels
Aspect ratio	19.5:9	16:9
PPI	425 ppi	326 ppi
Refresh rate	120 Hz	60 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate	Yes	No
Max rated brightness	800 nits	625 nits
Max rated brightness in HDR	1750 nits	-
HDR support	Yes, HDR10+	Yes, Dolby Vision
Screen protection	Gorilla Glass Victus 2	Tempered glass
Screen-to-body ratio	88.1%	65.4%
Display features	- DCI-P3 - Always-On Display	- DCI-P3

RGB color space	98.9%	99.9%
PWM	240 Hz	Not detected
Response time	1 ms	29 ms
Contrast	∞ Infinity	2457:1

Height	146.3 mm (5.76 inches)	138.4 mm (5.45 inches)
Width	70.9 mm (2.79 inches)	67.3 mm (2.65 inches)
Thickness	7.6 mm (0.3 inches)	7.3 mm (0.29 inches)
Weight	168 g (5.93 oz)	148 g (5.22 oz)
Waterproof	IP68	IP67
Advanced cooling	Vapor chamber	-
Rear material	Glass	Glass
Frame material	Metal	Metal
Colors	White, Black, Gray, Green, Purple, Yellow	White, Black, Red
Fingerprint scanner	Yes, in-display	Yes, in-button

Chipset	Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy	Apple A13 Bionic
Max clock	3360 MHz	2650 MHz
CPU cores	8 (1 + 2 + 2 + 3)	6 (2 + 4)
Architecture	- 3 cores at 2 GHz: Cortex-A510 - 2 cores at 2.8 GHz: Cortex-A710 - 2 cores at 2.8 GHz: Cortex-A715 - 1 core at 3.2 GHz: Cortex-X3	- 4 cores at 1.6 GHz: Thunder - 2 cores at 2.65 GHz: Lightning
L3 cache	8 MB	-
Lithography process	4 nanometers	7 nanometers
Graphics	Adreno 740	Apple A13 GPU
GPU shading units	2560	256
GPU clock	719 MHz	1230 MHz
FLOPS	~3481.6 GFLOPS	~629.8 GFLOPS

CPU	366724	129399
GPU	551228	223288
Memory	192220	107740
UX	247673	204233
Total score	1362358	665085

Max surface temperature	34.3 °C	44.3 °C
Stability	60%	68%
Graphics test	72 FPS	41 FPS
Graphics score	12033	6878

Web score	13647	-
Video editing	7797	-
Photo editing	34238	-
Data manipulation	12529	-
Writing score	19579	-

Storage size	128, 256, 512 GB	64, 128, 256 GB
Storage type	UFS 4.0	NVMe
Memory card	No	No

Operating system	Android 13	iOS 13 (Can be upgraded to iOS 17)
ROM	One UI 5.1	-
OS size	29.7 GB	8.4 GB

Capacity	3900 mAh	1821 mAh
Max charge power	25 W	18 W
Battery type	Li-Po	Li-Ion
Replaceable	No	No
Wireless charging	Yes (10 W)	Yes, Qi (7.5 W)
Reverse charging	Yes, (wireless)	No
Fast charging	Yes (57% in 30 min)	Yes (55% in 60 min)
Full charging time	1:16 hr	2:32 hr

RAM
RAM size	8 GB	3 GB
Memory type	LPDDR5X	LPDDR4X
Channels	4	2

Battery life tests
Web browsing	12:15 hr	09:36 hr
Watching video	15:00 hr	07:32 hr
Gaming	05:56 hr	03:06 hr
Standby	111 hr	86 hr

Main camera
Matrix	50 megapixels	12 megapixels
Image resolution	8160 x 6120	4032 x 3024
Zoom	Optical, 3x	Digital
Flash	LED	Quad LED
Stabilization	Optical	Optical
8K video recording	Up to 30FPS	No
4K video recording	Up to 60FPS	Up to 60FPS
1080p video recording	Up to 60FPS	Up to 60FPS
Slow motion	960 FPS (1080p)	240 FPS (1080p)
Angle of widest lens	120°	-
Lenses	3 (50 MP + 10 MP + 12 MP)	1 (12 MP)
Wide (main) lens	- 50 MP - Aperture: f/1.8 - Focal length: 23 mm - Pixel size: 1 micron - Sensor: 1/1.57", Samsung S5KGN3 (ISOCELL Plus CMOS) - Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) - Optical stabilization	- 12 MP - Aperture: f/1.8 - Focal length: 28 mm - Pixel size: 1.22 micron - Sensor: 1/3", Apple iSight Camera (CMOS) - Phase autofocus - Optical stabilization
Telephoto lens	- 10 MP - Aperture: f/2.4 - Focal length: 70 mm - Pixel size: 1 micron - Sensor: 1/3.94", Samsung S5K3K1 (Exmor-RS CMOS) - Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) - Optical stabilization	-
Ultra-wide lens	- 12 MP - Aperture: f/2.2 - Focal length: 13 mm - Pixel size: 1.4 micron - Sensor: 1/2.55", Sony IMX564 (Exmor-RS CMOS) - Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)	-
Camera features	- Bokeh mode - Pro mode - RAW support	- Bokeh mode
Samples	Photo samples of Samsung Galaxy S23 from DxOMark	Photo samples of Apple iPhone SE (2020) from DxOMark

Selfie camera
Megapixels	12 megapixels	7 megapixels
Image resolution	4000 x 3000	3088 x 2320
Aperture	f/2.2	f/2.2
Focal length	26 mm	32 mm
Pixel size	1.12 microns	1 microns
Sensor type	ISOCELL CMOS	CMOS
Sensor size	1/3.24"	-
Video resolution	2160p (4K) at 60 FPS	1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS

Wi-Fi standard	Wi-Fi 6E (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)	Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 b/g/n/ac/ax)
Wi-Fi features	- Dual Band - Wi-Fi MiMO - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display	- Dual Band - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version	5.3	5
Bluetooth features	LE	LE, A2DP
USB type	USB Type-C	No
USB version	3.2	2
USB features	- Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG	- Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG
GPS	GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS	GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo
NFC *	Yes	Yes
Infrared port	No	No

Number of SIM *	2	1
Type of SIM card	Nano	Nano
Multi SIM mode	Standby	Standby
eSIM support *	Yes	Yes
Hybrid slot	No	No
LTE Cat *	20	16
5G support	Yes	No

Speakers	Stereo	Stereo
Headphone audio jack	No	No
FM radio	No	No
Dolby Atmos	Yes	Yes

Category	Flagship	Mid-range
Announced	February 2023	April 2020
Release date	February 2023	April 2020
SAR (head)	0.96 W/kg	0.98 W/kg
SAR (body)	1.3 W/kg	0.99 W/kg
Sensors	- Hall-effect sensor - Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint	- Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint
Bundled charger	Not included	Yes, 5 W

Samsung Galaxy S23 vs Apple iPhone SE (2020)

Samsung Galaxy S23 vs Apple iPhone SE (2020)

Key differences

Review

Value for money

Tests and specifications

Display

Design and build

Performance

Benchmarks

Memory

Software

Battery

Camera

DxOMark camera tests

Connectivity

Sound

Other

Conclusion