Samsung Galaxy S23 vs Apple iPhone XS Max

85 out of 100

59 out of 100

Here we compared two flagship 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 XS Max, which is powered by Apple A12 Bionic and came out 53 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

Higher display refresh rate – 120 Hz
2x better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (1362K versus 665K)
Shows 36% longer battery life (34:29 vs 25:23 hours)
Better camera quality (According to DxOMark rating)
Has 2x more RAM: 8GB versus 4GB
Delivers 82% higher peak brightness (1209 against 663 nits)
Comes with 726 mAh larger battery capacity: 3900 vs 3174 mAh
Modern USB Type-C port
Newer Bluetooth version (v5.3)
The rear camera has a 3x optical zoom
The phone is 4-years and 5-months newer
Fingerprint scanner
Slow-motion recording at 960FPS

Reasons to consider the Apple iPhone XS Max

Has a 0.4 inch larger screen size
Apple releases software updates and supports their phones a few years longer than Samsung

Review

Evaluation of Samsung Galaxy S23 and Apple iPhone XS Max crucial features

Display

Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness

Type	Dynamic AMOLED	OLED
Size	6.1 inches	6.5 inches
Resolution	1080 x 2340 pixels	1242 x 2688 pixels
Aspect ratio	19.5:9	19.4:9
PPI	425 ppi	456 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%	85.41%
Display features	- DCI-P3 - Always-On Display	- DCI-P3

RGB color space	98.9%	98.8%
PWM	240 Hz	240 Hz
Response time	1 ms	11.2 ms
Contrast	∞ Infinity	∞ Infinity

Height	146.3 mm (5.76 inches)	157.5 mm (6.2 inches)
Width	70.9 mm (2.79 inches)	77.4 mm (3.05 inches)
Thickness	7.6 mm (0.3 inches)	7.7 mm (0.3 inches)
Weight	168 g (5.93 oz)	208 g (7.34 oz)
Waterproof	IP68	IP68
Advanced cooling	Vapor chamber	-
Rear material	Glass	Glass
Frame material	Metal	Metal
Colors	White, Black, Gray, Green, Purple, Yellow	Silver, Gold, Gray
Fingerprint scanner	Yes, in-display	No

Chipset	Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy	Apple A12 Bionic
Max clock	3360 MHz	2490 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: Tempest - 2 cores at 2.49 GHz: Vortex
L3 cache	8 MB	-
Lithography process	4 nanometers	7 nanometers
Graphics	Adreno 740	Apple A12 GPU
GPU shading units	2560	256
GPU clock	719 MHz	1100 MHz
FLOPS	~3481.6 GFLOPS	~576 GFLOPS

CPU	366724	167833
GPU	551228	157230
Memory	192220	121395
UX	247673	215799
Total score	1362358	665855

Max surface temperature	34.3 °C	45.2 °C
Stability	60%	66%
Graphics test	72 FPS	34 FPS
Graphics score	12033	5704

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

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

Operating system	Android 13	iOS 12 (Can be upgraded to iOS 17)
ROM	One UI 5.1	-
OS size	29.7 GB	16 GB

Capacity	3900 mAh	3174 mAh
Max charge power	25 W	18 W
Battery type	Li-Po	Li-Ion
Replaceable	No	No
Wireless charging	Yes (10 W)	Yes, Qi (10 W)
Reverse charging	Yes, (wireless)	No
Fast charging	Yes (57% in 30 min)	Yes (50% in 30 min)
Full charging time	1:16 hr	03:29 hr

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

Battery life tests
Web browsing	12:15 hr	09:13 hr
Watching video	15:00 hr	10:50 hr
Gaming	05:56 hr	04:38 hr
Standby	111 hr	80 hr

Main camera
Matrix	50 megapixels	12 megapixels
Image resolution	8160 x 6120	4032 x 3024
Zoom	Optical, 3x	Optical, 2x
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)	2 (12 MP + 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: 1.4 micron - Sensor: 1/2.5", Apple iSight X (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	- 12 MP - Aperture: f/2.4 - Focal length: 52 mm - Pixel size: 1 micron - Sensor: 1/3.4" (CMOS) - Phase autofocus - 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 - Pro mode - RAW support
Samples	Photo samples of Samsung Galaxy S23 from DxOMark	Photo samples of Apple iPhone XS Max from DxOMark

Selfie camera
Megapixels	12 megapixels	7 megapixels
Image resolution	4000 x 3000	3088 x 2316
Aperture	f/2.2	f/2.2
Focal length	26 mm	32 mm
Pixel size	1.12 microns	-
Sensor type	ISOCELL CMOS	BSI CMOS
Sensor size	1/3.24"	-
Video resolution	2160p (4K) at 60 FPS	1080p (Full HD) at 60 FPS

Wi-Fi standard	Wi-Fi 6E (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)	Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac)
Wi-Fi features	- Dual Band - Wi-Fi MiMO - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display	- Dual Band - Wi-Fi MiMO - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version	5.3	5
Bluetooth features	LE	SPP, PBAP/PAB, PAN, OPP, MAP, LE, HSP, HFP, HDP, GAP, GAVDP, DIP, AVRCP, 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, Galileo
NFC *	Yes	Yes
Infrared port	No	No

Number of SIM *	2	1
Type of SIM card	Nano	Nano
Multi SIM mode	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	Flagship
Announced	February 2023	September 2018
Release date	February 2023	September 2018
SAR (head)	0.96 W/kg	0.99 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 - Face recognition sensor
Bundled charger	Not included	-

Samsung Galaxy S23 vs Apple iPhone XS Max

Samsung Galaxy S23 vs Apple iPhone XS Max

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