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The all-new iPhones are here, and our comparisons continue. This time around, we’re bringing you a comparison between the Apple iPhone 15 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S23. Apple’s most powerful compact device goes against Samsung’s most powerful “small” phone. Both of these smartphones have 6.1-inch displays, but that’s basically pretty much it as far as similarities are concerned.
These two smartphones are considerably different phones. They differ in a lot of ways, ranging from the design and specs, to camera performance, and so on. Speaking of which, we’ll first compare their specifications, and will then move to compare the devices across a number of categories. Let’s get started, shall we?
Specs
Apple iPhone 15 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S23, respectively
– Screen size:
6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion (120Hz, HDR10, 2,000 nits)
6.1-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display (120Hz, HDR10+, 1,750 nits)
– Display resolution:
2796 x 1290
2340 x 1080
– SoC:
Apple A17 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
– RAM:
8GB
8GB (LPDDR5X)
– Storage:
128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB
128GB (UFS 3.1)/256GB/512GB (UFS 4.0)
– Rear cameras:
48MP (f/1.78 aperture, second-gen sensor-shift OIS), 12MP (ultrawide, f/2.2 aperture, macro photography), 12MP (telephoto, f/2.8 aperture, 3x optical zoom)
50MP (f/1.8 aperture, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS), 12MP (ultrawide, f/2.2 aperture, 120-degree FoV), 10MP (telephoto, f/2.4 aperture, 3x optical zoom)
– Front cameras:
12MP (f/1.9 aperture) + TrueDepth
12MP (f/2.2 aperture)
– Battery:
3,274mAh
3,900mAh
– Charging:
20W wired, 15W MagSafe wireless, 7.5W Qi wireless, 4.5W reverse wired (charger not included)
25W wired, 15W wireless, 4.5W reverse wireless (charger not included)
– Dimensions (unfolded):
146.6 x 70.6 x 8.25mm
146.3 x 70.9 x 7.6mm
– Weight:
187 grams
168 grams
– Connectivity:
5G, LTE, NFC, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C, Bluetooth 5.3
– Security:
Advanced facial scanning
In-display fingerprint scanner (ultrasonic)
– OS:
iOS 17
Android 13 with One UI
– Price:
$999
$799
– Buy:
Apple
Amazon
Apple iPhone 15 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S23: Design
The iPhone 15 Pro is made out of titanium and glass. The Galaxy S23, on the other hand, combines glass with aluminum. The iPhone 15 Pro has flat sides, with slightly rounded corners, while its back and front are flat. It includes uniform bezels, and a pill-shaped cutout at the top of the display. On the right side, you’ll find a power/lock key, while on the left sit the volume rocker buttons, and an Action Button above them. The phone has three cameras on the back, all of which are a part of the same camera island in the top-left corner.
The Galaxy S23’s sides are slightly curved all around, while its back and front are flat. The Galaxy S23 has very thin bezels, and a centered display camera hole at the top. Needless to say, that camera hole is considerably smaller than Apple’s pill-shaped cutout. The phone’s power/lock and volume keys are on the right side. It has three cameras on the back, each of which protrudes from the backplate directly.
The two phones are basically the same when it comes to height and width, the difference is negligible. The iPhone 15 Pro is a bit thicker, though, and it’s also heavier. It weighs 187 grams compared to 168 grams of the Galaxy S23. Both phones do offer IP68 certification for water and dust resistance, and both are quite slippery in the hand. They are rather easy to use with one hand, though, especially in comparison with most devices these days. Both of them also feel like premium devices.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S23: Display
The iPhone 15 Pro features a 6.1-inch LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED panel. That display is flat, and it has a 120Hz refresh rate. It also supports HDR10 content, and has Dolby Vision support. The iPhone 15 Pro’s panel goes up to 2,000 nits of brightness at its peak. It has a 19.5:9 aspect ratio, and it’s protected by the Ceramic Shield glass.
The Galaxy S23, on the other hand, includes a 6.1-inch fullHD+ (2340 x 1080) Dynamic AMOLED 2X display. That display is also flat, and it has a 120Hz refresh rate. It supports HDR10+ content, and goes up to 1,750 nits of brightness at its peak. This panel has a 19.5:9 aspect ratio, and it’s protected by the Gorilla Glass Victus 2 (front and back).
First and foremost, do note that both of these displays are excellent. They’re not only very bright, but are also more than sharp enough, and offer vivid colors. The blacks are deep, as you’d expect them to be on OLED panels, and the viewing angles are also excellent. The touch response is also very good. There’s not much to complain about here, but it’s worth noting that the iPhone 15 Pro’s panel does get a bit brighter. The difference is not that big, though, we’re nitpicking. You’ll be more than happy with either one of these panels.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S23: Performance
The iPhone 15 Pro comes with the Apple A17 Pro SoC, Apple’s new flagship processor for smartphones. The phone includes 8GB of RAM and up to 1TB of NVMe storage. The Galaxy S23, on the flip side, is fueled by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, the best Qualcomm has to offer. The phone also packs in 8GB of LPDDR5X RAM, and up to 512GB of UFS 4.0 flash storage. Do note that only the 128GB variant of the phone has UFS 3.1 flash storage.
These are great specs, but what about the performance? Well, both phones do a great job when it comes to regular, everyday tasks. They’re both very smooth and responsive. Both can also handle the most demanding games from their respective app store, even though they do get quite warm during longer gaming sessions. There’s not much to complain about from the performance standpoint, though. They do what they’re expected to do, and the iPhone 15 Pro will also get access to some console-quality games in the future. We wonder how it’ll handle such titles, though, as it doesn’t have advanced cooling or anything of the sort.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S23: Battery
The iPhone 15 Pro comes with a 3,274mAh battery, while the Galaxy S23 packs a 3,900mAh unit. Apple’s iPhones usually come with smaller battery capacities than similarly-sized Android phones, so this is not as surprising. Do they offer good battery life, though? Well, compared to other flagship devices, no, not really. The iPhone 15 Pro’s battery life is considerably weaker than the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s, and the same goes when you compare the Galaxy S23 vs its ‘Plus’ and ‘Ultra’ siblings.
These two phones are actually somewhat similar in what they offer in the battery life department. From what we’ve seen, you can expect around 5.5-6 hours of screen-on-time, without gaming involved in your usage. Of course, your mileage may vary, as we do use our phones differently, with different apps, and in different signal areas. So… who knows, perhaps you can pull out more juice out of both. But, generally speaking, they don’t exactly offer great battery life.
The iPhone 15 Pro supports 20W wired, 15W MagSafe wireless, and 7.5W Qi wireless charging. Qi2 will be fully supported once it rolls out, though, up to 15W. Reverse wired charging up to 4.5W is also supported. The Galaxy S23, on the other hand, supports 25W wired, 15W wireless, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging. Do note that neither of the two phones comes with a charger in the box.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S23: Cameras
The iPhone 15 Pro features a 48-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide unit (120-degree FoV), and a 12-megapixel telephoto unit (3x optical zoom). The Galaxy S23, on the other hand, has a 50-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide unit (120-degree FoV), and a 10-megapixel telephoto camera. Both smartphones have a 12-megapixel selfie camera too.
How do they compare? Well, the Galaxy S23 still tends to provide more saturated images, while the iPhone 15 Pro does highlight colors more than its predecessor, but it does not simply boost saturation in general. It tries to keep images closer to real life. It’s all a matter of preference, as both smartphones do shoot very sharp and clear images. If we pixel peep in good lighting, however, the images from the iPhone 15 Pro are sharper most often than not due to 24MP images by default.
In low light, they both do a good job, but have different approaches too. The Galaxy S23 tends to brighten up a scene more. The iPhone 15 Pro keeps things closer to real life, but manages to pull out a lot of detail regardless, and the colors are noticeably better than they were on the iPhone 14 Pro. Neither phone is outstanding when it comes to light flares, but the iPhone 15 Pro did improve compared to its predecessor. The video recording is still the iPhone’s strong suit, the iPhone 15 Pro does do a better job in that regard.
Audio
Both the iPhone 15 Pro and Galaxy S23 come with a set of stereo speakers. Both smartphones offer good loudness in that department, though their speakers are not as loud as the ones on their larger siblings. The sound output is well-balanced.
You will not find a 3.5mm headphone jack on either of these two smartphones. You’ll have to utilize their USB Type-C ports for wired audio connections. If you’d rather go wireless, both of them offer Bluetooth 5.3.