Clash of the Titans: iPhone 14 Pro Max and Galaxy S23 Ultra Go Head to Head

The Flagship Showdown

Ladies and gentlemen, tech enthusiasts and smartphone aficionados, today we bring to you the ultimate clash of the titans as we put Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra head-to-head against Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro Max in an epic flagship showdown.

Our in-depth review explores all the nooks and crannies to thoroughly compare the iPhone 14 Pro Max and the Galaxy S23 Ultra in every aspect, including design, display, performance, specs, operating system, battery life, and camera capabilities, before giving our final verdict on the overall winner.

By the end of this review, readers will have a complete understanding of both devices and will be able to make an informed decision about which one is the best fit for their needs.

Let’s jump in.

The Design

As we unboxed both devices, their massive size was the first thing to catch our attention. It was immediately clear that these devices are no lightweight contenders, and even for people with bigger hands, they can be quite a handful to manage. This is precisely why foldables such as the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Flip 4 are growing in popularity.

The iPhone 14 Pro Max weighs a hefty 8.5 oz and measures 6.3 by 3 by 0.31 inches, while the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is a wee bit lighter at 8.3 oz and a wee bit larger at 6.4 by 3 by 0.35 inches.

Holding them in your hand, you get a sense of the build quality and soundness of the materials used, as well as the precision engineering that went into crafting each one. Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro Max, for instance, uses the company’s proprietary “Ceramic Shield” technology and a stainless steel frame. According to Apple, this combination of materials provides unparalleled strength and durability, making it one of the toughest smartphones on the market today.

The team behind the Galaxy S23 Ultra, on the other hand, decided to go with Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus 2 in combination with the company’s “Armor Aluminum” material for the frame.

When it comes to design, both devices are undoubtedly impressive, but Apple’s 14 Pro Max edges out the Galaxy S23 Ultra in terms of the overall design aesthetic. Although Samsung has made significant strides in improving its design over the years, it’s hard to deny that many of its design cues have been inspired by Apple’s design language. In our opinion, the iPhone 14 Pro Max simply looks more refined and cohesive, giving it an edge in the design department.

Best Design Winner: Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max

The Display

As tech enthusiasts, we know that one of the most important factors that people consider when choosing a phone is the display. In this regard, Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra and Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro Max are in a league of their own.

With a 6.8-inch dynamic AMOLED display and a resolution of 1440 x 3088 pixels, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is a feast for the eyes. It boasts a (slightly) bigger, more vibrant display than the iPhone 14 Pro Max with an edge-to-edge design offering users maximum visual immersion and functionality. As for the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max, it sports a Super Retina OLED display that measures 6.7 inches with a resolution of 1290 x 2796 pixels.

When it comes to graphics and video playback, Apple decided to go with Dolby Vision, an HDR technology that delivers stunningly vivid and lifelike image quality. In comparison, the Galaxy S23 Ultra opts for the HDR10+ standard.

For mobile gaming, both the Galaxy S23 Ultra and the iPhone 14 Pro Max come equipped with an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate display, delivering buttery-smooth animations and movements that make for an incredible experience. Whether you’re lost in a virtual world or engaged in a fast-paced action game, both devices offer an ultra-responsive experience that is sure to impress even the most hardcore mobile gamers.

All told, each device offers an incredible visual experience. However, after extensive testing and analysis, we’ve come to conclude that the S23 Ultra has a slight edge, delivering a truly immersive and captivating viewing experience.

Best Display Winner: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

Performance, Specs, OS, Battery

As we delve into the technical specs of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max, we can’t help but marvel at the impressive chipsets powering these two high-end devices. While they both employ the latest 4nm manufacturing process for maximum power and efficiency, the similarities end there.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, a chipset that has been specifically tailored for Samsung’s S23 flagship smartphones. This is the same SoC that’s featured inside the Galaxy S23 and S23+, which we recently reviewed here. Expect to see an atypical configuration that features a single high-performance Cortex-X3 prime core clocked at 3.36 GHz, four additional performance cores running at 2.8 GHz, and three 2.0 GHz power-efficient cores. Meanwhile, the Adreno 740 GPU handles graphics duties with ease, delivering smooth and lag-free visuals.

As for the iPhone 14 Pro Max, Apple has designed an in-house A16 Bionic chip which is widely praised for its powerful, uncompromising performance. The A16 Bionic features a more standard CPU configuration, consisting of two high-performance 3.46 GHz Everest cores and four power-efficient Sawtooth cores running at 2.02 GHz. Apple has also included a custom GPU with 5 cores to take care of graphics, ensuring that the device can handle even the most demanding games and apps with ease.

Both the chipsets used in the iPhone 14 Pro Max and the Galaxy S23 Ultra are some of the most powerful in the mobile phone industry. Our benchmark testing suggests that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 may have a slight edge in GPU performance. However, the A16 Bionic chip in the iPhone 14 Pro Max shows superiority in Geekbench CPU tests, outperforming the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 during heavy-duty CPU workloads.

When it comes to comparing iOS and Android OS systems, that was once like comparing apples and oranges. Apple develops software for the hardware it builds itself, ensuring seamless integration with its many other product lines. In contrast, Android, which is an operating system developed by Google, is based on an open-source project and distributed to a wide range of smartphone manufacturers with varying degrees of customization.

At the time of publishing, both iOS and Android OS have recently released upgrades for their respective iOS 16 and Android 13 systems, in the form of iOS 16.4 and Android 13 March Feature Drop.

Overall, iOS is no longer the clear-cut winner that it once was for many years. Huge leaps in development and innovation from the team behind Android, as well as Samsung’s One UI, puts the user experience on an equal footing to iOS. As time has passed, they have become more alike, making it harder to distinguish the significant discrepancies between the two platforms.

In summary, they’re both outstanding mobile OSes and viable choices for your daily smartphone requirements.

Battery

Despite its relatively smaller battery, the iPhone 14 Pro Max, boasts remarkable staying power when compared to the S23 Ultra. This feat of endurance is thanks to Apple’s expert engineering and optimization of both hardware and software, which manages to extract impressive screen-on durations from the seemingly undersized 4,323 mAh power source.

On the other hand, while the Galaxy S23 Ultra manages to outscore the 14 Pro Max in terms of total battery capacity at 5,000 mAh, it falls short when it comes to demanding tasks such as video playback and gaming, as Apple’s flagship continues to reign supreme over the Ultra in those areas during our tests.

When recharging, neither of the two flagship smartphones can be considered lightning-fast, particularly when judged against the plethora of speedy devices such as the OnePlus 11. While the Galaxy S23 Ultra can reach a maximum of 45W, the 14 Pro Max peaks far below this mark, with the actual charging speed depending on the charger you choose to use.

In our head-to-head recharging battle, the Galaxy S23 Ultra comes out on top, with a clear advantage over its competitor taking less than one hour to reach 100% from zero. The 14 Pro Max, on the other hand, requires at least an hour and thirty minutes or longer to achieve 100% when starting from zero.

Best Performance and Specs Winner: Draw

Cameras

Assessing the cameras of the iPhone 14 Pro Max and the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra proved to be quite the challenge, as both devices produce remarkable shots and capture impressive videos. From sharpness to detail, dynamic range to contrast, and even noise reduction, both flagship models exceed expectations in delivering top-notch image quality.

Samsung’s rear-mounted quadruple-camera setup features an industry-leading 200MP wide-angle main camera coupled with (2) 10MP telephoto cams giving 3x and 10x zoom, as well as a 12MP ultrawide. There’s also a laser autofocus detector on the back for a grand total of five sensors (but only four are actual cameras). Apple’s setup includes a 48MP main alongside (2) 12MP telephoto cams and a 12MP ultrawide. Apple can capture 4K, 1080p, and 720 video. Meanwhile, the S23 Ultra offers 8K, 4K 1080p as well as 720 resolution.

In our opinion, Samsung’s style may appeal to the masses, thanks to its vivid and eye-catching aesthetics. The colors on the S23 Ultra are undoubtedly punchier and more pronounced, successfully lifting even the darkest shadows. Photos and videos captured by this phone possess an inherently “social-media-friendly” quality that is sure to please most users.

When it comes to low-light photography, Samsung’s approach is notable due to its distinctively computer-generated look, brought about by its behind-the-scenes AI processing technology. While many users find this look appealing, some others may prefer a more natural look, making Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro Max a more suitable choice in this case. Apple’s processing style is more conservative, yielding more realistic results.

It’s worth mentioning that Samsung provides an additional layer of flexibility to users through its Expert RAW app, which offers a more granular level of control over image processing. Essentially, this app unlocks the full potential of the S23 Ultra’s camera capabilities, allowing users to determine the degree of post-processing they want for their images. However, it’s important to note that this functionality may not be usable for everyone, as it requires a certain level of photography know-how and experience to take full advantage.

All in all, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is undoubtedly the more capable camera device, making it the clear winner in this round. Its superior hardware and software capabilities give it a significant edge in terms of camera quality, versatility, and overall performance.

Best Camera Winner: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

Price & Availability

Looking to snag the latest iPhone 14 Pro Max or Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra? Look no further! Our exclusive links give our readers a chance to take advantage of the best deals on these flagship devices.

In the US, the Galaxy S23 Ultra comes in Lavender, Cream Phantom Black, and Green with your choice of 256GB storage paired with 8GB RAM or 256GB / 12GB, 512GB / 12GB, or 1TB / 12GB. Galaxy S23 Ultra prices start at $1199 for the base model.

With Apple, you can choose from 128GB / 6GB, 256GB / 6GB, 512GB / 6GB, or 1TB / 6GB with Space Black, Silver, Gold, and Deep Purple as color options. Expect prices for the iPhone 14 Pro Max to start around $1099.

Use our links today if you’re looking for the best deals available on the iPhone 14 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. Your wallet will thank you!

The final Verdict

There is no question that Apple’s iPhone is the cultural frontrunner, especially in the US. Ever since the late Steve Jobs first unveiled the original iPhone back in 2007, it has been the benchmark that has set the standard for the smartphone industry as we know it today. Despite huge advancements from the likes of Samsung, Google, and other manufacturers, many consumers still automatically default to the iPhone. It’s seen as a status symbol and the choice of the “cool kids.”

Nonetheless, from a purely technological standpoint, there are plenty of phones that are just as good, if not better than the iPhone. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is a prime example of this. Samsung has gone above and beyond with the S23 Ultra, creating a smartphone that outclasses the iPhone in terms of its cameras, display, and graphics ability.

But hardware specs are only part of the story. Samsung has also refined its software experience to be much closer to the simplicity and elegance of iOS. Their One UI interface that runs on top of Android 13, makes the S23 Ultra one of the most polished and intuitive user interfaces we’ve seen on an Android device.

With that said, we believe that the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is the perfect alternative for anyone who wants to try something new and step outside of the iPhone bubble.

But rest assured, no matter which one you choose, you’ll be the proud owner of a cutting-edge device with top-of-the-line features and capabilities. So, if you’re in the market for a new, high-end smartphone, both the iPhone 14 Pro Max and the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra should be at the top of your list.

Overall Winner: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra