The Samsung Galaxy Unpacked just went by and we finally have all the details on the new Galaxy S23 series. We have new cameras, slight facelifts, and a very exciting new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 — overclocked specifically for the Galaxy devices. Out of the trio, the Galaxy S22 is the most affordable and most compact. But it's no slouch — triple cameras, upgraded 12 MP selfie shooter, a huge battery, and no bars held on that new processor.
It kind of looks like the better deal when compared to... say Apple's base iPhone 14? Hey, why not compare them?
Galaxy S23 vs iPhone 14 as per the leaks:
Similar in size and weight
iPhone Face ID vs Galaxy in-display fingerprint scanner
Galaxy has multi-tasking and DeX on board
Galaxy has triple camera with optical zoom, iPhone 14 is dual cam
Galaxy has 120 Hz screen, iPhone 14 sicks to 60 Hz
Galaxy has USB Type-C port, iPhone sticks with Lightning yet again
Samsung's AMOLED screens have been excellent for years now and the manufacturer barely needed to do anything to upgrade it for the Galaxy S23. But hey, Samsung did sneak in a max brightness buff so it now hits 1,750 nits peak brightness (up from 1,500). This beats the 1,200 of the iPhone 14, but in general — both of these devices are perfectly viewable under direct sunlight, and support excellent HDR video. Apple's iPhone 14 line has OLED screens as well — funny enough, a huge portion of them are made by Samsung (and some are manufactured by LG). So, it's the same build quality, but tuned to Apple's requirements. Where Samsung gives you a couple of color calibrations to choose whether you want boosted colors or tamed and realistic ones, Apple goes for only one standard calibration.
In general, both screens look fantastic, it's just that they reflect the brand philosophies behind them. Samsung lets you tweak a bit, Apple has it set up "the way it should be".
Other features, like automatically tuning the white balance of the screen are present on both Galaxies and iPhones. So, these screens are usually a pleasure — and not a strain — to view.
Samsung seems to be happy with the 6.1-inch diagonal and a 19.5:9 aspect ratio, so the Galaxy S23 retains those specs. Diagonal and aspect ratio are the same on the iPhone 14. When it comes to resolution and sharpness, Apple's screen has 460 pixels per inch, while the Galaxy's will come to 425 but really, that's not a difference to be bothered about. As for design, we do get a slight change with the Galaxy, a bit of a facelift if you will — a fully flat back and 3 protruding metal rings around the camera lenses. On the front, of course, the Galaxy will only have a single hole for the selfie camera while the iPhone 14 still has that signature notch.
That is because Apple uses Face ID for biometric unlocks and payment authentication and still hasn't incorporated any sort of under-screen sensors. Face ID has been improved over the past 4 years and is now quick, accurate, and you barely even think about it. Samsung still prefers to stick to under-screen fingerprint scanners for that — ultrasonic technology, which has also improved in speed. The latter's benefit is that it can accurately read a scan even if your finger happens to be smudged up, a bit too wet, or a bit too dry.
Performance and Software
When Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 it came with big numbers — 35% faster performance, 40% better power-efficiency. And the Galaxy S23 comes with a special edition Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 that has been overclocked. So, we get some extra juice out of it!
The iPhone 14 was kind of cheated out of an upgrade — instead of getting the brand-new A16 Bionic, it got a 2021 Apple A15 Bionic with an added extra GPU core. But... A15 is already pretty overkill. It can be argued that iOS 16 barely makes use of all the power that it has on tap.
Camera
The S23 didn't change much about the Galaxy S22's camera module. We have the very same combo of cameras on its back — 50 MP main, 12 MP ultra-wide, 10 MP telephoto. There is, thankfully, an upgraded selfie camera on the front, now 12 MP.
The iPhone 14 on the other hand needed a bit more oomph than what Apple gave it. The Pro models got the new 48 MP sensor and the upgraded ultra-wide camera, the base ones got a slightly bigger — but still 12 MP — main sensor and they inherited the ultra-wide camera from the iPhone 13 Pro.
Battery Life and Charging
One has impressive standby, the other may have great sustained performance.
So, the Galaxy S23 will have a slightly larger battery — 3,900 mAh versus the 3,700 mAh in the Galaxy S22. Add to this the enhanced energy-efficiency that Qualcomm promises for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and we are already expecting better sustained performance.
