The last of 2023’s best smartphones to come out is Google’s Pixel 8 Pro. The phone is big and bold, and the camera is so good that it can compete with the best from Apple and Samsung. You can’t use Apple products, though, and the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is the only straight competitor to Google’s newest flagship phone.
Both Samsung and Google are known for making some of the most powerful camera phones. Samsung focuses on making the best hardware, while Google focuses on making the best software. For those looking to decide which is the better flagship for the money, here is a full comparison to help you make your choice.
Comparing The Specs: Google Pixel 8 Pro Vs. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra:
| Google Pixel 8 Pro | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 150.5 x 70.8 x 8.9 mm | 78.1 x 163.4 x 8.9mm |
| Weight | 187 grams | 234 grams |
| Screen size | 6.7-inch Super Actua LTPO OLED Gorilla Glass Victus 2 shield Up to 2,400 nits peak brightness Smooth Display (1–120Hz) refresh rate |
6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X 120Hz adaptive refresh rate 240Hz Touch Sampling Rate 1750 nits peak brightness Gorilla Glass Victus 2 shield |
| Screen resolution | 1344 x 2992 pixels | 3088 x 1440 pixels (Quad HD+) |
| Operating system | Android 14 | Android 13 (One UI 5.1) |
| Storage | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| MicroSD card slot | No | No |
| Tap-to-pay services | NFC | NFC |
| Processor | Google Tensor G3 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 |
| RAM | 12GB | 8GB, 12GB |
| Camera | 50-megapixel primary (F1.68, FOV 82°) 48-megapixel ultrawide (F1.95, FOV 125.5°) 48-megapixel 5x optical telephoto (F2.8, FOV 21.8°) 10.5-megapixel (F2.2, FOV 95°) |
200-megapixel primary (F1.7, FOV 85˚) 12-megapixel ultrawide (F2.2, FOV 120˚) 10-megapixel 3x telephoto (F2.4, FOV 36˚) 10-megapixel 10x telephoto (F4.9, FOV 11˚) 12-megapixel front camera (F2.2, FOV 80˚) |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 | 5.3 |
| Ports | USB-C | USB-C |
| Fingerprint sensor | In-display fingerprint sensor | In-display fingerprint sensor |
| Water resistance | IP68 dust and water resistance | IP68 dust and water resistance |
| Battery | 5,050 mAh 30W wired fast charging Up to 50% charge in about 30 minutes Fast wireless charging Battery Share |
5,000mAh 45W Adapter fast charging Up to 65% charge in around 30 minutes Wireless charging Wireless Power Share |
| App marketplace | Google Play Store | Google Play Store, Samsung Galaxy Store |
| Network support | 5G, LTE Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax, 2.4GHz+5GHz+6GHz) GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou, NavIC Ultra Wideband Google Cast |
5G, LTE Wi-Fi 6E (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax 2.4G+5GHz+6GHz) Wi-Fi Direct GPS, Glonass, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS Ultra Wideband |
| Colors | Obsidian Porcelain Bay |
Green Phantom Black Lavender Cream Lime Sky Blue Graphite Red |
| Price | Starts at $999 | Starts at $1,199 |
Design And Display Face-off: Google Pixel 8 Pro Vs. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Both the Pixel 8 Pro and the Galaxy S23 Ultra are designed in very different ways. Google’s phone has rounded edges and a frame that bulges out for a better grip. Samsung’s phone has a boxy shape with flat sides and sharp edges. Another huge difference is the weight. The Pixel 8 Pro is over 22% lighter than the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Both phones are protected by aluminum and Gorilla Glass Victus. Their builds are IP68-certified. Both phones have a big OLED screen with an update rate of 120Hz and dynamic adjustment tech, but the Pixel 8 Pro’s screen is brighter—it can reach 2,400 nits.
In everyday life, though, those numbers won’t matter much because the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s screen is also bright enough that you can read the text without any problems, even in bright sunlight. In one area, though, the Samsung flagship is miles ahead: it works with styluses.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra can be used with a pen, and it comes with a S Pen that fits right into the phone’s body. This pen is more than just a novelty, though. It works with a lot of different air movements and lets you change a lot of things and add shortcuts.
The S Pen will really take your smartphone experience to a whole new level of ease of use and involvement if you know how to use the Good Lock modules. The fact that the Galaxy S23 Ultra is the only popular flagship phone that works with a stylus is also a plus.
The Pixel 8 Pro’s screen is better in some ways, but the S23 Ultra’s S Pen is also a great feature. This is a tie.
Explain Google Pixel 8 Pro vs. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: Performance And Battery
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra has a version of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip that is slightly faster than the rest. This version is only available in this phone. The chip comes with up to 1TB of storage and 12GB of RAM. There is no way to add more storage.
For better heat absorption, the S23 Ultra also has a bigger vapor chamber cooling system, which works really well. Google, on the other hand, hasn’t said anything about how the heat management system in its newest top phone is getting extra attention.
There is a custom-built Tensor G3 processor, 12GB of RAM, and up to 1TB of storage inside the Pixel 8 Pro. Similarly to Samsung, Google has put AI and security chips inside the phone, but unlike Samsung, it doesn’t let you add more storage.
When it comes to raw speed, neither phone will be slow. Because of how Tensor chips have worked in the past, the Qualcomm chip inside Samsung’s workhorse should be better at long-term jobs that require a lot of power. It might also be more energy efficient.
Both phones have a 5,000mAh battery, so there isn’t much difference between them in terms of battery life. We think the Galaxy S23 Ultra is the best here, though. It can be charged wirelessly with up to 45W, while the Pixel 8 Pro can only handle 30W.
Both phones come with the ability to charge wirelessly and share power wirelessly in the opposite direction. Finally, this means that you can put any other phone or speakers case on the Pixel 8 Pro Galaxy S23 Ultra’s back panel, and it will share power.
We need to test Google’s Tensor G3 chip for ourselves first, but for now, we’re pretty sure that Samsung is the winner in this case.
Google Pixel 8 Pro vs. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: Software And Special features
When it comes to software, the two phones are very different from one another. Google’s Pixel 8 Pro runs stock Android but has a lot of features that are only available on that phone. The Google Assistant experience is the best you’ll ever have, and new tricks are added regularly through Pixel feature drops.
This year, Google is adding multilingual voice typing to its assistants, along with more natural talks, better call screening, better noise isolation for calls, and other changes. Google is also adding the ease of Face Unlock to payments and app sign-ins.
Samsung, on the other hand, will soon send the Galaxy S23 Ultra One UI 6, which is based on Android 14. Some people don’t like the way Samsung’s Android skin looks. On the other hand, it has a lot of ads and software that makes it hard to use.
On the plus side, the Galaxy S23 Ultra has some features that no other phone has. Edge Panels and the S Pen wheel, for instance, give you access to more options and tools than any other device.
You can change a lot about how it looks, and the Samsung Good Lock modules give you UI control that you won’t find on any other smartphone.
This year, though, Google is taking a huge step forward in making Pixel phones last longer. Google says that the Pixel 8 Pro will get seven security and OS patches for seven years, along with feature drops for the same amount of time. Samsung says that the Galaxy S23 Ultra will only get four OS updates and security patches for five years.
People have different opinions on how useful the software features on each phone are, but there’s no doubt that everyone should benefit from Google’s great software support. We hope to see more of this kind of thing in the future. It’s the first of its kind for Android.
Google Pixel 8 Pro vs. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: Cameras
The 50-megapixel optically stabilized main camera on Google’s top-of-the-line phone makes it stand out. It has a 48MP macro camera with 5x optical zoom and a 48MP ultrawide camera to help it. A 10.5MP camera with autofocus is in charge of taking selfies.
On the Galaxy S23 Ultra, Samsung uses a huge 200-megapixel main camera that does many layers of pixel binning to output pictures in smaller sizes. There are two 10MP telephoto cameras. One has an optical zoom range of 3x, and the other has a periscope setup that lets it offer 10x optical zoom.
A 12MP camera takes ultrawide pictures, and the front camera also uses a 12MP camera. The Pixel 8 Pro can only record in 4K at 60 frames per second (fps) and can’t do slow motion videos faster than 240 fps. The Galaxy S23 Ultra, on the other hand, can record in 8K and can do slow motion videos at up to 960 fps.
But the Pixel 8 Pro has some great AI-powered features, like Magic Eraser for getting rid of things that don’t belong in the picture, Face Unblur for fixing photos after they’ve been taken, Macro Focus for taking close-up pictures, Astrophotography mode for taking pictures of the night sky with a long exposure, and Magic Audio Eraser for getting rid of noise in videos.
This time, Google is also adding some new features, such as Night Sight for recording videos and Best Take for taking group pictures, which combines several frames to make the best stills.
The cameras on the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra are one of a kind. Each camera can record video at the same time, the cameras can zoom in up to 100 times for photos, the microphone can record sound from all directions, and the mic can zoom in to follow the camera view. Like the Pixel 8 Pro, it has a Night Mode for both the front and back cameras that lets you record video and take portraits.
Just based on specs, we’re going with the Galaxy S23 Ultra this time. Samsung is better than Google because it has a 200MP main camera, two zoom cameras, and better video recording features. We’ll test both phones side by side as soon as we can, but Samsung seems to be the winner so far.
Google Pixel 8 Pro vs. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: Price And Availability
The Google Pixel 8 Pro costs $999 and comes with a Pixel Watch 2, which is a great bonus. No matter how you look at it, that’s a great deal. At that price, it’s one of the best brand purchases you can make. You can already pre-order it, and it comes in three different colors.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra from Samsung, on the other hand, costs at least $1,199. That’s a big $200 difference, which is enough to buy a good set of wireless earbuds or even a smartwatch from the last generation. On the table, you can choose from Green, Phantom Black, Lavender, Cream, Lime, Sky Blue, Graphite, and Red. But keep in mind that a lot of these can only be bought at the Samsung shop.
Google Pixel 8 Pro vs. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: Verdict
It’s not hard to choose between these two phones. People who want the best Android experience should buy the Pixel 8 Pro. It has great support, reliable cameras, a unique style, and the best Android experience out there. And the Pixel should be your first choice if you want the most powerful AI on a phone.
But if you want an Android phone with a great camera that has 10x optical zoom, lots of pro-level video and photo capture tricks, and a great pen, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is the one to get. The Pixel 8 Pro is 20% cheaper, but this is the most feature-packed phone you can get if you’re already involved in Samsung’s ecosystem and like how flexible One UI is.
