iPhone 15 Pro Max
The iPhone 15 Pro Max is the latest and greatest from Apple, with a slick new SoC that can handle console games and a new telephoto camera that finally uses periscope technology. It also finally adds USB-C, so you won’t be carrying a Lightning cable around with you anymore. These upgrades all come together to make one compelling package.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
The S23 Ultra is the best phone Samsung has made in years, thanks to a fantastic 8 Gen 2 processor and new 200MP camera. The S Pen is the icing on top, making this phone the benchmark to which all others are measured.
The Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max is here, and it’s the most “pro” iPhone yet, with a huge 6.7-inch display and a periscope zoom system that looks to catch up with the rest of the industry. This might be the best iPhone ever made, but how does it stack up to one of thebest Android phonesever?
TheSamsung Galaxy S23 Ultrais an absolute beast, with an equally giant screen, one of the most versatile camera systems we’ve ever seen, and an S Pen to boot. So, which one should you buy?
Price, availability, and specs
The iPhone 15 Pro Max is available globally, either unlocked from Apple or from all major carriers, for $1,200. It’s the same story with the S23 Ultra, which is also available from carriers everywhere and from Samsung for $1,200, though the Galaxy S23 Ultra is six months older and gettingfrequent discounts.
The hardware specs between these phones are quite different, as you can see below, but specs can’t tell the entire story when comparing an iPhone and an Android phone. This starts with Apple weirdly not releasing some core specs, like the actual battery capacity or RAM. Memory is a critical part of any computing device. While you likely won’t notice any lack of memory outside a gaming environment, it’s still a bit weird Apple refuses to list it year after year.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max has that recognizable iPhone design with square edges, a flat display with rounded corners, and the Dynamic Island front and center at the top of the screen. This year the metal frame is made of titanium instead of stainless steel. However, the biggest design change has to be the switch from a Lightning port to USB-C. Regardless of whether or not the EU forced Apple’s hand, this is a huge win for everyone, as new, non-budget mobile phones will all use the same charging cable as well asUSB-C and PPS chargers.
In contrast, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra has a boxy design with corners that may look good but can feel sharp in the hand. The display spills over the edges with minimal bezels, interrupted only by a small camera cutout. The S23 Ultra is also made of Armored Aluminum and Gorilla Glass Victus 2.
Pro and Ultra phones have infamously had dull colors, and that’s the case with the iPhone 15 Pro Max. The Natural Titanium is our favorite, leaving that titanium frame in its natural state with a glass back to match the metallic grey. There’s also a white, blue, and black model available, and while they look OK, they’re all a bit dull.
Previous Ultras from Samsung have suffered the same issue, but the S23 Ultra shook things up a bit. The four standard colors are black, cream, green, and lavender. Although the cream and lavender brighten things up, the Samsung-exclusive colors really pop. They have been around for a few generations, but the S23 Ultra makes the most of them, with our favorite exclusive being the red selection, which has a contrasting black frame that stands out from the rest. If red isn’t your thing, there’s also gunmetal gray, blue, and lime. It may be a small thing, but fun colors go a long way to making a phone feel exciting, and it’s nice to see Samsung has put an effort into it.
iPhone 15 Pro Max display and Galaxy S23 Ultra display
The iPhone 15 Pro Max uses a 6.7-inch OLED display that reaches 120Hz and 2,000 nits. The display is flat, with equal bezels all around and the Dynamic Island cut out at the top. That cutout has a lot of software tricks to go with it. Ongoing tasks like media playback, timers, incoming Uber rides, and more can be shown here to keep you up to date.
The S23 Ultra has a 6.8-inch Super AMOLED display that can reach 120Hz and 1,750 nits. The top and bottom bezels are tiny, though the bottom one is slightly larger than the top. The side bezels are almost non-existent, thanks to the way the screen curves over the edges. There’s no Dynamic Island here, just a tiny cutout for the front camera. However, what makes the display special is its compatibility with the S Pen. This stylus is a game changer, making note-taking, drawing, and document editing a breeze. It comes in handy when navigating the web as well, mimicking a mouse in a way your finger can’t.
Whichever way you look at it, both phones have phenomenal displays that are a joy to use.
Software and performance
The iPhone 15 Pro Max comes with the A17 Bionic and iOS 17. Apple doesn’t have a listed software support promise for the new models, but experience with previous iPhones tells us it’ll be provided for at least five years, possibly as many as seven. On the other hand, the S23 Ultra uses the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 designed specifically for Galaxy. It’s similar to the regular 8 Gen 2, but it’s been optimized specifically for the S23 Ultra hardware and overclocked. It comes with Android 13 and will be updated to Android 17, with five years of security patches.
There’s more to software than just support, of course. iOS and Android are closer than ever when it comes to features, but the way everything works is still different. The iPhone is simple to a fault, however it can be frustrating when doing simple things like changing your keyboard settings. Android goes all out on customization, but the amount of options can be intimidating to new users.
It would take too long to cover everything aboutAndroid and iOS, but each has its own pros and cons. For instance, although iOS is polished and smooth, there are a lot of restrictions that may leave you wanting more. Android is more flexible and fun, but the slew of features and the fragmentation between devices can lead to a less consistent experience.
A big pull in Apple’s favor is the ecosystem. All of Apple’s products work seamlessly, so if you have an iPad and Mac, the iPhone will fit right in. Combine that with the features already in iOS, like Focus modes and the new StandBy mode that may have just invalidated the Pixel Tablet, and you have a solid package.
On top of Android itself, the S23 Ultra benefits from One UI. Samsung’s software suite adds a lot of extra functionality that other Android devices don’t have. That includes its own compelling ecosystem that comes close to rivaling Apple’s, along with vast improvements to multitasking and getting things done. That includesSamsung DeX, which lets your phone become a desktop PC when connected to a monitor.
We won’t know exactly how well the 15 Pro Max performs until we use one, but experience tells us it’ll be incredibly smooth and fly through iOS with ease. It’ll also be an excellent performer for games, with the new “Assassin’s Creed” and “Resident Evil Village” coming to the iPhone 15 Pro later on. The S23 Ultra has been a stellar performer in our experience, but there’s no way it’ll keep up with the 15 Pro Max in gaming. For everything else, though, Samsung’s phone is the fast and fluid flagship you would expect.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max changes things up here. It’s using a new and improved version of the 48MP camera from last year, the same 12MP ultrawide as before, and a brand new 12MP, 5X telephoto lens. This is the first time Apple has used a periscope system, and it’ll be interesting to see how well it works out. Until we get one to use, we won’t know how good these photos will be, but we expect great things, especially from the 5X lens, which uses a new periscope arrangement that we haven’t seen before, which should aid stabilization.
The S23 Ultra has a 200MP main sensor, 12MP ultrawide, and two 10MP telephoto lenses (one at 3X and one at 10X) using a periscope system. The S23 Ultra has greatly impressed us with its photos, but shutter lag and overprocessing are still an issue. The 10X camera lens also tends to produce soft-looking images. It’s a fun camera to use, and it can take photos other phones can’t get close to, but after a few years with no real improvement, the rumors that theS24 Ultra will focus on improving its zoomlenses are welcome.
Photos will likely come down to personal preference between the two phones, but the iPhone will undoubtedly take better video. It’s been a strong point for years now, and if the older iPhone 14 Pro could take better video than the S23 Ultra, the 15 Pro Max will as well.
Which phone is right for you?
Both phones are exceptional pieces of hardware, but if we had to choose, we’d take the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. Naturally, we prefer Android and the flexibility it offers over iOS. Beyond that, the S23 Ultra is a charming device to hold and use. It’ll perform any task you ask of it, and it’ll last all day. Add the S Pen into the mix, and you have a mobile experience no other phone can match.
The Android powerhouse
Having said that, the iPhone 15 Pro Max, long name aside, is shaping up to be an excellent phone, and if you’re a part of Apple’s ecosystem, there’s nothing that can beat it.
The maximal iPhone
