Galaxy S23 Ultra vs iPhone 18 Pro Max

Samsung

Galaxy S23 Ultra

Apple

iPhone 18 Pro Max

Full specifications
Basic information
Release year	2023	2026
Starting price	—	$1,299
Display size	6.8-inch	6.9-inch
Dimensions	78.1 mm × 163.4 mm × 8.9 mm	78.0 mm × 163.4 mm × 8.8 mm
Weight	234 g	249 g
Front material	Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2	Ceramic Shield 2
Back material	Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2	Ceramic Shield
Display
Display technology	Dynamic AMOLED 2X	Super Retina XDR OLED
Resolution	3088 × 1440	2868 × 1320
Refresh rate	120 Hz	120 Hz
Peak brightness	1750 nits	3000 nits
Protection	Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2	Ceramic Shield 2
Performance
Chipset	Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy	Apple A20 Pro
RAM	8 GB, 12 GB	—
Storage	256 GB, 512 GB, 1024 GB	256 GB, 512 GB, 1024 GB, 2048 GB
Expandable storage	—	No
Cameras
Main camera	Wide · 200 MP · ƒ/1.7 · OIS	Fusion Main · 48 MP · ƒ/1.48–ƒ/4.0 · 24 mm · Second-generation sensor-shift OIS
Ultra-wide camera	Ultra-wide · 12 MP · ƒ/2.2	Fusion Ultra Wide · 48 MP · ƒ/2.2 · 13 mm
Telephoto camera	Telephoto · 10 MP · ƒ/2.4 · 3x · OIS	Fusion Telephoto · 48 MP · ƒ/2.8 · 100 mm · 4× optical zoom · 3D sensor-shift OIS
Rear camera 4	Telephoto · 10 MP · ƒ/4.9 · 10x · OIS	—
Front cameras	Selfie · 12 MP · ƒ/2.2	Center Stage · 18 MP · ƒ/1.9
Video recording	—	4K Dolby Vision up to 120 fps, ProRes up to 4K at 120 fps
Battery & charging
Wired charging	45 W	—
Wireless charging	—	25 W
Charging standard	Super Fast Charging 2.0	USB-C, MagSafe up to 25W, Qi2 up to 25W
Video playback (Manufacturer claim)	—	45 h
Streamed video (Manufacturer claim)	—	40 h
Battery type	—	Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion
Typical capacity	5000 mAh	—
Rated capacity	4855 mAh	—
Connectivity
Cellular	5G, LTE	5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave), Gigabit LTE
Wi‑Fi	Wi-Fi 6E	Wi‑Fi 7 (802.11be)
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.3	Bluetooth 6
USB	USB Type-C	USB-C (USB 3, up to 10Gb/s)
NFC	Yes	Yes
eSIM	Yes	Yes
Satellite	—	Emergency SOS via satellite
Build & durability
Ingress protection	IP68	IP68
Frame	—	Aluminum unibody

Basic information

Release year

Galaxy S23 Ultra: 2023
iPhone 18 Pro Max: 2026

Starting price

Galaxy S23 Ultra: —
iPhone 18 Pro Max: $1,299

Display size

Galaxy S23 Ultra: 6.8-inch
iPhone 18 Pro Max: 6.9-inch

Dimensions

Galaxy S23 Ultra: 78.1 mm × 163.4 mm × 8.9 mm
iPhone 18 Pro Max: 78.0 mm × 163.4 mm × 8.8 mm

Weight

Galaxy S23 Ultra: 234 g
iPhone 18 Pro Max: 249 g

Front material

Galaxy S23 Ultra: Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2
iPhone 18 Pro Max: Ceramic Shield 2

Back material

Galaxy S23 Ultra: Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2
iPhone 18 Pro Max: Ceramic Shield

Display

Display technology

Galaxy S23 Ultra: Dynamic AMOLED 2X
iPhone 18 Pro Max: Super Retina XDR OLED

Resolution

Galaxy S23 Ultra: 3088 × 1440
iPhone 18 Pro Max: 2868 × 1320

Refresh rate

Galaxy S23 Ultra: 120 Hz
iPhone 18 Pro Max: 120 Hz

Peak brightness

Galaxy S23 Ultra: 1750 nits
iPhone 18 Pro Max: 3000 nits

Protection

Galaxy S23 Ultra: Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2
iPhone 18 Pro Max: Ceramic Shield 2

Performance

Chipset

Galaxy S23 Ultra: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy
iPhone 18 Pro Max: Apple A20 Pro

RAM

Galaxy S23 Ultra: 8 GB, 12 GB
iPhone 18 Pro Max: —

Storage

Galaxy S23 Ultra: 256 GB, 512 GB, 1024 GB
iPhone 18 Pro Max: 256 GB, 512 GB, 1024 GB, 2048 GB

Expandable storage

Galaxy S23 Ultra: —
iPhone 18 Pro Max: No

Cameras

Main camera

Galaxy S23 Ultra: Wide · 200 MP · ƒ/1.7 · OIS
iPhone 18 Pro Max: Fusion Main · 48 MP · ƒ/1.48–ƒ/4.0 · 24 mm · Second-generation sensor-shift OIS

Ultra-wide camera

Galaxy S23 Ultra: Ultra-wide · 12 MP · ƒ/2.2
iPhone 18 Pro Max: Fusion Ultra Wide · 48 MP · ƒ/2.2 · 13 mm

Telephoto camera

Galaxy S23 Ultra: Telephoto · 10 MP · ƒ/2.4 · 3x · OIS
iPhone 18 Pro Max: Fusion Telephoto · 48 MP · ƒ/2.8 · 100 mm · 4× optical zoom · 3D sensor-shift OIS

Rear camera 4

Galaxy S23 Ultra: Telephoto · 10 MP · ƒ/4.9 · 10x · OIS
iPhone 18 Pro Max: —

Front cameras

Galaxy S23 Ultra: Selfie · 12 MP · ƒ/2.2
iPhone 18 Pro Max: Center Stage · 18 MP · ƒ/1.9

Video recording

Galaxy S23 Ultra: —
iPhone 18 Pro Max: 4K Dolby Vision up to 120 fps, ProRes up to 4K at 120 fps

Battery & charging

Wired charging

Galaxy S23 Ultra: 45 W
iPhone 18 Pro Max: —

Wireless charging

Galaxy S23 Ultra: —
iPhone 18 Pro Max: 25 W

Charging standard

Galaxy S23 Ultra: Super Fast Charging 2.0
iPhone 18 Pro Max: USB-C, MagSafe up to 25W, Qi2 up to 25W

Video playback (Manufacturer claim)

Galaxy S23 Ultra: —
iPhone 18 Pro Max: 45 h

Streamed video (Manufacturer claim)

Galaxy S23 Ultra: —
iPhone 18 Pro Max: 40 h

Battery type

Galaxy S23 Ultra: —
iPhone 18 Pro Max: Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion

Typical capacity

Galaxy S23 Ultra: 5000 mAh
iPhone 18 Pro Max: —

Rated capacity

Galaxy S23 Ultra: 4855 mAh
iPhone 18 Pro Max: —

Connectivity

Cellular

Galaxy S23 Ultra: 5G, LTE
iPhone 18 Pro Max: 5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave), Gigabit LTE

Wi‑Fi

Galaxy S23 Ultra: Wi-Fi 6E
iPhone 18 Pro Max: Wi‑Fi 7 (802.11be)

Bluetooth

Galaxy S23 Ultra: Bluetooth 5.3
iPhone 18 Pro Max: Bluetooth 6

USB

Galaxy S23 Ultra: USB Type-C
iPhone 18 Pro Max: USB-C (USB 3, up to 10Gb/s)

NFC

Galaxy S23 Ultra: Yes
iPhone 18 Pro Max: Yes

eSIM

Galaxy S23 Ultra: Yes
iPhone 18 Pro Max: Yes

Satellite

Galaxy S23 Ultra: —
iPhone 18 Pro Max: Emergency SOS via satellite

Build & durability

Ingress protection

Galaxy S23 Ultra: IP68
iPhone 18 Pro Max: IP68

Frame

Galaxy S23 Ultra: —
iPhone 18 Pro Max: Aluminum unibody

Key differences

The most meaningful measured gaps in size and weight — not an overall winner.

Weight
Galaxy S23 Ultra
15 g lighter
Height
Very similar height
Width
Very similar width
Thickness
Very similar thickness

View Galaxy S23 Ultra details View iPhone 18 Pro Max details

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Device summary

Galaxy S23 Ultra

iPhone 18 Pro Max

Full specifications

Key differences

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