Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra is bigger and faster than the Pixel 7 Pro, but it does cost quite a bit more. For the price, you get an outstanding camera, gorgeous QHD+ AMOLED display, built-in S Pen, and boosted performance from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 CPU. If it’s within your budget, you won’t be disappointed.
Google Pixel 7 Pro
Google’s Pixel 7 Pro doesn’t cost as much as the Galaxy S23 Ultra, yet it’s still one of the best flagship Android phones you can buy. It has a gorgeous design, smooth software, and excellent cameras and supporting software. If you don’t mind not having the biggest, most powerful phone out there, it should make a great alternative to Samsung’s new hardware.
If you want a range-topping Android phone, theGalaxy S23 UltraandGoogle Pixel 7 Prowill likely top your list. They’re two of thebest Android phonesaround, after all. The phones have a lot in common, with big, beautiful, bright displays, incredible camera systems, and a focus on performance. They differ in some meaningful ways, though, so we must compare them properly before deciding which to buy.
Price, availability, and specs
The Galaxy S23 Ultra is available almost worldwide, both unlocked and from all major carriers. The base 256GB model only has 8GB of RAM, while the 512GB and 1TB variants feature 12GB. Prices start at $1,200 for the base model and go as high as $1,620 for 1TB. As is always the case this far into a Samsung flagship’s life cycle, special offers are becoming more frequent, and Black Friday should bring some hefty discounts.
The Pixel 7 Pro comes in 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB flavors, all with 12GB of RAM. Starting at $900 and rising to $1,100, the Pixel is quite a bit cheaper than the Galaxy; it’s available unlocked and from most major carriers, but not in as many countries as the S23. you’re able to buy the 7 Pro in Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, India, Ireland, Japan, Norway, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, the Netherlands, the UK, and the US.
Both phones have some impressive specs, and you can see them below:
Both phones are big and heavy, although the Pixel is more comfortable to hold thanks to a more rounded design and slightly more petite frame. The only differentiating features from the front are the S23 Ultra’s boxy corners and more subtly curved screen compared to the softer edges and more exaggerated curves found on the 7 Pro. The real differences are found around the back.
Both phones share similar designs with their predecessors. The Pixel 7 Pro has a glossy glass back with a metal camera bar that goes across the top of the phone. Aside from making the phone look like Frozone from the Incredibles, the camera bar keeps the phone steady when placed on a table, making it easy to type on without wobbling.
The S23 Ultra uses matte glass, which looks and feels better as it resists the build-up of smudges and grease. This phone doesn’t have a camera bump or bar. Instead, each lens stands out separately, bearing a striking resemblance to the top of a stove. It looks good, but the small gaps between lenses love to collect dust, and it’s almost impossible to remove it all. As such, I’ve resigned myself to the fact I’ll spend at least five minutes using the heal tool to hide the dust whenever I take a photo of this phone.
Samsung’s attempt to revive the spirit of the Note brand (starting again with the S22 Ultra) has led to the inclusion of an embedded S Pen. This is excellent news for those who love to jot down notes and make quick sketches on their phone, and it’s a feature unique to Samsung. As for ports, both phones use the standard USB-C, and neither has a headphone jack.
The Pixel 7 Pro uses Gorilla Glass Victus with an aluminum frame, while the S23 Ultra has Gorilla Glass VIctus 2 and Armored Aluminum. In hand, the S23 Ultra feels more solid and better put together, mainly because of the frosted back glass that isn’t anywhere near as slippery as the glossy Pixel.
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra’s 6.8-inch display is just a bit taller than the Pixel 7 Pro’s 6.7-inch screen, but both have a sharp QHD+ resolution and adaptive refresh rate that can hit up to a 120Hz refresh rate. Both screens also have a small hole near the top for the selfie camera, which helps keep the bezel as thin as possible.
The AMOLED 2X display on the S23 Ultra delivers in all the ways we’ve come to expect from Samsung. It’s bright, sharp, vivid, and perfect for HDR content, with a max brightness of 1,750 nits. That’s exactly what we said about the S22 Ultra’s screen as well, which makes sense, given that the display is the same. But that doesn’t matter. Samsung’s best from a year ago is still better than almost everything else today. The Pixel also has a gorgeous screen but falls behind slightly in brightness with a 1,500 nit maximum.
Beneath both screens, you’ll find fingerprint scanners. Samsung uses a more expensive ultrasonic scanner, which uses ultrasonic sound waves to map your fingerprints, while the Pixel has an older optical scanner. The ultrasonic sensor is more expensive for a reason — it’s always faster, and it’s rarely thrown off by dry skin.
Software and performance
Both phones are currently running Android 13, with One UI 5.1 slapped on top of the S23 Ultra. Both can currently participate in their relative Android 14 betas, with the Pixel expected to get a stable release any time now, while the S23 is expected to wait until at least October. Monthly security patches are always fast for both.
The software experience will be one of the main factors in choosing which phone to buy. Google focuses on smooth, minimalist software that gets out of the way. Samsung opts to throw in as many features as possible, although it should be noted that it reigns in many ways compared to the old TouchWiz days. Both pieces of software are brilliant for different reasons, and while I prefer One UI for the feature set, I understand the appeal of a more straightforward experience.
The next big software difference puts Samsung in a better position. Google promises three years of Android upgrades for the Pixel with five years of security patches, so the 7 Pro will end its days on Android 16. In comparison, Samsung promises four Android updates with five years of patches, so the S23 Ultra will see Android 17. When you factor in that Google is the one who makes Android, this is a little bit embarrassing for the Pixel.
Performance-wise, both phones are flagship grade, but you’ll have a more steady experience with the S23 Ultra. The S23 series finally uses a Snapdragon chip worldwide with no Exynos to be found, and the Snapdragon is an absolute peach. The 8 Gen 2 is lightning fast, especially when paired with the new ultra-fast storage found in the S23 Ultra, and it barely gets hot. The Exynos S22 Ultra would overheat and need to be charged three times a day, whereas the S23 Ultra can go all day, every day, without breaking a sweat.
The Pixel uses Tensor G2, the second-generation SoC from Google that is ironically based on an Exynos chip made by Samsung. It’s fast and fluid for most day-to-day tasks, but it builds up heat quite quickly, so expect to encounter thermal throttling if you spam the cameras or play any games. Tensor is a mixed bag. It’s excellent in that it enables a lot of fancy AI features like on-device Magic Eraser, but then it falls because it often loses signal in places other phones do not.
Battery life
As noted in our Google Pixel 7 Pro review, the 5,000mAh battery is “just good enough to get through a day,” although people who frequently reach higher screen time numbers will probably want to invest in a portable battery. The S23 Ultra, on the other hand, would usually last at least a day and a half in the same conditions, used by the same reviewer. Hitting nine or ten hours of screen time with the S23 Ultra is easy, and it does so with a consistency I’ve never seen in a phone before. Unfortunately for the Pixel, charging is disappointing as well.
The Pixel can charge at 23W wired or when using a Pixel stand, but it only manages 12W on a Qi charger. The S23 Ultra can max out at 45W wired and can achieve 15W on any Qi charging pad that can get that high. On top of that, the cooler Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is able to sustain the max charging speed for longer, so the Galaxy will always charge faster. It should be noted, though, that you’ll need aphone chargerwith PPS capabilities to reach the 45W maximum on the S23 Ultra.
Debating about phone cameras often comes down to personal preference, and both of these phones have some perks and drawbacks when it comes to shooting pictures. The Galaxy S23 Ultra’s main array on the back of the phone includes a wide-angle 200MP camera with Laser Auto Focus and f/1.7 aperture, an ultra-wide 12MP camera with f/2.2 aperture, and dual 10MP telephoto lenses with f2.4 or f/4.9 aperture. You also get a 3x or 10x optical zoom and a 100x space zoom.
The Pixel 7 Pro has a 50MP primary camera with f/1.85 aperture, a 12MP ultra-wide camera with f/2.2 aperture, and a 48MP telephoto camera with f/3.5 aperture and 5x zoom. It also hits 30x with its Super Res Zoom. The Galaxy S23 Ultra’s selfie camera hits 12MP with an f/2.2 aperture and autofocus, while the Pixel 7 Pro’s selfie camera hits 10.8MP with an f/2.2 aperture and fixed focus. Our Pixel 7 Pro review has an in-depth breakdown of the phone’s cameras, highlighting features like Night Sight, Super Res Zoom, Google’s Photo Unblur, and 4K video quality.
Really, this is the bottom line: If you want a fire-and-forget camera system that rarely makes mistakes, the Pixel is what you should get. If you prefer playing with settings and options, the S23 Ultra wins.
Which phone is right for you?
Both phones are great, and the Google Pixel 7 Pro compares well for a phone that costs $300 less than the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. Many of the differences between the phones, such as the software experience and camera system, all come down to personal preference, and we can’t tell you which you will prefer. But objectively, the S23 Ultra is the phone we have to recommend.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and the attached modem are far more reliable, and despite all the other features we’ve bolted on over the years, being able to make a phone call when needed is the core functionality that the Pixel can’t always deliver. Combine that with the class-leading battery life, ever-useful S Pen, and the extra year of Android updates, the winner becomes clear.
Large and powerful Samsung flagship
Want a phone that basically goes all-out with every feature? The Galaxy S23 Ultra costs a lot, but it has an edge in screen size, performance, and versatility thanks to the built-in S Pen.
That doesn’t mean the Pixel 7 Pro is a bad phone. Sure, you can push it into service as a space heater on a cold night, but that doesn’t take away from the fact it’s fun to use, and for a lot of people, hardware limitations are easily dismissed in favor of the Pixel software experience. The price difference has to be considered as well, and the Pixel 7 Pro is a bargain at $900.
Still one of the best phones in 2023
Google’s Pixel 7 Pro costs significantly less than the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and still delivers one of the best overall Android experiences. The screen, cameras, and performance should be a great fit if you don’t want to pay big money for Samsung.
