Samsung has updated its flagship smartphone line for 2023, with the new models led by the decked-out Galaxy S23 Ultra. But, how does it compare to Google’s top phone, the Pixel 7 Pro?
Both of these popular Android phones have the specs to be ideal for mobile photography, but that doesn’t mean they’re the same by any means.
We’ve broken down all the main differences between the Galaxy S23 Ultra and the Pixel 7 Pro, so you can get an idea of which device is the best choice for you.
Save big on the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra SIM-free or with unlimited data
Mobiles.co.uk has already dropped two deals on the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Pick up the latest Samsung phone, unlimited data, texts and minutes all for just £315 upfront and £45/month on Vodafone. That’s just £1395 over the course of the 2-year contract, which is less than the price of the phone outright.
Alternatively, you can pick up the 512GB phone SIM-free for £1249 and get double the data for the same price as the 256GB model.
- Mobiles.co.uk
- Unlimited data
- £315 upfront, £45 a month
The Galaxy S23 Ultra has a much bigger camera
Perhaps the most exciting feature on the Galaxy S23 Ultra is its huge 200-megapixel camera.
The camera uses 16-in-1 pixel binning technology to achieve this size and to vastly improve the detail and lighting in images, with low-light photography seeing the biggest benefit here.
We haven’t had the chance to test the camera to its full potential just yet, but our first impressions have been positive. Low-light images are lighter with sharper details, selfies are expected to appear more true-to-life and Samsung’s Moon Shot feature supports 100x zoom for detailed images using AI.
Aside from the 200-megapixel lens, there’s a 12-megapixel ultra-wide sensor and a pair of 10-megapixel telephoto sensors. There’s also a 12-megapixel camera on the front of the phone.
The Pixel 7 Pro is also a fantastic camera phone with a 50-megapixel wide lens, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide lens and a 48-megapixel telephoto lens.
The device is packed with software-powered photography features, including the Magic Eraser, Photo Unblur, Motion Mode, Real Tone and Night Sight, to name just a few.
The Pixel 7 Pro is currently our favourite phone for stills in our best camera phones list, so we’ll have to see if the Galaxy S23 Ultra can beat the Google flagship in this respect.
They have different custom chips
Both the Galaxy S23 Ultra and the Pixel 7 Pro are powered by custom chipsets – the Pixel 7 Pro by Google’s Tensor G2 chip and the Galaxy S23 Ultra by a special version of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 designed for Galaxy phones.
This is the first time Samsung has collaborated with Qualcomm in this way and marks the end of the Snapdragon/Exynos differentiation in the US and in Europe.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy is a version of the chipset that has been enhanced for gaming with a higher-clocked CPU and upgraded Adreno GPU compared to the standard 8 Gen 2. This means it should offer better performance and power efficiency than other devices powered by the flagship Snapdragon chip.
When it comes to the Pixel 7 Pro, Google opted for its own Tensor G2. This is a chipset designed to support Google’s suite of AI features – such as Face Unblur, translation and transcription – over competing with the performance of the Snapdragon chip.
The Pixel 7 Pro has up to 3 days of battery life
One of the Pixel 7 Pro’s niftiest features is its Extreme Power Saver mode. This allows the phone to last up to 72 hours – or 3 days – on one charge. Of course, this will severely limit the phone’s performance so you probably won’t use the mode on a daily basis, but it’s good to know it’s there for when you really need it.
For day-to-day use, the Pixel 7 Pro will likely require a nightly charge, which is pretty standard for a flagship mobile.
We haven’t had a chance to test the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s battery just yet, but we do hope it’ll see improvements over the Galaxy S22 Ultra. While the phone had the same size battery as the Pixel 7 Pro at 5000mAh, it fell behind in terms of battery life and was our main qualm with the 2022 smartphone.
Hopefully, the Galaxy S23 Ultra will see a vast improvement in this area, but you’ll have to wait for our full review to find out.
The Pixel 7 Pro is a lot cheaper
While all of these specs and features are important, the cost will no doubt play a big part in your decision.
One of the perks of picking up a Pixel phone is that they’re significantly cheaper than other flagships on the market. Prices for the Pixel 7 Pro start at £849 for 128GB or £949 for 256GB.
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra will set you back £1249 for its cheapest model, which comes with 256GB of storage. That’s over £300 more for the equivalent number of gigabytes.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
