Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs Google Pixel 9 Pro XL
74
out of 100
VS
77
out of 100
Here we compared two flagship smartphones: the 6.8-inch Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy) that was released on February 1, 2023, against the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, which is powered by Google Tensor G4 and came out 1 year and 6 months after. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the devices.
Select the amount of RAM to evaluate performance and value for money more precisely
Key differences
Reasons to consider the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
- The rear camera has a 10x optical zoom
- Shows 19% longer battery life (26:01 vs 21:55 hours)
- Slow-motion recording at 960FPS
- Faster storage type - UFS 4.0 versus UFS 3.1
- Supports Dolby Atmos sound technology
Reasons to consider the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL
- Delivers 85% higher peak brightness (2345 against 1267 nits)
- Has 2x more RAM: 16GB versus 8GB
- Better camera quality (According to DxOMark rating)
- Compatible with the latest Wi-Fi 7 wireless networks
- More recent OS version: Android 17 versus 16
- The phone is 1 year and 6 months newer
Review
Display
Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness
Camera
Photo and video recording quality
Performance
CPU and memory performance (apps, system)
Gaming
Capabilities for playing modern games
Battery
Battery life, charging type and speed
Connectivity
Networks, ports, data transmission
Select your primary usage scenario to get a more accurate NanoReview Score
Value for money (Beta)
Tests and specifications
Comparison table of technical specifications and testsDisplay
| Type | Dynamic AMOLED | OLED |
| Size | 6.8 inches | 6.8 inches |
| Resolution | 1440 x 3088 pixels | 1344 x 2992 pixels |
| Aspect ratio | 19.3:9 | 20:9 |
| PPI | 500 ppi | 486 ppi |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Adaptive refresh rate | Yes (24-120 Hz) | Yes (1-120 Hz) |
| Max rated brightness | 1200 nits | 3000 nits |
| Max rated brightness in HDR | 1750 nits | 2000 nits |
| HDR support | Yes, HDR10+ | Yes, HDR10+ |
| Touch sampling rate | 240 Hz | - |
| Screen protection | Gorilla Glass Victus 2 | Gorilla Glass Victus 2 |
| Screen-to-body ratio | 89.5% | 89.5% |
| Display features | - DCI-P3 - Always-On Display |
- DCI-P3 - Always-On Display |
| RGB color space | 96.9% | 99% |
| PWM | 240 Hz | 240 Hz |
| Response time | 2 ms | 2 ms |
| Contrast | ∞ Infinity | ∞ Infinity |
Peak brightness test (auto)
Design and build
| Height | 163.4 mm (6.43 inches) | 162.8 mm (6.41 inches) |
| Width | 78.1 mm (3.07 inches) | 76.6 mm (3.02 inches) |
| Thickness | 8.9 mm (0.35 inches) | 8.5 mm (0.33 inches) |
| Weight | 233 g (8.22 oz) | 221 g (7.8 oz) |
| Waterproof | IP68 | IP68 |
| Advanced cooling | Vapor chamber | Vapor chamber |
| Rear material | Glass | Glass |
| Frame material | Metal | Metal |
| Colors | White, Black, Gray, Blue, Green, Red, Purple | White, Black, Gray, Pink |
| Fingerprint scanner | Yes, in-display | Yes, in-display |
| Repairability | - | Good (3.34/5) |
| Drop resistance | - | Excellent (A) · 270 drops |
Screen-to-body ratio
Performance
| Chipset | Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy | Google Tensor G4 |
| Max clock | 3360 MHz | 3100 MHz |
| CPU cores | 8 (1 + 2 + 2 + 3) | 8 (1 + 3 + 4) |
| Architecture | - 3 cores at 2 GHz: Cortex-A510 - 2 cores at 2.8 GHz: Cortex-A710 - 2 cores at 2.8 GHz: Cortex-A715 - 1 core at 3.2 GHz: Cortex-X3 |
- 4 cores at 1.92 GHz: Cortex-A520 - 3 cores at 2.6 GHz: Cortex-A720 - 1 core at 3.1 GHz: Cortex-X4 |
| L3 cache | 8 MB | - |
| Manufacturing | TSMC | Samsung |
| Lithography process | 4 nanometers | 4 nanometers |
| Neural processor (NPU) | Hexagon | Yes |
| Graphics | Adreno 740 | Mali-G715 MC7 |
| GPU shading units | 1536 | 896 |
| GPU clock | 680 MHz | 940 MHz |
| FLOPS | ~2089 GFLOPS | ~1684.4 GFLOPS |
Benchmarks
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Compute Score (GPU)
| Compute Score (GPU) | 9254 | 9185 |
| Single-core score | 2010 | 2001 |
| Multi-core score | 5245 | 4932 |
AnTuTu Benchmark 11
| CPU | 556398 | 622527 |
| GPU | 445907 | 410009 |
| Memory | 285085 | 255927 |
| UX | 474949 | 384332 |
| Total score | 1762339 | 1672795 |
| Samples | [31 tests] | [6 tests] |
3DMark Steel Nomad Light
| Stability | 81% | - |
| Graphics test | 8 FPS | - |
| Graphics score | 1098 | - |
3DMark Solar Bay
| Stability | 77% | - |
| Graphics test | 20 FPS | - |
| Section 1 | 23 FPS | - |
| Section 2 | 20 FPS | - |
| Section 3 | 18 FPS | - |
| Graphics score | 5383 | - |
3DMark Wild Life Extreme
| Stability | 69% | - |
| Graphics test | 22 FPS | - |
| Graphics score | 3723 | - |
PCMark 3.0
| Web score | 17072 | - |
| Video editing | 7852 | - |
| Photo editing | 33655 | - |
| Data manipulation | 13329 | - |
| Writing score | 19857 | - |
Recent User Tests
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
| Date | Benchmark | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 📘 2026-09-19 -> PhonePorn | AnTuTu 12 | 1873287 |
| 📘 2026-08-07 (Turtle tech) | AnTuTu 11 | 1789039 |
| 📘 2026-07-21 (Jedidiah) | AnTuTu 11 | 1621561 |
| 📘 2026-07-20 (Khải) | Geekbench 6 CPU | 1642 / 5251 |
| 📘 2026-07-20 (Khải) | AnTuTu 11 | 1796597 |
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL
| Date | Benchmark | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 📘 2026-08-27 (feraroof43) | AnTuTu 11 | 1626655 |
| 📘 2026-08-26 (Ark15) | Battery life | SOT 5:20 / 11:00 |
| 📘 2026-08-21 (Kazin) | AnTuTu 11 | 1723964 |
| 📘 2026-04-07 -> DeadlyKPSS | AnTuTu 11 | 1679233 |
| 📘 2026-03-29 (Actn) | AnTuTu 11 | 1585585 |
Memory
| RAM size | 8 GB | 16 GB |
| Memory type | LPDDR5X | LPDDR5X |
| Memory clock | 4200 MHz | - |
| Channels | 4 | 4 |
| Storage size | 256 GB | 128 GB |
| Storage type | UFS 4.0 | UFS 3.1 |
| Memory card | No | No |
Software
| Operating system | Android 13 (Can be upgraded to Android 16) | Android 14 (Can be upgraded to Android 17) |
| ROM | One UI 8.0 | Stock Android |
| OS size | 39.9 GB | - |
| OS updates | 4 years | 7 years |
| Security updates | 5 years | 7 years |
Battery
| Capacity | 5000 mAh | 5060 mAh |
| Max charge power | 45 W | 37 W |
| Battery type | Li-Ion | Li-Ion |
| Replaceable | No | No |
| Wireless charging | Yes (15 W) | Yes (12 W) |
| Reverse charging | Yes, (wireless) | Yes, (wireless) |
| Bypass charging | Yes | - |
| Fast charging | Yes (68% in 30 min) | Yes (67% in 30 min) |
| Full charging time | 0:59 hr | 1:18 hr |
| Battery cycles | - | 1000 cycles |
| Web browsing | 09:57 hr | 11:42 hr |
| Watching video | 15:38 hr | 10:46 hr |
| Gaming | 06:22 hr | 05:57 hr |
| Standby | 130 hr | 92 hr |
General battery life
Smartphones With Long Battery Life (#138th place)
Main camera
| Matrix | 200 megapixels | 50 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 16320 x 12240 | 8160 x 6144 |
| Zoom | Optical, 10x | Optical, 5x |
| Flash | LED | Dual LED |
| Stabilization | Optical | Optical |
| 8K video recording | Up to 30FPS | Up to 30FPS |
| 4K video recording | Up to 60FPS | Up to 60FPS |
| 1080p video recording | Up to 120FPS | Up to 60FPS |
| Slow motion | 960 FPS (1080p) | 240 FPS (1080p) |
| Angle of widest lens | 120° | 123° |
| Lenses | 1) Standard: 200 MP 2) Telephoto: 10 MP 3) Telephoto: 10 MP 4) Ultrawide: 12 MP |
1) Standard: 50 MP 2) Telephoto: 48 MP 3) Ultrawide: 48 MP |
| Camera features | - Bokeh mode - Pro mode - RAW support |
- Bokeh mode - Pro mode - RAW support |
| Image resolution | 200 MP | 50 MP |
| Aperture | f/1.7 | f/1.7 |
| Focal length | 23 mm | 25 mm |
| Sensor | Samsung ISOCELL HP2 | Samsung GN1 |
| Sensor size | 1/1.3" (≈ 0.77 inch) | 1/1.31" (≈ 0.76 inch) |
| Pixel size | 0.64 micron | 1.2 micron |
| Autofocus | Laser autofocus | Laser autofocus |
| Stabilization | Optical | Optical |
| Image resolution | 10 MP | 48 MP |
| Aperture | f/4.9 | f/2.8 |
| Focal length | 230 mm | 113 mm |
| Sensor | Sony IMX754 | Samsung S5KGM5 |
| Sensor size | 1/3.52" (≈ 0.28 inch) | 1/2.55" (≈ 0.39 inch) |
| Pixel size | 1.12 micron | 0.7 micron |
| Stabilization | Optical | Optical |
| Image resolution | 12 MP | 48 MP |
| Aperture | f/2.2 | f/1.7 |
| Focal length | 13 mm | 12 mm |
| Sensor | Sony IMX564 | Samsung S5KGM5 |
| Sensor size | 1/2.55" (≈ 0.39 inch) | 1/2.55" (≈ 0.39 inch) |
| Pixel size | 1.4 micron | 0.7 micron |
| Stabilization | Digital | Digital |
DxOMark main camera tests
Photo quality
Video quality
Generic main camera score
| Bokeh | 70 | 75 |
| Preview | 73 | 86 |
| Zoom | 141 | 155 |
| Samples | Photo samples of Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra from DxOMark | Photo samples of Google Pixel 9 Pro XL from DxOMark |
Selfie camera
| Megapixels | 12 megapixels | 42 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 4000 x 3000 | 3648 x 2736 |
| Aperture | f/2.2 | f/2.2 |
| Focal length | 26 mm | 17 mm |
| Sensor | Samsung S5K3LU | Sony IMX858 |
| Sensor size | 1/3.24" (≈ 0.31 inch) | 1/2.51" (≈ 0.4 inch) |
| Pixel size | 1.12 micron | 0.7 micron |
| Autofocus | Phase autofocus | Phase autofocus |
| Stabilization | Digital | Digital |
| Video resolution | 2160p (4K) at 60 FPS | 2160p (4K) at 60 FPS |
| Depth sensor (TOF 3D) | No | No |
DxOMark front camera
| Photo | 139 | - |
| Video | 145 | - |
Connectivity
| Wi-Fi standard | Wi-Fi 6E (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) | Wi-Fi 7 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be) |
| Wi-Fi features | - Dual Band - Wi-Fi MiMO - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display |
- Dual Band - Wi-Fi MiMO - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display |
| Bluetooth version | 5.3 | 5.3 |
| Bluetooth features | LE | LE |
| USB type | USB Type-C | USB Type-C |
| USB version | 3.2 | 3.2 |
| USB features | - Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG |
- Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG |
| DisplayPort | Yes, DP 1.2 | Yes |
| GPS | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS | GPS, GLONASS, Galileo |
| NFC* | Yes | Yes |
| Infrared port | No | No |
| Number of SIM* | 1 | 1 |
| Type of SIM card | Nano | Nano |
| Multi SIM mode | Standby | - |
| eSIM support* | Yes | Yes |
| Hybrid slot | No | No |
| LTE Cat* | 20 | - |
| 5G support | Yes | Yes |
Sound
| Speakers | Stereo | Stereo |
| Headphone audio jack | No | No |
| FM radio | No | No |
| Dolby Atmos | Yes | No |
Speakers test
Max loudness
Other
| Category | Flagship | Flagship |
| Announced | February 2023 | August 2024 |
| Release date | February 2023 | August 2024 |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $1199 | $1099 |
| Successor | - Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra | - Google Pixel 10 Pro XL |
| SAR (head) | 0.96 W/kg | 0.99 W/kg |
| SAR (body) | 1.4 W/kg | 1.4 W/kg |
| Sensors | - Hall-effect sensor - Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint |
- Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint |
| Bundled charger | Not included | Not included |
*Disclaimer! NFC, GSM network support, and some other specs can be different depending on the country.
Conclusion
If the camera and connectivity are more important to you, then choose the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL. But if the gaming, battery life, software, and sound are more of a priority – go for the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Cast your vote
Total votes: 257
