With a super-capable camera system, powerful hardware and setup, as well as a larger-than-life AMOLED display, and a built-in S Pen stylus, this Galaxy is easily the ultimate Android device. Google hasn’t introduced any significant design changes to the Pixel 8 Pro’s exterior aesthetics . In terms of colors, the Pixel 8 Pro is available in Bay, Porcelain, and Obsidian, which in a typical Google fashion aren’t half-bad! Speaking of unique hardware features like the S Pen, the Pixel 8 Pro brings something new and exciting to the mix––an on-board thermometer that lets you take the temperature of whatever object you want, including your forehead.
The OLED display is also an LTPO one, which dynamically switches between 1 and 120Hz refresh rates for the best scrolling and rewarding experience. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S23 Ultra comes forth with a 6.8-inch 1-120Hz Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen with high maximum and low minimum brightness.
Generally speaking, the Galaxy S23 Ultra looks spectacular, as most Samsung displays usually do, with excellent brightness, exceptional contrast, and overall superb color rendition. When it comes to biometrics, the Galaxy S23 Ultra features a fast and reliable ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, and the same applies to the Pixel 8 Pro as well.
The difference here is that the Pixel 8 Pro ‘s face unlock is now rated as so secure that it can be used to authenticate fintech and other sensitive apps on your phone.
Unlike most smartphone chipsets, these don’t really put the emphasis on raw performance but are tailor-made to serve the Pixel’s artificial intelligence and machine-learning needs as best as possible. As such, the Tensor chip is sufficient for most people’s everyday needs and allows the Pixel phones to be as smart as they are, though they don’t really shine in synthetic benchmark tests. The Tensor G3 is the new chipset of choice on the Pixel 8 Pro and ushers in major improvements to boost its performance.
The Tensor G3 beating the custom Snapdragon in terms of overall performance sounds like a pretty far-fetched idea. This is unlikely to change once the Pixel 8 Pro arrives, as Samsung’s top flagship will still have more features and be the more versatile camera phone.
However, Google has seemingly improved lots of aspects of the Pixel camera package that make it an exciting prospect. Pixel 8 Pro comes with a 50MP main camera with a much wider aperture than before, as well as boasting Dual Exposure and faster low-light autofocus.
Thecomes with a 50MP main camera with a much wider aperture than before, as well as boasting Dual Exposure and faster low-light autofocus. There’s also the 48MP 5.0X optical zoom telephoto that we saw on the Pixel 7 Pro , which now also soaks more light in, which spells only great things for the low-light capabilities of the’s cameras.
Best Take, Night Sight Video, and improved Magic Editor are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to camera goodies for the Pixel 8 Pro . Meanwhile, the Galaxy S23 Ultra relies on a 200MP main camera that bundles up 16 sensors pixel into one, resulting in very detailed 12MP images.
In comparison with its predecessors, the Galaxy S23 Ultra delivers more detailed images, with more natural-looking pictures that lack that undesirable over-processed and overly dramatic look. At 5X, the Pixel 8 Pro naturally has the upper hand when it comes to overall detail and quality, while the Galaxy S23 Ultra is much softer. The Galaxy does a better job at capturing a neat portrait that you simply want to share on your social media channels. The ultra-wide camera of the Pixel 8 Pro captures more natural photos in comparison with the oversaturated and oversharpened mess that the Galaxy S23 Ultra delivers both at daynight and night-time.
Pixel 8 Pro will surely continue the tradition and feature excellent audio quality; we can’t wait to test it out. The Galaxy S23 Ultra already has excellent audio quality, possibly the most capable one we’ve heard this year alongside the punchy and deep sound that comes out of the Thewill surely continue the tradition and feature excellent audio quality; we can’t wait to test it out.
Thealready has excellent audio quality, possibly the most capable one we’ve heard this year alongside the punchy and deep sound that comes out of the iPhone 15 Pro Max Overall, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is easily the most well-established flagship prodigy available on the market right now, with the most features among most of its rivals and overall delivering excellent value despite its very premium price tag.
I put the Google Pixel 8 Pro vs Galaxy S23 Ultra through a 7-round face-off — here’s the winner
Google’s Pixel 8 Pro is the newer of the two phones, and costs less while also impressing with all sorts of unique AI and software features. In this Pixel 8 Pro vs Galaxy S23 face-off, I compare the specs, design, display, performance, cameras and more to determine the overall winner.
Swipe to scroll horizontally Pixel 8 Pro Galaxy S23 Ultra Price $999 / £999 / A$1,699 $1,199 / £1,249 / A$1,949 Display 6.7-inch Super Actua Display (OLED) 6.8-inch QHD AMOLED Display resolution 2,992 x 1,344 3,088 x 1,440 Refresh rate 1 – 120Hz adaptive 1 – 120Hz adaptive Rear cameras 50MP main, 48MP ultrawide, 48MP 5x telephoto 200MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP 3x telephoto, 10MP 10x telephoto Front camera 10.5MP selfie 12MP selfie Chipset Google Tensor G3 Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy RAM 12GB 8GB/12GB Storage 128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB 256GB, 512GB, 1TB Battery 5,050 mAh 5,000 mAh Charging 30W wired / 23W wireless (with Pixel Stand) 45W wired / 10W wireless Water/dust resistance IP68 IP68 Size 6.4 x 3.0 x 0.3 inches (162.6 x 76.5 x 8.8mm) 6.4 x 3.0 x 0.35 inches (163.4 x 78.1 x 8.9mm) Weight 7.5 ounces (213g) 8.2 ounces (233g) Colors Obsidian, Porcelain, Bay Phantom Black, Cotton Flower, Botanic Green and Mystic Lilac
The Galaxy S23 Ultra is a little thicker and heavier than the Pixel 8 Pro, which may be a key consideration for users wanting an easy-to-handle phone.
The Google Pixel 8 Pro’s 6.7-inch screen is branded Super Actua, and the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s slightly larger 6.8-inch panel is AMOLED, but both are at their heart OLED displays with 1 – 120Hz adaptive refresh rates. The Galaxy S23 Ultra’s screen delivers a higher brightness level of 1,526 when showing HDR content, compared to 1,444 nits for Google’s phone.
Starting with the main camera, we have an image of a giant plug (a piece of public art in Paddington Basin). In night/low-light mode, this chopping board and set of cheese knives look brighter and more natural from the Pixel 8 Pro, although the warm colors in the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s photo is still appealing. Moving to the ultrawide camera, Sussex Gardens looks more natural in the Pixel 8 Pro shot, and more vivid in the Samsung’s. The HDR of the Pixel seems to be far better though, giving us a far clearer view of the garden’s central plant bed than the Samsung manages.
At 3x, the Galaxy is the winner, offering a far brighter and sharper photo of the old GWR building over on the other side of Paddington Station. The Pixel 8 Pro gets to flex the hybrid zoom abilities of its telephoto camera, offering a surprisingly good image despite needing to crop in digitally.
The Pixel’s controlled the light better, and provided richer colors, but the portrait effect hasn’t cut my glasses out properly. The Samsung managed to understand my glasses frame needs to be part of the foreground, and still looks fairly good even with its uneven lighting. But having the versatility of the extra telephoto camera on the Galaxy S23 Ultra has proved handy several times, and its tendency to saturate images can produce striking photos under the right circumstances. The Pixel 8 Pro’s Tensor G3 chipset is focused on AI rather than power, meaning that it understandably underperforms in the benchmarks we used to test the phones.
When we tested the phones on their default 120Hz refresh rate settings, the Pixel 8 Pro averaged 8 hours and 33 minutes and the Samsung endured for a much longer 12:22. However, in our testing the Pixel 8 Pro charged slightly faster at 59% in 30 minutes compared to 57% in the same amount of time for Samsung.
That includes photo and video editing, like Best Take, Magic Editor and Magic Eraser for photos and video audio, as well as more productivity-focused ones like call screening and the Summarize function for condensing long text passages into an automated TL:DR. Samsung’s One UI version of Android comes with its own unique features, like stacks for home screen widgets, text-to-voice for answering phone calls quietly and some similar AI photo editing abilities to Google. Adding up the overall rounds, we see that the Google Pixel 8 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra are very close in overall quality.
Should You Buy The Google Pixel 8 Pro or Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra?
The Pixel 8 Pro and Galaxy S23 Ultra might both be flagship devices, but they feature several different pieces of hardware. Connectivity: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, Ultra-Wideband, Dual Band GNSS, GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS The Galaxy S23 Ultra, on the other hand, has a blockier design that still features rounded corners but feels and looks more like a rectangle than the Pixel 8 Pro. The Galaxy S23 Ultra continues to build off Samsung’s tried-and-true design as well, with clicky buttons and an exceptional display.
Since you’re going to spend so much time looking at the panel, having a great display that doesn’t clash with your phone’s design is important, and both fit the bill here. Both look good, and create a bit of lift on the back of the phone, making it hard for either of them to sit flush against tabletop surfaces.
The displays on both devices are also fantastic, and while the Galaxy S23 Ultra offers a higher resolution, both OLED panels deliver great contrast through bright, vivid colors and dark blacks. Both the Pixel 8 Pro and Galaxy S23 Ultra are powerful and fun to use, though ultimately the software you prefer is probably going to play a part in which one you select.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra, on the other hand, is running the latest version of Android 14, but with Samsung’s One UI overlaid on top of it.
Both Android 14 on the Pixel 8 Pro and Android 14 on the Galaxy S23 Ultra offer great performance, though the Qualcomm Snapdragon chip inside the S23 Ultra offers a bit more oomph when compared side-by-side with the Pixel 8 Pro’s Google Tensor G3. Some of those AI features include small things—like the option to create wallpapers using generative AI—to the larger features that tie into the various systems of the phone—like being able to edit out unwanted sounds from videos and audio recordings—as well as Google’s previously released Magic Eraser function, which lets you edit objects and people out of photos completely. Google has also made it possible to translate languages on the spot using the Pixel 8 Pro, and includes the ability to sift through incoming calls and only letting the people you want to talk to through.
No matter which device you get, though, both the Pixel 8 Pro and Galaxy S23 Ultra are more than powerful enough to handle your day-to-day business, whether that’s messaging, browsing Instagram, or taking high-quality photos in your spare time. But, if you don’t mind the more saturated, overly bright colors, the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s camera stack will deliver some photos that pop magnificently. The Pixel 8 Pro doesn’t offer a periscope camera, but its various AI programs power digital zoom without a ton of detail loss. Still, both the Pixel 8 Pro and Galaxy S23 Ultra have more than enough battery to last through the day, so long as you don’t spend seven hours gaming nonstop. However, the Galaxy S23 Ultra has fought hard to earn its place as one of the best Android smartphones on the market, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t at least give Samsung the credit that it deserves here.
Google Pixel 8 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: Which should you buy?
In this comparison, we’ll take a closer look at how the Google Pixel 8 Pro differs from the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and help decide which smartphone you should buy. Even though both Android phones share similar dimensions, Samsung has managed to fit an entire stylus within the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Google’s in-house Tensor G3 chip found in the Pixel 8 Pro is the company’s fastest yet. However, the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC should run faster and cooler. The Galaxy S23 Ultra ships with double the internal storage compared to the base model Pixel 8 Pro. While both smartphones have a periscope lens, the Galaxy S23 Ultra offers 10x optical zoom vs. the Pixel 8 Pro’s 5x. The Pixel 8 Pro relies on a slower optical fingerprint reader compared to the S23 Ultra’s ultrasonic technology. Google promises to deliver seven years’ worth of software updates to the Pixel 8 Pro.
Google Pixel 8 Pro Face Unlock (highest Android biometric class)
You won’t have to look at either phone’s spec sheet for long to realize that they pack some of the highest-end specifications in the smartphone market.
The Pixel 8 Pro and Galaxy S23 Ultra both include OLED displays, the latest in processing hardware, large batteries, and capable camera setups. However, the devil’s in the details, and you’ll find plenty of differences if you peel back the layers.
Google’s Tensor chips have never prioritized raw performance, so it’s safe to assume that the latest one won’t top any benchmark charts either. However, it’s also built on Samsung Foundry’s 4nm process node, which doesn’t have the best track record for efficiency. The Galaxy S23 Ultra’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, meanwhile, is one of the fastest and most efficient chips we’ve seen in a while. So it should eke out a win for its cooler operation and better sustained performance in demanding workloads like gaming.
However, the Tensor G3 is custom-built for AI-related tasks and features, so it’s aiming for smarts over peak performance. They both have LTPO technology to dynamically adjust refresh rates, a Quad HD resolution, and chart-topping brightness for great outdoor visibility.
That said, the Galaxy S23 Ultra has curved sides as opposed to the Pixel 8 Pro’s completely flat display. On the subject of durability, both smartphones rely on the latest Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and offer IP68 water resistance.
Samsung goes one step further with its Armor Aluminum branding that supposedly offers better protection against scratches and drops. While Samsung’s four-year support window had an edge over Google in previous years, that’s no longer the case. And in that vein, Galaxy S23 Ultra owners will have to wait longer for each Android update. You can use it to check the surface temperature of objects, including drinks, but I’m not sure it’s quite as versatile as Samsung’s note-taking tool.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra and Pixel 8 Pro are among the largest Android phones on the market, but the Samsung flagship is a bit larger in all three dimensions. However, this approach does maximize screen real estate and lends Samsung a unique silhouette.
It’s slightly smaller and doesn’t have to fit a stylus, allowing Google to land at the 213g mark.
Samsung and Google take very different approaches to maximizing camera quality, and that’s true in this generation as well.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra houses Samsung’s first-ever 200MP sensor, which unsurprisingly delivers crisp, detailed shots. The Pixel 8 Pro, meanwhile, sticks to a 50MP primary sensor, albeit with better light sensitivity this year.
As we’ve come to expect from Google, though, the Pixel 8 Pro will narrow its gap in software using computational photography. Stay tuned for our full review of the Pixel 8 Pro as we’ll test all of its sensors.
In the video department, Google has once again turned to AI to enhance quality beyond the phone’s raw hardware potential. The Pixel 8 Pro and S23 Ultra have nearly identical battery capacities at 5,000mAh, but don’t expect matching endurance.
In our review, the Galaxy S23 Ultra delivered two full days of mixed use with six to eight hours of screen time. The last-gen Pixel 7 Pro, with its similarly-sized battery, ran out of steam within a single day.
You’ll still need a USB PD PPS charger for the Pixel 8 Pro and Galaxy S23 Ultra to get the fastest recharge speeds. While the Galaxy S23 Ultra starts at a $200 higher price point than the Pixel 8 Pro, it includes double the storage for that extra amount. The Galaxy S23 Ultra launched several months earlier in 2023, meaning you can likely find a deep discount on it.
With over a thousand dollars on the line, the choice between Google and Samsung’s flagship smartphones may seem daunting.
As for the differences, the Pixel 8 Pro offers a less polarizing design, leaner software, much longer update commitment, and many exclusive AI extras like Google’s Call Screening and Night Sight Video. On the other hand, the Galaxy S23 Ultra delivers the most powerful chip, likely with longer battery life and faster charging, an S Pen for note-taking, and a more versatile camera setup.
But if the prospect of new Feature Drops and AI-driven assistance sounds more appealing to you, the Pixel 8 Pro should be on your radar. It’s also less expensive, and Google’s generous pre-order bonus makes it an even sweeter deal.
Do the Google Pixel 8 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra have an SD card slot?
Are the Google Pixel 8 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra dual SIM and eSIM?
Google Pixel 8 Pro vs. Samsung Galaxy S23 UItra
But if you are averse to Apple’s ecosystem, the only direct rival to Google’s latest flagship is the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. Both product lines have a reputation for having one of the most powerful camera phones , with Samsung banking more on hardware supremacy while Google leads with software processing.
Gorilla Glass Victus 2 shield Screen resolution 1344 x 2992 pixels 3088 x 1440 pixels (Quad HD+) Operating system Android 14 Android 13 (One UI 5.1) Storage 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB 256GB, 512GB, 1TB MicroSD card slot No No Tap-to-pay services Google Pay Google Pay, Samsung Pay Processor Google Tensor G3 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 RAM 12GB 8GB, 12GB Camera 50-megapixel primary (F1.68, FOV 82°) Each device offers a large OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and dynamic adjustment tech, but the Pixel 8 Pro’s screen is brighter and goes all the way up to 2,400 nits.
In day-to-day life, however, those numerical figures won’t make much of a difference as the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s screen is also sufficiently bright, and content legibility is not a problem even under broad daylight. The Galaxy S23 Ultra supports stylus input and comes with the S Pen that slots right inside the phone’s chassis. It supports a wide array of Air Gestures and comes with a ton of customization and shortcut tricks. If you know your way around the Good Lock modules, the S Pen will truly elevate your smartphone experience to an altogether different level of convenience and immersion. Samsung has equipped the Galaxy S23 Ultra with a slightly overclocked trim of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip that is exclusive to this particular phone.
The S23 Ultra is also equipped with a larger vapor chamber cooling system for improved heat dissipation, and it actually does a great job.
Google’s flagship chip, though not especially advertised as coming with heat dissipation, has seen dramatic improvements in cooling with the Tensor G3. What you get inside the Pixel 8 Pro is a custom-designed Tensor G3 processor ticking alongside 12GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage.
Google has also fitted dedicated AI and security chips inside the phone, but just like Samsung, it has skipped microSD card expansion. The latter means you can simply keep any other phone or earbuds case on the Pixel 8 Pro Galaxy S23 Ultra’s rear panel and it will share power. As has become customary with Pixel phones, the images taken are nothing short of exceptional, and this time around, all three lenses output still photos of a similar quality.
This allows the phone to perform multiple layers of pixel binning to output images in smaller formats.
The Pixel 8 Pro, however, serves up some impressive AI-powered goodies such as Magic Eraser for removing unwanted objects from the frame, Face Unblur to fix photos post-capture, Macro Focus to take close-up shots, Astrophotography mode for long-exposure night sky capture, and Magic Audio Eraser to remove noise from videos. This time around, Google is also adding some new tricks like Night Sight for video capture and Best Take for group photos, where multiple frames are combined to deliver the most pleasing stills. Just like the Pixel 8 Pro, it also supports Night Mode for video (from front and rear cameras), as well as portrait capture. The Pixel 8 Pro creates images with a more realistic tone, but the S23 Ultra’s vibrant shots may appeal to some.
Google serves a vanilla flavor of Android on the Pixel 8 Pro with a ton of exclusive features.
The Google Assistant experience is the best you’ll come across, with more tricks arriving at a regular cadence via Pixel feature drop updates. This year, Google is adding multilingual assistant voice typing into the mix alongside more natural conversations, improved call-screening capability, better noise isolation for calls, and more. For example, Edge Panels and the S Pen wheel offer more shortcuts and tools at your disposal than you would find on any other device.
The scope for aesthetic customization is deep, while Samsung Good Lock modules offer a level of UI control that you simply won’t find on any smartphone out there. Color options on the table are Green, Phantom Black, Lavender, Cream, Lime, Sky Blue, Graphite, and Red. But if you’re looking for an Android phone that offers camera perks like 10x optical zoom, tons of pro-grade video and photo capture gimmicks, and the versatility of an excellent stylus, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra should be your pick. It comes at a 20% premium over the Pixel 8 Pro, but if you’re invested in Samsung’s ecosystem and appreciate the flexibility of One UI, this is the most feature-loaded phone you can possibly get.
Google Pixel 8 Pro vs. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: Which flagship phone should you buy?
Google Pixel 8 Pro Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Display 6.7-inch AMOLED with 120Hz (LTPO 2.0) 6.8-inch AMOLED with 120Hz (LTPO 2.0) Weight 213g 228g Processor Google Tensor G3 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy RAM/Storage 12GB with 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB 8GB/12GB with 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB Battery 5,050mAh with 30W charging 5,000mAh with 45W charging Camera 50MP wide, 48MP ultra-wide, 48MP telephoto, 10.5MP front You don’t need to be a ChatGPT veteran or DALL-E expert to appreciate all the AI services and features that Google has crammed into the Pixel 8 Pro this year. Thanks to a new Tensor G3 chipset, which is capable of powering both cloud-based and on-board AI functions, the new Pixel lets you create, summarize, and process information with only a few taps. For example, Google Assistant can now summarize bodies of text, transcribe them in a foreign language, and even give recommendations for what else to read.
But when stacked against the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, the Pixel 8 Pro is not only cheaper by $200, but its new seven-year software update policy gives it a longer-supported life span. There’s also noticeably less bloatware on Pixel devices, whereas the Galaxy S23 Ultra comes with Samsung-made alternatives to the standard suite of Google apps.
Opposite of the Pixel experience, Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra is arguably the most jam-packed, feature-rich smartphone on the market today. The Galaxy S23 Ultra is the last of its kind, a smartphone that has a built-in, multi-functional stylus for note-taking, graphics design, and all the doodles.
In fact, the S Pen experience is incomparable to stylus phones found in the budget to mid-range because it can double as a wireless clicker. For example, you can use the stylus as a shutter button when taking group photos, or swipe around like a magic wand to cycle through galleries and slideshows. While the Pixel 8 Pro remains a device to be tested, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra has proven to deliver one of the best mobile entertainment experiences that money can buy. From the large 6.8-inch AMOLED display that gets colorful and bright (roughly 1750 nits) to the crisp-sounding dual speakers to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset that’s capable of powering through the most graphics-intensive games, we can confidently recommend the Samsung phone to users with video streaming and gaming at the core of their daily activities.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. Google Pixel 8 Pro
The Galaxy isn’t exactly fresh – it’s been around for close to a year now – but for the next couple of months, until its replacement shows up, it will remain the most talented alternative to the Pixel this side of the OS divide. For starters, you can compare the complete specs sheets or directly continue with our editor’s assessment in the following video or in the text further down below. The new Pixel 8 Pro has remained essentially the same size as its predecessor, and that means it’s a touch smaller than the ultimate Galaxy. Both feature Gorilla Glass Victus 2 front and back, the rear panels are frosted, the frames are aluminum and are treated to a glossy finish, and both devices should survive for as long as 30 minutes under 1.5m of water.
The one on the Pixel 8 Pro is optical, and while somewhat improved over the previous generation, it’s arguably not quite as fast as the ultrasonic unit on the Galaxy. Perhaps here is a good place to mention what’s likely the greatest standout feature of the S23 Ultra against the Pixel (or, for that matter, any other high-end smartphone in existence) – the S Pen.
The always-with-you stylus is great for jotting down notes, unleashing your creativity, or simply serving as a camera remote – we say it’s worth taking up the space inside the Galaxy’s body. The Pixel has also gotten very adaptive in its refresh rate behavior, reporting 1Hz in most cases when idling – the Galaxy should be doing that too, but it’s not as transparent in communicating it to common folk. The Pixel 8 Pro is equipped with a 5,050mAh battery – for purposes practical, the same capacity as the power pack of the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Now, it may not be quite as fast as you’d hope or expect it to be, but it still allows the Samsung flagship to charge from flat to 100% in just under an hour, while the Pixel 8 Pro requires 1:23h. The 8 Pro is rated for wireless charging up to 23W with the Google Pixel Stand, while the Galaxy maxes out at 15W with Samsung’s proprietary solutions. Then again, the Pixel will drop to 12W if using generic charging pads (that adhere to the Extended Power Profile), and we believe so too will the Galaxy.
When it comes to sound quality, we’d call this a tie, as both phones deliver balanced output with little to complain about across the frequency range. The S23 Ultra is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, Galaxy edition – Qualcomm’s special delivery of its high-end chip for 2023 that features a higher clock rate on the CPU than what most others are getting (and possibly other small tweaks that aren’t as marketable). Both phones can be specced with up to 1TB of storage, but the Galaxy starts at a reasonable 256GB, while the Pixel’s base 128GB version is inadequate at this level.
Counter that with the vast array of proprietary stuff that One UI offers, particularly on the S Pen-wielding S23 Ultra, but also things that all high-end GAlaiex have like the DeX desktop functionality, and you arrive at a dilemma.
Being at the top of each lineup, the Pixel 8 Pro and Galaxy S23 Ultra are inevitably some of the best cameraphones on the market, even if they do take somewhat different approaches. Starting on the hardware level, the Galaxy has four cameras on its back, the primary one sporting a whopping 200MP sensor, while the ultrawide and the two teles (3x and 10x) feature more modest imagers.
The Pixel, on the other hand, makes do with three cameras, but boasts larger sensors on both the ultrawide and the single telephoto (5x), potentially forming an equally capable configuration (possibly even a superior one). The Galaxy’s output has gotten some questionable changes with recent updates – things were looking different (and, we’d argue, better) at review time almost a year ago.
With that in mind, there’s no wonder that we’re liking the Pixel’s detail rendition a lot better, particularly on the main camera, where the Galaxy’s extreme sharpening is rather unappealing. The Pixel’s 10x output from its large-ish Quad Bayer-type sensor (on its otherwise 5x camera) does compare well to the Galaxy’s dedicated 10x shooter – the Samsung does have the upper hand in sharpness, though it also remains a little noisy.
In the dark, the Galaxy’s ultrawide tends to outperform the Pixel’s in terms of sharpness, and the main camera also has a bit of an edge. At 10x zoom, darkness takes its toll on both phones, but once again, the results aren’t bad – the more noise but better detail in the Galaxy’s photos is an expected trade-off.
Basically, the Pixel’s videos are great at its camera’s native focal lengths, which is nice if you can limit yourself to just those three zoom levels. The Galaxy, meanwhile, delivers solid results at four native zoom levels, plus the intermediate 2x – that sounds like the more versatile video camera, from a focal range perspective. The Pixel’s 5x telephoto suffers from bad flare and astigmatism, while the Galaxy’s 3x output is riddled with noise, so neither is particularly great in the dark. Both phones do very well to stabilize the footage on the ultrawide and the main cameras, though they still remain a notch behind the iPhone in shakier conditions. Whether you pick the Pixel 8 Pro or the Galaxy S23 Ultra, you’ll be treated to a masterclass of Android goodness – it’s just Google’s take vs. Samsung’s. In that sense, the two are very different – Google is leaning on a simple UI backed by a ton of AI functionality, while Samsung opts for a more in-your-face, feature-packed approach.
Displays are awesome, speakers are great, charging is so-so, but the Galaxy does have the upper hand in battery life, so that could help with decision-making. Ultimately, in our minds, this is decided on two main counts – how far you prefer to zoom, and whether you like OneUI, S Pen, and DeX more than Google’s own Android.
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