Samsung Galaxy S23 vs iPhone 13 – Specs and Differences

ByOpe Yemi Last updated Samsung Comparison

Comparison between Samsung Galaxy S23 and iPhone 13 based on their specifications.

Samsung Galaxy S23 vs iPhone 13: Specs

Samsung Galaxy S23 vs iPhone 13
DESIGN AND DISPLAYSamsung S23iPhone 13
Screen Size6.1-inches6.1-inches
Display TypeDynamic AMOLED 2XSuper Retina XDR OLED
High Refresh Rate120HzNo
Screen Resolution2340 x 1080 pixels2532 x 1170 pixels
Pixel Density425 PPI460 PPI
Brightness1750 nits1200 nits
Weight168 grams174 grams
Height146.3 mm146.7 mm
Width70.9 mm71.5 mm
Thickness7.6 mm7.7 mm
Front/Display MaterialCorning Gorilla Glass Victus 2Ceramic Shield Glass
Side/Frame MaterialArmor AluminumAluminum
Back MaterialCorning Gorilla Glass Victus 2Ceramic Shield Glass
Water ResistantIP68IP68
Stylus PenNoNo
Available ColorPhantom Black,
Cream,
Green,
Lavender,
Lime,
Graphite		Red,
Midnight,
Pink,
Green,
Blue,
Starlight
NETWORKSamsung S23iPhone 13
2GYesYes
3GYesYes
4GYesYes
5GYesYes
Sim TypeNano and eSIMNano and eSIM
OPERATING SYSTEMSamsung S23iPhone 13
OS VersionOne UI 5.1,
Based on Android 13		iOS 15,
Upgradable to iOS 16.4.1
PROCESSOR/CHIPSETSamsung S23iPhone 13
Processor Type4nm, Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 25nm, Apple A15 Bionic
Processor SpeedOcta-core,
1 (3.36 GHz Cortex-X3),
2 (2.80 GHz Cortex-A715),
2 (2.80 GHz Cortex-A710),
and
3 (2.0 GHz Cortex-A510)		Hexa-core,
2 (3.23 GHz Avalanche)
and
4 (1.82 GHz Blizzard)
Graphics ProcessorAdreno 740Apple GPU (4-core graphics)
REAR CAMERASamsung S23iPhone 13
Main (wide)50 MP, f/1.8 with OIS and Dual Pixel PDAF12 MP, f/1.6 with sensor-shift OIS and dual pixel PDAF
Ultrawide12 MP, f/2.212 MP, f/2.4
Telephoto10 MP, f/2.4 with OIS and 3x Optical ZoomNo
Periscope TelephotoNoNo
MacroNoNo
DepthNoNo
Video Recording8K @24/30fps,
4K @30/60fps,
1080P @30/60/240fps,
1080P @960fps,
HDR10+,
Stereo Sound Recording, gyro-EIS		4K @24/30/60fps,
1080P @30/60/120/240fps,
Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps),
HDR,
Stereo sound recording
FRONT CAMERASamsung S23iPhone 13
Wide12 MP, f/2.212 MP, f/2.2,
SL 3D (depth/biometrics sensor)
UltrawideNoNo
Video Recording4K @30/60fps,
1080P @30fps		4K @24/25/30/60fps,
1080P @30/60/120fps,
gyro-EIS
MEMORYSamsung S23iPhone 13
RAM8GB4GB
Internal Storage128GB – UFS 3.1,
256GB – UFS 4.0,
512GB – UFS 4.0		128GB – NVMe,
256GB – NVMe,
512GB – NVMe
microSD CardNoNo
BATTERYSamsung S23iPhone 13
TypeLi-Ion Non-removableLi-Ion Non-removable
Capacity3900 mAh3240 mAh
Wired Charging25 Watts, PD 3.020 Watts, PD 2.0
Wireless Charging15 Watts, Qi/PMA15 Watts – Magsafe,
7.5 Watts – Qi
Reverse Wireless Charging4.5 WattsNo
SENSORSSamsung S23iPhone 13
AccelerometerYesYes
ProximityYesYes
CompassYesYes
GyroscopeYesYes
BarometerYesYes
FingerprintUnder Display, UltrasonicNo
Face Unlock/Face IDYesYes
CONNECTIVITYSamsung S23iPhone 13
Bluetoothv5.3, A2DP, LEv5.0, A2DP, LE
USBType-C 3.2Lightning,
USB 2.0
GPSGPS,
BDS,
GLONASS,
GALILEO		GPS,
BDS,
GLONASS,
GALILEO,
QZSS
WiFiWi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e,
tri-Band,
Wi-Fi Direct		Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6,
dual-band,
hotspot
NFCYesYes
Samsung Pay/Apple PayYesYes
Samsung DeXYesNo
BixbyYesNo
MULTIMEDIASamsung S23iPhone 13
LoudspeakerYes, Stereo SpeakersYes, Stereo Speakers
FM RadioNoNo
3.5mm Headphone JackNoNo
AVAILABILITYSamsung S23iPhone 13
Announced Date1st of February 202314th of September 2021
Released Date17th of February 202324th of September 2021

Similarities and Differences Between Samsung S23 and iPhone 13

1.) Design

Samsung S23 and iPhone 13 sport different designs. While the Galaxy S23 uses a punch-hole display that houses its selfie camera, the iPhone has a notch cut-out on its display which houses the Face ID sensors and also its selfie camera.

The S23 has thinner bezels around it from sides to top to bottom compared to the iPhone 13.

Both devices use Aluminum frames. However, while the S23 front and back are protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, the front and back of the iPhone 13 are protected by what Apple calls Ceramic Shield Glass.

Looking at the back of the device the camera arrangement, layout, or design is very different on both devices. Samsung opt-in for a design that allows each of the S23 rear cameras to stand on its own while the iPhone 13 cameras are held together by a module.

While both devices support Face Unlock/ID, the one on the iPhone is light years ahead of Samsung in the sense that it is much more secure, faster, and usable.

Samsung S23 features an in-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor while the iPhone 13 does not have a fingerprint at all.

2.) Display

Both Samsung S23 and iPhone 13 use 6.1 inches display but while the iPhone comes with a screen resolution of 2532 x 1170 pixels the S23 comes with a resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels.

The iPhone 13 has a peak brightness of 1200 nits while the S23 has a peak brightness of 1750 nits. This means that the S23 will be more usable under direct sunlight than the iPhone 13.

Samsung S23 is equipped with a 120Hz high refresh rate while the iPhone 13 comes with the traditional 60Hz refresh rate.

3.) Processor

Samsung Galaxy S23 is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor with Adreno 740 GPU on board while the iPhone 13 is powered by an Apple A15 Bionic chipset with Apple GPU (4-core graphics) on board.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is in a neck-to-neck competition with the A16 Bionic which is a better processor than the A15 Bionic overall.

4.) Operating System

Samsung S23 runs on One UI 5.1 based on Android 13 out of the box while the iPhone 13 runs on iOS 15 out of the box but it is currently upgradable to iOS 16.3.

5.) Camera

Samsung S23 is equipped with a triple camera at the back which comprises 50MP main, 12MP ultrawide, and 10MP telephoto while the iPhone 13 is equipped with cameras at the back which comprises 12MP main and 12MP ultrawide.

Samsung S23 can shoot up to 8K videos while the iPhone 13 can only shoot up to 4K

Both devices come with a 12MP selfie camera though that of the iPhone 13 works hand in hand with other sensors for a secure and better Face ID or unlock.

6.) RAM and Internal Storage

Samsung S23 comes with 8GB RAM while the iPhone 13 comes with 4GB RAM. Both the Galaxy S23 and iPhone 13 are available in 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB.

Though the iPhone storages are NVMe while that of Samsung is UFS 3.1 for the 128GB and UFS 4.0 for the 256GB and 512GB.

7.) Battery

Samsung S23 is packed with a 3900 mAh battery while the iPhone 13 is packed with a 3240 mAh battery.

Samsung S23 supports 25 watts of fast wired charging, 15 watts of wireless charging, and 4.5 watts of reverse wireless charging while the iPhone 13 supports 20 watts of fast wired charging, 15 watts of MagSafe wireless charging, 7.5 watts of Qi wireless charging, and no reverse wireless charging support.

8.) Connectivity

Samsung S23 is equipped with Bluetooth 5.3, tri-band WiFi 6e, and USB Type-C 3.2 while the iPhone 13 is equipped with Bluetooth 5.0, dual-band WiFi 6, USB 2.0 Lightning, and QZSS alongside the GPS, BDS, GLONASS, GALILEO that is also present on the S23.

You mays also be interested in the comparison between Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and iPhone 13 Pro Max.

Ope Yemi

My name is Ope Yemi, I have been a Samsung mobile enthusiast and user for years.

Combining that with my deep research skills, makes me your best go to for any information you are looking for about this smartphone titan and its products.

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