Besides, we already have a pretty good idea of what the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is going to offer, thanks to the many rumors detailing the ins and outs of the upcoming release. That gives us enough information to do an initial comparison with the Pixel 7 Pro. A couple of months ahead of the Galaxy S23 Ultra launch, leaks suggest a phone that’s going to be a lot like the Galaxy S22 Ultra before it, only with some big improvements to cameras, performance and display. That should make the S23 Ultra a contender for the best Android phone if not one of the best phones overall. The Google Pixel 7 Pro is already with us, and we already know it’s a great value flagship phone. It shines when it comes to photo and screen quality, even if it falls down on battery life and performance. We have gathered all the details on both phones to create this Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. Pixel 7 Pro comparison, in the hope of figuring out which phone might be best for which type of users. Take a look, and be sure to come back regularly to see the updates. (And if you’re interested in how the base models might compare, check out our Samsung Galaxy S23 vs. Google Pixel 7 preliminary face-off.)
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. Google Pixel 7 Pro: Specs
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. Google Pixel 7 Pro: price and availability
You can go out and buy a Pixel 7 Pro right now if you wish, with the starting price of $899 / £849 / AU$1,299 for a base model 128GB storage. That’s cheap for a flagship phone, let alone when compared to what we expect Samsung to charge for the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Google Pixel 7 deals can help you save even more on the Pro model. Galaxy S23 release date rumors suggest the Ultra will go on sale with the rest of the S23 lineup in February or March 2023. As for the S23 Ultra’s price, we’d imagine it’ll cost at least as much as the Galaxy S22 Ultra, which costs $1,199 for 128GB of storage. It’s possible that Samsung would raise its prices to deal with increased parts costs, as some of the expected upgrades could be expensive additions.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. Google Pixel 7 Pro: Design and display
The Galaxy S23 Ultra is thought to have a slightly larger screen than the Pixel 7 Pro’s 6.7 inch display, but that’s not the only way these two phones should look different from one another. The Pixel 7 Pro draws on Google’s recent design elements like a centrally aligned punch-hole camera on the front, curved display sides and a metal camera bar across the back housing the phone’s three rear sensors. In contrast, the Galaxy S23 Ultra should use a design that looks a lot like that of the Galaxy S22 Ultra. That means individually embedded rear cameras in the top left corner of the phone’s rear panel, more extreme curves on the back and front and a included S Pen stylus for note-taking and drawing. Like the Pixel 7 Pro, the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s 6.8-inch display should feature an LTPO-enhanced 120Hz QHD OLED panel. However the S23 Ultra may also have increased brightness compared to the Galaxy S22 Ultra, which is already one of the brighter screens we’ve tested. In addition, rumors point to an improved under-display fingerprint scanner for the Galaxy S23 Ultra that will set it apart from the Pixel 7 Pro.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. Google Pixel 7 Pro: Cameras
Starting with the phone we know about, the Pixel 7 Pro has three rear cameras. Those are a 50MP main camera (taking 12.5MP shots), a 12MP ultrawide camera and a 48MP camera capable of 5x telephoto zoom. Together with the 10.8MP front camera, the Pixel 7 Pro is one of the best camera phones on the market today. We would expect the Galaxy S23 Ultra to carry over most of the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s impressive camera sensors, though with two big exceptions. The new Ultra should still have a 12MP ultrawide camera, and dual 10MP telephoto cameras, one capable of 3x zoom and the other of 10x zoom. But instead of a 108MP main camera, there could be a 200MP main camera, a big jump from the already impressive resolution of the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s shots. That will mean lots of detail in photos with the 200MP mode enabled (we expect the phone to take 12.5MP images by default), but we’ll be curious to see how the Galaxy S23 Ultra copes with color and brightness, two areas where more megapixels won’t necessarily give it an advantage over the Pixel 7 Pro. The other “upgrade” to the Galaxy S23 Ultra will supposedly be the use of a 12MP selfie camera in place of the existing 40MP sensor on the S22 Ultra. This could be seen as a downgrade since a 12MP shooter would mean lower resolution photos. But if the sensor has other improvements like a larger footprint or improved color science, it may still be an upgrade. And in either case, a 12MP shooter would still offer more pixels than the Pixel 7 Pro’s front camera.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. Google Pixel 7 Pro: Performance
Google uses its own Tensor G2 chipset in the Pixel 7 Pro, alongside 12GB RAM and 128GB or 256GB of storage. Based on our Tensor G2 testing, the Pixel 7 Pro doesn’t have the most powerful CPU around, though its GPU turns in better performance. Still, the Galaxy S22 Ultra running on a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset posts the better numbers, though the Tensor chip is about more than just benchmark numbers . Nevertheless, the gap figures to grow with the Galaxy S23 Ultra, which is widely expected to sport Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 silicon. We had the chance to run some Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 benchmarks, and any phone running on that chipset figures to be among the best performing Android handsets. Samsung may also offer 256GB of storage by default on the S23 Ultra, and up to 1TB for users wanting the most space possible. That’s more generous than what Google has at either end of the spectrum, where the Pixel 7 Pro only comes in 128GB and 256GB configurations.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. Google Pixel 7 Pro: Battery life and charging
Battery life isn’t the Pixel 7 Pro’s strong point. Though it features a 5,000 mAh battery, Google’s phone struggles to last on our custom Tom’s Guide battery test in which we have phones surf the web over cellular until they run out of power. In our test, the Pixel 7 Pro finished more than 3 hours behind the average smartphone. The Galaxy S22 Ultra also included a 5,000 mAh battery, a spec that’s likely to carry over to the Galaxy S23 Ultra. In our test, the S22 Ultra lasted longer than the Pixel 7 Pro, beating Google’s phone by more than 3.5 hours. We’re hoping better power efficiency in the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 can push that result even further to land the Galaxy S23 Ultra on our best phone battery life list for phones that hold out more than 11.5 hours on our battery test. The Pixel 7 Pro charges at 30W, which is a little on the slow side compared with the Galaxy S22 Ultra, which charges at up to 45W. The Galaxy S23 Ultra should adapt these specs from its predecessor, so it will likely power up faster than the Pixel.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. Google Pixel 7 Pro: Software and special features
Google launched Android 13 alongside the Pixel 7 Pro, and we expect that version of Google’s mobile software to debut on the Galaxy S23 Ultra as well. The Tensor G2 on the Pixel 7 Pro should give Google’s phone something of an edge here, as that chipset has a neural core that tap into machine learning for some unique features. As a result, the Pixel 7 Pro can offer capabilities like real-time on-device translation, phone call management features and one-tap Magic Eraser photo editing. Samsung’s One UI 5 interface contains its own enhancements for multi-tasking and personalization, and simplified widget stacking in the style of iOS widgets. While the new version of One UI is rolling out to current Galaxy phones as part of the Android 13 update, it will presumably come pre-installed on the Galaxy S23 Ultra. It’s also assumed that the Galaxy S23 Ultra will keep the built-in stylus that Samsung introduced to the Galaxy S22 Ultra. This Galaxy Note-style feature is an invaluable accessory for users who like to take written notes and draw stuff on their phone, and is something that the Pixel 7 Pro has no way to match beyond drawing with your finger. Additionally, Samsung offers lengthier software support for its phones compared to Google. You can count on three years of Android updates from Google for its Pixel phones. (Security patches are available for five years.) The Galaxy S22 Ultra gets four years of updates, though, and we would expect Samsung to continue offering that perk with the Galaxy S23 lineup.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. Google Pixel 7 Pro: Outlook
The big talking point with a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. Google Pixel 7 Pro will come down to cameras. We’re curious to see if that rumored 200MP main camera can challenge Google’s superiority with camera phones, or if the Pixel 7 Pro’s computational photography will still win the day. Other aspects like battery life, display brightness and performance could be tilted in the favor of the Galaxy S23 Ultra, though only testing will determine which phone is the top Android option. We’ll be waiting excitedly for the Galaxy S23 Ultra to launch, as then we’ll be able to try out the phone and see exactly how it compares to the Pixel 7 Pro. If you’re in need of a new Android flagship, and can afford to wait for Samsung’s launch, it would be wise to do so, but know that by going for the Pixel 7 Pro now, you’ll still get an excellent phone.
