The battle of flagship phones is still as strong as ever, and Samsung is in preparation to release the newest series of phones – the S23 series, in a few months. What will this mean to the market? Will competitors be able to keep up? Let’s compare the current two flagships – iPhone 13 and Pixel 6 with the rumored S23 model from Samsung and find out.
With amazing cameras, smart photo-editing features, and new Google Assistant powers in Android 12, the Google Pixel 6 offers the best Android experience for the price, though battery life could use some improvement.
Specifications:
Screen size: 6.4-inch OLED (2400 x 1080)
Refresh rate: 90Hz
CPU: Google Tensor with Titan M2
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 128GB, 256GB
Rear cameras: 50MP wide (f/1.85), 12MP ultra-wide (f/2.2)
Front camera: 8MP (f/2.0)
Battery: 4,614mAh
Size: 15.75 x 7.4 x 10.1 centimeters
Weight: 207 grams
Whether or not the Google Pixel 6 is a gorgeous phone, there's no denying that its debut has made an impact. Smartphones that are not created by Apple or Samsung are in a fierce battle for recognition. But there's no question that the Pixel 6 is unlike any other Google phone, from its distinctive new look to the Google-designed Tensor processor that now powers the company's premium phones.
The Pixel 6's Tensor chip bears a lot of the burden, not only allowing the phone's camera to recognize text, but also to translate it on the fly if it's in a foreign language. Pixel features such as voice typing and robocall filtering, as well as a host of new photo processing capabilities, are enabled by the new CPU.
Google Pixel 6: Main Features:
New Tensor chips power machine learning features; overall performance is a step behind the Snapdragon 888.
The Pixel 6's main camera has a 50MP sensor, while the ultra-wide camera is still 12MP with a 114-degree field of view.
Magic Eraser can remove objects and people from the background with ease.
Battery life is inconsistent, with below-average times on 5G connections and decent times on LTE.
Android 12 introduces a new interface to the Pixel, with wallpapers and icons that reflect the design of your phone.
Google Assistant offers several features powered by Tensor, including call assistants and voice detection.
6.4-inch OLED display features a 90Hz adaptive refresh rate.
Apple has been capturing Android users since the iPhone X and 11, based on the argument of prolonged fluidity, great autonomy, and spectacular cameras. Many are switching from Android phones to iOS but the same happens vice versa due to Android’s flexibility.
Technical specifications:
SoC: A15 Bionic 5nm, 6 CPU cores, and 4 GPU cores
Screen: OLED 6.1” Super Retina XDR with IP68 (Corning Gorilla Glass), 457ppi, Contrast 2000000:1, 800cd/m2 brightness, oleophobic coating
Resolution and aspect ratio: 1170 x 2532 (FHD+) and 19:5:9
RAM: 4GB LPDDR5
Storage: 128 GB without expandable SD
Cameras: Standard: Sony IMX603 12 MP; Wide Angle: Sony IMX372 12 MP; Selfie: Sony IMX514 12 MP
Fingerprint reader: no
Face ID (facial recognition): yes
Iris sensor: yes
proximity: yes
LiDAR scanner: yes
Ambient light, gyroscope, and barometer: yes
Connectivity: 5G, WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC and QZSS
Battery: 3240 mAh with 20W fast charge, MagSafe 15W
Ports: lightning and Nano SIM
Dimensions: 71.5mm x 146.7mm x 7.7mm
Weight: 174 grams
Face ID works like a charm: fast and accurate, it never fails at night! The camera is a spectacle and the level of detail it captures is impressive. For day-to-day use, it seems to be the best on the market, not to mention features that go beyond everyday life (cinema mode, slow motion, etc.).
As much as it is criticized, if you accept the way iOS works, it's wonderful. There is almost no customization and it does everything for you. No slowdowns, no app crashes, or anything like that.
One of the best SoCs on the market: fast and efficient. The screen is spectacular and if coming from a Super AMOLED, you won’t need more brightness than the OLED offered by the iPhone 13.
Rumors about the Samsung Galaxy S23 are beginning to gain momentum, although there is still half a year to go before we see all the models in the family. The last one that has arrived is about the selfie camera, where it seems that Samsung is not yet ready to place it under the display.
This comes from a chain of suppliers in South Korea, through the WccTech portal, and means that the Galaxy S23 will have the front cameras in a hole of the same type as the models of recent years. We will have to wait for S24 at least to see a change in this component.
There is no obvious reason given by Samsung itself not to introduce it in its high-end lineup next year, given that the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 has already debuted the feature for the company. They may not be happy with the quality of the photos yet, or they may have seen the price of the phone go too high.
A few days ago it was read that both the Galaxy S23 and the S23 Plus were going to see their selfie cameras improved to 12MP, so there will be changes in this section, although Samsung has adhered to the more conventional approach.
This new lens could make for better low-light photos, though it's not a stunning improvement and it doesn't come close to the 40MP camera on the Ultra version either.
The next Galaxy S23 would have Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and Exynos 2300 processors depending on the market. Although there are some claims that the company will leave Exynos completely behind and implement Snapdragon only, it is still unlikely (maybe only the Ultra model will have the Snapdragon chipset all over the world). Either way, both chipsets will be incredibly powerful.
Other rumors suggest improved battery capacity (which is much needed in the regular model) as well as faster charging. All in all, the S23 series will be an improvement over the current S22 series, which will mean that the new series will once again fight for the top spot of the best phones on the market, and with great firepower no less.
We can say that Google’s Pixel 6 still lags behind its two competitors in many ways but that is reasonable since Pixel phones are quite cheaper, offering great performance for a reasonable price. When it comes to fierce rivals – Apple and Samsung – the battle is yet to be fought. If Samsung implements all the improvements speculated in the rumors, it will have the edge over iPhone 13 but that is normal since the phone will be much newer. When iPhone 14 comes out, it will be interesting to see which one will come on top.