Pixel 8 Pro vs Galaxy S23 Ultra: who is the king of the Android world?

The Galaxy S23 Ultra and the Pixel 8 Pro are currently among the best, highest-quality and most expensive Android smartphones on the market. But which of the two is the boss in the ring? First I look at what the devices have in common, then at where they differ.

What both have in common

Design and build quality. Both are exclusively in the premium range: shiny aluminum frame, frosted glass back and displays made of Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2. The S23 Ultra is only 0.8 mm longer and 1.6 mm wider, but looks much bigger. It has 6.8 inches, an angular design and slightly curved display edges, but sits comfortably in the hand. The Pixel 8 Pro has 6.7 inches, a completely flat display and a more rounded body. The S23 Ultra weighs 21 g more, partly because of the built-in S Pen. Both have a camera module with high recognition value. The Pixel’s continuous bar has the advantage that it doesn’t wobble on the table.

Displays. Both have 120 Hz and HDR10+. The S23 Ultra has a Dynamic AMOLED with up to 1,750 nits, the Pixel 8 Pro an LTPO OLED, which is supposed to be more efficient, with 2,400 nits. I would have liked to compare the brightness difference in the sun directly, but in November in Germany …

Processor. The Pixel 8 Pro has the Tensor G3, the S23 Ultra the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy. Benchmarks see the Tensor G3 as inferior. In everyday use, with email, browsing, Instagram, YouTube, calls, photos and videos, I notice no difference, both run super smoothly. Gamers are probably better served by the overclocked Snapdragon, I can’t judge that, because I only play Candy Crush.

Interface and charging. The Pixel comes with stock Android 14 and features like AI wallpapers, the S23 Ultra with Samsung’s One UI 6, which feels a bit more playful. That’s a matter of taste. Both can do reverse wireless charging, with which I can charge my smartwatch on the go, for example.

Camera

	Pixel 8 Pro	Galaxy S23 Ultra
Main camera	50 megapixels	200 megapixels
Ultrawide	48 megapixels	12 megapixels
Telephoto	48 megapixels, 5x optical	10 megapixels, plus 10 megapixel periscope, 10x optical
Digital zoom	30x	100x
Video	up to 4K at 60 fps	up to 8K
Selfie	10.5 megapixels	12 megapixels

Both record selfie videos in 4K. The Pixel 8 Pro has improved a lot in video quality compared to its predecessor. A Video Boost mode is also supposed to come with an update. You only need 8K if you really want to use it, and there are currently only a few devices that can play it.

On paper, the Pixel has fewer lenses but makes up for it with AI: up to 10x zoom, lost pixels are recalculated, and you can move people and things in the photo or make them disappear, as well as remove distracting noises from videos. The S23 Ultra can’t do that. For average users there are no huge differences between the cameras, unless you want 100x zoom or 8K. The S23 Ultra goes for a natural look, the Pixel for extremely high contrast, so photos look like they were taken in a studio.

Where the Pixel 8 Pro is ahead

• AI features: never seen before on a smartphone, for example in the camera and photo and video editing, Call Screening and Live Translate. For example, I have my emails automatically translated into German.
• Temperature sensor in the camera bar. Currently it measures the temperatures of surfaces and liquids, and future updates are supposed to make skin temperature reliably possible as well.
• Seven years of updates, both security and operating system. That hasn’t existed like this before.

Where the Galaxy S23 Ultra is ahead

• Battery: Even though the Pixel 8 Pro has 50 mAh more and the Tensor G3 is designed for efficiency, the S23 Ultra lasts about 2.5 hours longer for me in everyday use.
• Fingerprint sensor: The ultrasonic in-display sensor is more secure and works more reliably than the Pixel’s optical one.
• S Pen: Either you don’t care about it, or you celebrate it. I’m one of the latter. I take notes, sign documents on the go and trigger the camera with it.
• DeX mode: Paired with a monitor, the S23 Ultra becomes a mobile laptop.

Price

The Pixel 8 Pro is cheaper than the S23 Ultra. If you don’t need the 256 GB, you can also get the Pixel 8 Pro with 128 GB. There is no 128 GB version of the S23 Ultra anymore, through which Samsung pushed through a price increase by the back door.

Verdict

In many points both devices are equal. The big differences are the better battery and the integrated S Pen on the S23 Ultra, and the many AI features and the lower price on the Pixel 8 Pro. How you weigh that is up to each person. For me, innovation and further development at a reasonable value for money are much more important than longer battery life and the S Pen. I want technology to evolve like everything else around me, and not for manufacturers to sell me old wine in new bottles at an even higher price every year. That sometimes means starting out imperfect and taking a risk. In my opinion, Google did that for the first time with the Pixel 8 Pro. That’s why it gets the crown for best Android smartphone from me.