• Source: Apple

  Apple iPhone 15 Pro

  Now with USB-C

  The Apple iPhone 15 Pro features a titanium design, speedy performance, and fantastic cameras. And with the inclusion of a USB-C port, the iPhone 15 series is more in line with industry standards. The iPhone may still be a walled garden with limited customization options, but this heavyweight contender checks many boxes. 

  Pros

  • Beautifully designed
  • Speedy performance
  • Great cameras

  Cons

  • iOS isn’t for everyone
  • Only has a 3x telephoto lens

• Samsung Galaxy S23+

  Big and beautiful

  $900 $1000 Save $100

  The Samsung Galaxy S23+ is a highly capable and well-rounded device that can easily go toe-to-toe with the best smartphones on the market. The Galaxy S23+ has a beautiful display, fantastic performance, and a great camera system. With Samsung’s class-leading software support, you can expect this device to serve you well for years to come.

  Pros

  • Beautiful display
  • Fantastic cameras
  • Speedy performance

Say what you want about Apple, but they are still the benchmark that manufacturers are pitted against each year. This year, that is no different with the recent announcement of the Apple iPhone 15 Pro. With powerful performance, great cameras, and a ton of versatility, the iPhone 15 Pro is arguably the most well-rounded device that Apple has come up with so far.

Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy S23+ is one of the best Android phones on the market, offering similar design and capabilities as its biggest competitor. This battle may come down to the software powering these devices.

Price, availability, and specs

You can order the $999 iPhone 15 Pro just about everywhere, including Apple, Amazon, and Best Buy. There are also deals from many carriers vying to get customers on a multi-year payment plan, such as Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. The Apple phone is also be available at smaller carriers and unlocked from your typical retail outlets.

The Samsung Galaxy S23+ launched at $999 as well, but deals can be found frequently from various carriers. Like the iPhone, the Galaxy S23+ can be found at most carriers and unlocked from a variety of retailers.

• 	Apple iPhone 15 Pro	Samsung Galaxy S23+
  SoC	A17 Pro	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy
  Display	6.1-inch OLED @ 120hz with an Always-On display	6.6″ FHD+ AMOLED, 48~120Hz refresh, 240Hz touch sampling
  Storage	128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB	256GB or 512GB
  Ports	USB-C	USB-C
  Operating System	iOS 17	Android 13 (OneUI 5.1.1)
  Connectivity	5G (mmWave), Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi 6E	5G (inc mmWave), LTE, UWB, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC
  Colors	Black, White, Blue, True Titanium	Phantom, Cream, Green, Lavender + Samsung.com exclusive Lime, Graphite
  IP Rating	IP68	IP68
  Price	Starting $999	From $1,000

Design

Source: Apple

The iPhone 15 Pro doesn’t feature a revolutionary design but an iterative one. That’s not a negative, as Apple has pushed the industry forward with a great overall build while fixing some of its biggest shortcomings. The front of the device is dominated by its display and features minimal bezels, with the new (notch-replacing) Dynamic Island at the top. The left side of the device has the volume buttons and the action button, which replaces the mute button from previous years.

The right side of the device features another button that activates Siri and the Apple payment system. The iPhone 15 Pro has a titanium frame and a Corning-made glass back. Apple places its three camera lenses on a small island on the top-left of the device’s rear.

Samsung’s Galaxy S23+ is also an iterative year-over-year design. Like the iPhone, the display covers most of the front of the phone. It also has a hole-punch up top for its front-facing camera and minimal bezels. Samsung places all buttons along the right side, leaving the left edge empty. It has an aluminum frame and a Gorilla Glass Victus 2-covered flat back, except for its three camera lenses that individually rise from the top-left side of the device.

The iPhone 15 Pro measures 146.6 x 70.6 x 8.3 mm and weighs 187g. It can be found in the Natural Titanium, Blue Titanium, White Titanium, and Black Titanium colorways. The Galaxy S23+ measures 157.8 x 76.2 x 7.6 mm and weighs a bit more at 196g. The S23+ is available in the Lime, Graphite, Green, Phantom Black, Lavender, and Cream colorways.

Display

The displays on both devices are second to none and absolutely beautiful to look at. Fans of flat displays can rejoice here as both devices ship with one. The iPhone 15 Pro has a ProMotion 6.1-inch 1556 x 1179 OLED display with an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz. There’s also a peak brightness of 2000 nits when outdoors and 1600 nits in HDR mode.

Samsung Galaxy S23+

The Galaxy S23+ is quite a bit larger and has a 6.6-inch OLED display with a resolution of 2340 x 1080 and an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz. The S23+ has a peak brightness of 1750 nits and 1200 nits in HDR mode. You can expect vibrant colors, fluid animations, and fast response times from both of these devices.

Software

Software is where these two differ the most. And depending on who you are, it’s likely to make or break the tie between the two. Apple has long gone with the walled-garden approach and keeps iOS 17 tightly locked down. While you can now add widgets to various screens, you can only customize the iPhone to a certain degree. Although it may be locked down, it does have benefits. For instance, due to the tightly controlled nature of iOS, apps run pretty well overall. You also get access to FaceID, FaceTime, Apple Pay, and iMessage. These integrated features, as well as over five years of OS updates, are why many people love the iPhone.

Android is for those who hate the walled-garden restrictions and want to tune their device to their content, even if you don’t go out of your way to customize it. Samsung offers a ton of applications, and while some of Samsung’s apps directly compete with Google’s offerings, the real benefit of Android is choice. You can change out apps on the fly, change the default applications, and even change the launcher to spice things up a bit. Now that Samsung offers four years of OS updates and an additional year of software updates, the longevity of its devices is roughly on par with Apple’s. You just need to decide whose approach aligns with your needs and philosophies.

Performance

Apple iPhones are synonymous with powerful performance, and that continues with the iPhone 15 Pro. It ships with a new A17 Pro chipset that features two performance cores and four efficiency cores for a total of six cores. If you love gaming on your device, the six-core GPU will easily tear through the latest games. Apple has also bumped the RAM up, shipping with 8GB, which aligns it more with industry standards. The A17 Pro is a class-leading chipset and more powerful than anything Qualcomm currently offers. The iPhone 15 Pro comes in 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage capacities.

The Galaxy S23+ features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, 8GB of RAM, and either 256 or 512GB of storage. While the octa-core Snapdragon used in the S23+ isn’t as powerful as the A17 Pro on paper, it can handle anything you throw at it. The chipset brings very capable gaming performance and speedy overall system performance.

Battery life

Thanks to Apple’s ability to control both the iOS software and the hardware, battery life is usually quite good on iPhones. The iPhone 15 Pro ships with a battery capacity of 3274mAh. Apple says this should be good for up to 23 hours of local video playback, 20 hours of streaming video, and up to 75 hours of listening to music. The big deal this year is that Apple has ditched the lightning cable and has gone with the more traditional USB-C connector. Using a 20W adapter, the iPhone 15 Pro can charge up to 50% in about 30 minutes. You are also getting 15W MagSafe wireless charging and 7.5W Qi wireless charging.

The Galaxy S23+ ships with a 4700mAh battery, which Samsung says can give you up to 27 hours of video playback. It, too, charges via a USB-C cable and can go from no battery to 65% charged in about 30 minutes. On other hand, it can charge wirelessly at 15 watts and reverse-charge at 4.5W.

Camera

The iPhone and Galaxy S-series lineups offer capable shooters that are routinely considered some of the best phone cameras on the market. Both devices can take great photos and will trade blows when comparing the two directly.

The iPhone 15 Pro has a triple camera setup consisting of a 48MP f/1.78 main lens, a 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide lens, and a 12MP f/2.8 3X Telephoto lens. It can record 4K videos at up to 60fps and 1080P at up to 240fps. It can record in Dolby Vision HDR at 4K up to 60fps and offers features like Cinematic mode.

The Galaxy S23+ also has a triple camera setup, including a 50MP f/1.8 main lens, a 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide lens, and a 10MP f/2.3 3X Telephoto lens. The S23+ can record 8K at up to 30fps, 4K at 60fps, and 1080p at up to 240fps. The Galaxy S23+ also offers the ability to record video in HDR 10+.

Which is right for you?

Determining which product is right for you depends a lot on your overall preferences for software. Both of these devices offer great performance, good battery life, excellent displays, and can take amazing photos. If you enjoy customizing your device, love Google’s offerings, or already find yourself in the Samsung ecosystem (Galaxy Watch), the Galaxy S23+ is your go-to device. It’s beautiful, well-optimized, and comes with a ton of bells and whistles.

Samsung Galaxy S23+

Editor’s choice

Best for Android lovers

$800 $1000 Save $200

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus is a fantastic device that knocks it out of the park for Android fans. It is well-optimized, well-integrated into the larger Samsung ecosystem, and offers a ton of performance for the price. If you love to customize your device, then the Galaxy S23+ is perfect for you.

If you find yourself in the Apple ecosystem (Apple Watch, MacBook), want Apple-specific perks (iMessage, FaceTime, Apple Pay), or just want something that you don’t have to mess with as much, the iPhone 15 Pro is a knockout. The device is well-designed and offers a stunning balance of brains and brawn. If it ever messes up on you, you can always bring it to an Apple Store or a local repair shop for quick and easy repairs.

Source: Apple

Apple iPhone 15 Pro

Good alternative

Best for those in the Apple ecosystem

If you want a well-made device that checks just about every box, the iPhone 15 Pro is a solid option. This is especially true if you are already in the Apple ecosystem and want to experience the beauty of a tightly integrated system. The operating system may be restrictive, but if that doesn’t bother you, this is a stunning device.