Google Pixel 8 Pro vs. Samsung Galaxy S23 UItra | Digital Trends

The Google Pixel 8 Professional is the final of 2023’s high smartphones to reach. It’s huge, daring, and comes filled with digicam tips to tackle Samsung and Apple’s greatest. However if you’re averse to Apple’s ecosystem, the one direct rival to Google’s newest flagship is the Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely.

Each product traces have a repute for having one of the crucial highly effective digicam telephones, with Samsung banking extra on {hardware} supremacy whereas Google leads with software program processing. In case you’re looking for the very best pound-for-pound flagship between the 2, right here’s an in depth comparability to assist make your selection simpler.

Google Pixel 8 Professional vs. Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely: specs

Google Pixel 8 Professional vs. Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely: design and show

The Pixel 8 Professional and Galaxy S23 Extremely take essentially totally different approaches to design. Samsung goes for a boxy look with flat sides and sharp edges, whereas Google’s cellphone has rounded sides with a bulging body for a extra comfy grip. The burden distinction can also be huge, because the Pixel 8 Professional is over 22% lighter than the Galaxy S23 Extremely.

Aluminum and Gorilla Glass Victus shield each telephones, which have builds which can be IP68-certified. Every machine provides a big OLED show with a 120Hz refresh price and dynamic adjustment tech, however the Pixel 8 Professional’s display is brighter and goes all the way in which as much as 2,400 nits.

In day-to-day life, nonetheless, these numerical figures received’t make a lot of a distinction because the Galaxy S23 Extremely’s display can also be sufficiently vibrant, and content material legibility just isn’t an issue even underneath broad daylight. However one space the place the Samsung flagship leaps far forward is stylus help.

The Galaxy S23 Extremely helps stylus enter and comes with the S Pen that slots proper contained in the cellphone’s chassis. This stylus just isn’t merely a gimmick, although. It helps a wide selection of Air Gestures and comes with a ton of customization and shortcut tips.

If you realize your manner across the Good Lock modules, the S Pen will really elevate your smartphone expertise to an altogether totally different degree of comfort and immersion. It additionally helps that the Galaxy S23 Extremely is the one mainstream flagship cellphone on the market with stylus help.

The Pixel 8 Professional has some technical benefits with its show, however the S23 Extremely’s S Pen can also be an important addition. We’re chalking this one up as a tie.

Winner: Tie

Google Pixel 8 Professional vs. Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely: efficiency and battery

Samsung has outfitted the Galaxy S23 Extremely with a barely overclocked trim of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip that’s unique to this explicit cellphone. The chip is paired with 12GB of RAM and as much as 1TB of storage with none scope for additional enlargement. The S23 Extremely can also be outfitted with a bigger vapor chamber cooling system for improved warmth dissipation, and it really does an important job.

Google’s flagship chip, although not particularly marketed as coming with warmth dissipation, has seen dramatic enhancements in cooling with the Tensor G3. Nevertheless, it’s not going to be as much as the usual of the S23 Extremely. However when it comes to uncooked efficiency, you received’t discover both cellphone lagging.

What you get contained in the Pixel 8 Professional is a custom-designed Tensor G3 processor ticking alongside 12GB of RAM and as much as 1TB of storage. Google has additionally fitted devoted AI and safety chips contained in the cellphone, however identical to Samsung, it has skipped microSD card enlargement.

There isn’t a lot distinction with regards to the battery capability, as each telephones have a 5,000mAh battery. Nevertheless, the Galaxy S23 Extremely takes the crown right here. Not solely does it sport a two-day battery life, but it surely helps as much as 45-watt wired charging. The Pixel 8 Professional tops out at 30W and generally struggles to make it a single day with no need a recharge.

Wi-fi charging help can also be a part of the bundle for each telephones, as is reverse wi-fi energy sharing. The latter means you possibly can merely preserve some other cellphone or earbuds case on the Pixel 8 Professional Galaxy S23 Extremely’s rear panel and it’ll share energy.

Google has improved in a variety of areas, however Samsung takes the win fairly convincingly right here.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely

Google Pixel 8 Professional vs. Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely: cameras

Google’s top-tier providing leads with a 50-megapixel optically stabilized principal digicam. It’s assisted by a 48MP telephoto digicam with 5x optical zoom output and a 48MP ultrawide snapper. Selfie duties fall to a ten.5MP sensor with autofocus. As has change into customary with Pixel telephones, the pictures taken are nothing in need of distinctive, and this time round, all three lenses output nonetheless photographs of an identical high quality.

However can Samsung overcome Google with the large 200MP principal digicam on the Galaxy S23 Extremely? This enables the cellphone to carry out a number of layers of pixel binning to output photographs in smaller codecs. There are additionally a few 10MP telephoto cameras, with one delivering a 3x optical zoom vary whereas the opposite one banks on a periscope system to supply 10x optical zoom. Put collectively, it’s a tremendous digicam, and it’s the periscope zoom lens that’s seen the most important enchancment by far. Oversaturation can nonetheless generally be an issue, however Samsung is clearly enhancing on this entrance.

Ultrawide seize is dealt with by a 12MP snapper, and the entrance digicam additionally depends on a 12MP digicam. The Galaxy S23 Extremely permits 8K seize and might do slow-motion movies at as much as 960 frames per second (fps), whereas the Pixel 8 Professional maxes out at 4K 60 fps seize, with slo-mo is proscribed 240 fps.

The Pixel 8 Professional, nonetheless, serves up some spectacular AI-powered goodies resembling Magic Eraser for eradicating undesirable objects from the body, Face Unblur to repair photographs post-capture, Macro Focus to take close-up photographs, Astrophotography mode for long-exposure night time sky seize, and Magic Audio Eraser to take away noise from movies.

This time round, Google can also be including some new tips like Night time Sight for video seize and Finest Take for group photographs, the place a number of frames are mixed to ship probably the most pleasing stills.

Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Extremely provides its personal distinctive set of digicam options, resembling simultaneous video seize from every digicam, a surprising 100x zoom vary for stills, 360-degree audio seize, and mic zoom-in to observe the digicam view. Identical to the Pixel 8 Professional, it additionally helps Night time Mode for video (from entrance and rear cameras), in addition to portrait seize.

This can be a very powerful class to evaluate, as each telephones are distinctive. The Pixel 8 Professional creates photographs with a extra real looking tone, however the S23 Extremely’s vibrant photographs might enchantment to some. Samsung clearly has an edge in zoom images, however Google’s post-processing and AI-powered modifying are unmatched by anybody else. That is very a lot a tie.

Winner: Tie

Google Pixel 8 Professional vs. Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely: software program and particular options

Software program is the place the 2 telephones sit on nearly reverse ends of the spectrum. Google serves a vanilla taste of Android on the Pixel 8 Professional with a ton of unique options. The Google Assistant expertise is the very best you’ll come throughout, with extra tips arriving at a daily cadence through Pixel characteristic drop updates.

This 12 months, Google is including multilingual assistant voice typing into the combination alongside extra pure conversations, improved call-screening functionality, higher noise isolation for calls, and extra. Google can also be extending the Face Unlock comfort to funds and app sign-ins. {Hardware}-wise, there’s additionally a brand new temperature sensor, which, admittedly, has restricted usefulness.

Samsung, however, is presently seeding out the Android 14-based One UI 6 to the Galaxy S23 Extremely. The Android pores and skin on Samsung telephones is a bit divisive. On the dangerous facet, it’s cluttered with a wholesome dose of bloatware and advertisements.

However on the constructive facet, it provides a set of unique options that set the Galaxy S23 Extremely aside from each cellphone on the market. For instance, Edge Panels and the S Pen wheel provide extra shortcuts and instruments at your disposal than you’ll discover on some other machine.

The scope for aesthetic customization is deep, whereas Samsung Good Lock modules provide a degree of UI management that you just received’t discover on any smartphone on the market.

This 12 months, nonetheless, Google is making a dramatic leap at boosting the longevity of Pixel telephones. Google says the Pixel 8 Professional will get seven years of Android OS upgrades and safety updates, in addition to characteristic drops for an equal variety of years. Samsung is just promising 4 OS upgrades and 5 years of safety updates on the Galaxy S23 Extremely.

Though the usefulness of every cellphone’s software program options largely comes down to private desire, there’s no denying that everybody ought to profit from Google’s spectacular software program help. It’s the primary of its type within the Android area, and it’s one thing we hope to see extra of sooner or later.

Winner: Google Pixel 8 Professional

Google Pixel 8 Professional vs. Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely: worth and availability

The Google Pixel 8 Professional begins at $999 and comes with 128GB of storage. In case you want extra room, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB fashions are additionally obtainable. It’s absolutely obtainable for buy and is available in a trio of colours: Bay, Obsidian, and Porcelain.

Samsung, however, is charging a minimal of $1,199 for the Galaxy S23 Extremely with 256GB of inner storage. That’s a wholesome $200 gulf and sufficient to purchase a great pair of wi-fi earbuds or perhaps a previous-generation smartwatch. Coloration choices on the desk are Inexperienced, Phantom Black, Lavender, Cream, Lime, Sky Blue, Graphite, and Purple. However do remember that a bunch of those are unique to the Samsung retailer.

Google Pixel 8 Professional vs. Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely: verdict

Choosing between these two telephones is pretty simple. In case you’re chasing the very best Android expertise, with unbeatable help, dependable cameras, a standout design, and probably the most rewarding Android expertise on the market, the Google Pixel 8 Professional is the place it is best to put your cash. And in the event you’re after probably the most superior AI wizardry obtainable on a cellphone immediately, the Pixel must be your default selection.

However in the event you’re in search of an Android cellphone that provides digicam perks like 10x optical zoom, tons of pro-grade video and photograph seize gimmicks, and the flexibility of a superb stylus, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely must be your choose. It comes at a 20% premium over the Pixel 8 Professional, however in the event you’re invested in Samsung’s ecosystem and admire the flexibleness of One UI, that is probably the most feature-loaded cellphone you possibly can presumably get.

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