There are different options, and it’s better if we know what’s the best use-case scenario to buy a Samsung smartphone over Apple or vice versa. There are a lot of reasons, and some may not apply to everyone. It depends on personal preferences and needs.
We will be comparing the flagships, which are the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and the iPhone Pro Max. Without further ado, let’s begin this battle. Is moving from iPhone to Samsung an upgrade or a downgrade? And what else do you need to know? The iPhone may have a great camera, a better battery, and great raw performance, but it still lacks basic smartphone functionality.
Which one should you choose: Samsung or Apple?
Let’s begin by saying that we all need a smartphone, and we all love smartphones. Both devices look stunning and superior. Each year, the companies make some niche and small improvements. Whereas Android smartphones have a lot of potential with smart innovation and major upgrades over the years,
Widgets
iOS widgets are not interactive like Android. This means you need to open the app to do simple tasks. Unlike on Android, you can do them within the app to some extent.
Google Assistant is better than Siri.
That’s a fact. Google Assistant is better than Siri. Google ecosystem IoT devices work better, and that’s all without the additional cost of a subscription.
No Back Button
No Back Button In most apps, you find the back button in the upper-right corner of the display. And it’s not even consistent. Sometimes it just shows the logo, sometimes an x, or sometimes a back label with an icon. So yes, like Windows apps, it has inconsistencies.
Even though it’s not on the same spot every time, it could sometimes appear on the upper right or maybe on the left. Yes, a few apps allow you to go back by swiping left. Whereas Android apps have a back button and allow every app to be used with a gesture, swiping left allows you to go back. It works best on Android because of the built-in navigation gestures with Quick Swipe.
Poor call management
Apple only allows you to store the last 100 calls, and it also stores all other apps’ call histories. This means if you make a lot of calls, you won’t be able to access your call logs for a week or maybe four if you receive and make calls a lot, especially with third-party apps.
No call recording Samsung allows you to record calls and doesn’t have that annoying “call is being recorded” message. If it does, at least other Android smartphones allow phone recording. The iPhone doesn’t support call recording.
No T9 dialpad
You can simply press the buttons to write names and make calls. On an iPhone, you need to open Contacts and search for the person to make calls, or use Spotlight.
Truecaller
One of the most popular caller ID services doesn’t work as well as it does on the Samsung Galaxy S23 series. The phone part isn’t that great at all, which is the basic functionality of the iPhone.
Call switching isn’t allowed.
So suppose you are on a Telegram call and receive another call. Then you can’t hold them; you need to end the previous call to continue. That’s not how it’s supposed to work. You should be able to simply hold the previous one, as it works great with Android. Then you can get back to your previous call after finishing your other calls. This is a nightmare if you attend to a lot of calls.
Display and Design
Samsung’s display is more lovable. It has an OLED screen, which is better than what Apple has to offer. The company redesigned the curvature of the S23, which is more comfortable to hold compared to Apple’s boxy and sharp-edged design. You might feel uncomfortable when holding the device vertically because of its sharp edges. Samsung said they designed the boxy shape because it allows them to fit an SPen and also has a 5000mAh battery.
Apple has good face unlock, and Samsung has an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner. Both work seamlessly. When it comes to colour, it feels like Apple offers better colour. However, the S23 has better fingerprint-resistant material on the rear panel of the device, as it has matte glass. Most likely, you will find the Samsung display more colourful and better than Apple’s display. Even the haptic feedback on Samsung is far better than Apple’s.
Samsung comes with 1750 nits of peak brightness, and Apple has 2000 nits of peak brightness, but you know it gets burned and reduces to a lower brightness level after some time. The iPhone seems to deliver smoother scrolling compared to the Samsung. All the animations on Apple are much better than Samsung’s. Even the Samsung speakers are far better than Apple’s speakers, as they also allow users to tweak the volume with equalizers. You will get 120Hz with WQHD+ in the Galaxy, and there is an extra-dim option alongside adaptive brightness that works perfectly.
Dex
You can connect any external display, keyboard, or mouse, and your computer will be converted into a mini-computer. This is pretty good with such functionality. It is something that comes in handy, especially for people who admire productivity. This could do those regular jobs that are not possible with an iPhone. It is really helpful for most of us.
No Long Screenshot
Except for Safari, you can’t take full-page or scrolling screenshots. But you can do that on the Galaxy S23 to take longer screenshots. You can either take a single screenshot or head over to Safari for a long screenshot, which is a PDF.
You can’t change the hotspot name on an iPhone.
You can’t change your hotspot name without changing your device’s name. Even you can’t share your Wi-Fi internet through a hotspot on other phones. You can do that on some Android phones.
Keyboard
We have already mentioned that typing isn’t that great on the iPhone. It’s better on the Samsung Galaxy S23 series. A gesture isn’t that great either on an iPhone, and there is a lack of accuracy. There is no number pad, and you don’t have the option to adjust your keyboard. There is no clipboard support. Yes, you can copy across devices, but there is no clipboard to view previously copied items.
Dynamic Island
This has recently been released, and there are a lot of reasons why you should use it. It has an active live status, which should be helpful, and there are still things that are being developed.
Performance
Even though the Galaxy S23 has become more powerful, 99% won’t even realise the difference in performance. Nowadays, only because of optimisation issues could devices feel like stuttering or being slow. What you would notice is how fast the apps load and how well they retain memory.
Samsung developed one of the fastest memories in the world, which means read/write speed is almost 2x faster. Battery Samsung uses new technology to cool its device thermally. Apple’s power efficiency is much better, but some users said their device isn’t giving that many battery benefits. Ultra is much more advanced, and it also has a 45W faster charger and a big battery, which is good.
Camera
The Galaxy S23 Ultra is still better, but not as good as the iPhone. The native support of the iPhone camera within apps is much better. The iPhone looks more natural in dark situations, and Samsung sometimes has trouble with the light shift. Images with the S23 are more detailed, but the S23 has a slight shutter lag, and other things are quite similar. Zoom is good, and the camera configuration is really good. There is a new Expert Raw feature that allows you to capture RAW photos and edit them, just like Adobe Lightroom.
Software
In terms of software, both have some pros and cons. For example, Android has dual-Bluetooth audio support, while Apple doesn’t have multi-screen support. Battery sharing is another feature that Android has, but iOS doesn’t. In simple words, iOS is faster with its optimisation, but OneUI feels more complete, especially for advanced user interaction. Video wallpaper isn’t supported on iOS either.
Also, One UI is more accessible, and there isn’t much in the control centre. Apps like Google Maps work much better on Samsung Galaxy S23. However, iOS works differently and sometimes better in some cases. There is always so much to convey. At the end of the day, use-case scenarios matter as the SPen on S23 Ultra works better, and that might be best for you.
If you have already been in Apple’s digital ecosystem, it might not work for you to switch to Android. Try to live and build your life around cross-platform apps, and try the best of both worlds. Otherwise, there are a lot of losses if you have already been into a specific ecosystem.
Switching to Android
If you have been planning to switch to Android from iOS, it’s easy. With Android and Samsung’s priority apps, you can easily transfer your data from iOS to Android. Some things that don’t transfer are iMessage data and others. Things you need to compromise on our Apple Calendar, iCloud, and a lot of other things you need to work out.
Connecting with a Computer
You can use Link to Windows on the Galaxy S23 to work on Windows devices, while on Apple, it’s pretty much enabled by default. You can sync your clipboard, make and send/receive phone calls, and view photos and notifications. Both don’t work well with each other. The Galaxy S23 doesn’t work best with Mac or Apple devices, and the iPhone doesn’t work best with Windows. But you can use third-party software to do this, which mimics PC-like functionality.
Poor WhatsApp experience
If you use WhatsApp a lot, then on your iPhone, it’s worse. You need to go to the chats option by navigating, and what makes it even worse is that it’s a fourth tab on the iPhone. And you can’t edit chats by long-pressing. You need to click on Edit first, and then you can multi-select chats. If you want to forward any message or photo, simply on Android, long-press and click FORWARD.
But on an iPhone, you need to long-press on the photo and then click forward, and then you have the option to select others. The same goes for photos. First, you can only select one, and then you need to click Add Photos to add more photos. Yes, FaceTime works like a charm, but on the iPhone, WhatsApp video calls don’t go into PIP when you close WhatsApp. You can’t multitask. That’s a really bad experience.
Samsung Knox
Galaxy comes with a secure folder to protect your apps and private files. They will be encrypted with Samsung Knox; which is pretty good at keeping confidential files safe from hackers. Samsung Knox is superior to Apple’s security. This was launched in 2013, and this is one of the best security features that come with most Samsung devices. It protects all data, like messages, Secure Folder, Health, and Samsung Pay, and works with other apps. It has also been used by the NSA, DISA, BSI, ANSSI, NCSC, TRAFFICORN, and more government agencies to work on government projects, and it works with military agencies.
Networks also get secured, just like VPNs. It protects malware from gaining access to the kernel. It has been developed over the kernel and only allows a few apps to have kernel access. With kernel access, Knox monitors every action in real-time, so if it detects any threat, it will remove it. Samsung also checks the status of the kernel every month, and it should be the same as the kernel that comes out of the box. Even with custom firmware, except for Samsung firmware, apps like Samsung Pay and Secure Folder will not work. It’s hardware-based security on the Galaxy S23 Series, but on lower models, it’s just software-based, like the Samsung A and M-Series.
Maintenance mode
This is another way to keep your device secure when you hand over your Galaxy device to a repair shop. It will protect your device, so no one can tamper with it. As far as I’m concerned, Apple doesn’t have this yet! There is a lack of tools that you can use on Android. There is no straightforward method to change your ringtone to a custom one. No multitasking split-screen. There is no pop-up view for many apps. And there is no easy way to transfer anything from your Windows computer to your iPhone without jumping through iTunes or other things.
The iPhone is a really good phone, but if you have built your productivity around Android, it’s a wall like the iPhone’s walled garden. Android, in general, offers more flexibility, and if that’s not an issue for you, stick with your iPhone because then you will get a longer OS to support better performance and, in general, get premium features. Thanks for being with us. We would love to hear from you! What do you think about which is superior, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra or the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max?