iPhone 17 vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

iPhone 17

The 3,692 mAh cell is up only marginally on the iPhone 16's 3,561 mAh, but the more efficient A19 chip and variable-refresh-rate display push the iPhone 17 to up to 30 hours of video playback (Apple's number) — eight hours more than the iPhone 16. Reviewers comfortably hit 5–6+ hours of screen-on time and end days with 15–25% remaining. Wired charging is 40W (50% in 20 minutes), wireless MagSafe is 25W. The OnePlus 13 and Xiaomi 15 still charge meaningfully faster, but versus other US-priced flagships this is competitive.

• After a week of use I'm consistently hitting more than six hours of screen-on time, with GPS, music streaming, and hours of doomscrolling — I have yet to find myself worried that my phone is going to die.
• Battery life has increased by 8 hours compared to the iPhone 16 — up to 30 hours of video playback versus 22 — and in normal use the iPhone 17 lasts about as long as the iPhone 16 Pro, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. with 20–25% left.
• I had 16 percent battery left by bed time after a 7AM-to-midnight day of email, Slack, music, calls, texting, Instagram and a few episodes of The Bear — with always-on display active the entire time.
• Charging hits 50% in about 20 minutes with a 40W adapter — faster than the iPhone 16 by 10 to 15 minutes, and a full 0–100% charge takes 85 minutes.
• Phone Arena's battery score is 5.9 out of 10 — below average for the price class. Battery life is good for a day, but not class-leading.
• The iPhone 17 reliably makes it from 7:30 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. with 15–20% left over, even on days with Personal Hotspot use and a few rounds of Pokémon Go — no midday top-up required.
• Apple slightly increased MagSafe wireless charging to 25W (with a 30W adapter) — same as the iPhone 16 Plus and a 3W increase over the iPhone 16.
• 40W charging is good but at maximum still lags far behind the Xiaomi 15 (90W) and the OnePlus 13 — comparatively slow charging is a real con.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

5,000mAh paired with the efficient 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy delivered the era's best Android battery life — 6-7 hours of screen-on time, still close to 5 hours of mixed heavy use after 2 years. The catch is charging speed: 45W wired (and a special cable is needed to hit it) when rivals offer 80W+.

• 5,000mAh battery + the efficient 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy gives 6-7 hours of screen-on time at full brightness in WQHD with no power-save modes.
• Two-year battery test still delivered ~4h44m of mixed heavy SOT (PUBG, Genshin, 4K video, Spotify) — strong longevity even after 2 years.
• Pure-runtime lab test hit 11h5m vs 8h13m on the S22 Ultra — a major efficiency leap from the Snapdragon chip alone.
• 45W wired charging: 40% in 15 min, 72% in 30 min, 91% in 45 min, full in ~1h3m — but only with a separate 5A cable and 45W brick.
• The included box cable doesn't trigger Super Fast Charging 2.0 — Samsung sells the 5A cable and 45W brick separately, a recurring complaint.

iPhone 17

At $799 with 256GB storage, the iPhone 17 lands directly opposite the $799 Google Pixel 10 (256GB) and the $799 Samsung Galaxy S25 (128GB) — and within the Apple lineup it sits $200 below the iPhone Air and $300 below the iPhone 17 Pro. The consensus across publications, YouTube and the r/apple thread (>1,700 upvotes) is identical: this is the most-recommended phone in the iPhone 17 lineup, and the value gap to the Pro is wider than it has ever been. The minority view, from Digital Trends and a vocal r/Android contingent, is that the iPhone 16 still works fine and the upgrade isn't necessary for existing 16 owners.

• For the same price as last year, you get twice as much storage, slightly better cameras, and an immensely better screen — if you just want a great iPhone, the iPhone 17 is finally that phone.
• For $799 — $200 more than the 128GB iPhone 16e and $100 more than the 128GB iPhone 16 — the iPhone 17 is by far the iPhone lineup's best value for money right now.
• When the cheapest phone in the lineup is a really good deal, it makes the more expensive versions feel like worse deals — this is the best base iPhone since they added the Pro to the lineup, and it's not particularly close.
• Versus the $799 Pixel 10 (256GB), the iPhone 17 has a better screen, better main camera, better selfie camera, better battery life and a way more powerful chip — at $100 less.
• As I dive into the specs, the iPhone 17 looks like a better deal than the $999 iPhone Air — better battery, better camera (48MP ultrawide), and $200 cheaper.
• Forget the Air and the Pro — the iPhone 17 is the one iPhone to get this year. For the first time in literally ever, I don't feel tempted by the Pro Max or the Pro.
• The iPhone 17 doesn't feel outdated next to its predecessor — the iPhone 16 shares all the same design elements, the A19 is only 8–10% faster than the A18, and the 48MP main camera carries over.
• Top r/gadgets comment captures the consensus: 'The base 17 has maybe 80-90% of the features of the pro model (and for most people, 100% of the features that matter). It's the best value model Apple has released in years.'
• Coming from a 15+ year Android user — 'as a user of both platforms, nothing in the Android world really comes close to the $799 iPhone 17. The base model has never sold out at launch, and it's harder to find than the 17 Pro and even Pro Max.'

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

Launched at $1,199 in early 2023, the S23 Ultra is now $500-650 used / ~$800 new — one of the best smartphone bargains in 2026, especially with the S25 Ultra delivering only modest gains. The Pixel 8 Pro and OnePlus 11 were its strongest contemporaries.

• Launched at $1,199 with 256GB UFS 4.0 — premium flagship territory then; Samsung's trade-in deals + $200 cashback / Disney+ kept the real cost down.
• Now ~$500-650 used on eBay/Swappa, ~$800 new — an absolute bargain for the spec package in 2026.
• The S25 Ultra disappointed many owners expecting big gains — the S23 Ultra still feels close enough that 'I'd buy this again' is a recurring sentiment in 2026.
• Versus Pixel 7 Pro ($300 less) and OnePlus 11 (much faster charging at lower price) — the S23 Ultra's S Pen and zoom range are the deciding edges.
• Versus iPhone 14 Pro Max — the S23 Ultra wins on zoom and customisation; iPhone wins on video and ecosystem 'just works'.