Samsung Galaxy S23 vs Google Pixel 7: price, specifications, design and more compared

Samsung set the tone for 2023 with the launch of the Galaxy S23 series comprising the Samsung Galaxy S23, the Galaxy S23+ and the Galaxy S23 Ultra. The company unveiled its latest flagship line of smartphones at the Galaxy Unpacked event showcasing an iterative update to the Galaxy S22 series with a new processor, slightly refreshed design, bigger battery, and more durable body. The lineup competes with the Google Pixel 7 series, which retails in the same price range and offers a flagship hardware configuration.

While the Pixel 7 Pro and Galaxy S23 Ultra/Plus are top-of-the-line models, not everyone needs the expensive Android flagship. You have a more affordable yet premium option: the vanilla variant. In this article, we will compare the Samsung Galaxy S23 and Google Pixel 7 and see which device gives you the best bang for your buck.

Samsung Galaxy S23 vs Google Pixel 7 price in India

Samsung Galaxy S23 retails at a starting price of Rs 74,999 in India for the 8GB RAM and 128GB storage model. On the other hand, the Google Pixel 7 ships with a Rs 59,999 price tag in India, available in sole 8GB RAM and 128GB storage option. The difference between the Indian pricing of the Samsung Galaxy S23 and Google Pixel 7 is Rs 15,000, with the S23 being the more expensive one.

Samsung Galaxy S23 vs Google Pixel 7

 Design

You wouldn’t be able to tell the vanilla Samsung Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S22 apart had it not been for the removed contoured camera housing, giving the device a more premium design. Samsung made the S23 with premium glass on the back and front and aluminium on the sides. It is available in four colours: Phantom Black, Cream, Green, and Lavender. The device is compact with a 146.3 x 70.9 x 7.6 mm overall footprint and should feel lightweight to hold in hand at 168g.

On the other hand, there is the Google Pixel 7. Once again, the only noticeable design change is at the camera bar, which is now covered with metal instead of the glass bar we get with the Pixel 6. Like the S23, the Pixel 7 also packs high-quality glass on the back and front but has a plastic frame. You can get the Pixel 7 in three colour options: Snow, Obsidian, and Lemongrass. The Pixel 7 is a bit heavier at 197g with a bigger body size of 155.6 x 73.2 x 8.7 mm.

One key difference in these devices’ build quality is the glass used by the companies. The S23 comes with the all-new Gorilla Glass Victus 2, compared to the Gorilla Glass Victus of Pixel 7. That doesn’t mean the Pixel 7 isn’t tough to withstand an accidental fall — it’s just not as durable as the Galaxy S23, on paper at least.

Display

As mentioned earlier, the Samsung Galaxy S23 is a compact phone with a 6.1-inch display whose AMOLED panel supports a 2340×1080 pixel resolution, HDR10+ colours, and 425 PPI pixel density. The screen runs at a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate and features 1750 nits peak brightness.

The Pixel 7 flaunts a more extensive 6.3-inch AMOLED panel with support for 2400×1080 pixel resolution, HDR10+ colours, and 416 PPI pixel density. You should get a smooth scrolling experience with a 90Hz refresh rate and a clear viewing experience with 1400 nits peak brightness.

On paper, the S23 has a better display than the Pixel 7, but both phones should offer a smooth and satisfying viewing experience during content consumption or doom-scrolling on social media.

Performance

The Galaxy S23 has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC at the helm. It’s the latest and greatest chipset from Qualcomm that you can get on Android phones, and the company tailored a souped-up version of the 8 Gen 2 SoC specifically for Samsung. With 8GB RAM and 128GB/256GB storage options, the S23 should handle anything you throw at it with plenty of space to store files, per requirement.

On the other hand, the Pixel 7 comes with Google’s in-house Tensor 2 SoC, 8GB RAM, and 128GB storage. While it’s primarily built for AI tasks, the Pixel 7’s performance is everything you would expect from a premium Android flagship. However, it does fall behind the S23 when we look at both devices’ benchmark results.

Security

Samsung is known for offering one of the best security features available on the Android side of the smartphone market. It ships its premium phones with the latest ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner and Samsung’s Knox security for an extra layer of privacy. You also get Samsung Know Vault to store important documents safely.

The Pixel 7 comes with Google’s in-house Titan M2 chip for an additional layer of security. While it doesn’t have the newest ultrasonic sensor, you still get the good old reliable optical in-display fingerprint reader with the Pixel 7. However, the Galaxy S23 has an edge over the Pixel 7 with better and more advanced security features.

Battery and charging

The battery life and charging speed perhaps make or break the user’s experience, and both phones deliver similar yet interesting results, despite having completely different hardware configurations. With the S23, you get a 3,900mAh battery with support for 25W charging. During our review time, we managed to get over 5 hours of active usage. Sadly, in today’s super fast charging era, where smartphone gets fully charged within 15 minutes, the S23 takes roughly 70 minutes to refuel from 0 to 100 percent.

While the Pixel 7 has a more prominent 4,355mAh cell than the S23, its charging speed tops at 20W, a bit slower than the already slow S23’s 25W speed. Despite having more battery capacity at its disposal than the S23, the Pixel 7 only delivered 5 hours of SoT (Screen on Time) — the same we got with the S23. And, if the S23’s 25W took roughly 70 minutes to charge the device fully, expect to twiddle your thumbs a little longer, waiting for Pixel 7 to get its juice with 20W charging speed.

Cameras

Photography and video capturing abilities of the flagship phones of Samsung and Google have always been top-notch. Both devices do a great job of capturing detailed shots. The Galaxy S23 packs a 12MP front-facing snapper and a triple rear camera setup: 50MP primary, 12MP ultrawide, and 10MP telephoto lenses. On the other hand, you get a 10.8MP selfie shooter and a dual rear camera setup on the Pixel 7: a 50MP primary sensor and a 12MP ultrawide lens.

The Galaxy S23 can capture up to 8K videos at 30fps, while the Pixel 7 maxes out at 4K resolution. Once again, the S23 has a better camera layout on paper, but you won’t be disappointed with the Pixel 7 camera.

Software

Both the Galaxy S23 and the Pixel 7 run on the latest Android 13 OS out of the box. The Pixel 7 offers a stock Android experience with strong Material You influences present in every aspect of the UI. With the S23, Samsung offers its One UI 5.0 custom skin featuring Material You themes mixed with Samsung-centric styling.

Samsung promises to ship five years of security patches and four major Android updates for the Galaxy S23. Meanwhile, Google Pixel 7 will get three Android software updates and four years of security patches. This means the S23 will get Android updates up to Android 18, while the Pixel 7’s last Android updates will be Android 17.

Samsung Galaxy S23 vs Google Pixel 7 Verdict

The conclusion between these two devices boils down to your preference and requirement. Both phones will deliver you a flagship experience you would expect from a premium phone. The more expensive S23 will be a better fit if you want a more powerful processor, comparatively faster charging speed, an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, tougher build quality, more camera lens, and four years of OS updates.

However, at Rs 15,000 less than S23, the Pixel 7 is a better deal if you want a premium phone with a flagship experience. It offers excellent picture quality, deep integration with Google service, no pre-installed bloatware, and some Pixel-exclusive software features.