Should I buy the Pixel 7 Pro or wait for the Samsung Galaxy S23?

If you’re looking for the absolute best phone you can get right now, the Google Pixel 7 Pro is an option you can’t ignore. It’s Google’s most advanced phone yet and comes packed with all the high-end features you can expect from a flagship device. It’s time for demanding users to decide whether they should buy the Pixel 7 Pro or wait for the Samsung Galaxy S23 series to launch, which will likely include the Pixel 7 Pro’s main competitor.

Should you buy the Pixel 7 Pro or wait for the Galaxy S23 series? Let’s try to figure it out!

Editor’s note: Samsung has yet to announce the Galaxy S23 series, and any information about it is based on rumors or speculation. Keep that in mind as we move forward with this article.

While not the only decisive factor, performance is one of the primary considerations when picking between a phone or another. So far, we can tell you Google has improved the capabilities of the Pixel 7 Pro.

The phone comes with a Google Tensor G2 chipset, which it claims is 60% faster than the first-generation Tensor in speech and imaging workloads and features a new GPU configuration. Aside from raw power, it offers more efficient power consumption, improved security (also helped by a Titan M2 coprocessor), and better computational photography. All of that is paired with 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM, which should be plenty for all your multi-tasking needs, and some would claim it’s overkill for a smartphone.

When it comes to the Samsung Galaxy S23 specs, all signs point to it featuring the unannounced Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. Samsung appears to have put Exynos on hiatus, having signed a global deal for Qualcomm chipsets with the S23 series. In either case, Qualcomm’s offering will certainly feature newer CPU and GPU components than the Tensor G2’s aging components, which might give it a leg up in terms of extreme performance and benchmarks.

Whether that translates into meaningful real-world differences is another matter, and Google is doubling down on AI smarts being more important. We don’t know anything about RAM yet, but we can assume Samsung won’t be downgrading any of its phones. This means all Galaxy S23 devices should come with at least 8-12GB of RAM, which is plenty.

How good a phone looks is a subjective factor, but we can agree Samsung has built a reputation on aesthetics. Its high-end phones are usually made of high-quality glass and metal, with sleek designs and streamlined builds that will make any other phone owner envious. Samsung phones are gorgeous. However, Google has jumped leaps and bounds in the aesthetics department since the release of the Pixel 6 series. Will Google be able to confront the design king?

The Pixel 7 Pro comes with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus on the front and back, accompanied by a polished aluminum frame. It’s IP68-rated. And if it matters to you, the aluminum is 100% recycled.

Based on leaks, we expect the Samsung Galaxy S23 series to look and feel very similar to the S22 series. All devices should come with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus backs and fronts, an aluminum frame, and a familiar IP68 rating. Additionally, device renders show that all phones will have individual camera cutouts instead of a more extensive housing containing all the cameras. Overall, the Galaxy S23 renders look very similar to what we saw on the Galaxy S22 series. This is not a bad thing, though. Why change a good thing?

Display

Samsung has a reputation for its excellent screens, but it looks like it will have serious competition from Google this time. The Pixel 7 Pro features a 6.7-inch screen with a QHD+ 1,440 x 3,120 resolution. The LTPO OLED panel produces deep blacks and vibrant colors that should easily compete with Samsung’s AMOLED technology. The Pixel 7 Pro screen refresh rate is pretty good, too, reaching all the way up to 120Hz. Other features include a 1,500-nit peak brightness, HDR, and full 24-bit depth.

Again, we can’t go into much detail with the Galaxy S23 series, but if the Galaxy S22 Ultra is anything to go by, Samsung will compete strongly. The Galaxy S22 Ultra also has a QHD+ resolution and a variable 120Hz refresh rate. It supports HDR 10+ and has a 1,750-nit peak brightness. As mentioned before, we expect no downgrades, so the Galaxy S23 Ultra should have as good a screen. We can’t say the same about the S23 and S23 Plus, though. They are rumored to have an FHD+ resolution, but their display quality and features should otherwise be competitive with Google’s option.

The camera experience has quickly become one of the main deciding factors when getting a new phone, especially in the high-end smartphone market. Of course, if you’re paying so much for a device, you want your Instagram photos and memories to look as amazing as possible!

Google’s Pixel series has become synonymous with quality cameras. In fact, these devices are known for offering industry-leading photography year after year, thanks mostly to their computational photography enhancements. They’ve also been working on better hardware in recent years, though, and the Pixel 7 Pro shoots great images with the help of both hardware and software.

More: The best camera phones you can buy

The Google Pixel 7 Pro features three rear cameras. The main one offers a 50MP sensor with a 1.2 μm pixel width, a 1/1.31-inch sensor, an 82-degree field of view, and an f/1.85 aperture. The telephoto camera has a 48MP sensor with a 0.7 μm pixel width, f/3.5 aperture, 5x optical zoom, and 30x Super Res Zoom. Lastly, there’s a 12MP ultrawide camera with 1.25 μm pixel width, f/2.2 aperture, a 125.8-degree field of view, and autofocus capabilities. 

Additionally, Google is introducing a plethora of fun features to its photo experience. These include Macro focus, Photo Unblur, 4K@60fps, Real Tone improvements, an enhanced faster Night Sight, 10-bit HDR video, and more.

We’ll have to wait to learn more about the camera specifics of the Samsung Galaxy S23 series, but there is one main rumor circling around. Apparently, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra might sport a 200MP primary camera with 0.6µm pixels on a 1/1.3 inch sensor. Of course, more megapixels don’t always translate to better photos, but it looks like Samsung is taking things to a different level with the Galaxy S23 series cameras.

Battery life

Google’s Pixel phones usually do well in terms of battery life, but they’re far from recognized for longevity. This changed with the Pixel 6 Pro, and it seems the Pixel 7 Pro is another battery beast. It comes with a 5,000mAh battery, which Google claims will offer over 24 hours of power. It can also be charged at up to 23W, which means it should reach from 0%-50% in just 30 minutes. The only bad news is you’ll need to buy a separate 30W charger from Google, or a third-party equivalent, to reach these charging speeds.

That said, battery life is something the Samsung Galaxy S22 series is already pretty good at, and we only expect the Galaxy S23 series to improve upon them. The Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus and Galaxy S22 Ultra have 4,500mAh and 5,000mAh batteries, respectively. Rumors claim the Galaxy S23 Plus will get a bump to 4,700mAh. Plus, the Ultra model can charge at up to 45W, though it’s just 25W for the smaller models. We’ll have to wait for the Galaxy S23 announcement to learn more, but for now, it seems Samsung is winning this race.

More: Phones with the best battery life

You can pre-order the Google Pixel 7 Pro right away, and the handset will land on store shelves on October 13. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S23 is far from its launch. We should see an announcement early in 2023, likely in January or February, as that’s the traditional time frame for Samsung’s Galaxy S launch.

It’s time to talk money. Sadly, Samsung devices are generally more expensive than Pixels. This could become a deciding factor. The Pixel 7 Pro is considered relatively affordable for a premium handset at $899 MSRP.

We don’t yet know the Samsung Galaxy S23 prices, but we can assume they will be very similar to the Galaxy S22 series’ MSRP. The Galaxy S22 started at $799, the Galaxy S22 Plus was $999, and the Galaxy S22 Ultra was $1,199.

So, the base Galaxy S22 is the cheaper alternative to Google’s phone, but its successor will likely not be Samsung’s main competitor to the Pixel 7 Pro. We expect the Galaxy S23 Plus and S23 Ultra to be closer competitors in terms of features, size, and specs. Assuming pricing stays similar across the board, both will be more expensive than the Pixel 7 Pro.

Of course, whether you should get the Pixel 7 Pro or a Samsung Galaxy S23 device depends on your preferences. Samsung aficionados will obviously prefer to wait. After all, the phones are sure to be some of the best of 2023. Not to mention Samsung offers plenty of neat features you might already know and love. Including the S Pen, in the case of the Ultra iteration.

On the other hand, Google is polishing the rough edges off its smartphones, which is especially noticeable with the Pixel 7 Pro. The Google Tensor processor has proven to be a success. This phone offers a clean UI with the fastest Android updates and long-term support. Not to mention the camera experience becomes more impressive with every release. The Pixel design and build quality are finally up to par with the likes of Samsung, too. Not to mention it costs less.

In other words, the gap between the two brands is quickly closing. Depending on what you’re looking for, the Samsung Galaxy S23 series might not be a revolutionary upgrade over the current Pixel 7 series. If you don’t care for an S Pen or aren’t a true Samsung fan, waiting will likely prove unnecessary.

The Google Pixel 7 Pro is available now. If you really need a new phone, we usually recommend buying whatever is available immediately. This is especially true if you don’t have a specific preference for either brand. The tech world moves fast. There will always be something better coming soon. If you decide to wait for the next best thing, you will always be waiting.

Waiting isn’t so bad if you can stick to what you already have and prefer what Samsung offers. It’s only a few months, really. The Pixel 7 Pro will have some history behind it by then. You can always choose to still buy the Pixel 7 Pro once you learn what the Galaxy S23 series will bring to the table. There might even be a sweet deal by then! You might think February will be too soon for discounts, but we’ve seen it happen in less time.