February has been an exciting month for smartphone enthusiasts, with Samsung and OnePlus unveiling their latest and greatest for this year. The Galaxy S23 Ultra takes an already winning formula and enhances it with a few meaningful upgrades, even preserving last year’s design. Meanwhile, OnePlus is a bit more overt with the tweaks on the OnePlus 11, changing the camera module around the back and bringing the phone up to speed with 2023’s tech. Then there’s the iPhone 14 Pro Max – a proven performer that needs no introduction. But which among these should be your pick? We help you decide. OnePlus 11 vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs iPhone 14 Pro Max: Design and display Despite the lack of the word “Pro” in its name, the OnePlus 11 is a true successor to the OnePlus 10 Pro and as such carries forward the design. However, the squarish camera module has been replaced with a circular one this year, and it’s ultimately up to the buyer to decide which looks better. The phone will be noticeably lighter than the other two weighing ‘just’ 205g. Add to that the fact that the phone has the slimmest breadth (74.1mm), and the OnePlus 11 makes for a comfy handset to hold. The 6.7-inch display also has the highest pixel density at 525ppi thanks to the 1440x3216 resolution. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is the minimalist’s dream with an extremely clean design both on the back and the front. The phone is also the only in the trio to sport a squarish design. That may look uncomfortable but the frame curves off at the sides to help with grip. The 6.8-inch display makes the phone the largest among the trio, so that’ll be something to note if you’ve got small hands. Display specs include Dynamic AMOLED 2X tech, 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ support, and 1750 nits peak brightness. The iPhone 14 Pro Max is the maiden iPhone to sport a camera island upfront for the selfie snapper and the Face ID hardware. It’s the slimmest at 7.9mm, but also the heaviest at a substantial 240g. In fact, it may well be one of the heftiest phones around. Additionally, its flat edges could worsen the grip over the phone. The 6.7-inch panel is the widest among the three with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. It’s also the brightest at 2,000 nits on high brightness mode. OnePlus 11 vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs iPhone 14 Pro Max: Performance Both OnePlus 11 and Galaxy S23 Ultra are powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which is fabricated using TSMC’s 4nm process. The chip scores over 1,227,000 points on AnTuTu which supposedly makes it faster than the A16 Bionic that the iPhone 14 Pro Max is powered by – at least on paper. For comparison, the iPhone 14 Pro Max ‘only’ goes up to 960,000 on AnTuTu. However, Apple’s complete control over its hardware and software should translate to more fluid real-world performance. Meanwhile, the OxygenOS 13 (based on Android 13) skin on the OnePlus 11 is supposed to be lighter than the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s extremely feature-packed One UI 5.1 (again based on Android 13) skin. It’s hard to compare the three phones since they’re powered by the most powerful smartphone processors in the market at the moment. Performance shouldn’t really be the deciding factor when taking your pick here. OnePlus 11 vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs iPhone 14 Pro Max: Cameras The OnePlus 11 utilises the Sony IMX890 sensor, assisted by a 32MP telephoto lens and a 48MP ultrawide. OnePlus has partnered with Hasselblad to provide a more natural output with natural-looking colours. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra pioneers Samsung's new ISOCELL HP2 200MP image sensor, which can take not only 200MP photos but even 50MP and 12.5MP photos. All those pixels should translate to better zooming capabilities than last year – and Samsung was already the king when it came to that. Other camera units at the rear are 10MP periscope telephoto, 10MP telephoto, and 12MP ultrawide. The iPhone 14 Pro Max comes with a triple camera array with a 48MP primary shooter, assisted by a 12MP telephoto and 12MP ultrawide. In our review, we noted that the 48MP resolution bump allows Apple to give you a combo of 5x, 2x and 3x zooms along with the regular frame. OnePlus 11 vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs iPhone 14 Pro Max: Which should be your pick? The Galaxy S23 Ultra and the iPhone 14 Pro Max are the definitive flagship devices with premium price tags – the former starts at Rs 1,24,999 and the latter costs Rs 1,39,900. Then, there’s the OnePlus 11 starting at just Rs 56,999, which is less than half of the other two. With such a massive price difference despite offering nearly as much as the other two, the OnePlus 11 is a no-brainer if you’re on a tight budget. The OnePlus 11 is also the fastest charging phone among the bunch sporting 100W capabilities. This is another factor to consider if you are a power user. However, both Samsung and Apple have consistently locked horns over the title of being the camera champion and this year shouldn’t be any different. If you are looking for the absolute best in smartphone photography then going for either of these two will be smarter. Ultimately, picking between these two will be based on your OS preferences. In case you are an Android fan, then the Samsung’s One UI 5.1 experience will be more appealing. But if you’re locked into the Apple ecosystem, the iPhone 14 Pro Max will get along better with your existing devices.
