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Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra benchmarks just leaked - and it s not good news

By Alan Martin published 23 October 2022 Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra appears on Geekbench (Image credit: OnLeaks/SmartPrix) Earlier this week, a handset believed to be the basic Samsung Galaxy S23 appeared on Geekbench with an impressive set of benchmark numbers for a pre-release phone which gave the iPhone 14 a run for its money. Now another device - SM-S918U (opens in new tab) - has appeared on the benchmarking site, and it's one that SamMobile (opens in new tab) believes to be the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. Given the listed internals are identical - the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset and 8GB RAM - the numbers are as close as you would expect. The S23 Ultra achieves a single-core score of 1,521 and a multi-score one of 4,689. But while these are a big improvement on the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (which managed scores of 1,240 and 3,392, respectively), they're not as impressive as the upcoming virtually identical numbers on the basic S23 for one simple reason: the competition for the Ultra variant is considerably tougher.

It s no Pro

When we covered the S23's scores, we noted that it eclipsed the iPhone 14's multi-core performance (4,553), even if it was behind on the single-core metric (1,727). That's important as the Samsung Galaxy S23 will likely be in the same ballpark as the basic iPhone 14 in terms of price when it arrives on store shelves. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, if past form is anything to go by, will go toe to toe with the iPhone 14 Pro, and that uses Apple's faster A16 chip. Our benchmarks gave the A16 scores of 1,891 in single-core and 5,469 in multi, leaving even these impressive S23 Ultra numbers in the dust. The iPhone 14 Pro starts at $999, with the iPhone 14 Pro Max going for $1,099. For comparison's sake, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra has an MSRP of $1,199. With prices going up across global supply chains, it wouldn't be surprising if the S23 Ultra added a few more dollars to that, too. Of course, a smartphone is about more than just its raw speed, and Samsung will likely justify the cost with extras Apple just can't match, like S-Pen support and a rumored 200MP camera. And, truth be told, these benchmarks are more for bragging rights than any real, noticeable performance advantage in day-to-day use. Both will run the latest apps fluidly for years to come, and you wouldn't notice a difference unless you had the two side by side. All the same, if these benchmark numbers don't improve with optimizations closer to release, it looks like the best Android phones will continue to lag behind Apple's flagships in terms of raw speed for at least one more generation. Next: Here are the 5 biggest rumors so far on the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.Today's best Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra dealsPlansUnlockedGet $50 off this p... (opens in new tab)No contractSamsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Installments (opens in new tab)Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Installments (opens in new tab)Free (opens in new tab) upfront$56.62/mth (opens in new tab)Unlimited minsUnlimitedtexts4GBdataCalls: Calls to MX & CA includedTexts: Messaging to MX & CA includedData: (slowed to 128kbps speeds) (opens in new tab)No contractUnlimited minsUnlimitedtexts4GBdataCalls: Calls to MX & CA includedTexts: Messaging to MX & CA includedData: (slowed to 128kbps speeds)View (opens in new tab)at Mint Mobile (opens in new tab)Free (opens in new tab) upfront$56.62/mth (opens in new tab)View (opens in new tab)at Mint Mobile (opens in new tab)Get $50 off this p... (opens in new tab)No contractSamsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Installments (opens in new tab)Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Installments (opens in new tab)Free (opens in new tab) upfront$61.62/mth (opens in new tab)Unlimited minsUnlimitedtexts10GBdataCalls: Calls to MX & CA includedTexts: Messaging to MX & CA includedData: (slowed to 128kbps speeds) (opens in new tab)No contractUnlimited minsUnlimitedtexts10GBdataCalls: Calls to MX & CA includedTexts: Messaging to MX & CA includedData: (slowed to 128kbps speeds)View (opens in new tab)at Mint Mobile (opens in new tab)Free (opens in new tab) upfront$61.62/mth (opens in new tab)View (opens in new tab)at Mint Mobile (opens in new tab)Get $50 off this p... (opens in new tab)No contractSamsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Installments (opens in new tab)Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Installments (opens in new tab)Free (opens in new tab) upfront$66.62/mth (opens in new tab)Unlimited minsUnlimitedtexts15GBdataCalls: Calls to MX & CA includedTexts: Messaging to MX & CA includedData: (slowed to 128kbps speeds) (opens in new tab)No contractUnlimited minsUnlimitedtexts15GBdataCalls: Calls to MX & CA includedTexts: Messaging to MX & CA includedData: (slowed to 128kbps speeds)View (opens in new tab)at Mint Mobile (opens in new tab)Free (opens in new tab) upfront$66.62/mth (opens in new tab)View (opens in new tab)at Mint Mobile (opens in new tab)We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices

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Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Alan Martin Freelance contributor Alan has been writing about tech for over a decade, covering phones, drones and everything in between. Previously Deputy Editor of tech site Alphr, his words are found all over the web and in the occasional magazine too. When not weighing up the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, you'll probably find him tackling his ever-growing games backlog. Or, more likely, playing Spelunky for the millionth time. More about smartphones iPhone 15 Ultra - everything we know so far iPhone 15 Ultra could be the toughest Apple phone everLatest iPad Pro (12.9-inch, 2022) review in progressSee more latest ► Topics Smartphones See all comments (1) 1 Comment Comment from the forums sbrader72 I think the pixel 7 pro has proven that geekbench scores dont really matter much in the real world but samsung is unlikely to suddenly have there software on par with google optimisation for s23 but theres almost no apps that really utilise the power of these phones now I just think they should focus on efficiency over chasing benchmark scores it will be a loosing game until snapdragon have the custom nuvia cores if they can sort that case out in court. Hopefully they will have a power saving mode thats like 8 gen 1 performance or 8+ gen 1 but with way lower power draw Reply View All 1 Comment MOST READMOST SHARED1iPad Pro (12.9-inch, 2022) review in progress2iPad 2022 (10th gen) review: Amazing and awkward3iPhone 15 Ultra - everything we know so far4Beats Studio Earbuds just crashed to $89 in early Black Friday deal 5A $500 iPad and keyboard bundle could have happened - but Apple reportedly killed it1iPhone 15 Ultra - everything we know so far2Beats Studio Earbuds just crashed to $89 in early Black Friday deal 3A $500 iPad and keyboard bundle could have happened - but Apple reportedly killed it4Black Friday deals 2022 - date and best early sales5iPhone 15 Ultra could be the toughest Apple phone ever