Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. Google Pixel 8 Pro: Which is the better Black Friday deal?

Black Friday brings with it a horde of deals, far too numerous for anyone to keep up to speed with. Thankfully, we’ve got our eyes peeled on the top deals in tech, but knowing about these deals is only half the battle.

Deciding which deal to eventually go with is the real question. Today we’ll be looking to help you decide between two impressive Android devices on sale for Black Friday: the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra for $899 at Amazon, and the Google Pixel 8 Pro for just $799 at Amazon.

Two flagship Android smartphones heavily discounted for Black Friday, with only $100 between them. So, if you had to choose between the two, which is the better Black Friday deal?

• Performance: The Google Pixel 8 Pro’s new Tensor G3 chipset definitely offers a dramatic improvement of the previous G2 processor, but the PIxel 8 Pro is still stuck in that off-kilter Nintendo-zone in contrast to both Apple and Samsung. The Galaxy S23 Ultra’s Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor still leaves the Pixel 8 Pro in its wake – regardless of Google’s improvements.
   
• Cameras: Direct results from top-tier hardware or the polished refinement of every pixel captured using Google’s computational photography? The choice is entirely yours. While the Galaxy S23 Ultra has the raw performance in terms of sheer mega-pixels captured with a 200MP main shooter, the Pixel 8 offers a ton of software enhancements to squeeze every drop of performance out of its more evenly spread 50MP main lens and similar rear cameras.
   
• Display: The Galaxy S23 Ultra has an impressive display. This is Samsung we’re talking about, after all. Not only is it slightly bigger at 6.8-inches in size (compared to the PIxel 8 Pro’s 6.7-inch panel), but it offers a higher resolution and better pixel density. Add in a 3,000,000:1 HDR10+ contrast ratio and the S23 Ultra’s AMOLED 2X pulls further and further ahead.