Yeah fair point.
Man I wish the GPE program was still around. Back in the day Google allowed stock Android for current flagship phones from Samsung and HTC. So you got the best hardware in a phone, with the unbloated vanilla Android.
I remember those days! All I can say is the Pixel 7 Pro is a great phone and when you consider the price-specially during sales it cost less than a regular S23. I don't think there is a better phone when value is considered and we are not talking carrier discounts.
I have a Google 7 Pro and the S23 ultra and I got them both with little money out of pocket. I sold a Galaxy s22 plus and got a killer promotion from Google Fi on Pre-order to get the s23 ultra and traded in my iPhone 13 Pro Max for the Pixel 7 Pro. I am rather strapped for money as a single parent and extremely limited income so I have to jump through hoops in order to get new tech.
All that being said both phones are really great. I do prefer the S23 ultra because of the hardware. The squared screen, less curved display, the faster processor, the speakers, the s pen, the cameras all make an incredible package. The UI Samsung has is vastly improved from the days of touchwiz. That is not to say it is perfect. But there are actually some things I actually like better on One UI vs Pixel UI and some things I prefer on Pixel UI. However if I had to choose I would probably just use Pixel UI. The AI features are just better on the Pixel-including call screening. The camera post processing and fast action shots are better on the Pixel. I like the more simplified UI. However there are some annoyances like Google apps like Google TV which is pretty useless and I can't uninstall it. Other Google apps for products I don't own that I can't uninstall or disable. Overall Pixel UI is clean but it is not perfect and it suffers from the same problem One UI has which is apps you can't uninstall or disable. At least with Samsung I can put those apps in deep sleep or sleep which I can't do on Pixel UI.
So the bloat issue is now a problem on all phones.
So if you are even a little bit interested in Samsung s23 ultra I would see if the summer sales are good enough to bite. Or you could wait until November sales. But then the s24 ultra will be right around the corner and pre-order deals are usually pretty good. My point is that I think your looking at Samsung with a lense from the past. Sure overall Pixel UI is more slim but the Tensor is not as fast as the 8 gen 2. So it is kind of a wash. One UI is vastly better optimized than even a year ago. Samsung always discounts their phones and it is pretty amazing how you can upgrade with them. They really do have the best hardware of any OEM. Sure the Chinese phones like Xiaomi, Oppo, and the like may have a couple stand out features like 1 inch sensor or crazy optical zoom, faster charging speeds but the software is the catch 22. They have poor update frequency and support overall, and terrible optimization. They have a ton of bloatware. They have zero warranty here, poor cellular band support in USA, and no customer service in the USA so for me they are all a non starter unless they give me the phone and even then I have some trust issues with the software and privacy.
BUT if you truly are a Pixel guy I get it. I really do love my Pixel and definitely plan on getting the Pixel 8 Pro. I just hope that Google doesn't give us crap trade in values because resale for the P7P is pretty bad. That being said there are so many improvements that I want. Flat screen, better screen tech-which is really important because the P7P screen chews through battery, faster more efficient Tensor G3- sure it may not best the 8 gen 2 or be as fast as 8 gen 3, but as long as it is close to 8 gen 2 in speed and efficiency I will be very happy. Better cameras and possibly a Dex like interface. I am hoping but not very convinced Google will also use ddr5x and ufs 4.0. If they do this will also improve speed, app loading times and give better battery life. So if Google does all of these things and is rumored to keep the 5000mah battery we might get close to s23 u level performance and battery life. This would be a game changer for me.
I have been using my Pixel as my primary phone and I used 1080p resolution, adaptive battery, adaptive brightness and I was shocked at the battery life. It still heats up but it was like a completely different phone and didn't change the performance like using battery saver. You might want to try it and see how it works for you. Or maybe 2 out of the 3?