Phone comparison · UK prices · October 2026
iPhone 17e or Galaxy A37: which should you buy?
The short answer
The iPhone 17e leads on speed and is smaller and lighter. The Galaxy A37 leads on battery life and the camera, and has the bigger screen. The iPhone 17e costs £400 more than the Samsung.
Comparing 2 phones
iPhone 17eOverall score 77/100
Galaxy A37Overall score 73/100
What the extra money buys
The iPhone 17e costs £400 more than the Samsung.
You get: a sharper screen, a faster chip, more memory (RAM) and a smaller body.
You give up: a bigger battery, faster charging by cable, a brighter screen and an ultra-wide camera.
Worth it if you want a sharper screen and a faster chip. Keep the money if a bigger battery matters more to you.
Differences in daily life
Battery and charging
Best: Galaxy A37The Galaxy A37 has the bigger battery (5,000 mAh vs 4,005 mAh on the iPhone), which may help it last longer between charges.
It also charges faster by cable (45 W vs 15 W on the iPhone), so it tops up quicker with a compatible charger.
Screen
Depends on youThe Galaxy A37 has the brighter screen (1,900 nits vs 1,200 nits on the iPhone), so it is easier to read in strong sunlight.
The iPhone 17e has the sharper screen (460 ppi vs 385 ppi on the Samsung), so text and photos look crisper.
Camera
Best: Galaxy A37The Galaxy A37 is the only one with an ultra-wide camera, so it fits more into group shots and landscapes.
Speed
Best: iPhone 17eThe iPhone 17e's chip (Apple A19) scores higher in benchmark tests than the one in the Samsung (Samsung Exynos 1480), so it should feel quicker in demanding apps and games.
It also has more memory (8GB vs 6GB on the Samsung), which helps it keep more apps open at once.
Size and weight
Depends on youThe iPhone 17e is smaller overall (146.7 × 71.5 mm vs 162.9 × 78.2 mm on the Samsung), so it is easier to reach across with one hand.
The Galaxy A37 has the bigger screen (6.7 inches vs 6.1 inches on the iPhone), which gives more room for videos, maps and reading.
Still can't decide?
Up to 3 quick questions, one tap each.
Scores
| Score | iPhone 17e | Galaxy A37 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery | 57 | 57 |
| Screen | 71 | 76 |
| Camera | 68 | 71 |
| Speed | 91 | 66 |
| Toughness | 95 | 89 |
| Connections and extras | 77 | 78 |
| Overall | 77 | 73 |
How these scores are made: Each score is calculated from the maker's published specs and benchmark results, using one fixed formula for every phone. We have not tested these phones in the hand. How we score phones
Specs side by side
Display
- Type
- Super Retina XDR OLEDSuper AMOLED
- Size
- 6.16.7
- Resolution
- 1170 × 25321080 × 2340
- Refresh rate
- N/A120
- PPI
- 460385
- Screen-to-body ratio
- ≈ 86≈ 86.5
- Display features
- Capacitive Touchscreen, HDR10, Multi-touch displayCapacitive Touchscreen, Multi-touch display
- Max rated brightness
- 12001900
- Screen protection
- Anti-reflective coating, Ceramic Shield 2 Glass, Mohs level 5Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+, Mohs level 5
Core Specifications
- Chipset
- Apple A19Samsung Exynos 1480
- CPU cores
- 68
- Fabrication Technology
- 3 nm4 nm
- CPU max frequency
- 4.26 GHz2750 MHz
- Microarchitecture
- 2x 4.26 GHz – Performance cores, 4x 2.60 GHz – Efficiency cores4x 2.75 GHz – Cortex-A78, 4x 2.0 GHz – Cortex-A55
- Memory type
- LPDDR5XLPDDR5
- GPU
- Apple A19 GPU (5 cores)Samsung Xclipse 530
- RAM
- 8GB6GB, 8GB, 12GB
- Storage
- 256GB, 512GB128GB, 256GB
- Storage Type
- NVMeUFS 3.1
Software
- Operating System
- iOS 26.3, Upgradable to iOS 26.5Android 16 (Baklava), with up to 6 major Android upgrades
Main Camera
- Matrix
- 48 MP50
- Video Resolution
- 2160p @ 24/25/30/60 fps, 1080p @ 25/30/60/120/240 fps2160p @ 30 fps, 1080p @ 30/60 fps
- Video Features
- 3D (spatial) audio, Dolby Vision HDR, Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), Stereo Sound RecGyro-EIS
- Lenses
- 48 MP, ƒ/1.6, 26 mm (Wide angle), 0.7 μm, 1/2.55" Sensor size - Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) - PDAF50 MP, ƒ/1.8 (Wide angle), 1.0 μm, 1/1.56" Sensor size, Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), PDAF 8 MP, ƒ/2.2, 16 mm (Ultra-wide angle), 1.12 μm, 1/4.0" Sensor size 5 MP, ƒ/2.4 (Macro)
- Flash
- Dual-LED dual-tone flashLED flash
Selfie camera
- Matrix
- 12 MP12
- Lenses
- Single camera: 12 MP, ƒ/1.9, 23 mm (Wide angle), 1.0 μm, 1/3.6" Sensor sizeSingle camera: 12 MP, ƒ/2.2 (Wide angle), 1.12 μm, 1/3.2" Sensor size
- Video Resolution
- 2160p @ 24/25/30/60 fps, 1080p @ 25/30/60/120 fps2160p @ 30 fps, 1080p @ 30 fps
- Video Features
- 3D (spatial) audio, Dolby Vision HDR, Stereo Sound Rec10-bit HDR
- Features
- Dolby Vision HDR, High Dynamic Range (HDR)10-bit HDR
General
- Announced
- Monday, 02 March 2026Wednesday, 25 March 2026
- Released
- Wednesday, 11 March 2026Thursday, 09 April 2026
Battery
- Capacity
- 40055000
- Type
- Li-IonSuper AMOLED
- Wired charging power
- 15 W45 W
- Wireless charging support
- YesN/A
- Wireless charging power
- 15 WN/A
- Fast charging support
- YesN/A
- Features
- MagSafe wireless charging, Qi2 wireless charging, Wired charging from 0-50% in 30 minutes (as advertised)High Dynamic Range (HDR), Panorama
Design
- Height
- 146.7162.9
- Width
- 71.578.2
- Thickness
- 7.87.4
- Weight
- 169196
- Resistance cert. meaning
- Dust-tight and water-resistant (submersible up to 6m for 30 minutes)Dust-tight and water-resistant (submersible up to 1.5m for 30 minutes)
Network
- SIM cards
- Dual SIM (Nano-SIM + eSIM + eSIM), Dual SIM (eSIM + eSIM)Dual SIM (Nano-SIM + eSIM), Dual SIM (Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM + eSIM)
- Network_5G bands
- n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n14, n20, n25, n26, n28, n29, n30, n38, n40, n41, n48, n53, n66, n70, n71, n75, n77, n78, n79n1, n3, n5, n7, n8, n20, n28, n38, n40, n41, n66, n77, n78
- Network_4G bands
- b1, b2, b3, b4, b5, b7, b8, b12, b13, b14, b17, b18, b19, b20, b25, b26, b28, b29, b30, b32, b34, b38, b39, b40, b41, b42, b48, b53, b66, b71b1, b2, b3, b4, b5, b7, b8, b12, b17, b20, b25, b26, b28, b32, b38, b40, b41, b66
Connectivity
- Bluetooth support
- Yes, v5.3Yes, v5.4
- USB ports
- USB Type-C 2.0USB Type-C 2.0, USB On-The-Go
- GPS features
- BDS, GALILEO, GLONASS, GPS, NavIC, QZSSBDS, GALILEO, GLONASS, GPS, QZSS
- Wi-Fi features
- Dual-band, Mobile HotspotDual-band, Wi-Fi Direct