Phone comparison · UK prices · October 2026
Galaxy A57 or Galaxy S26: which should you buy?
The short answer
The Galaxy A57 has the bigger screen. The Galaxy S26 leads on the screen, the camera, speed and software updates, and is smaller. We have no current UK price for either phone.
Comparing 2 phones
Galaxy A57Overall score 77/100
Galaxy S26Overall score 87/100
Differences in daily life
Battery and charging
Depends on youThe Galaxy A57 has the bigger battery (5,000 mAh vs 4,300 mAh on the S26), which may help it last longer between charges.
The Galaxy S26 is the only one that charges without a cable (15 W), so it can top up on a wireless pad.
Screen
Best: Galaxy S26The Galaxy S26 has the brighter screen (2,600 nits vs 1,900 nits on the A57), so it is easier to read in strong sunlight.
Camera
Best: Galaxy S26The Galaxy S26 is the only one with a zoom lens (3x), so it can get closer to faraway subjects without cropping the photo.
Speed
Best: Galaxy S26The Galaxy S26's chip (Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (United States), Samsung Exynos 2600 (International)) scores higher in benchmark tests than the one in the A57 (Samsung Exynos 1680), so it should feel quicker in demanding apps and games.
It also has more memory (12GB vs 8GB on the A57), which helps it keep more apps open at once.
Size and weight
Depends on youThe Galaxy S26 is smaller overall (149.6 × 71.7 mm vs 161.5 × 76.8 mm on the A57), so it is easier to reach across with one hand.
The Galaxy A57 has the bigger screen (6.7 inches vs 6.3 inches on the S26), which gives more room for videos, maps and reading.
Software updates
Best: Galaxy S26The Galaxy S26 promises more major Android upgrades (7 vs 6 on the A57), so it should get new Android versions for longer.
Still can't decide?
Up to 2 quick questions, one tap each.
Scores
| Score | Galaxy A57 | Galaxy S26 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery | 62 | 64 |
| Screen | 82 | 88 |
| Camera | 73 | 89 |
| Speed | 72 | 94 |
| Toughness | 89 | 92 |
| Connections and extras | 83 | 93 |
| Overall | 77 | 87 |
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 AMOLED PlusDynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X
- Size
- 6.7 inches6.3 inches
- PPI
- 385411
- Screen-to-body ratio
- 88.8 %90 %
- Max rated brightness
- 1900 nits2600 nits
- Screen protection
- Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+, Mohs level 5Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, Mohs level 5
Core Specifications
- Chipset
- Samsung Exynos 1680Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (United States), Samsung Exynos 2600 (International)
- CPU cores
- 88 (United States), 10 (International)
- Fabrication Technology
- 4 nm3 nm (United States), 2 nm (International)
- CPU max frequency
- 2.9 GHz4.6 GHz (United States), 3.8 GHz (International)
- Microarchitecture
- 1x 2.9 GHz - Cortex-A720 4x 2.6 GHz - Cortex-A720 3x 1.95 Ghz Cortex-A5202x 4.6 GHz – Oryon V3 Phoenix L, 6x 3.62 GHz – Oryon V3 Phoenix M (United States), 1x 3.8 GHz – C1-Ultra 3x 3.25 GHz – C1-Pro 6x 2.75 GHz – C1-Pro (International)
- Memory type
- LPDDR5LPDDR5X
- GPU
- Xclipse 550Qualcomm Adreno 840 @1.20 GHz (United States), Samsung Xclipse 960 @985 MHz (International)
- RAM
- 8GB, 12GB12GB
- Storage
- 128GB, 256GB, 512GB256GB, 512GB
- Storage Type
- UFS 3.1UFS 4.0
Software
- Operating System
- Android 16 (Baklava), with up to 6 major Android upgrades, Samsung One UI 8.5Android 16 (Baklava), with up to 7 major Android upgrades
Main Camera
- Video Resolution
- 2160p @ 30 fps, 1080p @ 30/60 fps4320p @ 24/30 fps, 2160p @ 30/60 fps, 1080p @ 30/60/120/240 fps
- Video Features
- Gyro-EIS10-bit HDR, Gyro-EIS, HDR10+, Stereo Sound Rec
- Features
- Best Face, High Dynamic Range (HDR), PanoramaAuto-HDR, Best Face, Horizon Lock, Panorama
- Lenses
- 50 MP, ƒ/1.8 ( Wide angle ), 1.0 μm, 1/1.56" Sensor size, - Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) - PDAF 12 MP, ƒ/2.2, 13 mm ( Ultra-wide angle ), 1.12 μm, 1/3.06" Sensor size 5 MP, ƒ/2.4 ( Macro )50 MP, ƒ/1.8, 24 mm ( Wide angle ), 1.0 μm, 1/1.56" Sensor size, - Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), - predictive dual pixel (PDAF) 10 MP, ƒ/2.4, 67 mm ( Telephoto ), 1.0 μm, x3 Optical zoom, 1/3.94" Sensor size - Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) - predictive dual pixel (PDAF) 12 MP, ƒ/2.2, 13 mm, 120° ( Ultra-wide angle ), 1.4 μm, 1/2.55" Sensor size - Super Steady Video
Selfie camera
- Lenses
- 12 MP, ƒ/2.2 ( Wide angle ), 1.12 μm, 1/3.2" Sensor size12 MP, ƒ/2.2, 26 mm ( Wide angle ), 1.12 μm, 1/3.2" Sensor size, predictive dual pixel (PDAF)
- Video Resolution
- 2160p @ 30 fps, 1080p @ 30/60 fps2160p @ 30/60 fps, 1080p @ 30 fps
- Video Features
- 10-bit HDRHDR10+ High Dynamic Range (HDR)
- Features
- N/Apredictive dual pixel PDAF
General
- Announced
- Wednesday, 25 March 2026Wednesday, 25 February 2026
- Released
- Thursday, 09 April 2026Friday, 06 March 2026
Battery
- Capacity
- 5000 mAh4300 mAh
- Wired charging power
- 45 W25 W
- Wireless charging support
- NoYes
- Wireless charging power
- N/A15 W
- Features
- N/AQi2 wireless charging, Reverse wireless charging, Wired charging from 0-55% in 30 minutes (as advertised)
Design
- Height
- 161.5 mm149.6 mm
- Width
- 76.8 mm71.7 mm
- Thickness
- 6.9 mm7.2 mm
- Weight
- 179 g167 g
Network
- SIM cards
- Dual SIM (Nano-SIM + eSIM) Dual SIM (Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM + eSIM)Dual SIM
- Network Type support
- 5G, LTE, HSPA5G, LTE (CA), HSPA
- Network_5G bands
- 5G: n1 (2100), n3 (1800), n5 (850), n7 (2600), n8 (900), n20 (800), n28 (700), n38 (2600), n40 (2300), n41 (2500), n66 (2100), n77 (3700), n78 (3500 MHz)n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n20, n25, n26, n28, n38, n40, n41, n66, n71, n75, n77, n78
- Network_4G bands
- LTE: b1 (2100), b2 (1900), b3 (1800), b4 (1700), b5 (850), b7 (2600), b8 (900), b12 (700), b17 (700), b20 (800), b25 (1900), b26 (850), b28 (700), b32 (1500), b38 (2600), b40 (2300), b41 (2500), b66 (1700 MHz)b1, b2, b3, b4, b5, b7, b8, b12, b13, b14, b17, b18, b19, b20, b25, b26, b28, b29, b30, b32, b38, b39, b40, b41, b48, b66, b71
- Network_2G bands
- GSM: 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHzGSM: 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz, CDMA: 800 / 1900 MHz
Connectivity
- WiFi support
- Yes (Wi-Fi 6)Yes (Wi-Fi 7)
- Bluetooth support
- Yes, v6.0Yes, v5.4
- USB ports
- USB Type-C 2.0, USB On-The-GoUSB Type-C 3.2, DisplayPort 1.2
- Wi-Fi standards
- 802.11/a/b/g/n/ac/ax802.11/a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be
- Wi-Fi features
- Dual-band or Tri-band: Varies by market or region, Wi-Fi DirectTri-band, Wi-Fi Direct
Multimedia
- Audio type
- Stereo speakersHigh-bitrate audio support, Stereo speakers