Phone comparison · UK prices · October 2026

Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26 Ultra or iPhone 17 Pro Max: which should you buy?

The short answer

Comparing 3 phones

Samsung Galaxy S26Galaxy S26

Overall score 87/100

Samsung Galaxy S26 UltraGalaxy S26 Ultra

Overall score 92/100

Apple iPhone 17 Pro MaxiPhone 17 Pro Max

Overall score 90/100

Differences in daily life

Battery and charging

Best: Galaxy S26 Ultra

The Galaxy S26 Ultra charges fastest by cable (60 W; next best is the S26 at 25 W), so it tops up quicker with a compatible charger.

Screen

Even

No single phone clearly leads on brightness or sharpness: the best two are too close to call.

Camera

Depends on you

The Galaxy S26 Ultra's zoom lens reaches furthest (5x; next best is the iPhone at 4x), for closer shots of faraway subjects.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max's selfie camera has more megapixels (18 MP; next best is the S26 at 12 MP), so selfies and video calls can look more detailed.

Speed

Even

No single phone clearly leads on benchmark results: the best two are too close to call.

Size and weight

Best: Galaxy S26

The Galaxy S26 is the smallest overall (149.6 × 71.7 mm; next best is the iPhone at 163.4 × 78 mm), so it is easier to reach across with one hand.

It is also the lightest (167 g; next best is the S26 Ultra at 214 g), so it is easier to hold and carry.

Still can't decide?

One quick question, one tap each.

What matters most to you?

Scores

ScoreGalaxy S26Galaxy S26 UltraiPhone 17 Pro Max
Battery647870
Screen889191
Camera899793
Speed949492
Toughness929595
Connections and extras939598
Overall879290

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

56 of 72 specs differ
Galaxy S26
Galaxy S26 Ultra
iPhone 17 Pro Max

Display

Type
Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2XDynamic LTPO AMOLED 2XLTPO Super Retina XDR OLED
Size
6.3 inches6.9 inches6.9 inches
Resolution
1080 × 2340 pixels1440 × 3120 pixels1320×2868 pixels
PPI
411500460
Screen-to-body ratio
90 %≈ 90.7 %90.7 %
Display features
Capacitive Touchscreen, HDR10+, Multi-touch displayCapacitive Touchscreen, HDR10+, Multi-touch displayCapacitive Touchscreen Dolby Vision HDR10 Multi-touch display
Max rated brightness
2600 nits2600 nits3000 nits
Screen protection
Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, Mohs level 5Corning Gorilla Armor 2 Glass, DX anti-reflective coating, Mohs level 6, Privacy DisplayAnti-reflective coating, Ceramic Shield 2 Glass, Mohs level 5

Core Specifications

Chipset
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (United States), Samsung Exynos 2600 (International)Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5Apple A19 Pro
CPU cores
8 (United States), 10 (International)85
Fabrication Technology
3 nm (United States), 2 nm (International)3 nm3 nm
CPU max frequency
4.6 GHz (United States), 3.8 GHz (International)4.74 GHz4260 MHz
Microarchitecture
2x 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)2x 4.74 GHz – Oryon V3 Phoenix L, 6x 3.62 GHz – Oryon V3 Phoenix M2x 4.26 GHz – Performance cores 4x 2.60 GHz – Efficiency cores
GPU
Qualcomm Adreno 840 @1.20 GHz (United States), Samsung Xclipse 960 @985 MHz (International)Qualcomm Adreno 840 @1.20 GHzApple A19 Pro GPU
RAM
12GB12GB, 16GB12GB
Storage
256GB, 512GB256GB, 512GB, 1TB256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB
Storage Type
UFS 4.0UFS 4.0NVMe
Expandable Storage
NoNoN/A

Software

Operating System
Android 16 (Baklava), with up to 7 major Android upgradesAndroid 16 (Baklava), with up to 7 major Android upgradesiOS 26

Main Camera

Matrix
50 MP200 MP48 MP
Video Resolution
4320p @ 24/30 fps, 2160p @ 30/60 fps, 1080p @ 30/60/120/240 fps4320p @ 24/30 fps, 2160p @30/60/120 fps, 1080p @30/60/120/240 fps2160p @ 24/25/30/60/100/120 fps 1080p @ 25/30/60/120/240 fps
Video Features
10-bit HDR, Gyro-EIS, HDR10+, Stereo Sound Rec10-bit HDR, Gyro-EIS, HDR10+, Stereo Sound Rec10-bit HDR, 3D (spatial) video/audio, Apple Log 2, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), ProRes, ProRes RAW, Stereo Sound Rec
Features
Auto-HDR, Best Face, Horizon Lock, PanoramaAuto-HDR, Best Face, Horizon Lock, Laser Autofocus, PanoramaPanorama
Lenses
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 Video200 MP, ƒ/1.4, 24 mm ( Wide-angle ), 0.6 μm, 1/1.3" Sensor size - Multi-Directional PDAF - Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) 10 MP, ƒ/2.4, 67 mm ( Telephoto ), 1.12 μm, x3 optical zoom, 1/3.52" Sensor size - Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) - PDAF 50 MP, ƒ/2.9, 111 mm ( Periscope telephoto ), 0.7 μm, x5 optical zoom, 1/2.52" Sensor size - Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) - PDAF 50 MP, ƒ/1.9, 13 mm, 120° ( Ultra-Wide angle ), 0.7 μm - Dual-Pixel PDAF - Super Steady Video48 MP , ƒ /1.6, 24 mm ( Wide-angle ), 1.22 μm , 1/1.28" Sensor size - Dual-Pixel PDAF - sensor-shift OIS 48 MP , ƒ /2.8, 100 mm ( Periscope telephoto ), 0.7 μm , x4 optical zoom, 1/2.55" Sensor size - 3D sensor‑shift OIS - Dual-Pixel PDAF 48 MP , ƒ /2.2, 13 mm , 120° ( Ultra-Wide angle ), 0.7 μm , 1/2.55" Sensor size - PDAF
Flash
LED flashLED flashDual-LED Dual-Tone Flash

Selfie camera

Matrix
12 MP12 MP18 MP
Lenses
12 MP, ƒ/2.2, 26 mm ( Wide angle ), 1.12 μm, 1/3.2" Sensor size, predictive dual pixel (PDAF)Single camera: 12 MP (Wide angle) 1.12 μm, 1/3.2" Sensor size, - Dual-Pixel PDAF18 MP , ƒ /1.9 ( Wide-angle ) - Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) - PDAF
Video Resolution
2160p @ 30/60 fps, 1080p @ 30 fps2160p @ 30/60 fps 1080p @ 30 fps2160p @ 24/25/30/60 fps 1080p @ 25/30/60/120 fps
Video Features
HDR10+ High Dynamic Range (HDR)HDR10+ High Dynamic Range (HDR)3D (spatial) audio, Apple Log 2, Dolby Vision HDR, HDR, ProRes RAW, Stereo Sound Rec
Features
predictive dual pixel PDAFDual-Pixel PDAFDolby Vision HDR High Dynamic Range (HDR)

General

Announced
Wednesday, 25 February 2026Wednesday, 25 February 2026Tuesday, 09 September 2025
Released
Friday, 06 March 2026Friday, 06 March 2026Friday, 19 September 2025

Battery

Capacity
4300 mAh5000 mAh4832 mAh
Wired charging power
25 W60 W25W
Wireless charging power
15 W25 W25W
Fast charging support
YesYesno
Features
Qi2 wireless charging, Reverse wireless charging, Wired charging from 0-55% in 30 minutes (as advertised)Qi2.2 wireless charging, Reverse wireless charging, Wired charging from 0-75% in 30 minutes (as advertised)MagSafe wireless charging, Qi2 wireless charging, Reverse wired charging, Wired charging from 0-50% in 20 minutes (official specs),

Battery Life Test

Browsing
N/AN/A15:19 hh:mm
Video watching
N/AN/A8:29 hh:mm
Playing games
N/AN/A9:26 hh:mm

Design

Height
149.6 mm163.6 mm163.4 mm
Width
71.7 mm78.1 mm78 mm
Thickness
7.2 mm7.9 mm8.8 mm
Weight
167 g214 g233 g
Resistance cert. meaning
Dust-tight and water-resistant (submersible up to 1.5m for 30 minutes)Dust-tight and water-resistant (submersible up to 1.5m for 30 minutes)Dust and water-resistant (withstands high-pressure water jets; submersible up to 6m for 30 minutes)

Network

SIM cards
Dual SIMDual SIM (Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM + eSIM)Dual SIM
Network Type support
5G, LTE (CA), HSPA5G, LTE (CA), HSPAEV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps, 5G, LTE, HSPA
Network_5G bands
n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n20, n25, n26, n28, n38, n40, n41, n66, n71, n75, n77, n78n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n20, n25, n26, n28, n38, n40, n41, n66, n71, n75, n77, n78, n257, n258, n260, n2615G: n1 (2100), n2 (1900), n3 (1800), n5 (850), n7 (2600), n8 (900), n12 (700), n14 (700), n20 (800), n25 (1900), n26 (850), n28 (700), n29 (700), n30 (2300), n38 (2600), n40 (2300), n41 (2500), n48 (3500), n53 (2500), n66 (2100), n70 (2000), n71 (600), n75 (1500), n77 (3700), n78 (3500), n79 (4700), n258 (26000), n260 (39000), n261 (28000 MHz)
Network_4G bands
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, b71b1, 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, b71LTE: b1 (2100), b2 (1900), b3 (1800), b4 (1700), b5 (850), b7 (2600), b8 (900), b11 (1500), b12 (700), b13 (700), b14 (700), b17 (700), b18 (800), b19 (800), b20 (800), b21 (1500), b25 (1900), b26 (850), b28 (700), b29 (700), b30 (2300), b32 (1500), b34 (2000), b38 (2600), b39 (1900), b40 (2300), b41 (2500), b42 (3500), b48 (3800), b53 (2500), b66 (1700), b71 (600 MHz)
Network_2G bands
GSM: 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz, CDMA: 800 / 1900 MHzGSM: 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz, CDMA: 800 / 1900 MHzGSM: 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz CDMA: 800 / 1900 MHz

Connectivity

WiFi support
Yes (Wi-Fi 7)Yes (Wi-Fi 7)Yes ( Wi-Fi 7 )
Bluetooth support
Yes, v5.4Yes, v6.0Yes, v6.0
USB ports
USB Type-C 3.2, DisplayPort 1.2USB Type-C 3.2, DisplayPort 1.2USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2, DisplayPort,
GPS features
BDS, GALILEO, GLONASS, GPS, QZSSBDS, GALILEO, GLONASS, GPS, QZSSBDS, GALILEO, GLONASS, GPS (L1 & L5), NavIC, QZSS
Wi-Fi features
Tri-band, Wi-Fi DirectTri-band, Wi-Fi DirectMobile Hotspot, Tri-band

Multimedia

Audio type
High-bitrate audio support, Stereo speakersHigh-bitrate audio support, Stereo speakersStereo speakers,

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