Home Phone comparison Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus (Snapdragon) - Which is better?

Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus (Snapdragon)

90 out 100
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
VS
93 out 100
Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus (Snapdragon)
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus (Snapdragon)

Compared 2 smartphones : Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max Manufactured in September, 2023, with display 6.7 with chipsetApple A17 Pro, vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus (Snapdragon), Manufactured in March, 2026with chipsetQualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. Below are specs, tests, pros and cons for each device

  1. Differences
  2. Review
  3. Specs
  4. Benchmarks
  5. Battery Life
  6. Cameras
  7. Comments (0)

Key Differences

Device key advantages
Reasons to choose Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
    Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus (Snapdragon)
    • Higher pixel density: 516ppi
    • Lighter design: 190g vs 221g
    • Higher battery capacity: 4900mAh vs 4441mAh
    • Newer Bluetooth version: 6.0 vs 5.3
    • Fingerprint scanner

    Versions

    Available versions and configurations
    Memory Options - 8/256 GB
    - 8/512 GB
    - 8/1024 GB    		 - 12/256 GB
    - 12/512 GB

    Review

    Key Specs Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus (Snapdragon)
    Display
    Color accuracy, sharpness & brightness
    Camera
    Main & front camera tests
    Performance
    App & system performance
    Battery
    Battery life, charging speed & type
    Connectivity
    Connectivity features
    NanoReview Score
    Overall score by NanoReview
    Adjust each parameter’s importance to find the best match for you.
    Customize your score
    Function
    Importance (Weight)
    Display:
    Camera:
    Performance:
    Gaming:
    Battery:
    Connectivity:
    Higher weight means greater impact on NanoReview score.

    Tests & specs

    Specs & test comparison
    Smartphones:
    iPhone 15 Pro Max
    vs
    Galaxy S26 Plus (Snapdragon)

    Display

    Display quality comparison
    Type OLED Dynamic AMOLED
    Size 6.7 in 6.7 in
    Resolution 1290x2796 pixels 1440x3120 pixels
    Aspect ratio 19.5:9 19.5:9
    Pixel density 460 ppi 516 ppi
    Refresh rate 120 Hz 120 Hz
    Adaptive refresh rate Yes (1-120 Hz) Yes (1-120 Hz)
    Max brightness 2000 nits n/a
    HDR support Yes Dolby Vision Yes, HDR10+
    Touch Sampling Rate n/a 240 Hz
    Screen-to-body ratio 89.8 % 91.7 %
    Features - DCI-P3
    - Always-On Display    		 - DCI-P3
    - Always-On Display
    Display test
    Peak brightness (auto)
    Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
    1789 nits
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus (Snapdragon)
    n/a
    sRGB gamut99.8 %n/a
    PWM (Flicker)240 Hzn/a
    Response time1 msn/a
    Contrast∞ Infiniten/a
    Sources: NotebookCheck [Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max]

    Design & Build

    Design and ergonomics comparison
    Height 159.9 mm (6.3 in) 158.4 mm (6.24 in)
    Width 76.7 mm (3.02 in) 75.8 mm (2.98 in)
    Thickness 8.25 mm (0.32 in) 7.3 mm (0.29 in)
    Weight 221 g (7.8 oz) 190 g (6.7 oz)
    Water resistance IP68 IP68
    Cooling system n/a Vapor chamber
    Back panel Glass Glass
    Frame Metal Metal
    Colors - White
    - Black
    - Silver
    - Blue    		 - White
    - Black
    - Silver
    - Blue
    - Pink
    - Purple
    Fingerprint sensor No Yes, In-Display
    Screen-to-body ratio
    Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
    89.8 %
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus (Snapdragon)
    91.7 %

    Performance

    Testing Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus (Snapdragon) In benchmarks
    Processor
    Chipset Apple A17 Pro Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
    Max Frequency 3780 MHz 4740 MHz
    CPU Cores 6 (2 + 4) 8 (2 + 6)
    Architecture - 4/2.11 (Sawtooth)
    - 2/3.78 (Everest)    		 - 6/3.63 (Oryon Gen 3 Performance)
    - 2/4.61 (Oryon Gen 3 Prime)
    Process TSMC TSMC
    Transistor Size 3 nm 3 nm
    Neural Processor Apple Neural Engine Hexagon
    Graphics Apple A17 GPU Adreno 840
    GPU Cores 768 1536
    GPU Frequency 1398 MHz 1200 MHz
    FLOPS 2147.2 GFLOPS 3686.4 GFLOPS
    GeekBench v6
    Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
    Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
    2935
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus (Snapdragon)
    3393
    Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
    Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
    7328
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus (Snapdragon)
    11515
    Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)29353393
    Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)732811515
    Sources: Geekbench v6 [Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max], [Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus (Snapdragon)]
    AnTuTu 10
    AnTuTu 10
    Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
    1544984
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus (Snapdragon)
    3670711
    CPU3755841070381
    GPU5318351431843
    Memory267777420557
    UX339788747930
    NanoReview Score15449843670711
    3DMark Wild Life
    3DMark Wild Life
    Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
    10006
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus (Snapdragon)
    n/a
    Sources: 3DMark [Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max]

    Memory

    RAM
    RAM Size 8 GB 12 GB
    Memory Type LPDDR5 LPDDR5X
    Memory Frequency 3200 MHz 5300 MHz
    Channels 4 4
    Storage
    Storage Capacity256 GB256 GB
    Storage TypeNVMeUFS 4.1
    Memory CardNoNo

    Software

    OS iOS 17 (Upgradeable to iOS 18.5) Android 16
    OS Size 17.6 GB 30.8 GB
    UI Skin n/a One UI 8.5

    Battery

    Volume 4441 mAh 4900 mAh
    Max Charging Power 23 W 45 W
    Battery Type Li-ion Li-ion
    Removable No No
    Wireless Charging Yes (7.5 W) Yes (25 W)
    Reverse Charging Yes Yes, (Wireless)
    Fast Charging Yes (46% in 30 min) Yes
    Full Charge Time 1:49 h n/a
    Battery Life Test
    Battery Life
    Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
    31:37
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus (Snapdragon)
    n/a
    Web Browsing12:36 hn/a
    Video Playback22:07 hn/a
    Games06:58 hn/a
    Standby Mode139 hn/a

    Main camera

    Matrix 48 MP 50 MP
    Photo resolution 8064x6048 pixels 8160x6120 pixels
    Zoom 142 Optical, 3x
    Flash Dual LED LED
    Stabilization Optical Optical
    8K Recording No Yes (Up to 30 fps)
    4K Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 60 fps)
    1080p Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 60 fps)
    Slow Motion 240 fps (1080p) 240 fps (1080p)
    Wide-angle lens 120 ° 120 °
    Lenses count Standard: 48 MP
    Telephoto: 12 MP
    Ultra-wide: 12 MP
    Depth    		 Standard: 50 MP
    Telephoto: 10 MP
    Ultra-wide: 12 MP
    Features - Bokeh effect
    - Pro mode
    - RAW support    		 - Bokeh effect
    - Pro mode
    - RAW support
    Main lens
    Matrix48 MP50 MP
    Aperturef/1.8f/1.8
    Focal length24 mm24 mm
    SensorSony IMX803Samsung ISOCELL S5KGN3
    Sensor size1/1.281/1.56 (0.64)
    Pixel size1.22 μm1 μm
    AutofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
    StabilizationOpticalOptical
    Telephoto
    Matrix12 MP10 MP
    Aperturef/1.78 - 2.8f/2.4
    Focal length120 mm67 mm
    SensorSony IMX913Samsung ISOCELL S5K3K1
    Sensor size1/3.061/3.94 (0.25)
    Pixel size1.12 μm1 μm
    StabilizationOpticalOptical
    Ultra-wide lens
    Matrix12 MP12 MP
    Aperturef/2.2f/2.2
    Focal length13 mm13 mm
    SensorSony IMX633Sony IMX564
    Sensor size1/2.551/2.55 (0.39)
    Pixel size1.4 μm1.4 μm
    StabilizationDigitalDigital
    Main camera DxOMark results
    Photo quality
    Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
    153
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus (Snapdragon)
    n/a
    Video quality
    Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
    158
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus (Snapdragon)
    n/a
    Overall camera score
    Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
    154
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus (Snapdragon)
    n/a
    Bokeh80n/a
    Preview86n/a
    Sources: DxOMark [Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max]

    Front camera

    Matrix 12 MP 12 MP
    Photo resolution 4032x3024 pixels 4000x3000 pixels
    Aperture f/1.9 f/2.2
    Focal length 23 mm 26 mm
    Sensor Sony IMX714 Samsung S5K3LU
    Sensor size 1/3.6 1/3.2 (0.31)
    Pixel size 1.12 μm 1.12 μm
    Autofocus Phase autofocus Phase autofocus
    Stabilization Optical Digital
    Video resolution 2160p (4K) at 60 fps 2160p (4K) at 60 fps
    TOF 3D sensor Yes No
    Selfie camera DxOMark results
    Photo quality
    Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
    145
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus (Snapdragon)
    n/a
    Video quality
    Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
    156
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus (Snapdragon)
    n/a

    Connectivity

    Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 6E (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) Wi-Fi 7 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be)
    Wi-Fi features - Dual Band
    - Wi-Fi MiMO
    - Wi-Fi Direct
    - Wi-Fi Hotspot
    - Wi-Fi Display    		 - Dual Band
    - Wi-Fi MiMO
    - Wi-Fi Direct
    - Wi-Fi Hotspot
    - Wi-Fi Display
    Bluetooth version 5.3 6.0
    Bluetooth features LE LE
    USB type USB Type-C USB Type-C
    USB version 3.2 3.2
    USB features - Charging
    - USB Storage Mode
    - OTG    		 - Charging
    - USB Storage Mode
    - OTG
    DisplayPort Yes Yes, DP 1.2
    GPS - GPS
    - GLONASS
    - Beidou
    - Galileo
    - QZSS
    - NAVIC    		 - GPS
    - GLONASS
    - Beidou
    - Galileo
    - QZSS
    NFC* Yes Yes
    Infrared Port No No
    Connectivity
    SIM Count*n/a1
    SIM TypeeSIMNano
    SIM Moden/aDual SIM Standby
    eSIM Support *YesYes
    Hybrid SlotNoNo
    2G BandsGSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)GSM850, GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900
    3G BandsUMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz)UMTS B1(2100), B2(1900), B4(AWS), B5(850), B8(900)
    LTE Bands*LTE ()LTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B12/B13/B14/B18/B19/B20/B25/B26/B28/B29/B30/B38/B39/B40/B41/B48/B66/B71)
    LTE category20n/a
    5G SupportYesYes

    Sound

    3.5 mm Jack No No
    FM Radio No No
    Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
    Speaker Test
    Max Volume
    Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
    92.3 dB
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus (Snapdragon)
    n/a

    Other

    Class Flagship Flagship
    Announced September, 2023 yr February, 2026 yr
    Release Date September, 2023 yr March, 2026 yr
    MSRP ($) 1199 1099
    Sensors - Barometer
    - Proximity Sensor
    - Gyroscope
    - Accelerometer
    - Ambient Light Sensor
    - Compass
    - Face Sensor    		 - Hall Sensor
    - Barometer
    - Proximity Sensor
    - Gyroscope
    - Accelerometer
    - Ambient Light Sensor
    - Compass
    - Fingerprint sensor
    Charger Included No No
    * Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

    Results

    No clear favorite identified yet; updates may follow as new data arrives.

    Survey

    Which smartphone would you pick?
    2 (100%)
    0 (0%)
    Total Votes: 2

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