Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

Compared 2 smartphones : Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Manufactured in September, 2024, with display 6.9 with chipsetApple A18 Pro, vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, Manufactured in March, 2026with chipsetQualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. Below are specs, tests, pros and cons for each device

Key Differences

Device key advantages
Reasons to choose Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
    Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
    • Higher pixel density: 500ppi
    • Lighter design: 214g vs 227g
    • Higher battery capacity: 5000mAh vs 4685mAh
    • 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
    - 16/1024 GB

    Review

    Key Specs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
    Display
    Color accuracy, sharpness & brightness
    Camera
    Main & front camera tests
    Performance
    App & system performance
    Games
    3D gaming 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

    Display

    Display quality comparison
    Type OLED Dynamic AMOLED
    Size 6.9 in 6.9 in
    Resolution 1320x2868 pixels 1440x3120 pixels
    Aspect ratio 19.5:9 19.5:9
    Pixel density 458 ppi 500 ppi
    Refresh rate 120 Hz 120 Hz
    Adaptive refresh rate Yes (1-120 Hz) Yes (1-120 Hz)
    Max brightness 2000 nits 1500 nits
    HDR support Yes Dolby Vision Yes, HDR10+
    Touch Sampling Rate n/a 240 Hz
    Screen-to-body ratio 92.3 % 91.4 %
    Features - DCI-P3
    - Always-On Display
    - DCI-P3
    - Always-On Display
    - DC dimming
    Display test
    Peak brightness (auto)
    Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
    1813 nits
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
    2811 nits
    sRGB gamut99.6 %n/a
    PWM (Flicker)240 Hzn/a
    Response time1 msn/a
    Contrast∞ Infiniten/a

    Design & Build

    Design and ergonomics comparison
    Height 163 mm (6.42 in) 163.6 mm (6.44 in)
    Width 77.6 mm (3.06 in) 78.1 mm (3.07 in)
    Thickness 8.25 mm (0.32 in) 7.9 mm (0.31 in)
    Weight 227 g (8.01 oz) 214 g (7.55 oz)
    Water resistance IP68 IP68
    Cooling system n/a Vapor chamber
    Back panel Glass Glass
    Frame Metal Metal
    Colors - White
    - Black
    - Silver
    - Gold
    - White
    - Black
    - Silver
    - Blue
    - Pink
    - Purple
    Fingerprint sensor No Yes, In-Display
    Screen-to-body ratio
    Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
    92.3 %
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
    91.4 %

    Performance

    Testing Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra In benchmarks
    Processor
    Chipset Apple A18 Pro Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
    Max Frequency 4040 MHz 4740 MHz
    CPU Cores 6 (2 + 4) 8 (2 + 6)
    Architecture - 4/2.42 (Sawtooth)
    - 2/4.05 (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 Neural Engine Hexagon
    Graphics Apple A18 Pro GPU Adreno 840
    GPU Cores 768 1536
    GPU Frequency 1490 MHz 1200 MHz
    FLOPS 2289 GFLOPS 3686.4 GFLOPS
    GeekBench v6
    Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
    Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
    3564
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
    3753
    Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
    Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
    8880
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
    11259
    Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)35643753
    Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)888011259
    Geekbench Compute (GPU)3301928787
    AnTuTu 10
    AnTuTu 10
    Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
    1813449
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
    3720219
    CPU4657261094797
    GPU7217381447696
    Memory250875425113
    UX375110752613
    NanoReview Score18134493720219
    3DMark Wild Life

    Memory

    RAM
    RAM Size 8 GB 12 GB
    Memory Type LPDDR5X LPDDR5X
    Channels 4 4
    Storage
    Storage Capacity256 GB256 GB
    Storage TypeNVMeUFS 4.1
    Memory CardNoNo

    Software

    OS iOS 18 (Upgradeable to iOS 18.5) Android 16
    OS Size 18 GB n/a
    UI Skin n/a One UI 8.5

    Battery

    Volume 4685 mAh 5000 mAh
    Max Charging Power 30 W 60 W
    Battery Type Li-ion Li-ion
    Removable No No
    Wireless Charging Yes (15 W) Yes (25 W)
    Reverse Charging Yes Yes, (Wireless)
    Fast Charging Yes (46% in 30 min) Yes (84% in 30 min)
    Full Charge Time 1:57 h 0:43 h
    Battery Life Test
    Battery Life
    Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
    35:01
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
    28:50
    Web Browsing14:34 h10:12 h
    Video Playback22:01 h21:39 h
    Games07:12 h06:42 h
    Standby Mode163 h130 h

    Main camera

    Matrix 48 MP 200 MP
    Photo resolution 8064x6048 pixels 16320x12240 pixels
    Zoom 142 141
    Flash Dual LED LED
    Stabilization Optical Optical
    8K Recording No Yes (Up to 30 fps)
    4K Recording Yes (Up to 120 fps) Yes (Up to 120 fps)
    1080p Recording Yes (Up to 120 fps) Yes (Up to 240 fps)
    Slow Motion 240 fps (1080p) 240 fps (1080p)
    Wide-angle lens 120 ° 120 °
    Lenses count Standard: 48 MP
    Telephoto: 12 MP
    Ultra-wide: 48 MP
    Depth
    Standard: 200 MP
    Telephoto: 50 MP
    Telephoto: 10 MP
    Ultra-wide: 50 MP
    Features - Bokeh effect
    - Pro mode
    - RAW support
    - Bokeh effect
    - Pro mode
    - RAW support
    Main lens
    Matrix48 MP200 MP
    Aperturef/1.8f/1.4
    Focal length24 mm23 mm
    SensorSony IMX803Samsung ISOCELL S5KHP2
    Sensor size1/1.281/1.3 (0.77)
    Pixel size1.22 μm0.6 μm
    AutofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)Laser autofocus
    StabilizationOpticalOptical
    Telephoto
    Matrix12 MP50 MP
    Aperturef/2.8f/2.9
    Focal length120 mm111 mm
    SensorSony IMX913Sony IMX854
    Sensor size1/3.061/2.52 (0.4)
    Pixel size1.12 μm0.7 μm
    StabilizationOpticalOptical
    Ultra-wide lens
    Matrix48 MP50 MP
    Aperturef/2.2f/1.9
    Focal length13 mm13 mm
    SensorSony IMX972Samsung ISOCELL S5KJN3
    Sensor size1/2.551/2.5 (0.4)
    Pixel size0.7 μm0.7 μm
    StabilizationDigitalDigital
    Main camera DxOMark results
    Photo quality
    Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
    157
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
    160
    Video quality
    Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
    159
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
    153
    Overall camera score
    Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
    157
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
    157
    Bokeh80165
    Preview93n/a

    Front camera

    Matrix 12 MP 12 MP
    Photo resolution 4032x3024 pixels 4000x3000 pixels
    Aperture f/1.9 f/2.2
    Focal length 23 mm 23 mm
    Sensor Sony IMX714 Samsung ISOCELL S5K3LU
    Sensor size 1/3.6 1/3.2 (0.31)
    Pixel size 1.12 μm 1.12 μm
    Autofocus Phase autofocus Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
    Stabilization Optical Digital
    Video resolution 2160p (4K) at 60 fps 2160p (4K) at 60 fps
    TOF 3D sensor Yes No

    Connectivity

    Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 7 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be) 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
    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 (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/B71)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)
    5G SupportYesYes

    Sound

    3.5 mm Jack No No
    FM Radio No No
    Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
    Speaker Test
    Max Volume
    Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
    92.6 dB
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
    n/a

    Other

    Class Flagship Flagship
    Announced September, 2024 yr February, 2026 yr
    Release Date September, 2024 yr March, 2026 yr
    MSRP ($) 1199 1299
    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

    Note

    Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max:

    The US version of the smartphone exclusively supports eSIM, while the international model features both a physical SIM slot and eSIM capability. In China, the device is available with dual physical SIM card slots only.

    * 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?
    26 (43.33%)
    34 (56.67%)
    Total Votes: 60

    User comments

    Share your opinion or ask questions below