Home Phone comparison Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra - Which is better?

Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

n/a out 100
Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
VS
95 out 100
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

Compared 2 smartphones : Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max Manufactured in September, 2025, with display 6.9 with chipsetApple A19 Pro, vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, Manufactured in March, 2026 with 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 17 Pro Max
    Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
    • Higher pixel density: 500ppi
    • Lighter design: 214g vs 221g
    • Higher battery capacity: 5000mAh vs 4729mAh
    • Newer Bluetooth version: 6.0 vs 5.4
    • Fingerprint scanner

    Versions

    Available versions and configurations
    Memory Options - 12/256 GB
    - 12/512 GB
    - 12/1024 GB    		 - 12/256 GB
    - 12/512 GB
    - 16/1024 GB

    Review

    Key Specs Apple iPhone 17 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
    Smartphones:
    iPhone 17 Pro Max
    vs
    Galaxy S26 Ultra

    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 n/a 1500 nits
    HDR support Yes Dolby Vision Yes, HDR10+
    Touch Sampling Rate n/a 240 Hz
    Screen-to-body ratio 92.6 % 91.4 %
    Features - DCI-P3
    - Always-On Display    		 - DCI-P3
    - Always-On Display
    - DC dimming
    Display test
    Peak brightness (auto)
    Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
    n/a
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
    2811 nits

    Design & Build

    Design and ergonomics comparison
    Height 163 mm (6.42 in) 163.6 mm (6.44 in)
    Width 77.4 mm (3.05 in) 78.1 mm (3.07 in)
    Thickness 8.2 mm (0.32 in) 7.9 mm (0.31 in)
    Weight 221 g (7.8 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    		 - White
    - Black
    - Silver
    - Blue
    - Pink
    - Purple
    Fingerprint sensor No Yes, In-Display
    Screen-to-body ratio
    Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
    92.6 %
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
    91.4 %

    Performance

    Testing Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra In benchmarks
    Processor
    Chipset Apple A19 Pro Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
    Max Frequency 4300 MHz 4740 MHz
    CPU Cores n/a 8 (2 + 6)
    Architecture n/a - 6/3.63 (Oryon Gen 3 Performance)
    - 2/4.61 (Oryon Gen 3 Prime)
    Process n/a TSMC
    Transistor Size n/a 3 nm
    Neural Processor n/a Hexagon
    Graphics n/a Adreno 840
    GPU Cores n/a 1536
    GPU Frequency n/a 1200 MHz
    FLOPS n/a 3686.4 GFLOPS
    GeekBench v6
    Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
    Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
    3780
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
    3753
    Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
    Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
    10772
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
    11259
    Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)37803753
    Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)1077211259
    Geekbench Compute (GPU)n/a28787
    Sources: Geekbench v6 [Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra]
    AnTuTu 10
    AnTuTu 10
    Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
    2112459
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
    3720219
    CPU5100331094797
    GPU7919341447696
    Memory367847425113
    UX442645752613
    NanoReview Score21124593720219

    Memory

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

    Software

    OS iOS 26 Android 16
    UI Skin n/a One UI 8.5

    Battery

    Volume 4729 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 Yes (84% in 30 min)
    Full Charge Time n/a 0:43 h
    Battery Life Test
    Battery Life
    Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
    n/a
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
    28:50
    Web Browsingn/a10:12 h
    Video Playbackn/a21:39 h
    Gamesn/a06:42 h
    Standby Moden/a130 h

    Main camera

    Matrix 48 MP 200 MP
    Photo resolution 8064x6048 pixels 16320x12240 pixels
    Zoom Optical, 5x 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: 48 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/1.6f/1.4
    Focal lengthn/a23 mm
    Sensorn/aSamsung ISOCELL S5KHP2
    Sensor size1/1.281/1.3 (0.77)
    Pixel size1.22 μm0.6 μm
    AutofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)Laser autofocus
    StabilizationOpticalOptical
    Telephoto
    Matrix48 MP50 MP
    Aperturef/2.8f/2.9
    Focal length120 mm111 mm
    Sensorn/aSony IMX854
    Sensor sizen/a1/2.52 (0.4)
    Pixel sizen/a0.7 μm
    StabilizationOpticalOptical
    Ultra-wide lens
    Matrix48 MP50 MP
    Aperturef/2.2f/1.9
    Focal length13 mm13 mm
    Sensorn/aSamsung ISOCELL S5KJN3
    Sensor sizen/a1/2.5 (0.4)
    Pixel size0.7 μm0.7 μm
    StabilizationDigitalDigital
    Main camera DxOMark results
    Photo quality
    Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
    n/a
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
    160
    Video quality
    Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
    n/a
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
    153
    Overall camera score
    Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
    n/a
    Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
    157
    Bokehn/a165
    Sources: DxOMark [Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra]

    Front camera

    Matrix 24 MP 12 MP
    Photo resolution n/a 4000x3000 pixels
    Aperture f/1.9 f/2.2
    Focal length n/a 23 mm
    Sensor n/a Samsung ISOCELL S5K3LU
    Sensor size n/a 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 5.4 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 Bandsn/aGSM850, GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900
    3G Bandsn/aUMTS B1(2100), B2(1900), B4(AWS), B5(850), B8(900)
    LTE Bands*n/aLTE (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

    Other

    Class Flagship Flagship
    Announced September, 2025 yr February, 2026 yr
    Release Date September, 2025 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
    * Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

    Results

    After analyzing the data, we consider Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra the clear winner in this comparison.

    Survey

    Which smartphone would you pick?
    6 (31.58%)
    13 (68.42%)
    Total Votes: 19

    User comments

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