Xiaomi Redmi 9A vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

Compared 2 smartphones : Xiaomi Redmi 9A Manufactured in August, 2020, with display 6.53 with chipsetMediaTek Helio G25, 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

Key Differences

Device key advantages
Reasons to choose Xiaomi Redmi 9A
  • Lighter design: 194g vs 214g
Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
  • Larger display: 6.9in
  • Higher pixel density: 500ppi
  • Higher refresh rate: 120Hz
  • Newer Bluetooth version: 6.0 vs 5
  • Supports newer USB: 3.2 vs 2
  • Supports DisplayPort
  • Supports Dolby Atmos
  • Built-in eSIM
  • Fingerprint scanner

Versions

Available versions and configurations
Memory Options - 2/32 GB
- 3/32 GB
- 4/64 GB
- 4/128 GB
- 6/128 GB
- 12/256 GB
- 12/512 GB
- 16/1024 GB

Review

Key Specs Xiaomi Redmi 9A 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 IPS LCD Dynamic AMOLED
Size 6.53 in 6.9 in
Resolution 720x1600 pixels 1440x3120 pixels
Aspect ratio 20:9 19.5:9
Pixel density 269 ppi 500 ppi
Refresh rate 60 Hz 120 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate No Yes (1-120 Hz)
Max brightness 400 nits 1500 nits
HDR support No Yes, HDR10+
Touch Sampling Rate n/a 240 Hz
Screen-to-body ratio 81.1 % 91.4 %
Features n/a - DCI-P3
- Always-On Display
- DC dimming
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Xiaomi Redmi 9A
434 nits
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
2811 nits
sRGB gamut92.9 %n/a
Response time40 msn/a
Contrast1318:1n/a

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 164.9 mm (6.49 in) 163.6 mm (6.44 in)
Width 77 mm (3.03 in) 78.1 mm (3.07 in)
Thickness 9 mm (0.35 in) 7.9 mm (0.31 in)
Weight 194 g (6.84 oz) 214 g (7.55 oz)
Water resistance No IP68
Cooling system n/a Vapor chamber
Back panel Plastic Glass
Frame Plastic Metal
Colors - Gray
- Blue
- Green
- White
- Black
- Silver
- Blue
- Pink
- Purple
Fingerprint sensor No Yes, In-Display
Screen-to-body ratio
Xiaomi Redmi 9A
81.1 %
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
91.4 %

Performance

Testing Xiaomi Redmi 9A and Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset MediaTek Helio G25 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
Max Frequency 2000 MHz 4740 MHz
CPU Cores 8 (4 + 4) 8 (2 + 6)
Architecture - 4/1.5 (Cortex-A53)
- 4/2 (Cortex-A53)
- 6/3.63 (Oryon Gen 3 Performance)
- 2/4.61 (Oryon Gen 3 Prime)
Process TSMC TSMC
Transistor Size 12 nm 3 nm
Neural Processor No Hexagon
Graphics PowerVR GE8320 Adreno 840
GPU Cores 32 1536
GPU Frequency 650 MHz 1200 MHz
FLOPS 41.8 GFLOPS 3686.4 GFLOPS
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Xiaomi Redmi 9A
472
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
3753
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Xiaomi Redmi 9A
1524
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
11259
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)4723753
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)152411259
Geekbench Compute (GPU)n/a28787
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Xiaomi Redmi 9A
125125
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
3720219
CPU507281094797
GPU168441447696
Memory28611425113
UX28942752613
NanoReview Score1251253720219

Memory

RAM
RAM Size - 2 GB
- 4 GB
- 6 GB
12 GB
Memory Type LPDDR4X LPDDR5X
Memory Frequency 1600 MHz n/a
Channels 2 4
Storage
Storage Capacity- 32 GB
- 64 GB
- 128 GB
256 GB
Storage TypeeMMC 5.1UFS 4.1
Memory CardMicroSDNo

Software

OS Android 10 (Upgradeable to Android 11) Android 16
OS Size 11 GB n/a
UI Skin MIUI 12.5 Enhanced One UI 8.5

Battery

Volume 5000 mAh 5000 mAh
Max Charging Power 10 W 60 W
Battery Type Li-Po Li-ion
Removable No No
Wireless Charging No Yes (25 W)
Reverse Charging No Yes, (Wireless)
Fast Charging No Yes (84% in 30 min)
Full Charge Time 2:55 h 0:43 h
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Xiaomi Redmi 9A
24:07
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
28:50
Web Browsing10:08 h10:12 h
Video Playback13:37 h21:39 h
Games05:37 h06:42 h
Standby Mode118 h130 h

Main camera

Matrix 13 MP 200 MP
Photo resolution 4128x3096 pixels 16320x12240 pixels
Zoom Digital 141
Flash LED LED
Stabilization Digital Optical
8K Recording No Yes (Up to 30 fps)
4K Recording No Yes (Up to 120 fps)
1080p Recording Yes (Up to 30 fps) Yes (Up to 240 fps)
Slow Motion No 240 fps (1080p)
Wide-angle lens n/a 120 °
Lenses count Standard: 13 MP Standard: 200 MP
Telephoto: 50 MP
Telephoto: 10 MP
Ultra-wide: 50 MP
Features - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
- RAW support
Main lens
Matrix13 MP200 MP
Aperturef/2.2f/1.4
Focal length28 mm23 mm
Sensorn/aSamsung ISOCELL S5KHP2
Sensor sizen/a1/1.3 (0.77)
Pixel size1 μm0.6 μm
AutofocusPhase autofocusLaser autofocus
StabilizationDigitalOptical
Telephoto
Matrixn/a50 MP
Aperturen/af/2.9
Focal lengthn/a111 mm
Sensorn/aSony IMX854
Sensor sizen/a1/2.52 (0.4)
Pixel sizen/a0.7 μm
Stabilizationn/aOptical
Ultra-wide lens
Matrixn/a50 MP
Aperturen/af/1.9
Focal lengthn/a13 mm
Sensorn/aSamsung ISOCELL S5KJN3
Sensor sizen/a1/2.5 (0.4)
Pixel sizen/a0.7 μm
Stabilizationn/aDigital
Main camera DxOMark results
Photo quality
Xiaomi Redmi 9A
n/a
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
160
Video quality
Xiaomi Redmi 9A
n/a
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
153
Overall camera score
Xiaomi Redmi 9A
n/a
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
157
Bokehn/a165

Front camera

Matrix 5 MP 12 MP
Photo resolution 2560x1960 pixels 4000x3000 pixels
Aperture f/2.2 f/2.2
Focal length n/a 23 mm
Sensor CMOS Samsung ISOCELL S5K3LU
Sensor size n/a 1/3.2 (0.31)
Pixel size 1.12 μm 1.12 μm
Autofocus No Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
Stabilization Digital Digital
Video resolution 1080p (Full HD) at 30 fps 2160p (4K) at 60 fps
TOF 3D sensor No No

Connectivity

Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 4 (802.11 a/b/g/n) Wi-Fi 7 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be)
Wi-Fi features - 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 6.0
Bluetooth features LE, HID, A2DP LE
USB type Micro USB USB Type-C
USB version 2 3.2
USB features - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG
- Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG
DisplayPort n/a Yes
GPS - GPS
- GLONASS
- Beidou
- Galileo
- GPS
- GLONASS
- Beidou
- Galileo
- QZSS
NFC* No Yes
Infrared Port No No
Connectivity
SIM Count*21
SIM TypeNanoNano
SIM ModeDual SIM StandbyDual SIM Standby
eSIM Support *NoYes
Hybrid SlotNoNo
2G BandsGSM B2/3/5/8GSM850, GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900
3G BandsWCDMA B1/2/4/5/8UMTS B1(2100), B2(1900), B4(AWS), B5(850), B8(900)
LTE Bands*LTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B20/B28)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 category4n/a
5G SupportNoYes

Sound

Speakers Mono n/a
3.5 mm Jack Yes No
FM Radio Yes No
Dolby Atmos No Yes
Speaker Test
Max Volume
Xiaomi Redmi 9A
76.5 dB
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
n/a

Other

Class Budget Flagship
Announced June, 2020 yr February, 2026 yr
Release Date August, 2020 yr March, 2026 yr
Launch Price ($) 100 n/a
MSRP ($) n/a 1299
Sensors - Proximity Sensor
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Hall Sensor
- Barometer
- Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor
Charger Included n/a 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?
5 (100%)
0 (0%)
Total Votes: 5

User comments

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