Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max

Read our full comparison: Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

 
  Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max
Our Rating 9.5 10.0
Brand Samsung Apple
Category Mobiles Mobiles

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Key differences

Taken from the specification table below. No scores or winners: only the stored values.

Key differences between the phones
SpecSamsung Galaxy S26 UltraApple iPhone 18 Pro Max
ChipsetQualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 (3 nm)Apple A20 Pro (2 nm)
Display size6.8" Dynamic AMOLED 2X6.9 inches, 115.6 cm2 (~91.8% screen-to-body ratio)
Main camera200 MP, f/1.7 (wide), 50 MP, f/3.4 (periscope telephoto), 10 MP, f/2.4 (telephoto), 12 M...48 MP, f/1.48-f/2.4 (variable aperture), 24mm (wide), 1/1.28", dual pixel PDAF, sensor-s...
Weight232 g227 g (8.01 oz) Difference: 5 g

Network

2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SIM 1 & SIM 2 (dual-SIM) CDMA 800 / 1900 Differs — GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 —
3G Network Differs — HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 —
4G Network Differs — 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 32, 38, 40, 41, 66 —
5G Network Differs — 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 26, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 75, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 —
Speed Differs — HSPA, LTE-A, 5G —

LAUNCH

Announced Differs — 2026, Expected September —
Status Differs — Rumored. Expected September 2026 —

BODY

Dimensions Differs 162.3 x 79 x 8.6 mm 163.2 x 77.8 x 8.3 mm (6.43 x 3.06 x 0.33 in) —
Weight Differs 232 g 227 g (8.01 oz) —
Build Differs — Glass front (Ceramic Shield 2), glass back (Ceramic Shield 2), Grade 5 titanium frame —
SIMs SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) is a small card that contains mobile network subscriber's account information. This allows the phone using the card to attach to a mobile network. The SIM card is most commonly associated with GSM and UMTS mobile networks. Moving a SIM card from one phone to another allows a subscriber to switch mobile phones without having to contact their mobile network carrier. SIM cards can also be used by a phone to store limited amounts of data, such as phone numbers and text messages. Differs — Nano-SIM and eSIM / Dual eSIM —

Display

Display Type Display Technology => A number of display technologies and types used in mobile phones => TFT (Thin Film Transistor), IPS (In-Place Switching), OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode), AMOLED (Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode), Super AMOLED (an even advanced version of AMOLED), Resistive Touchscreen (Resistive touchscreens contain two layer of conductive material with a very small gap between them which acts as a resistance), Capacitive Touchsceen (Capacitive touchscreen technology consists of a layer of glass coated with a transparent conductor) Differs Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 2600 nits (peak) LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED, 120Hz ProMotion, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 1000 nits (typ), 2000 nits (HBM), 3000 nits (peak) —
Size Differs 6.8" Dynamic AMOLED 2X 6.9 inches, 115.6 cm2 (~91.8% screen-to-body ratio) —
Resolution Differs 1440 x 3120 pixels 1320 x 2868 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~460 ppi density) —
Protection Display Protection => Gorilla Glass is a special alkali-aluminosilicate glass shield with exceptional damage resistance that helps protect mobile displays from scratches, drops, and bumps of everyday use, It is always better to go for a smartphone with Gorilla Glass for that added protection and peace of mind. Differs — Ceramic Shield 2 glass, anti-reflective coating —

PLATFORM

Operating System OS => Every computer system run on a base software called Operating System (OS). Operating System controls all basic operations of the computer (such as smartphone, PDAs, tablet computers and other handheld devices). The Operating System allows the user to install and run third party applications (apps), apps are used to add new functionality to the device. Differs Android 16, One UI 8.1 iOS 20, upgradable —
Chipset Chipset is a group of integrated circuits designed to perform one or a more dedicated functions, often with real time computing constraints, Popular smartphones are equipped with more advanced embedded chipsets that can do many different tasks depending on their programming. Differs Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 (3 nm) Apple A20 Pro (2 nm) —
CPU CPU (Central Processing Unit) mostly known as processors, CPU processes instructions in order to carry out certain functions that make your device operate properly. Processors are often described as the brain of computers, smartphones and tablets, Smartphones and tablets rely on processors to carry out their every task, Processors are an incredibly important factor in selecting any type of computing device, including your smartphone. Differs Octa-core Hexa-core (2x High Performance + 4x High Efficiency) —
GPU GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) is a single-chip processor designed to rapidly manipulate and alter memory to accelerate the creation of images in a frame buffer intended for output to a display, This includes things such as lighting effects, object transformations, and 3D motion. Differs Adreno 840 Apple GPU (6-core graphics, hardware-accelerated ray tracing) —

MEMORY

Card Slot Memory Card Slot is a special slot for inserting a memory card. Memory cards allow you to expand the phone's built-in memory, A memory card (sometimes called a flash memory card or a storage card) is a small storage medium used to store data such as text, pictures, audio, and video, for use on small, portable or remote computing devices such as mobile phones, mp3 players, digital cameras. No No —
Internal Differs 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 12GB RAM 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 12GB RAM, 2TB 12GB RAM (NVMe) —

MAIN CAMERA

Cameras Specs Today’s smartphones come equipped with a very comprehensive set of camera related specifications. Our smartphone, for many of us, has become our primary camera due to it being the one we always have with us. Differs 200 MP, f/1.7 (wide), 50 MP, f/3.4 (periscope telephoto), 10 MP, f/2.4 (telephoto), 12 MP, f/2.2 (ultrawide) 48 MP, f/1.48-f/2.4 (variable aperture), 24mm (wide), 1/1.28", dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS
48 MP, f/2.8, 120mm (periscope telephoto), 1/2.55", 0.7µm, dual pixel PDAF, 3D sensor-shift OIS, 5x optical zoom
48 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 0.7µm, dual pixel PDAF
—
Video Differs — 4K@24/25/30/60/120fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps, 10-bit HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 120fps), ProRes, 3D spatial video, stereo sound rec. —
Camera Features Differs — Dual-LED dual-tone flash, mechanical variable aperture blades, Photonic Engine, Dolby Vision HDR, ProRes, Spatial Video —

SELFIE CAMERA

Cameras Specs Today’s smartphones come equipped with a very comprehensive set of camera related specifications. Our smartphone, for many of us, has become our primary camera due to it being the one we always have with us. Differs 12 MP, f/2.2 (wide), Dual Pixel PDAF 24 MP, f/1.9, 23mm (wide), PDAF, OIS, Center Stage —
Features Differs — HDR, Dolby Vision HDR, Face ID SL 3D (under-display components) —
Video Differs — 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS —

SOUND

Loudspeaker Differs — Yes, with stereo speakers —
3.5mm jack No No —

COMMS

WLAN Differs — Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct —
Positioning Differs — GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS, NavIC —
Bluetooth Bluetooth is a wireless communications technology for exchanging data between mobile phones, headsets, computers and other network devices over short distances without wires, Bluetooth technology was primarily designed to support simple wireless networking of personal consumer devices. Differs — 5.4, A2DP, LE —
Infrared Infrared connectivity is an old wireless technology used to connect two electronic devices. It uses a beam of infrared light to transmit information and so requires direct line of sight and operates only at close range. Differs — No —
USB Differs — USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2, DisplayPort, 10Gbps —
NFC NFC (Near field communication) is a set of standards for smartphones and similar devices to establish peer-to-peer radio communications with each other by touching them together or bringing them into proximity, usually no more than a few inches. Differs — Yes —
Radio Differs — No —

Features

Sensors Sensors are electronic components that detects and responds to some type of input from the physical environment. The specific input could be light, heat, motion, moisture, pressure and location, The output is generally a signal that is converted to use in computing systems, a location sensor, such as a GPS receiver is able to detect current location of your electronic device. Differs — Under-display Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, Ultra Wideband (UWB 2nd gen), Emergency SOS via satellite —

BATTERY

Battery Type Battery Type => Cell phones run on various kinds of batteries depending on the manufacturer, phone size or shape and features. There are basically four types of cell phone batteries => Lithium Polymer, Lithium Ion, Nickel Metal Hydride and Nickel Cadmium. Differs 5200 mAh Li-Ion (Lithium Ion) —
Capacity Battery Capacity is a measure (typically in Amp-hr) of the charge stored by the battery, and is determined by the mass of active material contained in the battery. The battery capacity represents the maximum amount of energy that can be extracted from the battery under certain conditions. Differs Li-Po 5050 mAh —
Charging The functionality responsible for recharging batteries in portable devices, such as mobile phones, significantly influences both battery lifespan and the practicality of daily product usage.The charging process, encompassing factors like voltage, current, and completion actions, is contingent upon the battery's size and type.Contemporary battery chargers dynamically adjust charging parameters based on the battery's current charging state. Charging an empty battery poses no safety risk, allowing for a quicker charging process. Consequently, many charging speed benchmarks, including ours, specify the battery level achieved after a 30-minute session on an empty battery.Standard chargers with a power output of 5V/1A, equivalent to 5W, serve as a baseline, with anything surpassing this speed classified as quick or fast charging. Differs — 45W wired, 50% in 20 min; 25W wireless (MagSafe / Qi2); 4.5W reverse wired —

MISC

Colors Differs — Burgundy, Natural Titanium, Black Titanium, Silver Titanium, Glacier —
Model Differs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra A3498, iPhone19,2 —
SAR SAR (Specific absorption rate): Each GSM handset has a radio transmitter and receiver in order to operate in the wireless GSM network. That transceiver is manufactured so that when used next to the ear and when worn on the belt, it won't exceed the limits for exposure to radio frequency energy set by the authorities.The authorities in question here are the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of the U.S. Government, Industry Canada of the Canadian Government (IC), and the Council of the European Union. Differs — 1.10 W/kg (head), 1.14 W/kg (body) —
SAR EU Each GSM handset has a radio transmitter and receiver in order to operate in the wireless GSM network. That transceiver is manufactured so that when used next to the ear and when worn on the belt, it won't exceed the limits for exposure to radio frequency energy set by the authorities.The authorities in question here are the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of the U.S. Government, Industry Canada of the Canadian Government (IC), and the Council of the European Union. Differs — 0.97 W/kg (head), 0.98 W/kg (body) —
Price Differs $1299.99 — —

TESTS

Performance Differs — Geekbench 6 (est.): Single 4,200 / Multi 11,200 | AnTuTu v10: 2,750,000+ —
Display Differs — 3000 nits peak outdoor brightness (specification target) —
Battery (new) Differs — Active use score target: 18:30h —

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