Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
Verdict
The Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max scores higher in 1 of 6 sections (connectivity & features), while the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra leads in performance, battery, display and design & durability; they are even on camera.
The biggest difference is performance: 87 vs 100 points.
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is the newer model, announced 17 months after the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Choose the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max for connectivity & features; choose the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra for performance and battery.
- iPhone 16 Pro Max leads in 4 fields
- Galaxy S26 Ultra leads in 11 fields
- 26 ties
41 scored fields compared
Score by section
| Section scores | iPhone 16 Pro Max | Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | ||
| Performance | 87 | 100 |
| Camera | 96 | 96 |
| Battery | 74 | 84 |
| Display | 92 | 95 |
| Design & durability | 80 | 83 |
| Connectivity & features | 84 | 81 |
Full specifications
Performance
- Chipset performance index
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: 89/100
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 100/100(Better)
- Chipset
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: Apple A18 Pro
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
- RAM (max)
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: 8 GB
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 16 GB(Better)
- Storage (max)
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: 1 TB
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 1 TB
- Process node
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: 3 nm
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 3 nm
Camera
- Main camera resolution
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: 48 MP
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 200 MP(Better)
- Main sensor size
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: 1/1.28″(Better)
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 1/1.3″
- Optical stabilization (OIS)
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: Yes
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: Yes
- Ultra-wide camera
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: Yes
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: Yes
- Telephoto camera
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: Yes
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: Yes
- Periscope lens
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: Yes
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: Yes
- Optical zoom
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: 5×
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 5×
- Video recording
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: 4K 120 fps
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 8K
- Front camera
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: 12 MP
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 12 MP
- Front camera 4K video
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: Yes
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: Yes
Battery
- Battery capacity
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: 4685 mAh
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 5000 mAh(Better)
- Battery endurance (EU label)
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: 48:00 h
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 55:00 h(Better)
- EU label cycles
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: 1000
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 1200
- Wired charging
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: Unknown
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 60 W
- Wireless charging
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: 25 W
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 25 W
- Reverse charging
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: Yes
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: Yes
- Reverse charging type
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: Wired
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: Wireless
Display
- Screen size
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: 6.9″
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 6.9″
- Panel type
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: LTPO OLED
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: LTPO OLED
- Refresh rate
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: 120 Hz
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 120 Hz
- Pixel density
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: 460 ppi
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 500 ppi
- Peak brightness
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: 2000 nits
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 2600 nits(Better)
- Resolution
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: 1320x2868
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 1440x3120
- Screen protection
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: Ceramic Shield glass
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: Corning Gorilla Armor 2
Design & durability
- Weight
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: 227 g
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 214 g(Better)
- Thickness
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: 8.3 mm
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 7.9 mm(Better)
- Dust & water resistance
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: IP68
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: IP68
- Back material
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: Glass
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: Glass
- Frame material
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: Titanium(Better)
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: Aluminum
- EU repairability class
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: C
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: C
- EU drop resistance class
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: C
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: A(Better)
- EU energy class
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: B
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: A
Connectivity & features
- 5G
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: Yes
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: Yes
- Wi-Fi
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: Wi-Fi 7
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: Wi-Fi 7
- Bluetooth
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: 5.3
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 6.0(Better)
- USB speed
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: USB 3.x
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: USB 3.x
- USB port
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: USB-C 3.2 Gen 2
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: USB-C 3.2
- DisplayPort output
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: Yes
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: Yes
- NFC
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: Yes
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: Yes
- eSIM
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: Yes
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: Yes
- Ultra-wideband (UWB)
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: Yes
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: Yes
- Satellite connectivity
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: Yes(Better)
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: No
- Stereo speakers
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: Yes
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: Yes
- 3.5 mm headphone jack
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: No
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: No
- Fingerprint reader
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: None
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: Under display (ultrasonic)(Better)
- 3D face unlock
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: Yes(Better)
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: No
- Infrared blaster
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: No
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: No
- FM radio
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: No
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: No
- microSD slot
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: No
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: No
- Card slot
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: No
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: No
General
- Operating system
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: iOS 18
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: Android 16
- OS updates (major versions)
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: Unknown
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 7
- Launch price
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: $ 649.00
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: $ 898.99
- Year
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: 2024
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 2026
Show raw spec textHide raw spec text
Original text from the source spec sheet, for reference.
| — | iPhone 16 Pro Max | Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Network | ||
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 CDMA 800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 CDMA 800 / 1900 & TD-SCDMA |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 CDMA2000 1xEV-DO | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 CDMA2000 1xEV-DO |
| 4G bands | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 53, 66 - A3296 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 53, 66, 71 - A3084 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 53, 66, 71 - A3295 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 66 - A3297 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 - International 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41, 48, 66, 71 - USA unlocked |
| 5G bands | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 53, 66, 70, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A3296 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 53, 66, 70, 71, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 258, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - A3084 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 53, 66, 70, 71, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A3295 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 70, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A3297 | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 26, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 75, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - International 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 41, 66, 71, 77, 78, 257, 258, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - USA unlocked |
| Speed | HSPA, LTE, 5G, EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps | HSPA, LTE (CA), 5G |
| Launch | ||
| Announced | 2024, September 09 | 2026, February 25 |
| Status | Available. Released 2024, September 20 | Available. Released 2026, March 06 |
| Body | ||
| Dimensions | 163 x 77.6 x 8.3 mm (6.42 x 3.06 x 0.33 in) | 163.6 x 78.1 x 7.9 mm (6.44 x 3.07 x 0.31 in) |
| Weight | 227 g (8.01 oz) | 214 g (7.55 oz) |
| Build | Glass front (Ceramic Shield), glass back, titanium frame (grade 5) | Glass front (Corning Gorilla Armor 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame |
| SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time; International) · eSIM + eSIM (8 or more, max 2 at a time; USA) · Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM (China) IP68 dust tight and water resistant (immersible up to 6m for 30 min) | · Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time) - INT · Nano-SIM + eSIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time) - USA · Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM - CN IP68 dust tight and water resistant (immersible up to 1.5m for 30 min) Stylus Armor Aluminum 2 |
| Display | ||
| Type | LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED, 120Hz, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 1000 nits (typ), 2000 nits (HBM) | Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 2600 nits (peak) |
| Size | 6.9 inches, 115.6 cm2 (~91.4% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.9 inches, 115.9 cm2 (~90.7% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Resolution | 1320 x 2868 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~460 ppi density) | 1440 x 3120 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~500 ppi density) |
| Protection | Ceramic Shield glass (2024 gen) | Corning Gorilla Armor 2 DX anti-reflective coating Privacy Display |
| Platform | ||
| OS | iOS 18, upgradable to iOS 27.2 | Android 16, upgradable to Android 17, One UI 9, up to 7 major OS updates |
| Chipset | Apple A18 Pro (3 nm) | Qualcomm SM8850-1-AD Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3 nm) |
| CPU | Hexa-core (2x4.05 GHz + 4x2.42 GHz) | Octa-core (2x4.74 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix L + 6x3.62 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix M) |
| GPU | Apple GPU (6-core graphics) | Adreno 840 (1.3GHz) |
| Memory | ||
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 256GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 8GB RAM, 1TB 8GB RAM NVMe | 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 16GB RAM UFS 4.X |
| Main Camera | ||
| Triple | 48 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide), 1/1.28", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS 12 MP, f/2.8, 120mm (periscope telephoto), 1/3.06", 1.12µm, dual pixel PDAF, 3D sensor‑shift OIS, 5x optical zoom 48 MP, f/2.2, 13mm (ultrawide), 1/2.55", 0.7µm, PDAF TOF 3D LiDAR scanner (depth) | – |
| Features | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama) | Laser AF, Best Face, Horizon Lock, LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Video | 4K@24/25/30/60/100/120fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps, 10-bit HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), ProRes, 3D (spatial) video/audio, stereo sound rec. | 8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60/120fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, 10-bit HDR, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS |
| Quad | – | 200 MP, f/1.4, 23mm (wide), 1/1.3", 0.6µm, multi-directional PDAF, OIS 10 MP, f/2.4, 67mm (telephoto), 1/3.94", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom 50 MP, f/2.9, 111mm (periscope telephoto), 1/2.52", 0.7µm, PDAF, OIS, 5x optical zoom 50 MP, f/1.9, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.5", 0.7µm, dual pixel PDAF, Super Steady video |
| Selfie camera | ||
| Single | 12 MP, f/1.9, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) | 12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide), 1/3.2", 1.12µm, dual pixel PDAF |
| Features | HDR, Dolby Vision HDR, 3D (spatial) audio, stereo sound rec. | HDR, HDR10+ |
| Video | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps |
| Sound | ||
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| 3.5mm jack | No | No High-bitrate audio support |
| Comms | ||
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7, tri-band, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Bluetooth | 5.3, A2DP, LE | 6.0, A2DP, LE |
| Positioning | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS, NavIC | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2, DisplayPort | USB Type-C 3.2, DisplayPort 1.2, OTG |
| Features | ||
| Sensors | Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer Ultra Wideband (UWB) support (gen2 chip) Emergency SOS, Messages and Find My via satellite | Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support) Ultra Wideband (UWB) support |
| Battery | ||
| Type | Li-Ion 4685 mAh | Li-Ion 5000 mAh |
| Charging | Wired, PD2.0, 50% in 30 min 25W wireless MagSafe/Qi2, 50% in 30 min (15W - China) 4.5W reverse wired | 60W wired, PD3.0, 75% in 30 min 25W wireless (Qi2.2) 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Misc | ||
| Colors | Black Titanium, White Titanium, Natural Titanium, Desert Titanium | Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue, Black, White, Silver Shadow, Pink Gold |
| Models | A3296, A3084, A3295, A3297, iPhone17,2 | SM-S948B, SM-S948B/DS, SM-S948U, SM-S948U1, SM-S948W, SM-S948N, SM-S9480, SM-S948E, SM-S948E/DS |
| SAR | 1.01 W/kg (head) 1.15 W/kg (body) | 1.09 W/kg (head) 1.19 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | 1.22 W/kg (head) 1.45 W/kg (body) | 1.28 W/kg (head) 1.35 W/kg (body) |
| Price | $ 649.00 / € 800.59 / £ 660.00 | $ 898.99 / € 979.00 / £ 802.99 / ₹ 139,999 |
| EU LABEL | ||
| Energy | Class B | Class A |
| Battery | 48:00h endurance, 1000 cycles | 55:00h endurance, 1200 cycles |
| Free fall | Class C (90 falls) | Class A (270 falls) |
| Repairability | Class C | Class C |