Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
Verdict
The Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max scores higher in 1 of 6 sections (connectivity & features), while the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra leads in design & durability, performance and battery; they are even on camera and display.
The biggest difference is design & durability: 78 vs 83 points.
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is the newer model, announced 5 months after the Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max.
Choose the Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max for connectivity & features; choose the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra for design & durability and performance.
- iPhone 17 Pro Max leads in 5 fields
- Galaxy S26 Ultra leads in 10 fields
- 26 ties
41 scored fields compared
Score by section
| Section scores | iPhone 17 Pro Max | Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | ||
| Performance | 96 | 100 |
| Camera | 95 | 96 |
| Battery | 80 | 84 |
| Display | 96 | 95 |
| Design & durability | 78 | 83 |
| Connectivity & features | 84 | 81 |
Full specifications
Performance
- Chipset performance index
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: 95/100
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 100/100(Better)
- Chipset
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: Apple A19 Pro
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
- RAM (max)
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: 12 GB
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 16 GB(Better)
- Storage (max)
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: 2 TB
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 1 TB
- Process node
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: 3 nm
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 3 nm
Camera
- Main camera resolution
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: 48 MP
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 200 MP(Better)
- Main sensor size
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: 1/1.28″(Better)
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 1/1.3″
- Optical stabilization (OIS)
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: Yes
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: Yes
- Ultra-wide camera
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: Yes
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: Yes
- Telephoto camera
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: Yes
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: Yes
- Periscope lens
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: Yes
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: Yes
- Optical zoom
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: 4×
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 5×(Better)
- Video recording
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: 4K 120 fps
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 8K
- Front camera
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: 18 MP(Better)
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 12 MP
- Front camera 4K video
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: Yes
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: Yes
Battery
- Battery capacity
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: 4823 mAh
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 5000 mAh(Better)
- Battery endurance (EU label)
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: 53:00 h
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 55:00 h(Better)
- EU label cycles
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: 1000
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 1200
- Wired charging
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: Unknown
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 60 W
- Wireless charging
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: 25 W
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 25 W
- Reverse charging
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: Yes
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: Yes
- Reverse charging type
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: Wired
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: Wireless
Display
- Screen size
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9″
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 6.9″
- Panel type
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: LTPO OLED
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: LTPO OLED
- Refresh rate
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: 120 Hz
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 120 Hz
- Pixel density
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: 460 ppi
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 500 ppi
- Peak brightness
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: 3000 nits(Better)
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 2600 nits
- Resolution
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: 1320x2868
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 1440x3120
- Screen protection
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: Ceramic Shield 2
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: Corning Gorilla Armor 2
Design & durability
- Weight
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: 233 g
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 214 g(Better)
- Thickness
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: 8.8 mm
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 7.9 mm(Better)
- Dust & water resistance
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: IP68
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: IP68
- Back material
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: Aluminum
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: Glass
- Frame material
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: Aluminum
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: Aluminum
- EU repairability class
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: C
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: C
- EU drop resistance class
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: B
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: A(Better)
- EU energy class
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: A
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: A
Connectivity & features
- 5G
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: Yes
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: Yes
- Wi-Fi
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: Wi-Fi 7
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: Wi-Fi 7
- Bluetooth
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.0
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 6.0
- USB speed
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: USB 3.x
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: USB 3.x
- USB port
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: USB-C 3.2 Gen 2
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: USB-C 3.2
- DisplayPort output
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: Yes
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: Yes
- NFC
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: Yes
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: Yes
- eSIM
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: Yes
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: Yes
- Ultra-wideband (UWB)
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: Yes
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: Yes
- Satellite connectivity
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: Yes(Better)
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: No
- Stereo speakers
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: Yes
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: Yes
- 3.5 mm headphone jack
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: No
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: No
- Fingerprint reader
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: None
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: Under display (ultrasonic)(Better)
- 3D face unlock
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: Yes(Better)
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: No
- Infrared blaster
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: No
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: No
- FM radio
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: No
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: No
- microSD slot
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: No
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: No
- Card slot
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: No
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: No
General
- Operating system
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: iOS 26
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: Android 16
- OS updates (major versions)
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: Unknown
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 7
- Launch price
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: $ 899.25
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: $ 898.99
- Year
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: 2025
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: 2026
Show raw spec textHide raw spec text
Original text from the source spec sheet, for reference.
| — | iPhone 17 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 - A3526 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 - A3257 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 - A3525 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 - A3527 | 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, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A3526 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 53, 66, 70, 71, 75, 77, 78, 79, 258, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - A3257 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 53, 66, 70, 71, 75, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A3525 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 70, 75, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A3527 | 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 | 2025, September 09 | 2026, February 25 |
| Status | Available. Released 2025, September 19 | Available. Released 2026, March 06 |
| Body | ||
| Dimensions | 163.4 x 78 x 8.8 mm (6.43 x 3.07 x 0.35 in) | 163.6 x 78.1 x 7.9 mm (6.44 x 3.07 x 0.31 in) |
| Weight | 233 g (8.22 oz) | 214 g (7.55 oz) |
| Build | Glass front (Ceramic Shield 2), aluminum frame, aluminum back/ glass back (Ceramic Shield) | 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), 1600 nits (HBM), 3000 nits (peak) | Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 2600 nits (peak) |
| Size | 6.9 inches, 115.6 cm2 (~90.7% 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 2 Anti-reflective coating | Corning Gorilla Armor 2 DX anti-reflective coating Privacy Display |
| Platform | ||
| OS | iOS 26, upgradable to iOS 27.2 | Android 16, upgradable to Android 17, One UI 9, up to 7 major OS updates |
| Chipset | Apple A19 Pro (3 nm) | Qualcomm SM8850-1-AD Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3 nm) |
| CPU | Hexa-core (2x4.26 GHz + 4x2.60 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 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 12GB RAM, 2TB 12GB 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 48 MP, f/2.8, 100mm (periscope telephoto), 1/2.55", 0.7µm, PDAF, 3D sensor‑shift OIS, 4x optical zoom 48 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (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 120fps), ProRes, ProRes RAW (up to 120fps), Apple Log 2, 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 | 18 MP multi-aspect, f/1.9, 20mm (ultrawide), PDAF 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., ProRes RAW, Apple Log 2 | 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 | 6.0, 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 | Market-dependent versions: · Li-Ion 4823 mAh - Nano SIM model · Li-Ion 5088 mAh - eSIM only model | Li-Ion 5000 mAh |
| Charging | Wired, PD3.2, AVS, 50% in 20 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 | Silver, Cosmic Orange, Deep Blue | Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue, Black, White, Silver Shadow, Pink Gold |
| Models | iPhone18,2, A3526, A3257, A3527, A3525 | SM-S948B, SM-S948B/DS, SM-S948U, SM-S948U1, SM-S948W, SM-S948N, SM-S9480, SM-S948E, SM-S948E/DS |
| SAR | 1.19 W/kg (head) 1.19 W/kg (body) | 1.09 W/kg (head) 1.19 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | 1.49 W/kg (head) 1.49 W/kg (body) | 1.28 W/kg (head) 1.35 W/kg (body) |
| Price | $ 899.25 / € 1,034.94 / £ 899.00 / ₹ 144,900 | $ 898.99 / € 979.00 / £ 802.99 / ₹ 139,999 |
| EU LABEL | ||
| Energy | Class A | Class A |
| Battery | 53:00h endurance, 1000 cycles | 55:00h endurance, 1200 cycles |
| Free fall | Class B (180 falls) | Class A (270 falls) |
| Repairability | Class C | Class C |