Apple iPhone 17e vs Samsung Galaxy S26
Verdict
The Apple iPhone 17e is not clearly ahead in any section, while the Samsung Galaxy S26 leads in camera, display, battery, performance and connectivity & features; they are even on design & durability.
The biggest difference is camera: 38 vs 87 points.
- iPhone 17e leads in 3 fields
- Galaxy S26 leads in 19 fields
- 18 ties
40 scored fields compared
Score by section
| Section scores | iPhone 17e | Galaxy S26 |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | ||
| Performance | 89 | 99 |
| Camera | 38 | 87 |
| Battery | 54 | 66 |
| Display | 77 | 92 |
| Design & durability | 85 | 87 |
| Connectivity & features | 71 | 77 |
Full specifications
Performance
- Chipset performance index
- iPhone 17e: 92/100
- Galaxy S26: 100/100(Better)
- Chipset
- iPhone 17e: Apple A19
- Galaxy S26: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
- RAM (max)
- iPhone 17e: 8 GB
- Galaxy S26: 12 GB(Better)
- Storage (max)
- iPhone 17e: 512 GB
- Galaxy S26: 512 GB
- Process node
- iPhone 17e: 3 nm
- Galaxy S26: 3 nm
Camera
- Main camera resolution
- iPhone 17e: 48 MP
- Galaxy S26: 50 MP
- Main sensor size
- iPhone 17e: 1/2.55″
- Galaxy S26: 1/1.56″(Better)
- Optical stabilization (OIS)
- iPhone 17e: Yes
- Galaxy S26: Yes
- Ultra-wide camera
- iPhone 17e: No
- Galaxy S26: Yes(Better)
- Telephoto camera
- iPhone 17e: No
- Galaxy S26: Yes(Better)
- Periscope lens
- iPhone 17e: No
- Galaxy S26: No
- Optical zoom
- iPhone 17e: No
- Galaxy S26: 3×(Better)
- Video recording
- iPhone 17e: 4K 60 fps
- Galaxy S26: 8K(Better)
- Front camera
- iPhone 17e: 12 MP
- Galaxy S26: 12 MP
- Front camera 4K video
- iPhone 17e: Yes
- Galaxy S26: Yes
Battery
- Battery capacity
- iPhone 17e: 4005 mAh
- Galaxy S26: 4300 mAh(Better)
- Battery endurance (EU label)
- iPhone 17e: 45:00 h
- Galaxy S26: 51:00 h(Better)
- EU label cycles
- iPhone 17e: 1000
- Galaxy S26: 1200
- Wired charging
- iPhone 17e: Unknown
- Galaxy S26: 25 W
- Wireless charging
- iPhone 17e: 15 W
- Galaxy S26: 15 W
- Reverse charging
- iPhone 17e: No
- Galaxy S26: Yes(Better)
- Reverse charging type
- iPhone 17e: No
- Galaxy S26: Wireless
Display
- Screen size
- iPhone 17e: 6.1″
- Galaxy S26: 6.3″
- Panel type
- iPhone 17e: OLED
- Galaxy S26: LTPO OLED(Better)
- Refresh rate
- iPhone 17e: Unknown
- Galaxy S26: 120 Hz
- Pixel density
- iPhone 17e: 460 ppi(Better)
- Galaxy S26: 411 ppi
- Peak brightness
- iPhone 17e: 1200 nits
- Galaxy S26: 2600 nits(Better)
- Resolution
- iPhone 17e: 1170x2532
- Galaxy S26: 1080x2340
- Screen protection
- iPhone 17e: Ceramic Shield 2
- Galaxy S26: Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2
Design & durability
- Weight
- iPhone 17e: 169 g
- Galaxy S26: 167 g(Better)
- Thickness
- iPhone 17e: 7.8 mm
- Galaxy S26: 7.2 mm(Better)
- Dust & water resistance
- iPhone 17e: IP68
- Galaxy S26: IP68
- Back material
- iPhone 17e: Glass
- Galaxy S26: Glass
- Frame material
- iPhone 17e: Aluminum
- Galaxy S26: Aluminum
- EU repairability class
- iPhone 17e: C
- Galaxy S26: C
- EU drop resistance class
- iPhone 17e: B
- Galaxy S26: A(Better)
- EU energy class
- iPhone 17e: A
- Galaxy S26: A
Connectivity & features
- 5G
- iPhone 17e: Yes
- Galaxy S26: Yes
- Wi-Fi
- iPhone 17e: Wi-Fi 6
- Galaxy S26: Wi-Fi 7(Better)
- Bluetooth
- iPhone 17e: 5.3
- Galaxy S26: 5.4(Better)
- USB speed
- iPhone 17e: USB 2.0
- Galaxy S26: USB 3.x(Better)
- USB port
- iPhone 17e: USB-C 2.0
- Galaxy S26: USB-C 3.2
- DisplayPort output
- iPhone 17e: No
- Galaxy S26: Yes
- NFC
- iPhone 17e: Yes
- Galaxy S26: Yes
- eSIM
- iPhone 17e: Yes
- Galaxy S26: Yes
- Ultra-wideband (UWB)
- iPhone 17e: No
- Galaxy S26: No
- Satellite connectivity
- iPhone 17e: Yes(Better)
- Galaxy S26: No
- Stereo speakers
- iPhone 17e: Yes
- Galaxy S26: Yes
- 3.5 mm headphone jack
- iPhone 17e: No
- Galaxy S26: No
- Fingerprint reader
- iPhone 17e: None
- Galaxy S26: Under display (ultrasonic)(Better)
- 3D face unlock
- iPhone 17e: Yes(Better)
- Galaxy S26: No
- Infrared blaster
- iPhone 17e: No
- Galaxy S26: No
- FM radio
- iPhone 17e: No
- Galaxy S26: No
- microSD slot
- iPhone 17e: No
- Galaxy S26: No
- Card slot
- iPhone 17e: No
- Galaxy S26: No
General
- Operating system
- iPhone 17e: iOS 26.3
- Galaxy S26: Android 16
- OS updates (major versions)
- iPhone 17e: Unknown
- Galaxy S26: 7
- Launch price
- iPhone 17e: $ 501.16
- Galaxy S26: $ 474.03
- Year
- iPhone 17e: 2026
- Galaxy S26: 2026
Show raw spec textHide raw spec text
Original text from the source spec sheet, for reference.
| — | iPhone 17e | Galaxy S26 |
|---|---|---|
| Network | ||
| Technology | GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 CDMA 800 / 1900 & TD-SCDMA |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 CDMA2000 1xEV-DO |
| 4G bands | 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 - A3575 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 - A3634 | 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, 14, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 53, 66, 70, 71, 75, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A3575 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 - A3634 | 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 SA/NSA/Sub6 - USA unlocked |
| Speed | HSPA, LTE, 5G | HSPA, LTE (CA), 5G |
| Launch | ||
| Announced | 2026, March 02 | 2026, February 25 |
| Status | Available. Released 2026, March 11 | Available. Released 2026, March 06 |
| Body | ||
| Dimensions | 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.8 mm (5.78 x 2.81 x 0.31 in) | 149.6 x 71.7 x 7.2 mm (5.89 x 2.82 x 0.28 in) |
| Weight | 169 g (5.96 oz) | 167 g (5.89 oz) |
| Build | Glass front (Ceramic Shield 2), glass back, aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame |
| SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time; International/China) · eSIM + eSIM (8 or more, max 2 at a time; USA) 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) Armor Aluminum 2 |
| Display | ||
| Type | Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR10, 800 nits (HBM), 1200 nits (peak) | Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 2600 nits (peak) |
| Size | 6.1 inches, 90.2 cm2 (~86.0% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.3 inches, 96.5 cm2 (~90.0% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Resolution | 1170 x 2532 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~460 ppi density) | 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~411 ppi density) |
| Protection | Ceramic Shield 2 Anti-reflective coating | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 |
| Platform | ||
| OS | iOS 26.3, upgradable to iOS 27.2 | Android 16, upgradable to Android 17, up to 7 major OS updates, One UI 9 |
| Chipset | Apple A19 (3 nm) | Qualcomm SM8850-1-AD Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3 nm) - US/CA/CN Exynos 2600 (2 nm) - ROW |
| 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) - US/CA/CN 10-core (1x3.80GHz C1-Ultra & 3x3.25GHz C1-Pro & 6x2.75GHz C1-Pro) - ROW |
| GPU | Apple GPU (4-core graphics) | Adreno 840 (1.3GHz) - US/CA/CN Xclipse 960 - ROW |
| Memory | ||
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 256GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 8GB RAM NVMe | 128GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM UFS 4.X |
| Main Camera | ||
| Single | 48 MP, f/1.6, 26mm (wide), 1/2.55", 0.7µm, PDAF, OIS | – |
| Features | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR, panorama, 3D (spatial) audio | Best Face, Horizon Lock, LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Video | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps, Dolby Vision HDR, OIS, stereo sound rec. | 8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, 10-bit HDR, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS |
| Triple | – | 50 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide), 1/1.56", 1.0µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 10 MP, f/2.4, 67mm (telephoto), 1/3.94", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55" 1.4µm, Super Steady video |
| Selfie camera | ||
| Single | 12 MP, f/1.9, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6", 1.0µm, 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. | HDR |
| Video | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120fps, Dolby Vision HDR | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps, HDR10+ |
| 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/6, dual-band, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Bluetooth | 5.3, A2DP, LE | 5.4, A2DP, LE |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS, NavIC | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 2.0 | USB Type-C 3.2, DisplayPort 1.2, OTG |
| Features | ||
| Sensors | Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer 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) |
| Battery | ||
| Type | Li-Ion 4005 mAh | Li-Ion 4300 mAh |
| Charging | Wired, 50% in 30 min 15W wireless MagSafe/Qi2 | 25W wired, PD3.0, 55% in 30 min 15W wireless (Qi2 Ready) 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Misc | ||
| Colors | Black, White, Soft Pink | Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue, Black, White, Silver Shadow, Pink Gold |
| Models | A3634, A3575, A3635, iPhone18,5 | SM-S942B, SM-S942B/DS, SM-S942U, SM-S942U1, SM-S942W, SM-S942N, SM-S9420, SM-S942E, SM-S942E/DS |
| SAR | 1.20 W/kg (head) 1.20 W/kg (body) | 1.19 W/kg (head) 1.20 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | 1.49 W/kg (head) 1.49 W/kg (body) | 1.21 W/kg (head) 1.10 W/kg (body) |
| Price | $ 501.16 / € 610.00 / £ 528.03 / ₹ 74,990 | $ 474.03 / € 599.00 / £ 589.00 / ₹ 87,999 |
| EU LABEL | ||
| Energy | Class A | Class A |
| Battery | 45:00h endurance, 1000 cycles | 51:00h endurance, 1200 cycles |
| Free fall | Class B (180 falls) | Class A (270 falls) |
| Repairability | Class C | Class C |