Apple iPhone 17e vs Samsung Galaxy S26 FE
Verdict
The Apple iPhone 17e scores higher in 2 of 6 sections (performance and connectivity & features), while the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE leads in camera, battery and display; they are even on design & durability.
The biggest difference is camera: 38 vs 87 points.
The Samsung Galaxy S26 FE is the newer model, announced 5 months after the Apple iPhone 17e.
Choose the Apple iPhone 17e for performance and connectivity & features; choose the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE for camera and battery.
- iPhone 17e leads in 5 fields
- Galaxy S26 FE leads in 14 fields
- 21 ties
40 scored fields compared
Score by section
| Section scores | iPhone 17e | Galaxy S26 FE |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | ||
| Performance | 89 | 85 |
| Camera | 38 | 87 |
| Battery | 54 | 75 |
| Display | 77 | 81 |
| Design & durability | 85 | 85 |
| Connectivity & features | 71 | 68 |
Full specifications
Performance
- Chipset performance index
- iPhone 17e: 92/100(Better)
- Galaxy S26 FE: 86/100
- Chipset
- iPhone 17e: Apple A19
- Galaxy S26 FE: Exynos 2500
- RAM (max)
- iPhone 17e: 8 GB
- Galaxy S26 FE: 8 GB
- Storage (max)
- iPhone 17e: 512 GB
- Galaxy S26 FE: 512 GB
- Process node
- iPhone 17e: 3 nm
- Galaxy S26 FE: 3 nm
Camera
- Main camera resolution
- iPhone 17e: 48 MP
- Galaxy S26 FE: 50 MP
- Main sensor size
- iPhone 17e: 1/2.55″
- Galaxy S26 FE: 1/1.56″(Better)
- Optical stabilization (OIS)
- iPhone 17e: Yes
- Galaxy S26 FE: Yes
- Ultra-wide camera
- iPhone 17e: No
- Galaxy S26 FE: Yes(Better)
- Telephoto camera
- iPhone 17e: No
- Galaxy S26 FE: Yes(Better)
- Periscope lens
- iPhone 17e: No
- Galaxy S26 FE: No
- Optical zoom
- iPhone 17e: No
- Galaxy S26 FE: 3×(Better)
- Video recording
- iPhone 17e: 4K 60 fps
- Galaxy S26 FE: 8K(Better)
- Front camera
- iPhone 17e: 12 MP
- Galaxy S26 FE: 12 MP
- Front camera 4K video
- iPhone 17e: Yes
- Galaxy S26 FE: Yes
Battery
- Battery capacity
- iPhone 17e: 4005 mAh
- Galaxy S26 FE: 4900 mAh(Better)
- Battery endurance (EU label)
- iPhone 17e: 45:00 h
- Galaxy S26 FE: 50:00 h(Better)
- EU label cycles
- iPhone 17e: 1000
- Galaxy S26 FE: 1200
- Wired charging
- iPhone 17e: Unknown
- Galaxy S26 FE: 45 W
- Wireless charging
- iPhone 17e: 15 W
- Galaxy S26 FE: 15 W
- Reverse charging
- iPhone 17e: No
- Galaxy S26 FE: Yes(Better)
- Reverse charging type
- iPhone 17e: No
- Galaxy S26 FE: Wireless
Display
- Screen size
- iPhone 17e: 6.1″
- Galaxy S26 FE: 6.7″
- Panel type
- iPhone 17e: OLED
- Galaxy S26 FE: OLED
- Refresh rate
- iPhone 17e: Unknown
- Galaxy S26 FE: 120 Hz
- Pixel density
- iPhone 17e: 460 ppi(Better)
- Galaxy S26 FE: 385 ppi
- Peak brightness
- iPhone 17e: 1200 nits
- Galaxy S26 FE: 1900 nits(Better)
- Resolution
- iPhone 17e: 1170x2532
- Galaxy S26 FE: 1080x2340
- Screen protection
- iPhone 17e: Ceramic Shield 2
- Galaxy S26 FE: Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+
Design & durability
- Weight
- iPhone 17e: 169 g(Better)
- Galaxy S26 FE: 193 g
- Thickness
- iPhone 17e: 7.8 mm
- Galaxy S26 FE: 7.4 mm(Better)
- Dust & water resistance
- iPhone 17e: IP68
- Galaxy S26 FE: IP68
- Back material
- iPhone 17e: Glass
- Galaxy S26 FE: Glass
- Frame material
- iPhone 17e: Aluminum
- Galaxy S26 FE: Aluminum
- EU repairability class
- iPhone 17e: C
- Galaxy S26 FE: C
- EU drop resistance class
- iPhone 17e: B
- Galaxy S26 FE: A(Better)
- EU energy class
- iPhone 17e: A
- Galaxy S26 FE: A
Connectivity & features
- 5G
- iPhone 17e: Yes
- Galaxy S26 FE: Yes
- Wi-Fi
- iPhone 17e: Wi-Fi 6
- Galaxy S26 FE: Wi-Fi 6E(Better)
- Bluetooth
- iPhone 17e: 5.3
- Galaxy S26 FE: 5.4(Better)
- USB speed
- iPhone 17e: USB 2.0
- Galaxy S26 FE: USB 2.0
- USB port
- iPhone 17e: USB-C 2.0
- Galaxy S26 FE: USB-C 2.0
- DisplayPort output
- iPhone 17e: No
- Galaxy S26 FE: No
- NFC
- iPhone 17e: Yes
- Galaxy S26 FE: Yes
- eSIM
- iPhone 17e: Yes
- Galaxy S26 FE: Yes
- Ultra-wideband (UWB)
- iPhone 17e: No
- Galaxy S26 FE: No
- Satellite connectivity
- iPhone 17e: Yes(Better)
- Galaxy S26 FE: No
- Stereo speakers
- iPhone 17e: Yes
- Galaxy S26 FE: Yes
- 3.5 mm headphone jack
- iPhone 17e: No
- Galaxy S26 FE: No
- Fingerprint reader
- iPhone 17e: None
- Galaxy S26 FE: Under display (optical)(Better)
- 3D face unlock
- iPhone 17e: Yes(Better)
- Galaxy S26 FE: No
- Infrared blaster
- iPhone 17e: No
- Galaxy S26 FE: No
- FM radio
- iPhone 17e: No
- Galaxy S26 FE: No
- microSD slot
- iPhone 17e: No
- Galaxy S26 FE: No
- Card slot
- iPhone 17e: No
- Galaxy S26 FE: No
General
- Operating system
- iPhone 17e: iOS 26.3
- Galaxy S26 FE: Android 17
- OS updates (major versions)
- iPhone 17e: Unknown
- Galaxy S26 FE: 7
- Launch price
- iPhone 17e: $ 501.16
- Galaxy S26 FE: $ 569.95
- Year
- iPhone 17e: 2026
- Galaxy S26 FE: 2026
Show raw spec textHide raw spec text
Original text from the source spec sheet, for reference.
| — | iPhone 17e | Galaxy S26 FE |
|---|---|---|
| Network | ||
| Technology | GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G | GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G |
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 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, 40, 41, 66 - International 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66 - India |
| 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, 26, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - India |
| Speed | HSPA, LTE, 5G | HSPA, LTE, 5G |
| Launch | ||
| Announced | 2026, March 02 | 2026, August 27 |
| Status | Available. Released 2026, March 11 | Available. Released 2026, September 04 |
| Body | ||
| Dimensions | 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.8 mm (5.78 x 2.81 x 0.31 in) | 161.6 x 76.9 x 7.4 mm (6.36 x 3.03 x 0.29 in) |
| Weight | 169 g (5.96 oz) | 193 g (6.81 oz) |
| Build | Glass front (Ceramic Shield 2), glass back, aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus+), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus+), 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) IP68 dust tight and water resistant (immersible up to 1.5m for 30 min) |
| Display | ||
| Type | Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR10, 800 nits (HBM), 1200 nits (peak) | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1900 nits (HBM) |
| Size | 6.1 inches, 90.2 cm2 (~86.0% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.7 inches, 110.2 cm2 (~88.7% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Resolution | 1170 x 2532 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~460 ppi density) | 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~385 ppi density) |
| Protection | Ceramic Shield 2 Anti-reflective coating | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ |
| Platform | ||
| OS | iOS 26.3, upgradable to iOS 27.2 | Android 17, up to 7 major OS updates, One UI 9 |
| Chipset | Apple A19 (3 nm) | Exynos 2500 (3 nm) |
| CPU | Hexa-core (2x4.26 GHz + 4x2.60 GHz) | 10-core (1x3.3GHz Cortex-X925 & 2x2.74GHz Cortex-A725 & 5x2.36GHz Cortex-A725 & 2x1.8GHz Cortex-A520) |
| GPU | Apple GPU (4-core graphics) | Xclipse 950 |
| Memory | ||
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 256GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 8GB RAM NVMe | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 8GB RAM UFS 4.0 |
| 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 | LED flash, HDR, panorama, Best Face |
| Video | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps, Dolby Vision HDR, OIS, stereo sound rec. | 8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60/120fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps; gyro-EIS, HDR10+ |
| Triple | – | 50 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide), 1/1.56", 1.0µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 8 MP, f/2.4, 69mm (telephoto), 1/4.4", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 123˚ (ultrawide), 1/3.2", 1.12µm |
| 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 |
| Features | HDR, Dolby Vision HDR, 3D (spatial) audio, stereo sound rec. | – |
| Video | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120fps, Dolby Vision HDR | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps; gyro-EIS, HDR10+ |
| Sound | ||
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| 3.5mm jack | No | No |
| 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, dual-band or tri-band (market/region dependent), Wi-Fi Direct |
| Bluetooth | 5.3, A2DP, LE | 5.4, A2DP, LE |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS, NavIC | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 2.0 | USB Type-C 2.0, OTG |
| Features | ||
| Sensors | Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer Emergency SOS, Messages and Find My via satellite | Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support) |
| Battery | ||
| Type | Li-Ion 4005 mAh | Li-Ion 4900 mAh |
| Charging | Wired, 50% in 30 min 15W wireless MagSafe/Qi2 | 45W wired, PD, QC2, 69% in 30 min 15W wireless, Qi2 compatible Reverse wireless |
| Misc | ||
| Colors | Black, White, Soft Pink | Blueberry, Graphite, Pistachio |
| Models | A3634, A3575, A3635, iPhone18,5 | SM-S741B, SM-S741B/DS |
| SAR | 1.20 W/kg (head) 1.20 W/kg (body) | – |
| SAR EU | 1.49 W/kg (head) 1.49 W/kg (body) | 0.50 W/kg (head) 1.32 W/kg (body) |
| Price | $ 501.16 / € 610.00 / £ 528.03 / ₹ 74,990 | $ 569.95 / € 518.00 / £ 499.00 / ₹ 65,740 |
| EU LABEL | ||
| Energy | Class A | Class A |
| Battery | 45:00h endurance, 1000 cycles | 50:00h endurance, 1200 cycles |
| Free fall | Class B (180 falls) | Class A (270 falls) |
| Repairability | Class C | Class C |