Price: One Clear Winner
There are three Galaxy S26 phones and three iPhone 17 models; adding storage to any model increases the price. The Galaxy S26 starts at $899.99, the S26+ starts at $1,099.99, and the S26 Ultra starts at $1,299.99; all Galaxy S26 models come with at least 256GB of storage.
The Apple iPhone 17 starts at $799, the iPhone 17 Pro starts at $1,099, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max starts at $1,199. All iPhone 17 models come with at least 256GB of storage. If it’s just dollars and cents, the iPhone 17 beats the Galaxy S26 head-to-head on its starting price for the base model and ultra-premium model. The S26+ is 99 cents more expensive than the iPhone 17 Pro.
Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Ultra maxes out at $1,799.99 for a 1TB model, while a 1TB Apple iPhone Pro is $1,499, and the Pro Max is $1,599. Additionally, Apple offers a 2TB model (Samsung has no 2TB models) at $1,999.
If it’s just about the dollars and cents, Apple wins here.
Winner: iPhone 17
Design: Similar, But Subjective
The Galaxy S26 series and iPhone 17 line are rounded rectangular slabs with rounded corners. Samsung further refined the Ultra, boosting its visual similarities.
The rear panels hold the camera assembly, which features three lenses in a pill-shaped section.
The 6.3-inch Galaxy S26 measures 5.89 by 2.82 by 0.28 inches (HWD), and weighs 5.89 ounces; the 6.7-inch Galaxy S26+ is 6.24 by 2.98 by 0.29 inches and weighs 6.70 ounces; and the Galaxy S26 Ultra is 6.44 by 3.07 by 0.31 inches, and weighs 7.55 ounces.
On the iPhone front, the iPhone 17 is 5.89 by 2.81 by 0.31 inches and weighs 6.24 ounces. The iPhone 17 Pro is 5.91 by 2.83 by 0.34 inches and weighs 7.27 ounces. The biggest iPhone is also the heaviest as the iPhone 17 Pro Max is 6.43 by 3.07 by 0.34 inches, and weighs 8.22 ounces.
The iPhone 17 has two rear cameras, while the iPhone 17 Pro has a large rectangular plateau that houses its three main cameras.
Every one of these phones is IP68-rated, so they are virtually dust and waterproof. For materials, the Galaxy S26 and iPhone 17 lines use aluminum frames. Samsung covers the S26 and S26+ with Corning Gorilla Armor, while the Ultra is covered with Gorilla Armor 2. Every iPhone 17 screen is covered by Apple’s Ceramic Shield 2.
Samsung offers the same color palette for all Galaxy S26 phones: Black, Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue, and White are widely available, while Silver Shadow and Pink Gold are online exclusives.
The iPhone 17 is available in Black, Lavender, Mist Blue, Sage, or White. The iPhone 17 Pros come in three colors: Cosmic Orange, Deep Blue, and Silver.
If you are looking for compactness, the Galaxy S26 devices are slimmer and lighter than their iPhone 17 counterparts. At the end of the day, design is subjective.
Winner: Tie
Displays: Innovation Wins Out
The base Samsung flagship now features a 6.3-inch display (up from 6.2), while the S26+ uses a 6.7-inch display, and the Ultra has a huge 6.9-inch screen. All three devices support variable refresh rates up to 120Hz. The S26 has a pixel density of 411 pixels per inch (ppi), the S26+ has 516 ppi, and the Ultra has 500 ppi. All three panels support an always-on mode and reach up to 2,600 nits in brightness.
The iPhone 17 and 17 Pro feature 6.3-inch panels, and the Pro Max boasts an enormous 6.9-inch display. All the new iPhones feature screens with a pixel density of 460ppi, an always-on display, an anti-reflective coating, a 1-120Hz refresh rate, and a peak brightness of 3,000 nits.
Beyond the specs, Samsung added a feature called Privacy Display to the Galaxy S26 Ultra. With a tap, the screen's viewing angles narrow, so nearby people cannot clearly see the screen over your shoulder or even when standing next to you. This feature can also be applied on an app-by-app basis and/or just to notifications, obscuring part of the screen. In testing, the Privacy Display sometimes got in the way of everyday use.
It’s been a long time since we’ve seen practical innovation on slab displays, so Samsung gets the win here. Even so, all of these screens should produce crisp details and smooth animations.
Winner: Galaxy S26
Performance: They Are All Fast
Every Galaxy S26 model is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, a customized chip not found in the competition. All models offer at least 12GB of RAM, but the 1TB S26 Ultra comes with 16GB of RAM.
In testing, the three Galaxy phones put up nearly identical results across the board. We compared all three phoned to others running the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, as well as the iPhones. You can see the results in the tablet below:
The iPhone 17 features an Apple A18, while the Pros use the A19 Pro processor. Apple Silicon comes out ahead.
Winner: iPhone 17
Cameras: Top-Notch Hardware Across the Board
Samsung uses the same camera hardware for both its S26 and S26+ phones. They feature a 50MP main shooter, a 12MP ultra-wide camera, and a 10MP telephoto camera with a 3x optical zoom lens.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra upgrades to a 200MP main camera, a 50MP ultra-wide camera, a 50MP telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom, and a 10MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom. Every S26 has the same front-facing camera, a 12MP shooter.
The Apple iPhone 17 features a 48MP main camera and a 48MP ultra-wide lens. Apple claims a 2x optical zoom in and 2x optical zoom out, but the 17 does not have a telephoto camera. The iPhone 17 Pros feature three 48MP rear cameras with a main, ultra-wide, and telephoto lens. All three devices feature an 18MP Center Stage front-facing camera capable of taking vertical or horizontal selfies regardless of phone orientation.
For video capture, the S26 line can record up to 8K resolution at 30 frames per second (fps), while the iPhone 17 can record at up to 4K resolution and 60fps, and the iPhone 17 Pro records at up to 4K resolution at up to 120fps. Both Samsung and Apple tout their Ultra and Pros as cinema-level cameras.
Historically, Samsung and Apple cameras have produced excellent photos and video, and that's true of the Galaxy S26 and iPhone 17 series. Both sets of devices take world-class photos and capture top-notch video. Any of these phones will be great, but the S26 Ultra and 17 Pro Max have a few extra features that put them ahead of the competition.
Winner: Tie
Batteries: On the Large Side
Here’s the battery breakdown between the two phones, though Apple does not release battery capacity information.
- Galaxy S26, 4,300mAh battery, charges at up to 25W wired, 15 wirelessly
- Galaxy S26+, 4,900mAh battery, charges at up to 45W wired, 20W wirelessly
- Galaxy S26 Ultra, 5,900mAh battery, charges at up to 60W wired, 25W wirelessly
- iPhone 17, charges at up to 30W wired, 25W wirelessly
- iPhone 17 Pro, charges at up to 30W wired, 25W wirelessly
- iPhone 17 Pro Max, charges at up to 30W wired, 25W wirelessly
Samsung's phones each improve year over year, but still fall far behind Apple's in battery life. The Galaxy S26 ran our battery test for 15 hours and 05 minutes, the S26+ ran it for 15 hours and 20 minutes, and the S26 Ultra ran it for 15 hours and 15 minutes. The iPhone 17 lasted 24 hours on a single charge, the iPhone 17 Pro lasted 27 hours, 42 minutes, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max reached 32 hours, 11 minutes.
Additionally, the iPhone 17 series supports Apple’s MagSafe magnetic charging solution, while the Galaxy 26 line lacks magnets and magnetic charging (unless you spend extra on a magnetic case).
Winner: iPhone 17
Galaxy S26 vs. iPhone 17: Software
Samsung’s Galaxy S26 line runs Android 16 with One UI atop it, while the iPhone 17 series runs on iOS 26. Apart from their basic similarities, they are separated by their AI capabilities. Samsung has made progress with its Galaxy AI suite of AI tools while continuing to partner with Google and Perplexity to get things done. On the S26, Audio Eraser cleans background noise from videos locally, the Gallery app handles prompt-based photo edits, and Now Brief delivers a personalized snapshot of what matters to you.
Meanwhile, Apple Intelligence brings helpful features like Visual Intelligence (similar to Google’s Circle to Search), notification summaries, and two-way translation on phone and FaceTime calls. The Siri experience is still a work in progress.
If you don’t care about AI features, then it comes down to your OS preference.
Winner: Tie
The Rest: Details Always Matter
The Galaxy S26 Ultra includes an embedded S Pen stylus. No other phone in this comparison even supports a stylus (not counting capacitive ones).
All iPhone 17s include an assignable Action Button and a touch-sensitive Camera Control that does what its name suggests. None of the Galaxy S26 phones has a customizable button or physical camera controls.
Every iPhone 17 supports both mmWave and sub-6GHz 5G, as do the S26+ and S26 Ultra. The base Galaxy S26 is limited to sub-6GHz 5G only. It's also the only phone in this comparison to lack ultra-wideband.
The S26 does not support magnetic wireless charging. The iPhone 17 lineup does.
Winner: Tie
Verdict: Which Phone Is Right for You?
While many people choose their phone based on the operating system or broader ecosystem, some choose based on hardware features. However, consider the following when choosing:
- If you have an older device like a Samsung Galaxy S20 or iPhone 13, any of these devices will be a terrific upgrade.
- If you want the most storage possible, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is the only phone that comes with 2TB.
- If the Privacy Display wows you, only the S26 Ultra has it.
- If battery life is paramount, the iPhones outlast the Galaxy phones by 9 or more hours.
Not convinced? Check out the best phones from Mobile World Congress to see if something on the horizon better suits your needs.