{"id":505521,"date":"2026-02-28T15:51:13","date_gmt":"2026-02-28T15:51:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/505521\/"},"modified":"2026-02-28T15:51:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T15:51:13","slug":"xiaomi-17-ultra-vs-galaxy-s26-ultra-comparing-the-2026-flagships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/505521\/","title":{"rendered":"Xiaomi 17 Ultra vs Galaxy S26 Ultra: Comparing the 2026 flagships"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s been a busy week for Androids, as Samsung and Xiaomi have both launched their respective flagship smartphones globally.<\/p>\n

Keen to see how the Xiaomi 17 Ultra compares to the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra<\/a>? You\u2019ve come to the right place, as we\u2019ve looked at the specs of both phones and highlighted the key differences between the two here.<\/p>\n

Keep reading to learn more about the smartphones and whether either look set to grace our best Android phones<\/a> guide.<\/p>\n

Make sure you visit our Xiaomi 17 vs 17 Ultra<\/a> guide to see what separates the Xiaomi 17 series. Or, we\u2019ve compared the Galaxy S26 Ultra to the Honor Magic 8 Pro<\/a> and the iPhone 17 Pro Max<\/a> too.<\/p>\n

Specs comparison table<\/p>\n

Xiaomi 17 UltraSamsung Galaxy S26 UltraBattery6000mAh5000mAhChipsetSnapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for GalaxyFront Camera50MP12MPOperating SystemHyperOSOneUIRear Camera50MP + 50MP + 200MP200MP + 50MP + 50MP + 10MPStorage Capacity512GB, 1TB256GB, 512GB, 1TB, Wired\/Wireless Charging90W\/50W60W\/25W<\/p>\n

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Price and Availability<\/p>\n

The Galaxy S26 Ultra is currently available for pre-order, and will launch officially on March 11th. The handset has a starting RRP of \u00a31279\/$1299.99 and comes in a choice of five colours: Black, White, Cobalt, Violet and Sky Blue.<\/p>\n

SQUIRREL_PLAYLIST_10208275<\/p>\n

Both run on Qualcomm\u2019s flagship processor, but Galaxy S26 Ultra has a custom version<\/p>\n

As will likely be the case with most of the best Android phones<\/a> of 2026, both the Xiaomi 17 Ultra and Galaxy S26 Ultra are equipped with Qualcomm\u2019s flagship processor: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. However, in true Samsung fashion, the Galaxy S26 Ultra\u2019s version is a custom-made process specifically designed for Galaxy smartphones (aptly titled Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy).<\/p>\n

\"SamsungSamsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)<\/p>\n

Although we haven\u2019t reviewed either phone yet, our experience with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 has been extremely positive. During our time with other handsets sporting the chip, we found things ran quickly and smoothly, and even intensive tasks were handled with ease. With that in mind, we can expect a similar performance from both the Xiaomi 17 Ultra and Galaxy S26 Ultra.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Either way, the Qualcomm chip is not only known for its speed and efficiency, but also for its ability to run on-device AI without a hitch. This is especially noteworthy for the Galaxy S26 Ultra, which is fitted with Samsung\u2019s entire Galaxy AI toolkit including Circle to Search<\/a> and Gemini access.<\/p>\n

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\"XiaomiXiaomi 17 Ultra. Image Credit (Xiaomi)<\/p>\n

Galaxy S26 Ultra is thinner and slightly lighter<\/p>\n

Although both handsets are equipped with a 6.9-inch display, their measurements differ slightly. While the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is 8.9mm thick, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is just 7.9mm \u2013 making it the thinnest Galaxy Ultra model ever. Considering the S26 Ultra still includes the S-Pen, this is a pretty impressive feat.<\/p>\n

\"GalaxySamsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)<\/p>\n

Despite the difference in thickness, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is only slightly lighter than the Xiaomi 17 Ultra. While the Galaxy S26 Ultra weighs 214g, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra weighs up to 219g (for the Starlit Green model, whereas Black and White weigh 218.4g), so the difference between the two shouldn\u2019t be particularly noticeable.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Galaxy S26 Ultra sports a Privacy Display<\/p>\n

Perhaps one of the most exciting new features of the Galaxy S26 Ultra is its clever built-in Privacy Display which shields itself away from prying eyes. The Privacy Display is customisable too, which means you can choose to set it on a per-app basis or even just hide specific areas of your display instead.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sure, this might not be the main reason you choose the Galaxy S26 Ultra over the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, however it\u2019s still a brilliant addition that we wish was available on more smartphones.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\"PrivacyPrivacy Display on Galaxy S26 Ultra. Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)<\/p>\n

Xiaomi 17 Ultra supports faster wired and wireless charging<\/p>\n

Samsung has never been famed for its mighty batteries and super speedy charging, and although the S26 Ultra sees some improvements over its predecessors, its specs don\u2019t quite measure up to the Xiaomi 17 Ultra\u2019s own. Even so, we should note that we\u2019ve always found recent Samsung Galaxy handsets offer a comfortable all-day battery life.<\/p>\n

Firstly, there\u2019s a pretty large difference between battery sizes. While the Galaxy S26 Ultra has an average-sounding 5000mAh cell, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra sports a 6000mAh battery instead. In addition, the Galaxy S26 Ultra supports 60W wired and 25W wireless charging too, with the former promising 75% charge in just 30 minutes. It\u2019s certainly an improvement over the 45W of the Galaxy S25 Ultra<\/a>, but it undoubtedly falls short of the Xiaomi 17 Ultra\u2019s whopping 90W.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Not only that, but the 17 Ultra also benefits from 50W wireless charging too.<\/p>\n

Galaxy S26 Ultra has four rear lenses<\/p>\n

It\u2019s fair to say that both the Galaxy S26 Ultra and Xiaomi 17 Ultra have their eyes set on the best camera phone<\/a> title and, although we haven\u2019t reviewed either yet, their respective specs sound promising.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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The Galaxy S26 Ultra sees more of a tweak rather than an overhaul from the Galaxy S25 Ultra, with the promise of brighter images captured from the 200MP main and 50MP telephoto lenses. Although we would have preferred more of an upgrade, considering the Galaxy S25 Ultra captured brilliant images in most lighting conditions, it\u2019s somewhat understandable why Samsung kept things similar.<\/p>\n

Otherwise, the Galaxy S26 Ultra also sports a 50MP ultrawide and another 10MP telephoto too, making for a total of four rear lenses.<\/p>\n

\"PhotographyXiaomi 17 Ultra and Photography Kit. Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)<\/p>\n

In comparison, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is made up of three rear cameras that were co-engineered with Leica: a 50MP main, 50MP ultrawide and a mighty 200MP telephoto which promises to reach an optical zoom of up to 17.2x. That\u2019s an impressive claim, and one we\u2019re keen to put to the test.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For especially keen photographers, you also have the option to purchase additional kits to further enhance your snaps. There\u2019s the standard Photography Kit which weighs just 48g and features a two-stage shutter button and a video recording button for precise control, while the Photography Kit Pro boasts an integrated 2000mAh battery which doubles as a power bank and a detachable shutter button.<\/p>\n

Early Verdict<\/p>\n

Both the Xiaomi 17 Ultra and Galaxy S26 Ultra are undoubtedly promising flagship Android smartphones, so choosing between them might be a difficult undertaking. Sure, both offer premium features but the Galaxy S26 Ultra does benefits from the inclusion of a Privacy Display and Galaxy AI.<\/p>\n

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That\u2019s not to say the Xiaomi 17 Ultra doesn\u2019t sport impressive features, as the Android boasts a mighty battery, speedy charging and Leica cameras too.\u00a0<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll have to review both handsets before coming to a clear verdict. Once we do, we\u2019ll be sure to update this versus.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s been a busy week for Androids, as Samsung and Xiaomi have both launched their respective flagship smartphones…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":505522,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[49,48,190,61],"class_list":{"0":"post-505521","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mobile","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-mobile","11":"tag-technology"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/505521","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=505521"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/505521\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/505522"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=505521"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=505521"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=505521"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}