I put iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra through a 7-round face-off — here’s which is best for you

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

iPhone 17 Pro Max

Display size

6.9-inch AMOLED

6.9-inch OLED

Refresh rate

1-120Hz

1-120Hz

Chipset

Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy

A19 Pro

Memory

12GB/16GB

12GB

Storage

256GB, 512GB

256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB

Rear cameras

200MP main, 50MP ultrawide, 50MP 5x telephoto, 10MP 3x telephoto

48MP main, 48MP ultrawide, 48MP 4x telephoto

Front camera

12MP selfie

18MP selfie

Battery size

5,000 mAh

4,823 mAh (SIM) / 5,088 mAh (eSIM)

Charging speed

60W wired, 25W wireless

40W wired, 25W wireless

Size

6.44 x 3.07 x 0.31 in (163.6 x 78.1 x 7.9 mm)

6.43 x 3.07 x 0.35 in (163.4 x 78 x 8.8 mm)

Weight

7.55 oz (214g)

8.22oz (233g)

Colors

Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue, Black, White, (Silver Shadow, Pink Gold online only)

Silver, Cosmic Orange, Deep Blue

(Image credit: Tom’s Guide / John Velasco)

The iPhone 17 Pro Max was released last September, with a starting price of $1,199. That got you a model with 256GB of storage, though higher storage options are available. 512GB costs $1,399, 1TB costs $1,599, and 2TB will set you back $1,999.

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra went on sale in this March, with a starting price of $1,299 for a 256GB model. 512GB models are available for $1,499, and 1TB will cost you $1,699. There is no 2TB option available, and in the case of all phones, you’re paying an extra $100 compared to the iPhone 17 Pro Max equivalent.

Winner: iPhone 17 Pro Max

Today’s best Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max deals

(Image credit: Future)

The last couple of years has seen Samsung do away with the recognizable, right-angled phone design in favor of something more rounded and distinctly more iPhone-like than previous devices. Though Apple has seemingly countered with a somewhat unique design, that has proved a little controversial.

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(Image credit: Future)

In line with the near-identical dimensions, both the Galaxy S26 Ultra and iPhone 17 Pro Max feature 6.9-inch OLED displays. Both offer the same 1-120Hz LTPO adaptive refresh rate, though the resolution differs slightly. Samsung opted for a WQHD+ resolution (1440 x 3120) with a 500ppi pixel density. Apple opted for a slightly lower resolution of 1320 x 2868, leading to a slightly lower pixel density of 460ppi.

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Peak brightness (nits)

DCI-P3 (%)

Delta-E color accuracy (lower is better)

sRGB (%)

iPhone 17 Pro Max

1,899

77.6

0.26

109.6

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

1,806

106.9 (vivid)

0.29 (Vivid)

151 (Vivid)

There’s more to these displays than basic specs on a sheet. We did our own testing to see just how capable each display was, and the results were interesting, to say the least.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max proved to be a little bit brighter, with a peak brightness of 1,899 nits compared to Samsung’s 1,806. In both cases, that’s significantly lower than the respective 3,000 and 2,600 nits that Apple and Samsung promised us.

But brightness apparently doesn’t cover everything. The iPhone 17 Pro Max doesn’t cover nearly as much of the color gamut, with a DCI-P3 score of 77.7% and sRGB score of 109.6. In comparison, the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s Vivid display mode (which is on by default) hit a 106.9% DCI-P3 rating and a 151% sRGB score.

That said, the iPhone 17 Pro Max had a slightly lower Delta-e score of 0.26 to Samsung’s 0.29. In this case, the lower number is the better one, and means the accuracy of Apple’s color reproduction is slightly better than what Samsung offers. Though, it’s not enough to snatch a win.

If there’s one thing that earns the Galaxy S26 Ultra this win here, it’s mostly due to its Privacy Display. When activated, it prevents people from seeing what’s on the screen unless they’re directly looking straight at it. This is unlike anything out there, making it a valuable tool when you don’t want people snooping when you’re out in public.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)

Apple’s A-series chips have long been the reigning champion when it comes to mobile performance. To the point where Apple was able to stick an older model into a laptop, and have it run just fine. But Snapdragon chips have been catching up fast, especially with the custom variants Samsung employs in its own flagships.

So how does the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy compare against the Apple A19 Pro?

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iPhone 17 Pro Max

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

Geekbench single core

3,871

3,785

Geekbench multi core

9,968

11,563

3DMark Wild Life Extreme Unlimited (score/fps)

5,855 / 35.03

6,645 / 39.8

Quite well, as you can see in the table above. The A19 Pro still beats the Snapdragon in single-core benchmark tests. But with a score of 3,871 to 3,785, there are fewer than 100 points between the two phones — meaning the difference is fairly negligible.

The same can’t be said for multi-core testing, with Samsung leaving Apple behind in its dust. Combining the efforts of the Snapdragon cores led to a score of 11,563, while A19 Pro was only able to reach 9,968. It’s not to say that this is a bad score, it’s just that it isn’t as good as what Samsung could produce during the benchmark tests.

Samsung also triumphed in graphics processing, though this is less surprising. Snapdragon chips have been outperforming A-series chips in these tests for a few years now, and it seems Apple hasn’t been able to fully catch up just yet.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra scored 6,645 in the 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Unlimited test, alongside an average frame rate of 39.8 fps. Meanwhile, the iPhone 17 Pro Max lagged at 5,855 and 35.03 fps.

Apple may have the slight edge when it comes to single-core benchmarking, but the Galaxy S26 Ultra beat out the iPhone 17 Pro Max in all other benchmarking testing — making it the clear winner.

Winner: Galaxy S26 Ultra

(Image credit: Future)

Looking at outdoor shots during the day, it’s a pretty tough call to make. Both phones take good quality photos, but it feels like the Galaxy S26 Ultra has the edge. The photo is darker than the one shot on the iPhone 17 Pro Max, but the extra contrast creates a much more appealing shot of this Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray.

It looks like a similar story with the ultrawide lens at first glance. But while the iPhone 17 Pro Max doesn’t quite have the same contrast as the Galaxy S26 Ultra, it does manage to capture more detail in the process. Just look at the brickwork in the far building and you’ll see what I mean.

With the selfie camera the Galaxy S26 Ultra ends up looking a little washed out when compared to the iPhone 17 Pro Max. The Galaxy also produced a lot more noise in the shot, and affected the overall quality in the process — making this an easy win for the iPhone.

On the flipside, 40x zoomed in shots are an easy win for the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. The quality is far from perfect on both phones, but when you’re talking about zoom levels in excess of 10x magnification, a loss of quality is guaranteed.

The Galaxy’s extra optical zoom helps the camera pick out more details and offering up sharper image in the process. The iPhone doesn’t do too badly, but there’s a noticeably dip in quality when you look at them side by side.

The iPhone manages to pick it back up in the low-light photography test, offering up an all-around better photo than the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. The iPhone 17 Pro Max’s photo is bright, clear, and doesn’t suffer from the same level of glare off the street lights as the Galaxy.

Both phones have their respective flaws and strengths in the camera department, but in the grand scheme of things they are fairly evenly matched. That said it feels as though the Samsung really needs to up its low-light game, because there’s only so far that 200MP main camera sensor can carry you.

However, it’s hard to overlook at all the other features that the Galaxy S26 Ultra brings to the table. Not only does it have more shooting modes that appeal to creators, including a pro mode with manual controls, you also have access to way more post-shooting tools on the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

Winner: Galaxy S26 Ultra

(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)

(Image credit: Future)

(Image credit: Future)

There’s no clear winner when it comes to the face-off between the iPhone 17 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra — sacrilegious as some people might find that assessment. Both phones have a lot to offer, even if they fall behind in some categories. Whether that’s Samsung offering slightly lower battery life, or Apple not quite reaching the performance heights it once offered.

That said, you can’t argue that there are some serious blunders on both sides as well. Apple’s AI division is light years behind what Samsung (and google) have come up with, and that gap is only getting larger as time goes on. At the same time, I still find myself baffled that Galaxy Ultra phones have been more expensive than Pro Max iPhones for the past few years.

There’s no wrong option here, and it will inevitably come down to personal preferences over the look and feel of the phone. That’s in terms of both hardware and software. Because what good is it to have a phone you hate using, or hate the look of?