Every year brings an iPhone vs Galaxy flagship phone face-off, and while 2026 is no exception, things could be a little different this time around. With reports that Apple might shake up its phone release schedule with staggered launches, that could leave only the iPhone 18 Pro models to take on Samsung’s Galaxy S26 offerings later this year.

That would seemingly give Samsung an advantage, at least when it comes to entry-level models. The standard Galaxy S26 figures to be less expensive than the iPhone 18 Pro, even with smartphone pricing up in the air these days. But Apple could have a much more compelling phone on its hands that makes the price gap less relevant.

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Galaxy Unpacked 2026. The speculation is the event will take place in late February, which would mean the Galaxy S26 is on track to show up in March.

Even with the later than expected launch date, Samsung should have a six-month head start on Apple, which doesn’t release its new phones until the fall. This year, reports claim Apple will only release iPhone 18 Pro models — the standard Pro and the Pro Max — pushing back the regular iPhone 18 release to the spring of 2027.

If both companies stick to their current prices, the Galaxy S26 will have a $300 edge on the iPhone 18 Pro. Samsung currently charges $799 for the Galaxy S25, while the iPhone 17 Pro starts at $1,099.

However, both Samsung and Apple could have a hard time holding the line on those prices. Demand for RAM has caused prices to spike, and it’s unclear how that might affect what device makers charge for phones. Already, we’ve heard reports that Samsung may raise Galaxy S26 prices in some reasons as it tries to strike a balance between offering an attractively priced flagship that remains profitable for the company.

iPhone 18 Pro switching to under-display Face ID sensors with a punch-hole camera while other reports simply claim that the Dynamic Island will be smaller on the new Apple Pro models.

There’s talk of the Galaxy S26’s display growing every so slightly from the 6.2-inch panel found on the current model. That would give us a 6.3-inch screen, matching the dimensions of the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro — and presumably, the iPhone 18 Pro.

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While we’re talking about displays, a report claims that Samsung will use the same type of panel on the Galaxy S26 that Apple puts on its phones. The result should be a brighter screen, though Apple could always top that with an improved display of its own when the iPhone 18 Pro arrives. While the Galaxy S26 Ultra is expected to get a Privacy Display feature that blocks onlookers from seeing the contents of your screen, it’s not clear if that feature is slated for Samsung’s less expensive flagships.

Leaked specs show the Galaxy S26 with the same 50MP main, 12MP ultrawide and 10MP zoom lenses as the Galaxy S25. There has been some talk of a new main camera sensor that would be larger and let in more light. Early claims that the ultrawide lens would get an upgrade to a 50MP sensor have faded as of late.

In contrast, the iPhone 18 Pro has been tipped to feature a main camera with a variable aperture. This would allow the camera to adjust how much light gets let in based on different conditions, and it would give photographers more control over their shot.

Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, Qualcomm’s latest silicon, which has proven to be a formidable performer based on both our own benchmarks with a reference device as well as in tests of the OnePlus 15.

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Phone (chipset)

Geekbench (single core/multicore)

3DMark Solar Bay Unlimited (fps)

OnePlus 15 (Snapdrarong 8 Elite Gen 5)

3,618 / 11,116

49.6

Qualcomm Reference Device (Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5)

3,832 / 12,208

55.3

iPhone 17 Pro (A19 Pro)

3,701 / 9,460

45

Samsung Galaxy S25 (Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy)

2,916 / 9,886

42.4

But Samsung may have other plans in mind, depending on which Galaxy S26 model we’re talking about and where it’s released. As is usual ahead of a big Samsung phone launch, there’s reports that some models of the Galaxy S26 are going to feature an Exynos 2600 chipset.

Normally, that’s a cause for concern, as Exynos chips tend to lag behind their Snapdragon counterparts when it comes to performance. However, Samsung says the Exynos 2600 is a 2nm Gate-All-Around (GAA) manufacturing process, which should lead to bigger gains in both power and efficiency than what you’d get from a 3nm chip.

There’s no mystery as to the silicon Apple will likely use in the iPhone 18 Pro. After debuting the A19 Pro system-on-chip for its iPhone 17 Pro models, we’re expecting an A20 Pro to power the iPhone 18 Pro. And that chip’s also supposed to be built on a 2nm process for performance gains of its own.

a smarter version of Siri that incorporates Google Gemini to Apple’s current iPhones. While the iOS 27 software update isn’t coming until the fall, giving time for Apple to add more features, iOS 26.4 should be our first hint as to how Apple Intelligence compares to Galaxy AI.

Because make no mistake — Apple’s AI tool log behind the competition. And that’s before the Galaxy S26 introduces even more Galaxy AI features. We’re not sure what Samsung has planned, but the lack of big hardware changes to this year’s Galaxy S26 models would suggest the phone maker is putting all of its eggs in the AI basket to win over upgraders.

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