Apple and Samsung’s premium flagship competition for 2026 can finally kick off in earnest. At its “Surprise and Shine” event, Apple unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro Max, several months after Samsung launched the Galaxy S26 Ultra. These are the two most expensive and feature-packed non-foldable phones that these companies make right now, so we figured we would put together a handy comparison for your sake.
We just started testing the iPhone 18 Pro Max, so there are some necessary limitations to our analysis, but here is our best estimation for how these two flagship smartphones stack up to each other.
Price
This one’s easy: Both the iPhone 18 Pro Max and Galaxy S26 Ultra have the same starting price of $1,299. Technically, the S26 Ultra costs $1,299.99, but we aren’t going to hold 99 cents against Samsung.
In either case, that’s a lot of money. But at least there’s no clear advantage in this regard between the two devices. You’re going to spend a minor fortune to get either of these phones, unless you take advantage of carrier deals from T-Mobile or Verizon.
Design and Specs
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra’s specs are as follows:
- Display: 6.9-inch display with 3,120×1,440 resolution and 120Hz refresh rate
- Processor: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
- RAM: 12GB
- Storage: 256/512GB/1TB
- Battery: 5,000mAh
- Rear cameras: 200MP wide, 50MP ultra-wide, 50MP telephoto, 10MP periscope telephoto
- Front camera: 12MP
And the iPhone 18 Pro Max’s go a little something like this:
- Display: 6.9-inch display with 2,868×1,320 resolution and 120Hz refresh rate
- Processor: A20 Pro
- RAM: 12GB
- Storage: 256/512GB/1TB/2TB
- Battery: 5,391 mAh
- Rear cameras: 48MP wide, 48MP ultra-wide, 48MP telephoto
- Front camera: 18MP
There are some differences to note here, of course. Samsung’s phone has a higher-resolution display, but photography isn’t all about the megapixels. Apple’s A20 Pro processor and the new variable aperture should result in incredible photographs if you know what you’re doing, and recently, Apple has also had an edge on video quality.
We’ll get to battery and camera differences in a little bit, but as you can see by the numbers, there are some gaps to discuss there, as well. Apple also has a 2TB storage option that Samsung doesn’t offer.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra’s processor delivered virtually flawless performance in our testing earlier this year, whether handling everyday tasks or more advanced AI processing. We haven’t gotten significant time with the Pro Max yet, but Apple’s history in this regard is very solid. I expect the A20 Pro chip to be just as good or better than the Ultra’s Snapdragon processor.
Let’s talk design for a second, too. Samsung’s phone is substantially lighter, as the S26 Ultra comes in at 214g versus the iPhone 18 Pro Max’s weight of 249g. The iPhone is also almost a full millimeter thicker, at 8.75mm against Samsung’s 7.9mm of depth. Their other physical dimensions are close enough to be negligible, but there’s a real likelihood that the S26 Ultra is a more comfortable phone to hold in the hand for most people.
People also care a lot about colors. Samsung offers six colors for the S26 Ultra: Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue, Black, White, Silver Shadow, and Pink Gold. In the other corner, Apple’s choices are more limited: Black, Silver, Glacier, and Burgundy. You may very well find one iPhone color you like way more than anything else in the Samsung lineup, as this is a matter of personal taste, but Samsung is objectively offering more choices here.
What the S26 Ultra Has That the iPhone Doesn’t
The Galaxy S26 Ultra has one hardware trick you can’t find on any other device: Privacy Display. This feature blacks out the screen for anyone trying to peek at it, letting you browse Instagram, or whatever else you find on the internet, in public. It can even black out portions of the screen, such as specific apps or notifications. This feature isn’t perfect, but it works pretty well, and you won’t find it on any other premium flagship right now.
Finally, don’t forget that the S26 Ultra also comes with a built-in stylus. And yet it still weighs less than the iPhone.
AI Features
Everyone is going all-in on AI for their software suites these days, so let’s discuss that.
On Apple’s side, the big Siri AI update for iOS still isn’t out at the time of publication. It’ll launch alongside the new iPhones, so we’ll have more to say on that soon. It will turn Siri into a bona fide chatbot and AI app powered by Google Gemini, with complete access to your calendar, contacts, and emails. It can use all of that personal context to perform time-saving, context-sensitive actions for you, at least in theory.
There’s also an enhanced Image Playground update to generate more realistic images, along with additional image-editing features, such as the ability to reframe photos. Conveniently, you’ll also be able to use text prompts to generate Shortcuts. That could be nice, assuming it works.
But, let’s be clear: Apple is definitely playing catch-up in the AI race, and Samsung has a multi-year head-start. Galaxy phones like the S26 Ultra have had sophisticated AI photo editing tools for awhile. Samsung’s phone also comes with Gemini, Circle to Search is omnipresent, and the Now Nudge feature.
Battery Life
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra had an even 5,000mAh battery cell inside of it, which gave it 31 hours of video playback time in our testing. That’s pretty damn good! A battery like that will last you an entire day and then some if you’re not using it for any funny business.
We haven’t properly tested the iPhone 18 Pro Max battery yet, but it has a bigger cell and Apple rates it for an astounding “up to 45 hours” of video playback. We’ll believe it when we see it.
The Bottom Line
Both phones are expensive, both have 12GB of RAM, both have 1TB storage options, and both have 120Hz displays. But the differences start piling up once you look past the surface.
The S26 Ultra is lighter, thinner, and comes with a stylus and Privacy Display. The iPhone 18 Pro Max has a bigger battery, a variable aperture, and a 2TB storage option. Samsung is ahead on colors and AI features, while Apple is playing catch-up in the chatbot space.
“It’ll launch alongside the new iPhones, so we’ll have more to say on that soon.”
The winner depends on what you value most. If you want the lightest phone with the most features, the S26 Ultra is the pick. If you want the longest battery life and the most storage, the iPhone 18 Pro Max edges it. Either way, you’re spending over a thousand dollars, so make sure it’s the one you actually want.
Here’s a quick recap of the key specs at a glance:
| Feature | iPhone 18 Pro Max | Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1,299 | $1,299.99 |
| Display | 2,868×1,320 | 3,120×1,440 |
| Processor | A20 Pro | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 |
| RAM | 12GB | 12GB |
| Storage | 256/512GB/1TB/2TB | 256/512GB/1TB |
| Battery | 5,391 mAh | 5,000mAh |
| Rear Cameras | 48MP triple | 200MP quad |
| Front Camera | 18MP | 12MP |
| Color choices | Apple 4, Samsung 6 | |
| Weight | 249g | 214g |
| Stylus | None | Built-in |
Both phones are worth a hands-on session before you commit.
Source: mashable.com
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