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Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Better figure, where one is clearly better

AppleiPhone 18 Pro MaxSamsungGalaxy S26 Ultra
Overview
ReleasedSeptember 2026March 2026
Display
Screen size6.9″6.9″
Resolution2868 × 13203120 × 1440
Sharpness458 pixels per inch498 pixels per inch
PanelLTPO OLEDLTPO OLED
Refresh rate120 Hz120 Hz
Peak brightness3,000 nits2,600 nits
Display typeSuper Retina XDR OLED display with a smaller Dynamic Island (up to three Live Activities)Dynamic AMOLED 2X, QHD+, 16M colours; 120 Hz adaptive refresh rate (1–120 Hz)
Pixel density460 ppi–
Brightness detail1,000 nits max (typical); 1,600 nits peak (HDR); 1 nit minimum–
Always-on displayYes–
Screen protectionCeramic Shield 2 front, Ceramic Shield backCorning Gorilla Armor 2
Display featuresProMotion adaptive refresh; HDR; True Tone; Wide colour (P3); Haptic Touch; 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio (typical); anti-reflective coatingBuilt-in Privacy Display; anti-reflective display; Vision booster; ProScaler and mDNIe image processing
Performance
ChipA20 ProSnapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy
Memory12 GB12 GB – 16 GB
Storage256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB
CPU6-core CPU with 2 super cores and 4 efficiency cores; 2-nanometre processOcta-core (4.74 GHz, 3.6 GHz)
GPU7-core GPU with Neural Accelerators; hardware-accelerated ray tracing–
AI engineDual 16-core Neural Engine–
CoolingNext-generation vapour chamber with three times the surface area of iPhone 17 Pro'sRedesigned Vapor Chamber, Samsung's largest yet, with thermal interface material along the sides of the processor
Cameras
Main camera48 MP200 MP
Ultra wide camera48 MP50 MP
Telephoto camera48 MP50 MP
Optical zoom4×5×
Front camera18 MP12 MP
Main camera48MP Fusion Main with variable aperture (ƒ/1.48, ƒ/1.8, ƒ/2.8, ƒ/4.0), 24 mm, second-generation sensor-shift optical image stabilisation, 100% Focus Pixels; 24MP and 48MP photos200 MP wide, F1.4
Ultra wide camera48MP Fusion Ultra Wide, 13 mm, ƒ/2.2 aperture, 120° field of view, Hybrid Focus Pixels; 24MP and 48MP photos50 MP, F1.9
Telephoto camera48MP Fusion Telephoto, 100 mm (4x), ƒ/2.8 aperture, Hybrid Focus Pixels, 3D sensor-shift optical image stabilisation and autofocus, tetraprism design; 24MP and 48MP photos50 MP, F2.9, 5x optical zoom
Second telephoto camera–10 MP, F2.4, 3x optical zoom
Front camera18MP Center Stage camera, ƒ/1.9 aperture, autofocus with Focus Pixels12 MP, F2.2, autofocus
Zoom12MP optical-quality 2x (48 mm) from the Main camera and 8x (200 mm) from the Telephoto camera; 8x optical-quality zoom in, 2x optical zoom out (16x optical-quality zoom range); digital zoom up to 40x3x and 5x optical zoom; 2x and 10x optical-quality zoom (Adaptive Pixel sensor); digital zoom up to 100x
Video recording4K Dolby Vision at 24, 25, 30 or 60 fps, and at 100 or 120 fps on the Fusion Main camera; Cinematic mode up to 4K Dolby Vision at 60 fps, with effects applied after capture; Action mode up to 2.8K Dolby Vision at 60 fps; slo-mo 1080p up to 240 fps and 4K Dolby Vision up to 120 fps (Fusion Main); ProRes up to 4K at 120 fps with external recording; ProRes RAW; Apple Log 2; ACES; genlock; spatial video at 1080p 30 fps; Dual Capture up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30 fps; HEVC, H.264, ProRes and ProRes RAWUp to 8K (7680 × 4320) at 30 fps; APV codec; slow motion at 240 fps (FHD) and 120 fps (FHD and UHD)
Front video4K Dolby Vision at 24, 25, 30 or 60 fps; Cinematic mode up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30 fps; ProRes up to 4K at 60 fps with external recording; ProRes RAW; Apple Log 2; slo-mo 1080p at 120 fps–
Camera featuresPro controls for aperture, shutter speed, white balance and histogram; Apple Reference Image; Photographic Styles 3; smart focus tracking; Photonic Engine; Deep Fusion; Smart HDR 5; Night mode; ProRAW; spatial photos; 48MP macro photography; Adaptive True Tone flash; LiDAR Scanner; four studio-quality mics; Camera ControlNightography; Super Steady with Horizontal Lock
Battery and charging
Battery5,391 mAh5,000 mAh
Video playback (maker's claim)Up to 43 hoursUp to 31 hours
Wired charging–Up to 60 W
Wireless chargingUp to 25 WYes (wattage not published)
Battery life detailUp to 29 hours typical use; up to 38 hours streamed video playback; EU energy label class A, 62 hours per charge, at least 1,000 charge cyclesRated (minimum) capacity 4,855 mAh; at least 1,200 charge cycles; EU energy class A
Wired chargingUp to 50% in around 15 minutes with a 60W-capable USB PD 3.1 adapter with Adjustable Voltage Supply (sold separately)Super Fast Charging 3.0, up to 75% in around 30 minutes with a 60 W adapter (sold separately); QC2.0 and AFC PD compatible
Wireless chargingMagSafe and Qi2 up to 25W; up to 50% in 30 minutes with a 35W adapter or higherSuper Fast Wireless Charging (WPC); Samsung doesn't state the wattage
Charges other devices–Wireless PowerShare
Connectivity
Satellite messagingYesYes
Mobile networkApple C2 modem; 5G (sub-6GHz) with 4x4 MIMO; Gigabit LTE with 4x4 MIMO; UK model A37175G Sub6 (FDD, TDD, SDL); 4G LTE (FDD, TDD); 3G WCDMA; 2G GSM
SIMDual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM); dual eSIM supportTwo nano-SIMs, nano-SIM and eSIM, or dual eSIM
Wi-FiWi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2x2 MIMO; Apple N1 wireless networking chipWi-Fi 7 (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be), 2.4, 5 and 6 GHz, EHT320, MIMO, 4096-QAM
BluetoothBluetooth 6; ThreadBluetooth 6.0
Ultra WidebandApple second-generation Ultra Wideband chipYes
NFCNFC with reader mode; Express Cards with power reserveYes
Satellite featuresEmergency SOS via satellite; Roadside Assistance via satellite; Find My via satelliteWorks with O2 Satellite in the UK (texts, supported apps, maps and location sharing where O2 has no signal; not emergency calls); satellite texting and emergency SOS with Verizon in the US
USBUSB-C with charging, DisplayPort and USB 3 (up to 10Gb/s); video out up to 4K HDRUSB Type-C, USB 3.2 Gen 1
PositioningPrecision dual-frequency GPS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou and NavIC); digital compass; iBeacon micro-locationGPS, Glonass, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS
Design
TypeStandardStandard
Weight249 g214 g
Thickness8.75 mm7.9 mm
Height × width163.4 × 78 mm163.6 × 78.1 mm
Water and dust resistanceIP68IP68
Stylus–Yes
MaterialsAluminium unibody design with colour-matched backArmor Aluminum frame; Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 back
ColoursBlack, Silver, Glacier, BurgundyCobalt Violet, White, Black, Sky Blue; Pink Gold and Silver Shadow (Samsung.com only)
ButtonsAction button; Camera Control; side button; volume up/down–
Water resistance detailIP68 (maximum depth of 6 metres up to 30 minutes) under IEC standard 60529IP68, dust-tight and tested for submersion in up to 1.5 m of fresh water for up to 30 minutes
BiometricsFace IDFingerprint sensor
SensorsLiDAR Scanner; barometer; high dynamic range gyro; high-g accelerometer; proximity sensor; dual ambient light sensorsAccelerometer, barometer, fingerprint sensor, gyro sensor, geomagnetic sensor, Hall sensor, light sensor, proximity sensor
SpeakersBuilt-in stereo speakersStereo speakers
MicrophonesFour studio-quality mics; Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum modes–
Software
Operating systemiOSAndroid
Software at launchiOS 27One UI 8.5 (Android 16)
Software updatesSecurity, corrective and functionality updates for at least 5 years after it stops being sold (EU product information sheet)Security updates until 28 February 2033 (UK)
AI featuresApple Intelligence; Siri AI (beta, English at launch); Visual IntelligenceGalaxy AI, including Now Nudge, Now Brief, Photo Assist and Creative Studio; a choice of agents including Bixby, Gemini and Perplexity
Safety featuresCrash Detection–
In the boxiPhone 18 Pro Max, USB-C Charge Cable (1 m); no power adapter–

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