iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: Which premium flagship phone wins?
iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: Which premium flagship phone wins?
https://www.zdnet.com/article/iphone-17-pro-max-vs-samsung-galaxy-s26-ultra/
Publish Date: 2026-02-25 13:55:00
Source Domain: www.zdnet.com
Prakhar Khanna and Jason Hiner/ZDNET
Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.
Samsung’s February Unpacked 2026 event has left us with a new trio of flagship phones, the most premium being the Galaxy S26 Ultra. On the other side of the coin, Apple’s best phone, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is $100 cheaper, and has its own pros and cons, but they are both truly exceptional.
You might be wondering which one to buy. The easy answer is, “Stick with whichever OS you have now,” but in all honesty, both phones are good enough to justify a switch. If you’re going to go, go big! It doesn’t get much bigger than these two powerhouses, so let’s dive in and see which one is the winner.
Also: Samsung Unpacked 2026 live blog: Updates on Galaxy S26 Ultra, preorder deals, and pricing
As it happens, I carry the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and also the latest Android phone, and it doesn’t get much more “latest” than the S26 Ultra, so these opinions are based on prior experience with the S25 Ultra, a good amount of hands on time with the S26 Ultra, and the specs we have on hand.
Specifications
|
iPhone 17 Pro Max |
Samsung Galaxy S26 |
|
|
Display |
6.9 AMOLED with 120Hz, 3000 nits peak |
6.9″ QHD AMOLED 120Hz, TBD nits peak |
|
Weight |
233g |
214g |
|
Processor |
Apple A19 Pro |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy |
|
Storage |
256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB |
256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
|
Battery |
5,088mAh, 25W wired charging and 25W wireless charging |
5,000mAh, 60W wired charging and 25W wireless charging |
|
Camera |
48MP wide / 48MP Ultra Wide / 48MP telephoto (4xx) / 18MP front |
200MP wide / 50MP telephoto (5x) / 10MP telephoto (3x) / 50 MP ultrawide / 12MP front |
|
Price |
Starting at $1,199 |
Starting at $1,299 |
You should buy the iPhone 17 Pro Max if…
Jason Hiner/ZDNET
1. You (or your family) are in the Apple ecosystem
Platform lock-in is a thing, and Apple has it better than most. Apple provides an entire ecosystem of devices and cross-device functionality that most other OEMs can’t match. It’s not that Samsung doesn’t have an ecosystem of its own,…
