iPhone 18 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
91.1Performance90
65.4Display62.7
63.7Camera74
76.7Battery61.2
100Features94.7
5 spec wins — iPhone 18 Pro Max8 spec wins — Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
InnoReviews verdict
iPhone 18 Pro Max wins this phone face-off, 78.5 to 76, pulling ahead mainly in battery (+16) and features (+5). Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra still makes sense if its price or standout specs fit your needs better.
Which would you pick?
Key differences
Reasons to pick the iPhone 18 Pro Max
- Stronger battery score: 77 vs 61
- Stronger features score: 100 vs 95
- 50% higher Front camera: 18 MP vs 12 MP
- 23% higher Geekbench 6 (single): 4,735 vs 3,850
- 15% higher Peak brightness: 3,000 nits vs 2,600 nits
Reasons to pick the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
- Stronger camera score: 74 vs 64
- 317% higher Main camera: 200 MP vs 48 MP
- 25% higher Optical zoom: 5 x vs 4 x
- 14% lower weight: 214 g vs 249 g
- 13% higher Wired charging: 60 W vs 53 W
Display
| Spec | iPhone 18 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 6.9 ″ | 6.9 ″ |
| Panel type | LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED | LTPO AMOLED |
| Resolution | 1320x2868 | 3120x1440 |
| Pixel density | 460 ppi | 498 ppi+8% |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Peak brightness | 3,000 nits+15% | 2,600 nits |
| Screen-to-body | 90.7 % | — |
Performance
| Spec | iPhone 18 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Apple A20 Pro | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy |
| AnTuTuDifferent AnTuTu versions — not compared | 3,463,072 | 3,437,807Top 6% |
| AnTuTu 11 (CPU) | — | 1,017,509Top 6% |
| AnTuTu 11 (GPU) | — | 1,344,505Top 3% |
| AnTuTu 11 (Memory) | — | 390,717Top 6% |
| AnTuTu 11 (UX) | — | 685,076Top 6% |
| Geekbench 6 (single) | 4,735+23%Top 1% | 3,850Top 2% |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | 12,794+8%Top 2% | 11,900Top 3% |
| Wild Life Extreme stability | 57 %Top 75% | — |
| RAM (max) | 12 GB | 12 GB |
| Storage options | 256/512GB/1TB/2TB | 256GB / 512GB / 1TB |
| Storage type | NVMe | UFS 4.1 |
Camera
| Spec | iPhone 18 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Main camera | 48 MP | 200 MP+317% |
| Main aperture | f/1.5-4.0 | f/1.7 |
| Ultra-wide | 48 MP | 50 MP+4% |
| Telephoto | 48 MP | 50 MP+4% |
| Optical zoom | 4 x | 5 x+25% |
| Max video | 4K@120fps | 8K@30fps |
| Front camera | 18 MP+50% | 12 MP |
| OIS | Yes | Yes |
Battery
| Spec | iPhone 18 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 5,391 mAh+8% | 5,000 mAh |
| Wired charging | 53 W | 60 W+13% |
| Wireless charging | 25 W | 25 W |
| Active use endurance | 19.3 h | — |
Design
| Spec | iPhone 18 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 249 g | 214 g+14% |
| Thickness | 8.8 mm | 7.9 mm+10% |
| IP rating | IP68 | IP68 |
| Frame material | Aluminum unibody | Titanium |
Connectivity
| Spec | iPhone 18 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| 5G | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 7 |
| Bluetooth | 6.0 | 5.4 |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| USB | USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 | USB-C 3.2 |
| eSIM | Yes | Yes |
Software
| Spec | iPhone 18 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| OS at launch | iOS 27 | Android 16 (One UI 8.5) |
| OS update pledge | — | 7 years |
Audio
| Spec | iPhone 18 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Stereo speakers | Yes | Yes |
| 3.5mm jack | No | No |
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