iPhone SE (3rd gen) vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
44Performance90
21.3Display62.7
31.9Camera74
27.7Battery61.2
89.3Features94.7
2 spec wins — iPhone SE (3rd gen)15 spec wins — Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
InnoReviews verdict
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra wins this phone face-off, 76 to 38.3, pulling ahead mainly in performance (+46) and camera (+42). iPhone SE (3rd gen) still makes sense if its price or standout specs fit your needs better.
Which would you pick?
Key differences
Reasons to pick the iPhone SE (3rd gen)
- 33% lower weight: 144 g vs 214 g
- Lower launch price: $429 vs $1,299
Reasons to pick the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
- Stronger performance score: 90 vs 44
- Stronger display score: 63 vs 21
- Stronger camera score: 74 vs 32
- Stronger battery score: 61 vs 28
- Stronger features score: 95 vs 89
Display
| Spec | iPhone SE (3rd gen) | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 4.7 ″ | 6.9 ″+47% |
| Panel type | Retina IPS LCD | LTPO AMOLED |
| Resolution | 750x1334 | 3120x1440 |
| Pixel density | 326 ppi | 498 ppi+53% |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 120 Hz+100% |
| Peak brightness | 625 nits | 2,600 nits+316% |
| Screen-to-body | 65.4 % | — |
| AnTuTu 10 (CPU) | — | 1,017,509Top 7% |
| AnTuTu 10 (GPU) | — | 1,344,505Top 4% |
| AnTuTu 10 (Memory) | — | 390,717Top 7% |
| AnTuTu 10 (UX) | — | 685,076Top 7% |
Performance
| Spec | iPhone SE (3rd gen) | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Apple A15 Bionic | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy |
| AnTuTu 10 | 890,000Top 59% | 3,437,807+286%Top 2% |
| Geekbench 6 (single) | 2,100Top 27% | 3,850+83%Top 1% |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | 5,200Top 32% | 11,900+129%Top 1% |
| RAM (max) | 4 GB | 12 GB+200% |
| Storage options | 64/128/256GB | 256GB / 512GB / 1TB |
| Storage type | NVMe | UFS 4.1 |
Camera
| Spec | iPhone SE (3rd gen) | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Main camera | 12 MP | 200 MP+1567% |
| Main aperture | f/1.8 | f/1.7 |
| Ultra-wide | — | 50 MP |
| Telephoto | — | 50 MP |
| Optical zoom | 1 x | 5 x+400% |
| Max video | 4K@60fps | 8K@30fps |
| Front camera | 7 MP | 12 MP+71% |
| OIS | Yes | Yes |
Battery
| Spec | iPhone SE (3rd gen) | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 2,018 mAh | 5,000 mAh+148% |
| Wired charging | 20 W | 60 W+200% |
| Wireless charging | 8 W | 25 W+233% |
| Active use endurance | 7 h | — |
Design
| Spec | iPhone SE (3rd gen) | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 144 g+33% | 214 g |
| Thickness | 7.3 mm+8% | 7.9 mm |
| IP rating | IP67 | IP68 |
| Frame material | Aluminum | Titanium |
Connectivity
| Spec | iPhone SE (3rd gen) | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| 5G | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6 | Wi-Fi 7 |
| Bluetooth | 5.0 | 5.4 |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| USB | Lightning | USB-C 3.2 |
| eSIM | Yes | Yes |
Software
| Spec | iPhone SE (3rd gen) | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| OS at launch | iOS 15 | Android 16 (One UI 8.5) |
| OS update pledge | 6 years | 7 years+17% |
Audio
| Spec | iPhone SE (3rd gen) | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Stereo speakers | Yes | Yes |
| 3.5mm jack | No | No |
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