iPhone XS Max vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
30Performance90
29.7Display62.7
35.3Camera74
23Battery61.2
73.3Features94.7
2 spec wins — iPhone XS Max17 spec wins — Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
InnoReviews verdict
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra wins this phone face-off, 76 to 33.9, pulling ahead mainly in performance (+60) and camera (+39). iPhone XS Max still makes sense if its price or standout specs fit your needs better.
Which would you pick?
Key differences
Reasons to pick the iPhone XS Max
- Lower launch price: $1,099 vs $1,299
Reasons to pick the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
- Stronger performance score: 90 vs 30
- Stronger display score: 63 vs 30
- Stronger camera score: 74 vs 35
- Stronger battery score: 61 vs 23
- Stronger features score: 95 vs 73
Display
| Spec | iPhone XS Max | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 6.5 ″ | 6.9 ″+6% |
| Panel type | OLED | LTPO AMOLED |
| Resolution | 2688x1242 | 3120x1440 |
| Pixel density | 458 ppi | 498 ppi+9% |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 120 Hz+100% |
| Peak brightness | 625 nits | 2,600 nits+316% |
| 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 XS Max | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Apple A12 Bionic | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy |
| AnTuTu 10 | 720,000Top 68% | 3,437,807+377%Top 2% |
| Geekbench 6 (single) | 1,100Top 63% | 3,850+250%Top 1% |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | 2,800Top 67% | 11,900+325%Top 1% |
| RAM (max) | 4 GB | 12 GB+200% |
| Storage options | 64GB / 256GB / 512GB | 256GB / 512GB / 1TB |
| Storage type | NVMe | UFS 4.1 |
Camera
| Spec | iPhone XS Max | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Main camera | 12 MP | 200 MP+1567% |
| Main aperture | f/1.8 | f/1.7 |
| Ultra-wide | — | 50 MP |
| Telephoto | 12 MP | 50 MP+317% |
| Optical zoom | 2 x | 5 x+150% |
| Max video | 4K@60fps | 8K@30fps |
| Front camera | 7 MP | 12 MP+71% |
| OIS | Yes | Yes |
Battery
| Spec | iPhone XS Max | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 3,174 mAh | 5,000 mAh+58% |
| Wired charging | 15 W | 60 W+300% |
| Wireless charging | 8 W | 25 W+233% |
Design
| Spec | iPhone XS Max | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 208 g+3% | 214 g |
| Thickness | 7.7 mm+3% | 7.9 mm |
| IP rating | IP68 | IP68 |
| Frame material | Stainless steel | Titanium |
Connectivity
| Spec | iPhone XS Max | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| 5G | No | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 5 | Wi-Fi 7 |
| Bluetooth | 5.0 | 5.4 |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| USB | Lightning | USB-C 3.2 |
| eSIM | Yes | Yes |
Software
| Spec | iPhone XS Max | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| OS at launch | iOS 12 | Android 16 (One UI 8.5) |
| OS update pledge | 6 years | 7 years+17% |
Audio
| Spec | iPhone XS Max | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Stereo speakers | Yes | Yes |
| 3.5mm jack | No | No |
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