POCO M5 vs Samsung Galaxy S26
27Performance81
45.6Display60
29Camera47.3
38.8Battery62.1
28Features94.7
3 spec wins — POCO M515 spec wins — Samsung Galaxy S26
InnoReviews verdict
Samsung Galaxy S26 wins this phone face-off, 67.7 to 33.6, pulling ahead mainly in features (+67) and performance (+54). POCO M5 still makes sense if its price or standout specs fit your needs better.
Which would you pick?
Key differences
Reasons to pick the POCO M5
- 16% higher capacity: 5,000 mAh vs 4,300 mAh
- Has 3.5mm jack — the other doesn't
- Lower launch price: $189 vs $900
Reasons to pick the Samsung Galaxy S26
- Stronger performance score: 81 vs 27
- Stronger display score: 60 vs 46
- Stronger camera score: 47 vs 29
- Stronger battery score: 62 vs 39
- Stronger features score: 95 vs 28
Display
| Spec | POCO M5 | Samsung Galaxy S26 |
|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 6.58 ″+4% | 6.3 ″ |
| Panel type | IPS LCD | Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X |
| Resolution | 2408x1080 | 1080x2340 |
| Pixel density | 401 ppi | 411 ppi+2% |
| Refresh rate | 90 Hz | 120 Hz+33% |
| Peak brightness | — | 2,600 nits |
| Screen-to-body | — | 90 % |
Performance
| Spec | POCO M5 | Samsung Galaxy S26 |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | MediaTek Helio G99 | Samsung Exynos 2600 (Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy in the US, China and Japan) |
| AnTuTu | 555,354 | 3,064,672+452% |
| Geekbench 6 (single) | 730Bottom 13% | 2,995+310%Top 14% |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | 2,010Bottom 18% | 10,824+439%Top 4% |
| RAM (max) | 4 GB | 12 GB+200% |
| Storage options | 64GB / 128GB | 256GB/512GB |
| Storage type | eMMC 5.1 | UFS 4.0 |
Camera
| Spec | POCO M5 | Samsung Galaxy S26 |
|---|---|---|
| Main camera | 50 MP | 50 MP |
| Main aperture | f/1.8 | f/1.8 |
| Ultra-wide | — | 12 MP |
| Telephoto | — | 10 MP |
| Optical zoom | — | 3 x |
| Max video | 1080p@30fps | 8K@30fps |
| Front camera | 5 MP | 12 MP+140% |
| OIS | No | Yes |
Battery
| Spec | POCO M5 | Samsung Galaxy S26 |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 5,000 mAh+16% | 4,300 mAh |
| Wired charging | 18 W | 25 W+39% |
| Wireless charging | — | 15 W |
| Active use endurance | — | 15.3 h |
Design
| Spec | POCO M5 | Samsung Galaxy S26 |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 201 g | 167 g+17% |
| Thickness | 8.9 mm | 7.2 mm+19% |
| IP rating | — | IP68 |
| Frame material | Plastic | Armor Aluminum 2 |
Connectivity
| Spec | POCO M5 | Samsung Galaxy S26 |
|---|---|---|
| 5G | No | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 5 | Wi-Fi 7 |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 | 5.4 |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| USB | USB-C 2.0 | USB-C 3.2 |
| eSIM | No | Yes |
Software
| Spec | POCO M5 | Samsung Galaxy S26 |
|---|---|---|
| OS at launch | Android 12 (MIUI 13) | Android 16 (One UI 8.5) |
| OS update pledge | 2 years | 7 years+250% |
Audio
| Spec | POCO M5 | Samsung Galaxy S26 |
|---|---|---|
| Stereo speakers | No | Yes |
| 3.5mm jack | Yes | No |