Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs Sony Xperia 1 VII
90Performance72.6
62.7Display50
74Camera63.5
61.2Battery49.1
94.7Features78.7
12 spec wins — Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra4 spec wins — Sony Xperia 1 VII
InnoReviews verdict
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra wins this phone face-off, 76 to 62.1, pulling ahead mainly in performance (+17) and features (+16). Sony Xperia 1 VII still makes sense if its price or standout specs fit your needs better.
Which would you pick?
Key differences
Reasons to pick the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
- Stronger performance score: 90 vs 73
- Stronger display score: 63 vs 50
- Stronger camera score: 74 vs 64
- Stronger battery score: 61 vs 49
- Stronger features score: 95 vs 79
Reasons to pick the Sony Xperia 1 VII
- 42% higher Optical zoom: 7.1 x vs 5 x
- 33% higher RAM (max): 16 GB vs 12 GB
- Has 3.5mm jack — the other doesn't
Display
| Spec | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra | Sony Xperia 1 VII |
|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 6.9 ″+6% | 6.5 ″ |
| Panel type | LTPO AMOLED | LTPO OLED |
| Resolution | 3120x1440 | 1080x2340 |
| Pixel density | 498 ppi+26% | 396 ppi |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Peak brightness | 2,600 nits+57% | 1,655 nits |
Performance
| Spec | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra | Sony Xperia 1 VII |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy | Snapdragon 8 Elite |
| AnTuTu | 3,437,807Top 7% | — |
| AnTuTu 11 (CPU) | 1,017,509Top 7% | — |
| AnTuTu 11 (GPU) | 1,344,505Top 7% | — |
| AnTuTu 11 (Memory) | 390,717Top 19% | — |
| AnTuTu 11 (UX) | 685,076Top 8% | — |
| Geekbench 6 (single) | 3,850+28%Top 1% | 3,003Top 13% |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | 11,900+30%Top 1% | 9,129Top 14% |
| Wild Life Extreme stability | — | 64 %Bottom 28% |
| RAM (max) | 12 GB | 16 GB+33% |
| Storage options | 256GB / 512GB / 1TB | 256GB/512GB |
| Storage type | UFS 4.1 | UFS 4.0 |
Camera
| Spec | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra | Sony Xperia 1 VII |
|---|---|---|
| Main camera | 200 MP+317% | 48 MP |
| Main aperture | f/1.7 | f/1.9 |
| Ultra-wide | 50 MP+4% | 48 MP |
| Telephoto | 50 MP+317% | 12 MP |
| Optical zoom | 5 x | 7.1 x+42% |
| Max video | 8K@30fps | 4K@120fps |
| Front camera | 12 MP | 12 MP |
| OIS | Yes | Yes |
Battery
| Spec | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra | Sony Xperia 1 VII |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 5,000 mAh | 5,000 mAh |
| Wired charging | 60 W+100% | 30 W |
| Wireless charging | 25 W+67% | 15 W |
Design
| Spec | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra | Sony Xperia 1 VII |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 214 g | 197 g+8% |
| Thickness | 7.9 mm+4% | 8.2 mm |
| IP rating | IP68 | IP65/IP68 |
| Frame material | Titanium | Aluminum |
Connectivity
| Spec | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra | Sony Xperia 1 VII |
|---|---|---|
| 5G | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 7 |
| Bluetooth | 5.4 | 6.0 |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| USB | USB-C 3.2 | USB-C 3.2 |
| eSIM | Yes | Yes |
Software
| Spec | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra | Sony Xperia 1 VII |
|---|---|---|
| OS at launch | Android 16 (One UI 8.5) | Android 15 |
| OS update pledge | 7 years+75% | 4 years |
Audio
| Spec | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra | Sony Xperia 1 VII |
|---|---|---|
| Stereo speakers | Yes | Yes |
| 3.5mm jack | No | Yes |
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