Samsung Galaxy S26 / Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max

Samsung varies the processor by market: the US, China and Japan versions use the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy. This entry covers the Exynos 2600 SM-S942B version.

The viewable area is smaller than the rectangular measurement because of the corners and camera hole.

ProMotion adjusts the refresh rate to the content, giving 120 Hz smoothness when scrolling and lowering it on still images to save battery. The Always-On display shows the time and notifications dimmed while locked.

The panel lowers its rate to match the content, slowing down on static images to save power and rising to 120 Hz for scrolling and games.

This is Samsung's peak figure, not a brightness held across the full screen.

Samsung says this GPU supports hardware ray tracing and is up to 50% faster at it than its predecessor.

Samsung states up to 29% better heat dissipation for the S26; this is a figure from the maker's own testing.

Usable space is lower than the total because of preloaded software. Options vary by country and carrier.

It also gives a 12 MP 2× (48 mm) image by using the centre of the sensor.

Using the centre of the sensor gives a 12 MP 8× (200 mm) image; Apple quotes a 16× optical-quality range and up to 40× digital zoom.

The 2x optical-quality zoom uses the centre of the main camera's Adaptive Pixel sensor; it is not a separate lens.

The Center Stage camera’s square sensor allows landscape or portrait selfies without rotating the phone.

4K 100/120 fps is limited to the main camera. ProRes 4K 120 fps requires recording to external storage. Genlock syncs several cameras to the same timing with compatible hardware.

Samsung quotes up to 30 hours of video playback; the typical figure was measured by a third-party lab to IEC 61960.

The figure was measured from 0% with a 25 W Samsung adapter and 3 A USB-C cable, screen off. The adapter and cable are sold separately.

No adapter in the box; only a 1 m USB-C charge cable.

PowerShare works only with certain Qi-compatible phones and wearables and may not work below 30% battery.

Apple quotes about 50% in 30 minutes with a 30 W or higher adapter and MagSafe Charger.

Wi-Fi 7 speeds need a Wi-Fi 7 router; 6 GHz use varies by country.

USB 3.2 Gen 1 carries up to 5 Gbit/s of data, which speeds up wired transfers of large video files to a computer.

Band support varies by market.

Weight may vary by country and configuration.

Water and dust resistance can decline over time with normal wear.

The 3,000-nit outdoor figure is a short peak in strong sunlight, not sustained full-screen white. The screen has an anti-reflective coating.

Apple notes that this resistance is not permanent and can decrease with normal wear.

The GPU supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing.

This camera is also used for 48 MP macro shots.

10 Gb/s needs a compatible USB 3 cable; the included cable does not guarantee that speed.

Ultra Wideband availability varies by region.

Availability of satellite features varies by country.

Camera Control opens the camera and changes settings such as zoom and exposure with slide and light-press gestures.