Samsung Galaxy S26 / Apple iPhone 17

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: 120 Hz smoothness when scrolling, lower rates on still images to save battery. The Always-On display shows the time and notifications dimmed while locked. Because of the rounded corners, the visible area is slightly smaller than the rectangle measurement.

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.

There is no memory card slot.

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

Center Stage automatically adjusts the framing to the people in photos and video calls; the TrueDepth system for Face ID works with this camera.

Dual Capture records with the front and rear cameras at the same time. Action mode strongly stabilises footage shot while walking or running.

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.

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

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.

3,000 nits is a short peak in strong sunlight, not sustained full-screen brightness. The 1-nit minimum aims to avoid eye strain in a dark room. The screen has anti-reflective and oleophobic coatings.

According to Apple, the colour-infused back glass is used on Black, Mist Blue, Sage and Lavender.

Apple notes that this resistance is not permanent, may decline with normal wear, and that liquid damage is not covered by the warranty.

The GPU supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing; the Neural Accelerators speed up AI work inside the GPU.

The 2× image comes from the centre of the 48 MP main sensor rather than a separate telephoto lens; the optical-quality zoom range is 4× in total, with digital zoom up to 10×. The ultra wide camera also takes 48 MP macro photos.

25 W wireless charging needs a 30 W or higher adapter; no adapter is included. Battery life varies with Apple’s test conditions, network and settings.

Wired data transfer is limited to USB 2 speed, so moving large video files takes time. USB-C can output to an external display at up to 4K HDR.

Thread provides low-power mesh connectivity with smart-home devices. Ultra Wideband helps locate devices such as AirTag by direction and distance; availability varies by country.

Emergency SOS and Roadside Assistance via satellite are offered depending on country; Crash Detection is included.

The Action button can be set to functions such as silent mode, torch, translate or a shortcut. Camera Control is a touch-sensitive button that adjusts exposure, depth and zoom by sliding.

No power adapter or EarPods are included.