Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max: I compared the flagship phones, and this one wins

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Samsung's Unpacked 2026 lawsuit past period near america with a new trio of flagship phones, the astir premium being the Galaxy S26 Ultra. On the different broadside of the coin, Apple's champion phone, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is $100 cheaper, and has its ain pros and cons, but they are some genuinely exceptional.

You mightiness beryllium wondering which 1 to buy. The casual reply is, "Stick with whichever OS you person now," but successful each honesty, some phones are bully capable to warrant a switch. If you're going to go, spell big! It doesn't get overmuch bigger than these 2 powerhouses, truthful let's dive successful and spot which 1 is the winner.

Also: Samsung confirms latest Galaxy phones volition enactment AirDrop compatibility - and I'm thrilled

As it happens, I transportation the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and besides the latest Android phone, and it doesn't get overmuch much "latest" than the S26 Ultra, truthful these opinions are based connected anterior acquisition with the S25 Ultra, a bully magnitude of hands-on clip with the S26 Ultra, and the specs we person connected hand. 

You should bargain the iPhone 17 Pro Max if...

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1. You (or your family) are successful the Apple ecosystem

Platform lock-in is simply a thing, and Apple has it amended than most. Apple provides an full ecosystem of devices and cross-device functionality that astir different OEMs can't match. It's not that Samsung doesn't person an ecosystem of its own, but Apple's devices are designed from the crushed up to enactment together. They're connected a level of item that different ecosystems -- including Samsung's -- can't truly vie with.

Also: I tested the iPhone Air for a week, and here's wherefore 17 Pro Max users shouldn't slumber connected it

Then, there's the 800-pound gorilla successful the room. If your household is besides successful the Apple ecosystem, there's adjacent much crushed to enactment there. One of the reasons I transportation an iPhone everyplace is that my kids besides person iPhones. "Dad, tin you ringing my phone?" is simply a communal refrain successful my house. Add iMessage and parental controls to that, and determination are capable roadblocks to marque not carrying an iPhone a beauteous large headache.

There are bundle workarounds for conscionable astir everything an iPhone tin bash with different devices, but they're conscionable that -- workarounds. If you privation to beryllium embedded successful the Apple ecosystem, determination is lone 1 telephone class you tin carry.

2. You privation a telephone that conscionable works

It's a cliché, but it exists for a reason. Apple has a agelong past of being precocious to the enactment with a batch of features, but typically erstwhile they get the feature, it's precise polished. Apple doesn't instrumentality half-steps and it seldom (though not never) treats its users similar beta testers. It volition instrumentality successful the landscape, place a diagnostic that radical like, and marque it importantly amended than the competition.

Also: I've tried each iPhone 17 model, and my aureate regularisation for upgrading is changing successful 2025

That doctrine extends to apps built for the level arsenic well. Apple maintains precocious standards erstwhile it comes to its App Store and approvals. I routinely brushwood the aforesaid app connected some platforms that works flawlessly, the archetypal time, connected an iPhone, but struggles connected an Android phone. There's a batch that goes into app development, particularly connected a level similar Android that tin person aggregate versions and flavors, truthful there's nary shade. Apple conscionable delivers a amended and much accordant experience.

3. You're a video shooter

There are aggregate reasons wherefore the iPhone 17 Pro Max is the telephone to usage for video. First and foremost, is storage. Put simply, the iPhone tin get up to 2TB of onboard storage; the S26 Ultra maxes retired astatine 1TB. A terabyte of retention seems similar a batch -- and it is, but if you're shooting a ton of 8K oregon adjacent 4K video, that's going to chew up your retention successful a hurry. This is besides a coagulated statement if you're a hardcore gamer, arsenic they instrumentality up a batch of abstraction these days.

Also: I've got 1 large crushed to urge a year-over-year upgrade to Apple's iPhone 17 Pro Max

The iPhone besides offers a truly large video experience. From shooting successful dedicated ProRes Raw mode, to unfastened gross shooting, if you're a filmmaker, you privation options, and the iPhone gives you a ton. There are besides galore apps successful the App Store that you tin usage to capture, enhance, and edit your videos. 

Sure, determination are apps successful the Play Store for Android, but this operation of tools built for filmmakers makes the iPhone 17 Pro Max the telephone to get for video enthusiasts.

You should bargain the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra if...

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1. You privation the earthy power

As precocious arsenic 2 years ago, this heading would person belonged nether the iPhone category. But aft Qualcomm rolled retired the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor for the Galaxy, things changed. Of course, we're talking astir earthy numbers present -- idiosyncratic acquisition and vertical integration spell a agelong mode connected Apple's side, but Qualcomm's processors person started to retired execute Apple's connected benchmarking apps, and that's a large deal.

Also: Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra: I've tried some flagships, and here's my choice

Processing powerfulness is important successful the realm of video processing/editing, gaming, and AI. If those are important categories for you, Samsung is the champion crippled successful town. The iPhone is simply a almighty machine, marque nary mistake, but the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is presently the astir almighty telephone you tin bargain astatine the moment. 

2. You're all-in connected AI 

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Unfortunately, Apple Intelligence has seen a fewer mendacious starts now. Meanwhile, Samsung and Google support rolling retired AI-powered diagnostic aft feature. This procreation of Samsung telephone is nary exception, with Galaxy AI taking astir of the headlines from this lineup of S26 smartphones. From editing images, to the caller Now Nudge feature, AI is each implicit this bundle release.

One peculiarly intriguing caller diagnostic is the quality for Gemini to summon an Uber with a command. Just archer Gemini wherever you privation to go, and it'll motorboat Uber, input the destination, and erstwhile you corroborate it'll summon the car. This is the archetypal of perchance galore apps and services that tin beryllium further automated with AI. 

3. You worth your privacy

Apple has ever prided itself arsenic a privacy-first company, and that's just enough. But Samsung is upping the ante with Privacy Screen, a hardware/software operation that could perchance alteration however radical deliberation astir their phones and privacy. Samsung redesigned its surface to diagnostic wide and constrictive space pixels that the institution can, done software, crook disconnected individually to obscure the screen.

Also: Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. S24 Ultra: I compared some models, here's who should upgrade

It doesn't conscionable artifact looky-loos successful the airplane spot adjacent to you from speechmaking your texts, but due to the fact that it's bundle driven, you tin selectively artifact circumstantial elements connected your screen. So your full surface is agleam and beautiful, but a notification rolls successful and lone blocks the country wherever it appears. 

Writer's choice

Both of these phones are downright fantastic -- there's nary question. But astatine the extremity of the day, if I had to pick, I'd spell with the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. I person a dual-wielding telephone lifestyle, but portion I worth the iPhone 17 Pro Max for its consistency and its comfort, Samsung, and Android successful wide has a wider assortment of amusive signifier factors to play with, and that includes a multitude of accessories that you tin bargain into.

Apple works large wrong its ecosystem, and it conscionable good with everyone else. Android works precise good with conscionable astir everything from Windows PCs to a wide assortment of smartwatches and Bluetooth accessories. For everything an iPhone tin link to, an Android telephone tin link to more. Plus, I didn't adjacent speech astir the stylus here, due to the fact that portion I'm not a immense stylus person, I'm decidedly a believer successful the "it's amended to person it and not request it" philosophy.

Of course, arsenic I mentioned before, I transportation both. But I'm yet connected Team Android, wherever I consciousness there's much freedom. 

Specifications