Apple iPhone 17 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
A spec-by-spec comparison of the Apple iPhone 17 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
Head to head
| Apple iPhone 17 Pro | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|
| Our rating | 9/10 | 9/10 |
| Battery | 4,252 mAh | 5,000 mAh |
| Wired charging | 40W | 60W |
| RAM (max) | — | 12 GB |
| Storage (max) | 512 GB | 512 GB |
| Screen size | 6.3 in | 6.9 in |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Main camera | 48 MP | 200 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | 206 g | 214 g |
| Released | Sep 2025 | Mar 2026 |
Summary: Apple iPhone 17 Pro is ahead on weight (lower is lighter). Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is ahead on battery, wired charging, screen size, main camera.
Display
| Apple iPhone 17 Pro | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|
| Type | Super Retina XDR OLED, ProMotion (120Hz), Always-On display, Dynamic Island | Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 2600 nits (peak) |
| Size | 6.3 inches | 6.9 inches, 115.9 cm2 (~90.7% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Resolution | 2622 x 1206 pixels | 1440 x 3120 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~500 ppi density) |
| Brightness | Up to 3000 nits (peak) | — |
| Protection | — | Corning Gorilla Armor 2 |
| Features | — | Privacy Display |
Platform
| Apple iPhone 17 Pro | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|
| OS | iOS 26 (upgradable to iOS 26.6.1) | Android 16, One UI 8.5 |
| Chipset | Apple A19 Pro | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3 nm) for Galaxy |
| CPU | Hexa-core | Octa-core (details not specified, assumed high-performance) |
| GPU | 6-core GPU with Neural Accelerators, Hardware-accelerated ray tracing | Adreno (details not specified, assumed high-performance) |
Memory
| Apple iPhone 17 Pro | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|
| RAM | 12 GB LPDDR5X | — |
| Internal Storage | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB NVMe (no 128GB option) | — |
| Card slot | — | No |
| Internal | — | 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 12GB RAM |
Main Camera
| Apple iPhone 17 Pro | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|
| Triple | 48 MP Fusion Main (f/1.78, 24mm wide), 48 MP Fusion Ultrawide (f/2.2, 13mm), 48 MP Fusion Telephoto (f/2.8, 100mm periscope telephoto) | — |
| Features | 8x optical-quality zoom, TOF 3D LiDAR scanner, Dolby Vision, ProRes, ProRes RAW, Apple Log 2, genlock, next-generation portraits with Focus control, new Bright Photographic Style | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama, Nightvideography |
| Video | 4K at 24/25/30/60fps, 1080p at 25/30/60/120/240fps, Spatial Video for Apple Vision Pro | 8K@30fps, 4K@30/60/120fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS |
| Quad | — | 200 MP, f/1.4, 85˚ (wide), PDAF, Laser AF, OIS; 50 MP, f/1.9, 120˚ (ultrawide); 50 MP, f/2.9 (telephoto), 10x optical zoom; 10 MP, f/2.4 (telephoto), 3x optical zoom |
Selfie Camera
| Apple iPhone 17 Pro | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|
| Single | 18 MP Center Stage (wider field of view) | 12 MP, f/2.2 (wide), PDAF |
| Features | Center Stage for photos and video calls, Ultra-stabilized video, Dual Capture | Dual video call, Auto-HDR, AI ISP |
| Video | 4K at 24/25/30/60fps | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps |
Battery
| Apple iPhone 17 Pro | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|
| Type | Li-Ion, non-removable | Li-Ion 5000 mAh, non-removable |
| Capacity | 16.558 Wh (4252 mAh) for eSIM model | — |
| Charging | USB-C fast charging (50% in 20 min with 40W+ adapter), MagSafe wireless charging, Qi2 wireless charging | 60W wired (75% in 30 min), 15W wireless (Qi/PMA), 4.5W reverse wireless |
Body
| Apple iPhone 17 Pro | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|
| Dimensions | 150.0 mm x 71.9 mm x 8.75 mm (5.91 in x 2.83 in x 0.34 in) | 163.6 x 78.1 x 7.9 mm (6.44 x 3.07 x 0.31 in) |
| Weight | 206 g (7.27 oz) | 214 g (7.55 oz) |
| Build | Aluminum unibody with vapor chamber, Ceramic Shield 2 front and back | Glass front (Corning Gorilla Armor 2), glass back, aluminum frame (assumed) |
| Water & Dust Resistance | IP68 (up to 6m for 30 min) | — |
Comms
| Apple iPhone 17 Pro | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be), dual-band, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 6.0 | 6.0, A2DP, LE |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| USB | USB-C | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG |
| Radio | No | No |
Launch
| Apple iPhone 17 Pro | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|
| Announced | September 9, 2025 | 2026, February 25 |
| Status | Available. Released September 19, 2025 | Available. Released 2026, March 11 |
Frequently asked questions
Which has the better battery, Apple iPhone 17 Pro or Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra?
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra — 4,252 mAh for the Apple iPhone 17 Pro versus 5,000 mAh for the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra.
Which is lighter, Apple iPhone 17 Pro or Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra?
Apple iPhone 17 Pro — 206 g for the Apple iPhone 17 Pro versus 214 g for the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra.
Which is newer, Apple iPhone 17 Pro or Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra?
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra — Sep 2025 for the Apple iPhone 17 Pro versus Mar 2026 for the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra.
Is the Apple iPhone 17 Pro or the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra rated higher?
We rate the Apple iPhone 17 Pro 9/10 and the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra 9/10.
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