Apple iPhone 17 vs Samsung Galaxy S26
A spec-by-spec comparison of the Apple iPhone 17 and the Samsung Galaxy S26, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
VS
Head to head
| Apple iPhone 17 | Samsung Galaxy S26 | |
|---|---|---|
| Our rating | 8/10 | 9/10 |
| Battery | 3,692 mAh | 4,300 mAh |
| Wired charging | — | 25W |
| Storage (max) | 512 GB | 512 GB |
| Screen size | — | 6.3 in |
| Refresh rate | — | 120 Hz |
| Main camera | 48 MP | 50 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | 177 g | 167 g |
| Released | Sep 2025 | Mar 2026 |
Summary: Samsung Galaxy S26 is ahead on our rating, battery, main camera, weight (lower is lighter).
Display
| Apple iPhone 17 | Samsung Galaxy S26 | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR10 | LTPO AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 2600 nits (peak) |
| Size | 6.3-inch (diagonal) | 6.3 inches, FHD+ |
| Resolution | 2622 × 1206 pixels at 460 ppi | 2340 x 1080 pixels |
| Features | Dynamic Island, Always-On display, ProMotion technology (adaptive refresh rates up to 120Hz), True Tone, P3 wide color, Haptic Touch, Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating, Anti-reflective coating | — |
| Brightness | 1000 nits max (typical), 1600 nits peak (HDR), 3000 nits peak (outdoor) | — |
| Protection | Ceramic Shield 2 front cover | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 |
Platform
| Apple iPhone 17 | Samsung Galaxy S26 | |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Apple A19 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy (3 nm) or Exynos 2600 (2 nm) (region dependent) |
| CPU | Hexa-core (details not specified) | Octa-core |
| GPU | Penta-core (details not specified) | Adreno (Snapdragon) / Xclipse (Exynos) |
| OS | — | Android 16, One UI 8.0 |
Memory
| Apple iPhone 17 | Samsung Galaxy S26 | |
|---|---|---|
| RAM | 8 GB (LPDDR5X) | 12GB |
| Internal Storage | 256 GB, 512 GB (NVMe) | — |
| Storage | — | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB |
| Card Slot | — | No |
Main Camera
| Apple iPhone 17 | Samsung Galaxy S26 | |
|---|---|---|
| System | 48MP Dual Fusion camera system | — |
| Wide | 48 MP, f/1.6, 26 mm, sensor-shift optical image stabilization, 100% Focus Pixels, support for super-high-resolution photos (24MP and 48MP) | — |
| Ultrawide | 48 MP, f/2.2, 13 mm, 120° field of view, Hybrid Focus Pixels, support for super-high-resolution photos (24MP and 48MP) | — |
| Telephoto (Optical Quality) | 12MP optical-quality 2x Telephoto (52 mm, f/1.6 aperture, sensor-shift OIS) | — |
| Zoom | 2x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out; 4x optical zoom range; Digital zoom up to 10x | — |
| Features | Sapphire crystal lens cover, True Tone flash, Photonic Engine, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 5, Cinematic mode (up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30 fps), Action mode (up to 2.8K Dolby Vision at 60 fps), Spatial video recording (1080p at 30 fps), Dual Capture (up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30 fps), Slo-mo video (1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps), Night mode Time-lapse | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Lenses | — | Triple: 50 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide), OIS; 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide); 10 MP, f/2.4, 67mm (telephoto), 3x optical zoom, 30x Space Zoom |
| Video | — | 8K@30fps, 4K@60fps, 1080p@240fps, HDR10+ |
Selfie Camera
| Apple iPhone 17 | Samsung Galaxy S26 | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | 18 MP Center Stage camera | — |
| Aperture | f/1.9 | — |
| Features | Autofocus with Focus Pixels, Retina Flash, Tap to zoom and rotate, Center Stage for photos and video calls, Ultra-stabilized video, Dual Capture, Photonic Engine, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 5, Next-generation portraits with Focus and Depth Control, Portrait Lighting with six effects, Animoji and Memoji, Night mode, Latest-generation Photographic Styles, 4K Dolby Vision video recording (24/25/30/60 fps) | Dual video call, Auto-HDR |
| Lenses | — | 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), Dual Pixel PDAF |
| Video | — | 4K@60fps, 1080p@30fps |
Battery
| Apple iPhone 17 | Samsung Galaxy S26 | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Lithium-ion, 14.351 Wh (3692 mAh) @ 3.887 V | Li-Ion 4300 mAh, non-removable |
| Charging | MagSafe and Qi 2 wireless charging, USB-C, Up to 50% in 20 minutes with 40+ W adapter | 25W wired, 15W wireless, 4.5W reverse wireless |
Body
| Apple iPhone 17 | Samsung Galaxy S26 | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 149.6 × 71.5 × 7.95 mm (5.89 × 2.81 × 0.31 in) | 149.6 x 71.7 x 7.2 mm |
| Weight | 177 g (6.2 oz) | 167 g |
| Build | Ceramic Shield 2 front, Color-infused glass back, Aluminum design | Glass front (Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back (Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2), Armor Aluminum 2 frame |
| SIM | Dual eSIM (US, Canada, Mexico, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Japan); Dual nano-SIM (China); nano-SIM and eSIM (elsewhere) | Dual SIM (Nano-SIM and eSIM) |
| Durability | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 6 m for 30 min) | — |
| IP Rating | — | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) |
Comms
| Apple iPhone 17 | Samsung Galaxy S26 | |
|---|---|---|
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 7 (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be) tri-band with 2x2 MIMO | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 6.0 (A2DP, LE) | 5.4, A2DP, LE |
| UWB | Apple second-generation Ultra Wideband chip | — |
| NFC | Yes, with reader mode and Express Cards | Yes |
| USB | USB-C (USB 2.0, 480 Mbit/s) | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG |
| Positioning | Precision dual-frequency GPS (L1, L5), GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou, NavIC | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
Launch
| Apple iPhone 17 | Samsung Galaxy S26 | |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | September 9, 2025 | February 25, 2026 |
| Status | Released September 19, 2025 | Available. Released March 11, 2026 |
| OS (Original) | iOS 26 | — |
| OS (Current) | iOS 26.6.1 (released August 17, 2026) | — |
Frequently asked questions
Which has the better battery, Apple iPhone 17 or Samsung Galaxy S26?
Samsung Galaxy S26 — 3,692 mAh for the Apple iPhone 17 versus 4,300 mAh for the Samsung Galaxy S26.
Which is lighter, Apple iPhone 17 or Samsung Galaxy S26?
Samsung Galaxy S26 — 177 g for the Apple iPhone 17 versus 167 g for the Samsung Galaxy S26.
Which is newer, Apple iPhone 17 or Samsung Galaxy S26?
Samsung Galaxy S26 — Sep 2025 for the Apple iPhone 17 versus Mar 2026 for the Samsung Galaxy S26.
Is the Apple iPhone 17 or the Samsung Galaxy S26 rated higher?
We rate the Apple iPhone 17 8/10 and the Samsung Galaxy S26 9/10.