Apple iPhone 17 vs Samsung Galaxy S26
The Apple iPhone 17 scores 7.4 in our rating, and the Samsung Galaxy S26 scores 7.6. The Apple iPhone 17 leads in display and battery, while the Samsung Galaxy S26 is ahead in performance, camera and value for money. At launch in the US, the Apple iPhone 17 cost $100.99 less ($799 vs $899.99). The Samsung Galaxy S26 is the newer phone, announced Feb 25, 2026.
Key differences
Why choose the Apple iPhone 17
- Faster wired charging 40 W vs 25 W
- Brighter screen 3,000 nits vs 2,600 nits
- Lower launch price $799 vs $899.99
- Faster wireless charging 25 W vs 15 W
- Higher screen resolution 1206 × 2622 px vs 1080 × 2340 px
- Sharper display 460 ppi vs 409 ppi
Why choose the Samsung Galaxy S26
- Bigger battery 4,300 mAh vs 3,692 mAh
- Newer model Feb 25, 2026 vs Sep 9, 2025
- More RAM 12 GB vs 8 GB
- Lighter 167 g vs 177 g
- Thinner 7.2 mm vs 7.95 mm
- Higher-resolution video 8K@30 vs 4K@60
PhoneRanked scores
Calculated from specs, relative to phones from the same year and price range. How we rate phones
Spec
Apple iPhone 17Samsung Galaxy S26
Overall
7.4
7.6
Display
8.6
8.3
Performance
8.3
8.9
Camera
6.9
8.0
Battery
5.7
5.1
Design
8.8
8.9
Value for money
5.6
6.2
Display
Spec
Apple iPhone 17Samsung Galaxy S26
Size
6.3 inches
6.3 inches
Type
OLED, Super Retina XDR
OLED, Dynamic AMOLED 2X
Resolution
1206 × 2622 px
1080 × 2340 px
Pixel density
460 ppi
409 ppi
Refresh rate
120 Hz
120 Hz
Adaptive refresh
✓ Yes
✓ Yes
Peak brightness
3,000 nits
2,600 nits
HDR
HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision
—
Protection
Ceramic Shield 2
Gorilla Glass Victus 2
Performance
Spec
Apple iPhone 17Samsung Galaxy S26
Process
3 nm
3 nm
GPU
Apple GPU (5-core, with Neural Accelerators)
Adreno 840
RAM
8 GB
12 GB
Storage
256 GB / 512 GB
256 GB / 512 GB
microSD slot
✕ No
✕ No
Cameras
Spec
Apple iPhone 17Samsung Galaxy S26
Main camera
48 MP, f/1.6
50 MP, f/1.8
Optical stabilization
✓ Yes
✓ Yes
Ultrawide
48 MP
12 MP
Telephoto
—
10 MP, 3× optical
Optical zoom
—
3×
Rear cameras
2
3
Rear video
4K@60
8K@30
Front camera
18 MP
12 MP
Front video
4K@60
—
Battery and charging
Spec
Apple iPhone 17Samsung Galaxy S26
Capacity
3,692 mAh
4,300 mAh
Battery type
Li-Ion
—
Wired charging
40 W
25 W
Wireless charging
25 W
15 W
Reverse wireless
✕ No
✓ Yes
Charger in box
✕ No
✕ No
Design and build
Spec
Apple iPhone 17Samsung Galaxy S26
Dimensions
149.6 × 71.5 × 7.95 mm
149.6 × 71.7 × 7.2 mm
Thickness
7.95 mm
7.2 mm
Weight
177 g
167 g
Form factor
Bar
Bar
Frame
Aluminum
Aluminum
Back
Glass
Glass
Water resistance
IP68
IP68
Fingerprint
None
Under-display ultrasonic
3D face unlock
✓ Yes
✕ No
SIM
eSIM only
Nano-SIM + eSIM
Colors
Lavender, Mist Blue, Sage, White, Black
Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue, Black, White, Pink Gold, Silver Shadow
Connectivity and features
Spec
Apple iPhone 17Samsung Galaxy S26
5G
✓ Yes
✓ Yes
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 7
Wi-Fi 7
Bluetooth
6.0
5.4
USB
USB-C 2.0
USB-C 3.x
NFC
✓ Yes
✓ Yes
3.5 mm jack
✕ No
✕ No
Stereo speakers
✓ Yes
✓ Yes
Satellite
✓ Yes
✕ No
IR blaster
✕ No
✕ No
Software
Spec
Apple iPhone 17Samsung Galaxy S26
OS at launch
iOS 26
Android 16
Interface
—
One UI 8.5
OS updates
—
7 years
Security updates
—
7 years
Launch and price
Spec
Apple iPhone 17Samsung Galaxy S26
Announced
Sep 9, 2025
Feb 25, 2026
Released
Sep 19, 2025
Mar 11, 2026
Status
Released
Released
US launch price
$799
$899.99
Green marks the stronger value in a row. Specs come from official manufacturer data, cross-checked with established tech media; each phone page lists its sources. Report an error
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