Apple iPhone 17e vs Samsung Galaxy S26 FE
The Apple iPhone 17e scores 6.7 in our rating, and the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE scores 7.3. The Apple iPhone 17e leads in performance, while the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE is ahead in display, camera, battery and value for money. At launch in the US, the Apple iPhone 17e cost $100.99 less ($599 vs $699.99). The Samsung Galaxy S26 FE is the newer phone, announced Aug 27, 2026.
Key differences
Why choose the Apple iPhone 17e
- Lower launch price $599 vs $699.99
- Lighter 169 g vs 193 g
- Higher screen resolution 1170 × 2532 px vs 1080 × 2340 px
- Sharper display 460 ppi vs 385 ppi
- Satellite messaging
- Secure 3D face unlock
Why choose the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE
- Bigger battery 4,900 mAh vs 4,005 mAh
- Bigger screen 6.7 inches vs 6.1 inches
- Brighter screen 1,900 nits vs 1,200 nits
- Higher refresh rate 120 Hz vs 60 Hz
- Newer model Aug 27, 2026 vs Mar 2, 2026
- Thinner 7.4 mm vs 7.8 mm
PhoneRanked scores
Calculated from specs, relative to phones from the same year and price range. How we rate phones
Spec
Apple iPhone 17eSamsung Galaxy S26 FE
Overall
6.7
7.3
Display
6.5
7.7
Performance
8.3
7.1
Camera
5.9
8.0
Battery
5.7
6.1
Design
8.7
8.6
Value for money
5.1
6.2
Display
Spec
Apple iPhone 17eSamsung Galaxy S26 FE
Size
6.1 inches
6.7 inches
Type
OLED, Super Retina XDR
OLED, Dynamic AMOLED 2X
Resolution
1170 × 2532 px
1080 × 2340 px
Pixel density
460 ppi
385 ppi
Refresh rate
60 Hz
120 Hz
Adaptive refresh
✕ No
✕ No
Peak brightness
1,200 nits
1,900 nits
HDR
HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision
—
Protection
Ceramic Shield 2
Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+
Performance
Spec
Apple iPhone 17eSamsung Galaxy S26 FE
Process
3 nm
3 nm
Max CPU clock
—
3.3 GHz
GPU
Apple GPU (4-core) with Neural Accelerators
Xclipse 950
RAM
8 GB
8 GB
Storage
256 GB / 512 GB
128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GB
microSD slot
✕ No
✕ No
Cameras
Spec
Apple iPhone 17eSamsung Galaxy S26 FE
Main camera
48 MP, f/1.6
50 MP, f/1.8
Optical stabilization
✓ Yes
✓ Yes
Ultrawide
—
12 MP
Telephoto
—
8 MP, 3× optical
Optical zoom
—
3×
Rear cameras
1
3
Rear video
4K@60
8K@30
Front camera
12 MP
12 MP
Front video
4K@60
—
Battery and charging
Spec
Apple iPhone 17eSamsung Galaxy S26 FE
Capacity
4,005 mAh
4,900 mAh
Battery type
Li-Ion
—
Wired charging
—
45 W
Wireless charging
15 W
15 W
Reverse wireless
✕ No
✓ Yes
Charger in box
✕ No
✕ No
Design and build
Spec
Apple iPhone 17eSamsung Galaxy S26 FE
Dimensions
146.7 × 71.5 × 7.8 mm
161.6 × 76.9 × 7.4 mm
Thickness
7.8 mm
7.4 mm
Weight
169 g
193 g
Form factor
Bar
Bar
Frame
Aluminum
Aluminum
Back
Glass
Glass
Water resistance
IP68
IP68
Fingerprint
None
Under-display optical
3D face unlock
✓ Yes
✕ No
SIM
eSIM only
—
Colors
Black, White, Soft Pink
Blueberry, Graphite, Pistachio
Connectivity and features
Spec
Apple iPhone 17eSamsung Galaxy S26 FE
5G
✓ Yes
✓ Yes
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 6
Wi-Fi 6E
Bluetooth
5.3
5.4
USB
USB-C 2.0
—
NFC
✓ Yes
✓ Yes
3.5 mm jack
✕ No
✕ No
Stereo speakers
✓ Yes
✓ Yes
Satellite
✓ Yes
✕ No
IR blaster
✕ No
✕ No
Software
Spec
Apple iPhone 17eSamsung Galaxy S26 FE
OS at launch
iOS 26
Android 17
Interface
—
One UI 9
OS updates
—
7 years
Security updates
—
7 years
Launch and price
Spec
Apple iPhone 17eSamsung Galaxy S26 FE
Announced
Mar 2, 2026
Aug 27, 2026
Released
Mar 11, 2026
Sep 3, 2026
Status
Released
Released
US launch price
$599
$699.99
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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