Compare / iPhone 18 Pro Max vs Galaxy S26

iPhone 18 Pro Max vs Galaxy S26

A side-by-side comparison of the iPhone 18 Pro Max and the Galaxy S26, covering display, chipset, memory, camera, battery and build.

Galaxy S26
Samsung
Galaxy S26

Overview

Display
iPhone 18 Pro Max
6.9inch
LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED · 120 Hz
1320 × 2868 · 460 PPI
Galaxy S26
6.3inch
AM-OLED · 120 Hz
1080 × 2340 · 411 PPI
Chip
iPhone 18 Pro Max
Apple A20 Pro (2 nm)
Hexa-core (2x4.93 GHz + 4x2.64 GHz)
Apple GPU (7-core graphics) · iOS 27
Galaxy S26
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 SM8850-1-AD for Galaxy (Kaanapali) 3 nm
4.74 GHz octa-core
Qualcomm Adreno 840 (1300 MHz) · Google Android 16 (Baklava)
Memory
iPhone 18 Pro Max
12GB RAM
256 GB · 512 GB · 1 TB · 2 TB storage
No card slot
Galaxy S26
12GB RAM
256 GB · 512 GB storage
No card slot
Camera
iPhone 18 Pro Max
48MP Main
48 MP Periscope
48 MP Ultra Wide
18 MP selfie
4K@24/25/30/60/100/120fps video
Galaxy S26
50.3MP Main
12 MP Ultra Wide
10 MP Telephoto
12 MP selfie
7680x4320 pixel video
Battery
iPhone 18 Pro Max
5,391mAh
25 W wireless
Galaxy S26
4,300mAh
25 W wired · 15 W wireless
Build
iPhone 18 Pro Max
249g
163.4 × 78 × 8.8 mm
IP68
Galaxy S26
167g
149.6 × 71.7 × 7.2 mm
IP68
Connectivity
iPhone 18 Pro Max
5GWi-Fi 7Bluetooth 6.0NFCNano-SIM + eSIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time; International)USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2
Galaxy S26
5GWi-Fi 7Bluetooth 5.4NFCe-SIM + Nano-SIM (4FF)USB C reversible USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen 1 / 3.2 Gen 1x1

Specifications

iPhone 18 Pro Max

Technology
GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G
2G bands
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G bands
HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100
4G bands

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 53, 66, 106 - A3717

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 53, 66, 71 - A3473

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 53, 66, 71, 106 - A3716

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 66, 106 - A3718

5G bands

1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 53, 66, 70, 75, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A3717

1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 53, 66, 70, 71, 75, 77, 78, 79, 258, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - A3473

1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 53, 66, 70, 71, 75, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A3716

1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 70, 75, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A3718

Speed
HSPA, LTE, 5G

Galaxy S26

Technology
GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G
2G bands
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G bands
UMTS 2100 / 1900 / 1700/2100 / 850 / 900 - HSUPA, HSUPA 5.8, HSDPA, HSPA+ 21.1, DC-HSDPA 42.2
4G bands
LTE bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 25, 26, 29, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41, 48, 66, 71 - 100/50, 150/50, 300/50, 300/75, 300/100, 400/150, 450/50, 450/100, 600/50, 600/100, 1000/100
5G bands
NR bands 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 38, 41, 66, 71, 77, 78 - 1500, 2600, 3700, 4600 data links
Dual SIM
SIM2 supports same bands as SIM1

iPhone 18 Pro Max

Announced
2026, September 09
Status
Available. Released 2026, September 18

Galaxy S26

Announced
2026 Feb 24
Status
Available. Released 2026 Mar 11

iPhone 18 Pro Max

Dimensions
163.4 x 78 x 8.8 mm (6.43 x 3.07 x 0.35 in)
Weight
249 g (8.78 oz)
Build
Glass front (Ceramic Shield 2), aluminum frame, aluminum back/ glass back (Ceramic Shield)
SIM

· Nano-SIM + eSIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time; International)

· eSIM + eSIM (8 or more, max 2 at a time; USA)

· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time; China)

IP68 dust tight and water resistant (immersible up to 6m for 30 min)

Galaxy S26

Dimensions
149.6 × 71.7 × 7.2 mm
Weight
167 g
Build
Gorilla Glass Victus 2
SIM
e-SIM + Nano-SIM (4FF)
Protection
IP68 dust/water resistant (150 cm, 30 min)
Extras
Haptic touch feedback

iPhone 18 Pro Max

Type
LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED120HzHDR10Dolby Vision1000 nits (typ)1600 nits (HBM)3000 nits (peak)
Size
6.9 inches, 115.6 cm2 (~90.7% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution
1320 x 2868 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~460 ppi density)
Protection

Ceramic Shield 2

Anti-reflective coating

Galaxy S26

Type
AM-OLED display, Dynamic AM-OLED, 16.8M colors, 120 Hz
Size
6.3 inches
Resolution
1080x2340 pixels (~411 PPI density), ~90.0% screen-to-body ratio
Protection
Gorilla Glass Victus 2
Touch
Capacitive multi-touch screen
Notch/Hole
1-hole

iPhone 18 Pro Max

OS
iOS 27
Chipset
Apple A20 Pro (2 nm)
CPU
Hexa-core (2x4.93 GHz + 4x2.64 GHz)
GPU
Apple GPU (7-core graphics)

Galaxy S26

OS
Google Android 16 (Baklava)
Chipset
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 SM8850-1-AD for Galaxy (Kaanapali) 3 nm
CPU
4.74 GHz octa-core
GPU
Qualcomm Adreno 840 (1300 MHz)

iPhone 18 Pro Max

Card slot
No
Internal

256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 12GB RAM, 2TB 12GB RAM

NVMe

Galaxy S26

Card slot
No
Internal
512GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM
Interface
UFS 4.0

iPhone 18 Pro Max

Triple

48 MP, f/1.5-4.0, 24mm (wide), 1/1.28", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS (gen2)

48 MP, f/2.8, 100mm (periscope telephoto), 1/2.55", 0.7µm, PDAF, 3D sensor‑shift OIS, 4x optical zoom

48 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55", 0.7µm, PDAF

TOF 3D LiDAR scanner (depth)

Features
Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama), Cinematic from regular video
Video
4K@24/25/30/60/100/120fps1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps10-bit HDRDolby Vision HDR (up to 120fps)ProResProRes RAW (up to 120fps)Apple Log 23D (spatial) video/audiostereo sound rec.

Galaxy S26

Triple

50.3 MP, f/1.80, 23mm, 3.0 x optical zoom, BSI CMOS, 1.00µm, PD AF, EIS, EIS (video), OIS, OIS (video), Pixel unification, HDR photo, HDR video, Red-eye reduction, Slow motion video, Burst mode, Refocus, Touch focus, Macro mode, Panorama Photo, Face detection, Face tagging, Smile detection, Face retouch, Face retouch (video), Intelligent scene detection

12.0 MP, f/2.20, 14mm, (ultrawide), BSI CMOS, 1.40µm, EIS (video), HDR photo, HDR video, Slow motion video, Burst mode, Touch focus, Macro mode, Panorama Photo, Face detection, Face tagging, Smile detection, Face retouch, Face retouch (video), Intelligent scene detection

10.0 MP, f/2.40, 67mm, (telephoto), BSI CMOS

Other features
single LED flash
Video
7680x4320 pixel

iPhone 18 Pro Max

Single

18 MP multi-aspect, f/1.9, 20mm (ultrawide), PDAF

SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor)

Features
HDRDolby Vision HDR3D (spatial) audiostereo sound rec.ProRes RAWApple Log 2
Video
4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS

Galaxy S26

Single

12.0 MP, f/2.20, BSI CMOS, PD AF, HDR photo, HDR video, Slow motion video, Burst mode, Touch focus, Panorama Photo, Face detection, Face tagging, Smile detection, Face retouch, Face retouch (video), Intelligent scene detection

Video
3840x2160 pixel

iPhone 18 Pro Max

Loudspeaker
Yes, with stereo speakers
3.5mm jack
No

Galaxy S26

Loudspeaker
stereo
3.5mm jack
No
Audio features
Voice speakerSpeakerphoneANCHD VoiceVoLTEViLTE

iPhone 18 Pro Max

WLAN
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7, tri-band, hotspot
Bluetooth
6.0, A2DP, LE
Positioning
GPS (L1+L5)GLONASSGALILEOBDSQZSSNavIC
NFC
Yes
Radio
No
USB
USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2, DisplayPort

Galaxy S26

WLAN
802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11r, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be
Bluetooth
Bluetooth 5.4
Positioning
Simultaneous GPSA-GPSDual-frequency GPSGeotaggingQuickGPSQZSSSatellite SOS
Satellite details
GLONASS (L1OF, L2OF); Galileo (E1, E5a); BeiDou (B1c, B1I, B2a BeiDou receiver)
NFC
Yes
USB
USB C reversible USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen 1 / 3.2 Gen 1x1
USB features
USB chargingUSB fast chargingUSB HostUSB OTG 1.3USB OTG 2.0USB PDUSB PD 2.0USB PD 3.0
Wireless features
DLNAMiracastWi-Fi DirectWi-Fi TetheringWiDiWi-Fi Calling

iPhone 18 Pro Max

Sensors

Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer

Ultra Wideband (UWB) support (gen2 chip)

Emergency SOS, Messages and Find My via satellite

Galaxy S26

Sensors
AccelerometerGyroCompassBarometerIn-screen FP sensorHallL sensorP sensorStep counterNFC
Software
Voice CommandBusiness card recognitionNavigation softwareAugmented Reality (AR)Virtual Reality (VR) supportIntelligent personal assistantVoice RecognitionFace Recognition

iPhone 18 Pro Max

Type

Market-dependent versions:

· Li-Ion 5391 mAh - Nano SIM model

· Li-Ion 5567 mAh - eSIM only model

Charging

Wired, PD3.2, AVS, 50% in 15 min

25W wireless MagSafe/Qi2, 50% in 30 min (15W - China)

4.5W reverse wired

Galaxy S26

Type
4300 mAh battery 16.77 Wh Li-ion
Charging
25.0 W charging wired, 15.0 W wireless (PMA, Qi, Qi2)
Nominal Battery Voltage
3.90 Volts

iPhone 18 Pro Max

Colors
Black, Silver, Glacier, Burgundy
Models
A3717, A3473, A3716, A3718
Price
£ 1,299.00 / € 1,599.00

Galaxy S26

Models
SM-S942W Galaxy S26 5G TD-LTE CA 256GB
Price
CA$1,249.99
Market
North America
Countries
Canada
SAR (head)
1.190 W/kg
SAR (body)
1.200 W/kg

iPhone 18 Pro Max

Performance

AnTuTu: 3463072 (v11)

GeekBench: 12794 (v6), 11558 (v7)

3DMark: 7931 (Wild Life Extreme)

Display
969 nits max brightness (measured)
Loudspeaker
-25.0 LUFS (Very good)
Battery
Active use score 19:20h

Galaxy S26

Not listed for this device

iPhone 18 Pro Max

Energy
Class A
Battery
62:00h endurance, 1000 cycles
Free fall
Class B (180 falls)
Repairability
Class C

Galaxy S26

Not listed for this device