Compare / Galaxy S26 Ultra vs iPhone 16 Pro Max

Galaxy S26 Ultra vs iPhone 16 Pro Max

A side-by-side comparison of the Galaxy S26 Ultra and the iPhone 16 Pro Max, covering display, chipset, memory, camera, battery and build.

Galaxy S26 Ultra
Samsung
Galaxy S26 Ultra

Overview

Display
Galaxy S26 Ultra
6.9inch
AM-OLED · 120 Hz
1440 × 3120 · 499 PPI
iPhone 16 Pro Max
6.9inch
AM-OLED · 120 Hz
1320 × 2868 · 460 PPI
Chip
Galaxy S26 Ultra
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)
iPhone 16 Pro Max
Apple A18 Pro APL1V07 T8140 (Tahiti) 3 nm
4.04 GHz hexa-core
Apple G17P MP6 (1470 MHz) · Apple iOS 18
Memory
Galaxy S26 Ultra
12 / 16GB RAM
256 GB · 512 GB · 1 TB storage
No card slot
iPhone 16 Pro Max
8GB RAM
256 GB · 512 GB · 1 TB storage
No card slot
Camera
Galaxy S26 Ultra
201.3MP Main
50.3 MP Ultra Wide
10 MP Telephoto
49.9 MP Periscope
12 MP selfie
7680x4320 pixel video
iPhone 16 Pro Max
48MP Main
48 MP Ultra Wide
12 MP Periscope
12.2 MP selfie
3840x2160 pixel video
Battery
Galaxy S26 Ultra
5,000mAh
60 W wired · 25 W wireless
iPhone 16 Pro Max
4,685mAh
30 W wired · 25 W wireless
Build
Galaxy S26 Ultra
214g
163.6 × 78.1 × 7.9 mm
IP68
iPhone 16 Pro Max
227g
163 × 77.6 × 8.25 mm
IP68
Connectivity
Galaxy S26 Ultra
5GWi-Fi 7Bluetooth 6.0NFCe-SIM + Nano-SIM (4FF)USB C reversible USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen 1 / 3.2 Gen 1x1
iPhone 16 Pro Max
5GWi-Fi 7Bluetooth 5.3NFCe-SIM + Nano-SIM (4FF)USB C reversible USB 3.1 Gen 2 / 3.2 Gen 2x1

Specifications

Galaxy S26 Ultra

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, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 - 100/50, 150/50, 300/50, 300/75, 300/100, 400/150, 450/50, 450/100, 600/50, 600/100, 1000/100, 1200/200, 1600, 2000/300
5G bands
NR bands 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 26, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 77, 78 - 1500, 2600, 3700, 4600, 7500 data links
Dual SIM
SIM2 supports same bands as SIM1

iPhone 16 Pro Max

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, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 53, 66 - 100/50, 150/50, 300/50, 300/75, 400/150, 450/50, 450/100, 600/50, 600/100, 1000/100, 1600
5G bands
NR bands 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 26, 25, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 53, 66, 70, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79 - 1500, 2600, 3700, 4600 data links
Dual SIM
SIM2 supports same bands as SIM1

Galaxy S26 Ultra

Announced
2026 Feb 24
Status
Available. Released 2026 Mar 6

iPhone 16 Pro Max

Announced
2024 Sep 9
Status
Available. Released 2024 Sep 21

Galaxy S26 Ultra

Dimensions
163.6 × 78.1 × 7.9 mm
Weight
214 g
Build
Gorilla Armor 2
SIM
e-SIM + Nano-SIM (4FF)
Protection
IP68 dust/water resistant (150 cm, 30 min)
Extras
Haptic touch feedback, Active stylus

iPhone 16 Pro Max

Dimensions
163 × 77.6 × 8.25 mm
Weight
227 g
Build
Ceramic Shield
SIM
e-SIM + Nano-SIM (4FF)
Protection
IP68 dust/water resistant (600 cm, 30 min)
Extras
Haptic touch feedback, Tactile touch feedback

Galaxy S26 Ultra

Type
AM-OLED display, Dynamic AM-OLED, 16.8M colors, 120 Hz
Size
6.9 inches
Resolution
1440x3120 pixels (~499 PPI density), ~91.1% screen-to-body ratio
Protection
Gorilla Armor 2
Touch
Capacitive multi-touch screen
Notch/Hole
1-hole

iPhone 16 Pro Max

Type
AM-OLED display, Super Retina XDR, 1073.7M colors, 120 Hz
Size
6.9 inches
Resolution
1320x2868 pixels (~460 PPI density), ~91.2% screen-to-body ratio
Protection
Ceramic Shield
Touch
Capacitive multi-touch screen
Notch/Hole
1-hole

Galaxy S26 Ultra

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 16 Pro Max

OS
Apple iOS 18
Chipset
Apple A18 Pro APL1V07 T8140 (Tahiti) 3 nm
CPU
4.04 GHz hexa-core
GPU
Apple G17P MP6 (1470 MHz)
Audio Controller
Cirrus Logic 338S00967

Galaxy S26 Ultra

Card slot
No
Internal
1TB 16GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM
Interface
UFS 4.0

iPhone 16 Pro Max

Card slot
No
Internal
1TB 8GB RAM, 1TB 8GB RAM, 512GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM

Galaxy S26 Ultra

Quad

201.3 MP, f/1.40, 23mm, 5.0 x optical zoom, BSI CMOS, 0.60µm, PD AF, Laser 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

50.3 MP, f/1.90, 13mm, (ultrawide), BSI CMOS, 0.70µm, PD AF, EIS (video), Pixel unification, 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

49.9 MP, f/2.90, 111mm, (periscope), BSI CMOS

Other features
single LED flash
Video
7680x4320 pixel

iPhone 16 Pro Max

Quad

48.0 MP, f/1.78, 24mm, 5.0 x optical zoom, BSI CMOS, 1.22µm, PD AF, EIS (video), OIS, OIS (video), Pixel unification, HDR photo, HDR video, Red-eye reduction, 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

48.0 MP, f/2.20, 13mm, (ultrawide), BSI CMOS, 0.70µm, PD AF, HDR photo, 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

12.0 MP, f/2.80, 120mm, (periscope), BSI CMOS

Mono CMOS sensor (depth/mono)

Other features
dual LED flash
Video
3840x2160 pixel

Galaxy S26 Ultra

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 16 Pro Max

Dual

12.2 MP, f/1.90, BSI CMOS, PD AF, EIS, EIS (video), OIS, HDR photo, HDR video, Slow motion video, Burst mode, Panorama Photo, Face detection, Smile detection, Face retouch

Mono CMOS sensor (depth/mono)

Video
3840x2160 pixel

Galaxy S26 Ultra

Loudspeaker
stereo
3.5mm jack
No
Audio features
Voice speakerSpeakerphoneANCHD VoiceVoLTEViLTE

iPhone 16 Pro Max

Loudspeaker
stereo
3.5mm jack
No
Audio features
Voice speakerSpeakerphoneANCHD VoiceVoLTEViLTE

Galaxy S26 Ultra

WLAN
802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11r, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be
Bluetooth
Bluetooth 6.0
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 16 Pro Max

WLAN
802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be
Bluetooth
Bluetooth 5.3
Positioning
Simultaneous GPSA-GPSDual-frequency GPSGeotaggingQuickGPSQZSSNavICSatellite MessageSatellite SOS
Satellite details
GLONASS (L1OF); Galileo (E1); BeiDou (B1I BeiDou receiver)
NFC
Yes
USB
USB C reversible USB 3.1 Gen 2 / 3.2 Gen 2x1
USB features
USB chargingUSB fast chargingUSB HostUSB OTG 1.3USB PDUSB PD 2.0
Wireless features
UMA, Wi-Fi Calling

Galaxy S26 Ultra

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 16 Pro Max

Sensors
AccelerometerGyroCompassBarometerL sensorP sensorStep counterIR face sensorLiDARNFC
Software
Voice CommandNavigation softwareAugmented Reality (AR)Intelligent personal assistantVoice RecognitionFace Recognition

Galaxy S26 Ultra

Type
5000 mAh battery 19.50 Wh Li-ion
Charging
60.0 W charging wired, 25.0 W wireless (PMA, Qi, Qi2)
Nominal Battery Voltage
3.90 Volts

iPhone 16 Pro Max

Type
4685 mAh battery 18.22 Wh Li-ion
Charging
30.0 W charging wired, 25.0 W wireless (Qi, MagSafe)
Nominal Battery Voltage
3.89 Volts

Galaxy S26 Ultra

Models
SM-S948B Galaxy S26 Ultra 5G Dual SIM TD-LTE 256GB
Price
2,199
Market
Australia, North America, South America
Countries
Argentina, Australia, Mexico
SAR (head)
1.284 W/kg
SAR (body)
1.352 W/kg
2nd highest SAR (head)
1.020 W/kg
2nd highest SAR (body)
1.200 W/kg

iPhone 16 Pro Max

Models
iPhone 16 Pro Max 5G A3296 Global Dual SIM TD-LTE 256GB
Price
1,199
Market
AfricaAsiaAustraliaCentral AmericaEastern EuropeEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaOceaniaSouth AmericaSoutheast AsiaWestern EuropeWorldwide
Countries
Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentina +82 more
SAR (head)
1.010 W/kg
SAR (body)
1.150 W/kg
2nd highest SAR (head)
1.220 W/kg
2nd highest SAR (body)
1.450 W/kg