Compare / Galaxy S26 Ultra vs iPhone 17 Pro Max
Galaxy S26 Ultra vs iPhone 17 Pro Max
A side-by-side comparison of the Galaxy S26 Ultra and the iPhone 17 Pro Max, covering display, chipset, memory, camera, battery and build.
Overview
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 17 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, 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, 26, 25, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 53, 66, 70, 75, 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 17 Pro Max
- Announced
- 2025 Sep 9
- Status
- Available. Released 2025 Sep 19
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 17 Pro Max
- Dimensions
- 163.4 × 78 × 8.75 mm
- Weight
- 233 g
- Build
- Ceramic Shield 2
- 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 17 Pro Max
- Type
- AM-OLED display, Super Retina XDR, 1073.7M colors, 120 Hz
- Size
- 6.9 inches
- Resolution
- 1320x2868 pixels (~460 PPI density), ~90.5% screen-to-body ratio
- Protection
- Ceramic Shield 2
- 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 17 Pro Max
- OS
- Apple iOS 26
- Chipset
- Apple A19 Pro APL1V12 T8150 (Thera) 3 nm
- CPU
- 4.26 GHz hexa-core
- GPU
- Apple G18P MP6 (1620 MHz)
Galaxy S26 Ultra
- Card slot
- No
- Internal
- 1TB 16GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM
- Interface
- UFS 4.0
iPhone 17 Pro Max
- Card slot
- No
- Internal
- 2TB 12GB RAM, 1TB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 12GB 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 17 Pro Max
- Quad
48.0 MP, f/1.78, 24mm, 4.0 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
48.0 MP, f/2.80, 100mm, (telephoto), BSI CMOS
Mono CMOS sensor (depth/mono)
- Other features
- single 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 17 Pro Max
- Dual
18.0 MP, f/1.90, BSI CMOS, PD AF, EIS, EIS (video), 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 17 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 17 Pro Max
- WLAN
- 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be
- Bluetooth
- Bluetooth 6.0
- 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 2.0USB PD 3.0USB PD 3.1USB PD 3.2
- 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 17 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 17 Pro Max
- Type
- 4823 mAh battery 18.76 Wh Li-ion
- Charging
- 40.0 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 17 Pro Max
- Models
- iPhone 17 Pro Max 5G A3526 Global Dual SIM TD-LTE 256GB
- Price
- 1,199
- Market
- AfricaAsiaAustraliaCentral AmericaEastern EuropeEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaOceaniaSouth AmericaSoutheast AsiaWestern EuropeWorldwide
- Countries
- Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentina +83 more
- SAR (head)
- 1.190 W/kg
- SAR (body)
- 1.190 W/kg
- 2nd highest SAR (head)
- 1.490 W/kg
- 2nd highest SAR (body)
- 1.490 W/kg
How the Galaxy S26 Ultra and iPhone 17 Pro Max differ
- The Galaxy S26 Ultra has a larger battery, 5000 mAh against 4823 mAh on the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
- The Galaxy S26 Ultra offers more RAM, up to 16 GB against 12 GB.
- The main cameras are 201.3 MP on the Galaxy S26 Ultra and 48 MP on the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
- At launch the Galaxy S26 Ultra was listed at $2,199 and the iPhone 17 Pro Max at $1,199 (USD).
- The Galaxy S26 Ultra is the newer of the two, released in March 2026.