Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
The short answer
- Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra has the bigger battery: 5,000 mAh against 4,685.
- Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra charges faster, at 60 W against 20.
- Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is the cheaper of the two at the price its maker announced: INR 139,999 against INR 144,900.
Compared only on figures both makers publish. Everything else is in the table below.
2 phones side by side.
| Specification |
 Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
₹1,44,900launch price · Sep 2024
|
 Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
₹1,39,999launch price · Mar 2026
|
|---|---|---|
| Placement | ||
| At its price | Upper half ₹1L+ | Upper half ₹1L+ |
| Spec index | 9.2 / 10 | 9.2 / 10 |
| Key Specs | ||
| RAM | 8 GB | 12 GB |
| Processor | Apple A18 Pro | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 |
| Rear Camera | 48 MP + 48 MP + 12 MP | 200 MP + 50 MP + 50 MP + 10 MP |
| Front Camera | 12 MP | 12 MP |
| Battery | 4685 mAh | 5000 mAh |
| Display | 6.9 inches (17.53 cm) | 6.9 inches (17.53 cm) |
| General | ||
| Launch Date | September 20, 2024 (Official) | March 11, 2026 (Official) |
| Operating System | iOS v18 | Android v16 |
| Custom UI | — | Samsung One UI 8.5 |
| Performance | ||
| Chipset | Apple A18 Pro | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 |
| CPU | Hexa core (2 performance cores + 4 efficiency cores) | Octa core (4.74 GHz, Dual core, Oryon V3 Phoenix L + 3.62 GHz, Hexa Core, Oryon V3 Phoenix M) |
| Architecture | 64 bit | 64 bit |
| Fabrication | 3 nm (2nd generation) | 3 nm |
| Graphics | Apple 6-core GPU | Adreno 840 |
| RAM | 8 GB | 12 GB |
| RAM Type | — | LPDDR5X |
| Display | ||
| Display Type | Super Retina XDR OLED (LTPO) | Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X |
| Screen Size | 6.9 inches (17.53 cm) | 6.9 inches (17.53 cm) |
| Resolution | 1320x2868 px | 1440x3120 px (QHD+) |
| Aspect Ratio | 19.5:9 | 19.5:9 |
| Pixel Density | 460 ppi | 498 ppi |
| Screen to Body Ratio (calculated) | 92.25 % | 91.46 % |
| Screen Protection | Ceramic Shield (latest generation) | Corning Gorilla Armor 2 |
| Bezel-less display | Yes with Dynamic Island | Yes with punch-hole display |
| Touch Screen | Yes, Capacitive Touchscreen, Multi-touch | Yes, Capacitive Touchscreen, Multi-touch |
| Brightness | 2000 nits (peak outdoor), 1600 nits (peak HDR), 1000 nits (typical max) | 2600 nits (peak) |
| HDR 10 / HDR+ support | Yes, Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG | Yes, HDR10+ |
| Refresh Rate | 120 Hz (ProMotion, 1-120 Hz adaptive) | 120 Hz (LTPO, 1-120 Hz adaptive) |
| Design | ||
| Height | 163.0 mm | 163.6 mm |
| Width | 77.6 mm | 78.1 mm |
| Thickness | 8.25 mm | 7.9 mm |
| Weight | 227 grams | 214 grams |
| Build Material | Frame: Titanium Front: Ceramic Shield Back: Textured matte glass | Frame: Armor Aluminum Back: Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 |
| Colours | Black Titanium, White Titanium, Natural Titanium, Desert Titanium | Black, White, Sky Blue, Cobalt Violet, Silver Shadow, Pink Gold |
| Waterproof | Yes, IP68 (up to 6 metres for 30 minutes) | Yes, IP68 |
| Main Camera | ||
| Camera Setup | Triple | Quad |
| Resolution | 48 MP f/1.78, Wide Angle, Primary Camera (24 mm Fusion, sensor-shift OIS) 48 MP f/2.2, Ultra-Wide Angle Camera (13 mm, Autofocus) 12 MP f/2.8, Telephoto Camera (120 mm, 5x Optical Zoom, Tetraprism) | 200 MP f/1.4, Wide Angle, Primary Camera 50 MP f/1.9, Ultra-Wide Angle Camera 50 MP f/2.9, Telephoto Camera (5x Periscope Optical Zoom) 10 MP f/2.4, Telephoto Camera (3x Optical Zoom) |
| Autofocus | Yes | Yes |
| OIS | No | Yes |
| Flash | Yes, Adaptive True Tone Flash | Yes, LED Flash |
| Image Resolution | 8064 x 6048 Pixels | 16320 x 12240 Pixels |
| Settings | Exposure compensation, Photographic Styles | Exposure compensation, ISO control |
| Shooting Modes | Continuous Shooting High Dynamic Range mode (HDR) Night mode Portrait mode Apple ProRAW Macro photography Panorama | Continuous Shooting High Dynamic Range mode (HDR) Expert RAW |
| Camera Features | 25 x Digital Zoom 5 x Optical Zoom Camera Control button Photonic Engine Deep Fusion Smart HDR 5 Face detection Touch to focus Focus and Depth Control | Auto Flash Face detection Touch to focus Galaxy AI Photo Assist |
| Video Recording | 3840x2160 @ 120 fps 3840x2160 @ 60 fps 3840x2160 @ 30 fps 1920x1080 @ 240 fps 1920x1080 @ 30 fps | 7680x4320 @ 30 fps 3840x2160 @ 120 fps 1920x1080 @ 240 fps |
| Video Recording Features | Dolby Vision HDR up to 4K 120 fps Apple ProRes Log encoding ACES support Cinematic mode Action mode Macro video Slo-motion Time-lapse with Night mode Spatial video Audio Mix Four studio-quality microphones | Slo-motion Video Pro Mode Audio Eraser |
| Front Camera | ||
| Camera Setup | Single | Single |
| Resolution | 12 MP f/1.9, Wide Angle, Primary Camera (TrueDepth) | 12 MP f/2.2, Wide Angle, Primary Camera |
| Autofocus | Yes | — |
| Flash | Yes, Retina Flash | No |
| Camera Features | Face ID Photonic Engine Smart HDR 5 Night mode Portrait mode with Focus and Depth Control Animoji and Memoji | — |
| Video Recording | 3840x2160 @ 60 fps 1920x1080 @ 30 fps | — |
| Battery | ||
| Capacity | 4685 mAh | 5000 mAh |
| Type | Li-ion | Li-ion |
| Removable | No | No |
| Wireless Charging | No | No |
| Quick Charging | Yes, Fast, 50% in around 30 minutes (20W adapter or higher) | Yes, Fast, 60W |
| USB Type-C | Yes | Yes |
| Storage | ||
| Internal Memory | 256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB | 256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB |
| Expandable Memory | No | No |
| USB OTG | Yes | Yes |
| Storage Type | NVMe | — |
| Network & Connectivity | ||
| SIM Slot(s) | Dual SIM, GSM+GSM (Nano SIM + eSIM) | Dual SIM, GSM+GSM (Nano SIM + Nano SIM / eSIM) |
| SIM Size | SIM1: Nano, SIM2: eSIM | SIM1: Nano, SIM2: Nano / eSIM |
| Network Support | 5G Supported in India, 4G Supported in India, 3G, 2G | 5G Supported in India, 4G Supported in India, 3G, 2G |
| VoLTE | Yes | Yes |
| SIM 1 | - | - |
| EDGE | Available | Available |
| SIM 2 | - | - |
| GPRS | Available | Available |
| Wi-Fi | Yes, Wi-Fi 7 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be), MIMO | Yes, Wi-Fi 7 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be), MIMO |
| Wi-Fi Features | Personal Hotspot, AirDrop | Wi-Fi Direct, Mobile Hotspot |
| Bluetooth | Yes, v5.3 | Yes, v6.0 |
| GPS | Yes with Glonass, Galileo, QZSS, Beidou, NavIC | Yes with Glonass, Galileo, Beidou, QZSS |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| USB Connectivity | USB 3 (up to 10 Gbps), Mass storage device, USB charging, DisplayPort | USB 3.2, Mass storage device, USB charging, DisplayPort |
| Multimedia | ||
| FM Radio | No | No |
| Stereo Speaker | Yes | Yes |
| Loudspeaker | Yes | Yes |
| Audio Jack | No | USB Type-C |
| Audio Features | Spatial Audio, Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital Plus | Dolby Atmos |
| Sensors | ||
| Fingerprint Sensor | No | Yes |
| Heart Rate Monitor | No | No |
| Other Sensors | Face ID, LiDAR Scanner, Barometer, High dynamic range gyro, High-g accelerometer, Proximity sensor, Dual ambient light sensors | Light sensor, Proximity sensor, Accelerometer, Compass, Gyroscope, Barometer |
| Fingerprint Sensor Position | — | In Display |
| Fingerprint Sensor Type | — | Ultrasonic |