Apple iPhone Air vs Samsung Galaxy S26+
The short answer
- Samsung Galaxy S26+ has the bigger battery: 4,900 mAh against 3,149.
- Samsung Galaxy S26+ charges faster, at 45 W against 20.
- Apple iPhone Air is the cheaper of the two at the price its maker announced: INR 119,900 against INR 119,999.
Compared only on figures both makers publish. Everything else is in the table below.
2 phones side by side.
| Specification |
 Apple iPhone Air
₹1,19,900launch price · Sep 2025
|
 Samsung Galaxy S26+
₹1,19,999launch price · Mar 2026
|
|---|---|---|
| Placement | ||
| At its price | Bottom quarter ₹1L+ | Lower half ₹1L+ |
| Spec index | 8.5 / 10 | 8.9 / 10 |
| Key Specs | ||
| RAM | 12 GB | 12 GB |
| Processor | Apple A19 Pro | Samsung Exynos 2600 |
| Rear Camera | 48 MP | 50 MP + 12 MP + 10 MP |
| Front Camera | 18 MP | 12 MP |
| Battery | 3149 mAh | 4900 mAh |
| Display | 6.5 inches (16.51 cm) | 6.7 inches (17.02 cm) |
| General | ||
| Launch Date | September 19, 2025 (Official) | March 11, 2026 (Official) |
| Operating System | iOS v26 | Android v16 |
| Custom UI | — | Samsung One UI 8.5 |
| Performance | ||
| Chipset | Apple A19 Pro | Samsung Exynos 2600 |
| CPU | Hexa core (2 Performance cores + 4 Efficiency cores) | Deca core (3.8 GHz, Single core, C1-Ultra + 3.25 GHz, Tri core, C1-Pro + 2.75 GHz, Hexa Core, C1-Pro) |
| Architecture | 64 bit | 64 bit |
| Fabrication | 3 nm | 2 nm |
| Graphics | Apple GPU (5-core with Neural Accelerators) | Xclipse 960 |
| RAM | 12 GB | 12 GB |
| RAM Type | LPDDR5X | LPDDR5X |
| Display | ||
| Display Type | Super Retina XDR LTPO OLED | Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X |
| Screen Size | 6.5 inches (16.51 cm) | 6.7 inches (17.02 cm) |
| Resolution | 1260x2736 px (FHD+) | 1440x3120 px (QHD+) |
| Aspect Ratio | 19.5:9 | 19.5:9 |
| Pixel Density | 460 ppi | 513 ppi |
| Screen to Body Ratio (calculated) | 88.75 % | 91.78 % |
| Screen Protection | Ceramic Shield 2 | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 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 | 1000 nits (typical), 1600 nits (peak HDR), 3000 nits (peak outdoor) | 2600 nits (peak) |
| HDR 10 / HDR+ support | Yes, Dolby Vision, HDR10 | Yes, HDR10+ |
| Refresh Rate | 120 Hz (LTPO ProMotion, 1-120 Hz adaptive) | 120 Hz (LTPO, 1-120 Hz adaptive) |
| Design | ||
| Height | 156.2 mm | 158.4 mm |
| Width | 74.7 mm | 75.8 mm |
| Thickness | 5.64 mm | 7.3 mm |
| Weight | 165 grams | 190 grams |
| Build Material | Frame: Grade 5 Titanium Front: Ceramic Shield 2 Back: Ceramic Shield | Frame: Armor Aluminum 2 Back: Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 |
| Colours | Space Black, Cloud White, Light Gold, Sky Blue | Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue, Black, White, Silver Shadow, Pink Gold |
| Waterproof | Yes, IP68 | Yes, IP68 |
| Main Camera | ||
| Camera Setup | Single | Triple |
| Resolution | 48 MP f/1.6, Wide Angle, Primary Camera (26 mm Fusion) | 50 MP f/1.8, Wide Angle, Primary Camera (1/1.56" sensor size, 1.0µm pixel size) 12 MP f/2.2, Ultra-Wide Angle Camera 10 MP f/2.4, Telephoto Camera (3x Optical Zoom) |
| Autofocus | Yes | Yes |
| OIS | No | Yes |
| Flash | Yes, True Tone Flash | Yes, LED Flash |
| Image Resolution | 8064 x 6048 Pixels | 8160 x 6120 Pixels |
| Settings | Exposure compensation, ISO control | Exposure compensation, ISO control |
| Shooting Modes | Continuous Shooting High Dynamic Range mode (Smart HDR 5) Night Mode Portrait Mode Apple ProRAW | Continuous Shooting High Dynamic Range mode (HDR) Expert RAW |
| Camera Features | 10 x Digital Zoom 2 x Optical-quality Zoom Auto Flash Face detection Touch to focus Photonic Engine Photographic Styles | 3 x Optical Zoom Auto Flash Face detection Touch to focus Galaxy AI Photo Assist |
| Video Recording | 3840x2160 @ 60 fps 1920x1080 @ 60 fps 1920x1080 @ 240 fps | 7680x4320 @ 30 fps 3840x2160 @ 60 fps 1920x1080 @ 240 fps |
| Video Recording Features | Slo-motion Action Mode Dolby Vision HDR | Slo-motion Video Pro Mode Audio Eraser |
| Front Camera | ||
| Camera Setup | Single | Single |
| Resolution | 18 MP f/1.9, Wide Angle, Primary Camera (Center Stage) | 12 MP f/2.2, Wide Angle, Primary Camera |
| Autofocus | Yes | Yes |
| Flash | Yes, Retina Flash | No |
| Camera Features | Center Stage Dual Capture Smart HDR 5 | — |
| Video Recording | 3840x2160 @ 60 fps 1920x1080 @ 60 fps | 3840x2160 @ 60 fps 1920x1080 @ 30 fps |
| Battery | ||
| Capacity | 3149 mAh | 4900 mAh |
| Type | Li-ion | Li-ion |
| Removable | No | No |
| Wireless Charging | No | No |
| Quick Charging | Yes, Fast, 20W | Yes, Fast, 45W |
| USB Type-C | Yes | Yes |
| Storage | ||
| Internal Memory | 256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB | 256 GB / 512 GB |
| Expandable Memory | No | No |
| USB OTG | Yes | Yes |
| Storage Type | NVMe | — |
| Network & Connectivity | ||
| SIM Slot(s) | Dual eSIM (no physical SIM slot) | Dual SIM, GSM+GSM (Nano SIM + Nano SIM / eSIM) |
| SIM Size | SIM1: eSIM, SIM2: eSIM | SIM1: Nano, SIM2: Nano / eSIM |
| Network Support | 5G Supported in India, 4G Supported in India | 5G Supported in India, 4G Supported in India, 3G, 2G |
| VoLTE | Yes | Yes |
| SIM 1 | - | - |
| SIM 2 | - | - |
| 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), tri-band |
| Wi-Fi Features | Mobile Hotspot | Wi-Fi Direct, Mobile Hotspot |
| Bluetooth | Yes, v6.0 | Yes, v6.0 |
| GPS | Yes with Glonass, Galileo, Beidou, QZSS, NavIC (dual-frequency) | Yes with Glonass, Galileo, Beidou, QZSS |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Infrared Sensor | No | — |
| USB Connectivity | USB 2.0, Mass storage device, USB charging | USB 3.2, Mass storage device, USB charging, DisplayPort |
| EDGE | — | Available |
| GPRS | — | Available |
| Multimedia | ||
| FM Radio | No | No |
| Stereo Speaker | No | Yes |
| Loudspeaker | Yes | Yes |
| Audio Jack | No | USB Type-C |
| Audio Features | Dolby Atmos, Spatial Audio | Dolby Atmos |
| Sensors | ||
| Fingerprint Sensor | No | Yes |
| Heart Rate Monitor | No | No |
| Other Sensors | Face ID, Dual ambient light sensors, Proximity sensor, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Barometer, Compass | Light sensor, Proximity sensor, Accelerometer, Compass, Gyroscope, Barometer |
| Fingerprint Sensor Position | — | In Display |
| Fingerprint Sensor Type | — | Ultrasonic |