The Phone Shelf

Galaxy S26 Ultra vs iPhone 18 Pro Max: the two biggest flagships

Galaxy S26 Ultra at $1,399.99 against iPhone 18 Pro Max at $1,299: screens, cameras, charging, SIM and update promises compared on paper.

Published by Yuriy Andreyev

Published October 28, 2026

Galaxy S26 Ultra, Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26+ on store display stands, left to right, each screen and stand label naming the model, under a "Galaxy S26 Series" banner
Pictured: the Galaxy S26 series on display; the S26 Ultra is on the left. Photo: SUMAKICHI, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped) (license)

The Galaxy S26 Ultra lists at $1,399.99 and the iPhone 18 Pro Max at $1,299, so Samsung's phone costs $100 more at the base size. The Ultra is 35 g lighter, has four rear cameras with two telephotos, a physical SIM slot and a seven-year update promise. The iPhone has one telephoto, takes eSIM only and has no published update period.

We have not held either phone, so this page uses published specs only.

Price

Samsung launched the Galaxy S26 Ultra in March 2026 at $1,299.99. Samsung raised the US price after launch, and on October 15, 2026 the maker listed 256GB at $1,399.99, 512GB at $1,599.99 and 1TB at $1,999.99.

Samsung also showed a sale that day: 256GB at $1,199.99, which is $200 off. That promotion, up to $350 off select Ultra models, ran from October 13 to October 19, 2026, so it has ended. Check the current price.

Apple launched the iPhone 18 Pro Max on September 18, 2026 at $1,299, and the price has not changed. The sizes are 256GB at $1,299, 512GB at $1,499, 1TB at $1,899 and 2TB at $2,499.

At 512GB the gap is $100.99 and at 1TB it is $100.99. Apple also sells a 2TB model, which Samsung does not.

Screens and weight

Both phones have a 6.9-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate. Samsung lists Dynamic AMOLED 2X and Apple lists OLED. Both carry an IP68 rating.

The weight difference is large for phones this size. The Galaxy S26 Ultra weighs 214 g and the iPhone 18 Pro Max weighs 249 g. That is 35 g more in the iPhone, roughly the weight of a deck of playing cards. If you hold a big phone with one hand for long stretches, that adds up.

Cameras

Samsung lists four rear cameras on the Ultra:

  • a 200MP main
  • a 50MP ultra wide
  • a 10MP 3x telephoto
  • a 50MP 5x telephoto

Apple lists three on the iPhone 18 Pro Max: a 48MP Fusion Main with variable aperture from f/1.48 to f/4.0, a 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide and a 48MP Fusion Telephoto at 4x (100 mm).

On paper, the Ultra has more lenses and two zoom levels, 3x and 5x. The iPhone has one zoom at 4x and a main camera with an adjustable aperture. We cannot say which gives better photos, since we have not used them.

Chip and memory

The Galaxy S26 Ultra uses the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy with 12GB of RAM. The 1TB model has 16GB. The iPhone 18 Pro Max uses Apple's A20 Pro. Apple does not publish RAM.

Battery and charging

Samsung lists a typical battery capacity of 5,000 mAh. Apple does not publish capacity in mAh. It gives battery life instead: up to 45 hours of video playback and up to 30 hours of typical use. Apple also says the US eSIM-only models have a larger battery, worth about 2 more hours of video playback.

Because one maker gives milliamp-hours and the other gives hours, there is no honest way to rank battery life from specs. Samsung does not give an hours rating that we can match against Apple's.

Wired charging is listed differently too. Samsung lists 60W. Apple states no maximum wattage, but says the iPhone 18 Pro Max reaches up to 50% in about 15 minutes with a 60W or stronger adapter. Apple lists MagSafe and Qi2 wireless charging up to 25W.

SIM and carriers

The Galaxy S26 Ultra takes a nano-SIM plus an eSIM and supports dual eSIM. The US iPhone 18 Pro Max is eSIM only with no physical SIM. Both are listed as supported on AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile.

Anyone who swaps physical SIMs, or whose carrier makes eSIM setup hard, should look at the Samsung first. Our eSIM guide explains what to check.

Updates

Samsung promises seven generations of OS upgrades and seven years of security updates for the Galaxy S26 Ultra, counted from the global launch date. The end date on samsung.com/us is February 28, 2033.

Apple publishes no fixed update period for the iPhone 18 Pro Max. It ships with iOS 27, and Apple's compatibility list for that release still includes the iPhone 11 from 2019. That is history, not a promise.

So if a written commitment matters, only Samsung has one here. See how long phones get updates for all brands.

Side by side

SpecGalaxy S26 UltraiPhone 18 Pro Max
Launch price$1,299.99$1,299
Released in USMarch 2026September 2026
Screen6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X 120 Hz6.9-inch OLED 120 Hz
ChipSnapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for GalaxyA20 Pro
RAM12 GB—
Storage256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB / 2 TB
Battery5,000 mAhnot published
Wired charging60 W—
Rear cameras200MP main, 50MP ultra wide, 10MP 3x telephoto, 50MP 5x telephoto48MP Fusion Main (variable aperture f/1.48-f/4.0), 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide, 48MP Fusion Telephoto (4x, 100 mm)
Weight214 g249 g
Water resistanceIP68IP68
Updates promised7 years of OS and security updatesno fixed promise
US carriers (maker and carrier listings)AT&T, Verizon, T-MobileAT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile

Which one to pick

Choose the Galaxy S26 Ultra if you want the lower weight, two telephoto lenses, a SIM slot and a seven-year promise. It is also the one with a sale history, so the price may drop again. Our page on the Galaxy S26 Ultra has more on its specs.

Choose the iPhone 18 Pro Max if you want the $100 lower regular price, the larger battery rating in hours, up to 2TB of storage, or you already use Apple's apps.

If a smaller Apple phone is enough, read about the iPhone 18 Pro, which costs $1,199, or compare it with the cheaper iPhone 17.

Sources

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