iPhone 18 Pro Max vs. Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra — Here's how Apple's and Samsung's flagships could compare

(Image credit: Macworld/Tom's Guide) September is just around the corner, and that can only mean one thing: It’s time for Apple to reveal its latest iPhones.For the past seven years, the Pro Max has been Apple’s most expensive (and arguably desirable) model, but in 2026 we’re expecting the company’s first foldable to eclipse it in terms of media coverage.You can see how the iPhone Ultra is lining up against the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 in the battle of the foldables here, but what about the non-folding flagships? Both remain big hitters, so here’s how the iPhone 18 Pro Max is set to stack up against the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra as we approach Apple’s September launch date.iPhone 18 Pro Max vs. Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: Specifications Swipe to scroll horizontally Row 0 - Cell 0 iPhone 18 Pro Max (rumored) Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Display size 6.9 inches 6.9 inches Refresh rate 1-120Hz ProMotion 1-120Hz adaptive CPU A20 Pro Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy Memory 12GB 12GB / 16GB Storage 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB 256GB, 512GB, 1TB Cameras 48MP main with variable aperture, 48MP ultrawide, 48MP telephoto (4x) 200MP main, 50MP ultrawide, 10MP telephoto (3x), 50MP telephoto (5x) Battery Size 5,567 mAh (eSim) / 5,491 mAh (SIM tray) 5,000 mAh Starting price $1,299 $1,299 iPhone 18 Pro Max vs. Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: Release date and price (Image credit: Tom's Guide)For over a decade, Apple has released almost every new numbered iPhone in September (with the exception of the iPhone 12 because of the coronavirus pandemic), and 2026 will be no different.Scratch that, it will be slightly different. While the company has announced its “surprise and shine” event for Wednesday September 9, where it’s set to reveal the iPhone 18 Pro family, as well as the new foldable iPhone Ultra, the regular iPhone 18 has reportedly been pushed back to 2027.The iPhone 18 Pro Max will be there, however, but the bad news is that it’s facing a price hike. The mild good news is that it’s now expected to be $100, given we were potentially bracing for more than double that at one point.Going by Apple’s previous pricing, that would see the 256GB model starting at $1,299, rising to $1,499 for the 512GB model, $1,699 for 1TB and $2,099 for 2TB.Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.That’s actually pretty similar to Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Ultra — or at least its MSRP when it was new in March 2026. It cost $1,299 for the 256GB model, $1,449 for 512GB and $1,799 for 1TB.iPhone 18 Pro Max vs. Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: Design and screens (Image credit: John Velasco / Tom's Guide)Given the iPhone 17 Pro series introduced a couple of new design tweaks — the raised camera section and the two-tone colorways — we’re not expecting major changes this time. At a glance, the iPhone 18 Pro Max may be barely distinguishable from the iPhone 17 Pro Max, right down to the 6.9-inch OLED display.There will reportedly be a couple of minor changes, mind. To make space for a larger capacity battery, it will apparently be about 0.25mm thicker and seven grams heavier. The Dynamic Island will apparently also be around 35% smaller.It would be a big surprise if the screen specs were any different, given the 6.9-inch size. So we’re likely looking at a resolution of 2,868 x 1,320, or around 460 pixels per inch (ppi). ProMotion will offer adaptive refresh rates of up to 120Hz.We know the exact screen specifications of the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and they’re pretty similar. It also has a 6.9-inch OLED panel, capable of 120Hz, though the top resolution is higher at 3,120 x 1,440 meaning a sharpness of 505ppi (though it defaults to a lower 2,340 x 1,080 resolution to save battery).This year, Samsung introduced a new feature called Privacy Display. When enabled, this prevents others from seeing what’s on your phone screen by switching to dedicated narrow pixels that can only be seen head on. This can be automatically enabled on a per-app basis, so you can have it magically enable itself for your banking apps, but not for YouTube, say.That innovation aside, there’s little difference between this and the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra — both in terms of screen technology and looks. Though that design does allow for a built-in S Pen for note taking and doodling — a real advantage over the iPhone 18 Pro Max.iPhone 18 Pro Max vs. Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: Performance (Image credit: Tom's Guide)Let’s start with the one we have already benchmarked. Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy and backed by either 12 or 16GB RAM depending on the model, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is a truly impressive performer. It even has a vapor chamber for heat dissipation, which keeps it running cool even when running graphically demanding content.Here’s how it benchmarked compared to the iPhone 17 Pro Max: Swipe to scroll horizontally Row 0 - Cell 0 Geekbench 3DMark Solar Bay Unlimited Geekbench AI 1.5 Galaxy S26 Ultra 3,785 / 11,563 49.37 / 12,984 83047 (TensorFlow Lite QNN) iPhone 17 Pro Max 3,871 / 9,968 46.6 / 12,260 48549 (Quantitized Core ML/Neural Engine) A modest lead on multi-core and gaming benchmarks, but a huge one when it comes to AI performance.But, of course, this is against last year’s iPhone and its A19 chipset. It stands to reason that Apple will at least close the gap and more than likely go further, especially as the A20 Pro is rumored to be built using the 2nm manufacturing process, meaning a step change in terms of performance. We’re reportedly looking at 18% speed boost and 30% better power efficiency, which would see it blow past the S26 Ultra (though with the Galaxy S27 Ultra likely to regain the throne in early 2027).On the subject of efficiency, Apple is set to gain another big advantage over Samsung with the iPhone 18 Pro Max: stamina. While the iPhone 17 Pro Max lasted an impressive 17 hours and 54 minutes in our tests, the next generation is likely to last even longer. That’s not just thanks to the 2nm chip’s efficiency savings, but because Apple is reportedly including a larger battery. This will reportedly be 5,391 mAh for models with a SIM tray, and 5,567mAh for those without — a big step up from the 4,823 mAh/ 5,088 mAh cells found in the 17 Pro Max.By contrast, the Galaxy S26 Ultra packs a 5,000 mAh battery. It lasted a respectable 16 hours and ten minutes in our review test.iPhone 18 Pro Max vs. Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: Cameras (Image credit: Tom's Guide)The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra currently tops our list of the best camera phones. A big step up from the previous generation, the 200MP main camera and 50MP 5x telephoto lens have wider apertures, allowing for 47% and 37% brighter images respectively.Add in a supplemental 10MP 3x telephoto lens and a 50MP ultra wide camera, and you’ve got an incredibly flexible camera setup that takes great shots whatever the environment. At the time of writing, it can’t be beat.On raw specs alone, it doesn’t look like the iPhone 18 Pro Max will be challenging for the title, given leakers point to the same trio of 48MP lenses (regular, ultra wide and 4x optical zoom) again.But the iPhone 18 Pro Max does reportedly have an ace up its sleeve: variable aperture. This lets you adjust the amount of light entering the lens, rather than having to rigidly stick to presets decided by Apple. While this is a feature that will only appeal to experienced photographers, in the right hands, it could make a huge difference to photographic composition.iPhone 18 Pro Max vs. Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: Outlook (Image credit: Future)The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is the best Android phone you can buy right now. It will probably remain so until the Galaxy S27 Ultra replaces it in early 2027.But if you’re open to iOS, then it looks like the iPhone 18 Pro Max will eclipse it in a few key ways. It’s set to be faster, last longer, and while the camera specs will likely be weaker, keen photographers will have a lot of fun with the variable rate aperture.Of course, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra has a few key advantages, and not just in its overall camera layout. Privacy Display is a marvelous innovation beautifully implemented, the S Pen is really handy, and as it's been out for nearly six months, it can be had for less than its high $1,299 asking price.It’s worth considering, however, that we only have iPhone 18 Pro Max rumors and leaks to go on at the moment. While they’ve been pretty reliable in the past, we won’t know for sure what Apple has up its sleeve until September 9th’s iPhone 18 event. Freelance contributor Alan has been writing about tech for over a decade, covering phones, drones and everything in between. Previously Deputy Editor of tech site Alphr, his words are found all over the web and in the occasional magazine too. When not weighing up the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, you'll probably find him tackling his ever-growing games backlog. He also handles all the Wordle coverage on Tom's Guide and has been playing the addictive NYT game for the last several years in an effort to keep his streak forever intact.