The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max are two of the biggest flagship phones of 2026, with both bringing major upgrades in performance, cameras, battery and display technology.

Samsung launched the Galaxy S26 Ultra in March 2026, while Apple introduced the iPhone 18 Pro Max in September 2026. The six-month gap shows the two companies took different approaches to their latest premium phones.

Design and battery

The iPhone 18 Pro Max has a curvier design that may feel more comfortable to hold, while Samsung has kept a flatter design on the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

However, the iPhone is heavier. It weighs 35g more than the Galaxy S26 Ultra and is also nearly 1mm thicker. Battery capacity is another difference. The iPhone 18 Pro Max has a battery about 10 per cent larger than the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

Apple’s phone also supports faster charging, giving it an advantage in both battery size and charging speed based on the specifications provided.

Camera comparison

The two phones take different approaches to photography. The iPhone 18 Pro Max’s main camera includes a variable aperture, giving users more flexibility with the main camera.

Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Ultra, however, has an advantage when it comes to zoom photography. It produces better detail when shooting at higher zoom levels.

The iPhone has an advantage in other areas of photography. The Galaxy S26 Ultra’s ultrawide camera and portrait shots are listed as weaker compared with those of the iPhone 18 Pro Max.

This means neither phone has an across-the-board camera advantage, with each offering strengths in different areas.

Display technology

Samsung has introduced Privacy Display on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, a feature designed to make parts of the screen difficult to see from an angle.

The technology can help keep private information away from people looking at the phone from the side. However, it also comes with some compromises.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra’s display has been reported to have lower effective resolution, brightness and contrast compared with the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Some users may also find Privacy Display uncomfortable to look at.

The iPhone 18 Pro Max, on the other hand, has a display described as more eye-friendly.

Performance and software

The iPhone 18 Pro Max has a faster processor, giving Apple an advantage in raw processing performance. Samsung’s strength comes in other areas. The Galaxy S26 Ultra offers seven years of software updates and runs a more customisable operating system.

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It also has more built-in features and supports a wider range of peripherals than the iPhone.

The iPhone’s iOS is less customizable and more closed, with Apple products getting deeper access to the ecosystem.

S Pen and ecosystem

The Galaxy S26 Ultra comes with an S Pen, giving users a built-in stylus that the iPhone 18 Pro Max does not support.

However, Samsung’s S Pen has a new design that lacks Bluetooth, which limits some of its functions. The iPhone instead focuses heavily on Apple’s ecosystem, which can be an advantage for people who already use other Apple products. However, this also means users have less freedom when choosing some third-party devices and accessories.

Overall, the Galaxy S26 Ultra and iPhone 18 Pro Max offer different strengths. The iPhone stands out for processor speed, charging, battery size and its main camera’s variable aperture, while Samsung offers stronger zoom, more customisation, longer software support, Privacy Display and an S Pen.

In Kenya, the price of the newly released iPhone 18 Pro Max generally starts at around Ksh 255,000 to Ksh 290,000. The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra costs between Ksh 117,000 and Ksh 197,300 in Kenya, depending on the storage variant and the retailer