Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max: Which premium flagship phone wins?

Prakhar Khanna and Jason Hiner/ZDNET

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Samsung's February Unpacked 2026 event has left us with a new trio of flagship phones, the most premium being the Galaxy S26 Ultra. On the other side of the coin, Apple's best phone, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is $100 cheaper, and has its own pros and cons, but they are both truly exceptional.

You might be wondering which one to buy. The easy answer is, "Stick with whichever OS you have now," but in all honesty, both phones are good enough to justify a switch. If you're going to go, go big! It doesn't get much bigger than these two powerhouses, so let's dive in and see which one is the winner.

Also: Samsung Unpacked 2026 live blog: Updates on Galaxy S26 Ultra, preorder deals, and pricing

As it happens, I carry the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and also the latest Android phone, and it doesn't get much more "latest" than the S26 Ultra, so these opinions are based on prior experience with the S25 Ultra, a good amount of hands-on time with the S26 Ultra, and the specs we have on hand. 

You should buy the iPhone 17 Pro Max if...

Jason Hiner/ZDNET

1. You (or your family) are in the Apple ecosystem

Platform lock-in is a thing, and Apple has it better than most. Apple provides an entire ecosystem of devices and cross-device functionality that most other OEMs can't match. It's not that Samsung doesn't have an ecosystem of its own, but Apple's devices are designed from the ground up to work together. They're on a level of detail that other ecosystems -- including Samsung's -- can't really compete with.

Also: I tested the iPhone Air for a week, and here's why 17 Pro Max users shouldn't sleep on it

Then, there's the 800-pound gorilla in the room. If your family is also in the Apple ecosystem, there's even more reason to stay there. One of the reasons I carry and iPhone everywhere is because my kids also have iPhones. "Dad, can you ring my phone?" is a common refrain in my house. Add to that iMessage and parental controls, and there are enough roadblocks to make not carrying an iPhone a pretty big headache.

There are software workarounds for just about everything that an iPhone enables with other devices, but they're just that -- workarounds. If you want to be embedded in the Apple ecosystem, there is only one category of phone you can carry.

2. You want a phone that just works

Jason Hiner/ZDNET

It's a cliché, but it exists for a reason. Apple has a long history of being late to the party with a lot of features, but typically when they get the feature, it's very polished. Apple doesn't take half-steps and it rarely (though not never) treats its users like beta testers. It will take in the landscape, identify a feature that people like, and make it significantly better than the competition.

Also: I've tried every iPhone 17 model, and my golden rule for upgrading is changing in 2025

That philosophy extends to apps built for the platform as well. Apple maintains high standards when it comes to its App Store and approvals. I routinely encounter the same app on both platforms that works flawlessly, the first time, on an iPhone, but struggles on an Android phone. There's a lot that goes into app development, especially on a platform like Android that can have multiple versions and flavors, so there's no shade. Apple just delivers a better and more consistent experience.

3. You're a video shooter

There are multiple reasons why the iPhone 17 Pro Max is the phone to use for video. First and foremost, is storage. Put simply, the iPhone can get up to 2TB of onboard storage; the S26 Ultra maxes out at 1TB. A terabyte of storage seems like a lot -- and it is, but if you're shooting a ton of 8K or even 4K video, that's going to chew up your storage in a hurry. This is also a solid argument if you're a hardcore gamer, as they take up a lot of space these days.

Also: I've got one big reason to recommend a year-over-year upgrade to Apple's iPhone 17 Pro Max

The iPhone also offers a really great video experience. From shooting in dedicated ProRes Raw mode, to open gate shooting, if you're a filmmaker, you want options, and the iPhone gives you a ton. There are also numerous apps in the App Store that you can use to capture, enhance, and edit your videos. 

Sure, there are apps in the Play Store for Android, but this combination of tools built for filmmakers makes the iPhone 17 Pro Max the phone to get for video enthusiasts.

You should buy the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra if...

Prakhar Khanna/ZDNET

1. You want the raw power

As recently as two years ago, this heading would have belonged under the iPhone category. But after Qualcomm rolled out the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor for the Galaxy, things changed. Of course, we're talking about raw numbers here -- user experience and vertical integration go a long way on Apple's side, but Qualcomm's processors have started to out perform Apple's on benchmarking apps, and that's a big deal.

Also: Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra: I've tried both flagships, and here's my choice

Processing power is important in the realm of video processing/editing, gaming, and AI. If those are important categories for you, Samsung is the best game in town. The iPhone is a powerful machine, make no mistake, but the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is currently the most powerful phone you can buy at the moment. 

2. You're all-in on AI 

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Unfortunately, Apple Intelligence has seen a few false starts now. Meanwhile, Samsung and Google keep rolling out AI-powered feature after feature. This generation of Samsung phone is no exception, with Galaxy AI taking most of the headlines from this lineup of S26 smartphones. From editing images, to the new Now Nudge feature, AI is all over this software release.

Also: Every Samsung Galaxy S26 model compared: Should you buy the base, Plus, or Ultra?

One particularly intriguing new feature is the ability for Gemini to summon an Uber with a command. Just tell Gemini where you want to go, and it'll launch Uber, input the destination, and once you confirm it'll summon the car. This is the first of potentially numerous apps and services that can be further automated with AI. 

3. You value your privacy

Apple has always prided itself as a privacy-first company, and that's fair enough. But Samsung is upping the ante with Privacy Screen, a hardware/software combination that could potentially change how people think about their phones and privacy. Samsung redesigned its screen to feature wide and narrow angle pixels that the company can, through software, turn off individually to obscure the screen.

Also: Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. S24 Ultra: I compared both models, here's who should upgrade

It doesn't just block looky-loos in the airplane seat next to you from reading your texts, but because it's software driven, you can selectively block specific elements on your screen. So your whole screen is bright and beautiful, but a notification rolls in and only blocks the area where it appears. 

Writer's choice

Both of these phones are downright fantastic -- there's no question. But at the end of the day, if I had to pick, I'd go with the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. I have a dual-wielding phone lifestyle, but while I value the iPhone 17 Pro Max for its consistency and its comfort, Samsung, and Android in general has a wider variety of fun form factors to play with, and that includes a multitude of accessories that you can buy into.

Also: The best Samsung Galaxy S26 cases of 2026: Expert recommended

Apple works great within its ecosystem, and it just ok with everyone else. Android works very well with just about everything from Windows PCs to a wide variety of smartwatches and Bluetooth accessories. For everything an iPhone can connect to, an Android phone can connect to more. Plus, I didn't even talk about the stylus here, because while I'm not a huge stylus person, I'm definitely a believer in the "it's better to have it and not need it" philosophy.

Of course, as I mentioned before, I carry both. But I'm ultimately on Team Android, where I feel there's more freedom. 

Specifications