Two flagships, two very different philosophies. We read the official spec sheets, the current US price pages and the independent lab results so you can pick the right one for how you actually use a phone.
The Review at NYU is not affiliated with New York University.
Short answer. Both phones are on sale in the US as of 7 November 2026. The iPhone 18 Pro (released 18 September 2026) starts at $1,199 for 256GB on Apple.com, while Samsung.com lists the Galaxy S26 Ultra (released March 2026) at a promotional $999.99 for 256GB. The iPhone 18 Pro leads on independent camera and video scores (DXOMARK 172 vs 157), the Galaxy S26 Ultra offers more zoom reach, a bigger screen, an S Pen and a seven year update promise, and battery life between the iPhone 18 Pro and the Galaxy S26 Ultra is close in lab tests, with the larger iPhone 18 Pro Max ahead of both.
We did not test either phone hands on. This comparison is built from research: the official specification and pricing pages on apple.com and samsung.com, the launch press releases from both companies, and independent lab results from outlets that publish their methods (DXOMARK for cameras, Tom's Guide and GSMArena for battery life). Every price was checked on the manufacturer's US store on 7 November 2026. Where a number came from a secondary report that we could not open and confirm at the original source, we say so or leave it out.
Before reading any results we set five criteria, weighted by how much they shape daily use for a typical buyer:
A note on matching: the Galaxy S26 Ultra has a 6.9 inch screen, which makes the iPhone 18 Pro Max its true size rival. The topic here is the iPhone 18 Pro, which shares its cameras and chip with the Pro Max, so we include Pro Max figures wherever battery or size changes the answer.
The table below uses only figures published by Apple and Samsung. Battery figures in particular are not comparable across brands, because each company uses its own test method.
| Spec | iPhone 18 Pro | Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| US release | 18 September 2026 | 11 March 2026 (general availability) |
| Price on maker's US store, 7 Nov 2026 | From $1,199 (256GB) | From $999.99 promotional (256GB); launch price was from $1,299.99 |
| Storage tiers | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| Chip | A20 Pro (2 nanometer), 6 core CPU, 7 core GPU, dual 16 core Neural Engine | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy (3 nanometer) |
| RAM | Not published by Apple | 12GB (256GB, 512GB) or 16GB (1TB) |
| Display | 6.3 inch OLED, 2622 x 1206, 120Hz ProMotion, 3000 nits outdoor peak | 6.9 inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 3120 x 1440, 1 to 120Hz, 2,600 nits peak, Privacy Display |
| Main camera | 48MP, 24 mm, variable aperture f/1.48 to f/4.0 | 200MP, f/1.4 |
| Ultra wide | 48MP, 13 mm, f/2.2 | 50MP, f/1.9 |
| Telephoto | 48MP, 100 mm (4x), f/2.8 | 10MP 3x (f/2.4) and 50MP 5x (f/2.9) |
| Max digital zoom | 40x | 100x |
| Front camera | 18MP, f/1.9 | 12MP |
| Max video | 4K Dolby Vision up to 120 fps | 8K at 30 fps; 4K at 120 fps (Pro Video) |
| Battery (maker figure) | Up to 36 hours video playback (eSIM only model); capacity not published | 5,000 mAh; up to 31 hours video playback |
| Wired charging | Up to 50% in about 15 minutes with a 60W or higher adapter | Up to 60W, up to 75% in about 30 minutes (charger sold separately) |
| Wireless charging | MagSafe and Qi2 up to 25W | Wireless charging and Wireless PowerShare |
| Weight and thickness | 211 g, 8.75 mm | 214 g, 7.9 mm |
| Water resistance | IP68 (6 m for up to 30 minutes) | IP68 |
| Stylus | No | S Pen built in |
| Published update policy | No fixed number of years stated | 7 OS upgrades and 7 years of security updates |
For size context, the iPhone 18 Pro Max has a 6.9 inch display, weighs 249 g and is rated by Apple for up to 45 hours of video playback on its eSIM only model. It starts at $1,299.
Pricing is where these two phones differ most in November 2026, and the gap depends heavily on which storage tier you want.
Apple's US online store listed the iPhone 18 Pro on 7 November 2026 at $1,199 for 256GB, $1,399 for 512GB, $1,799 for 1TB and $2,399 for 2TB, with 24 month financing from $49.95 a month for the base model. Apple's launch press release priced the iPhone 18 Pro Max from $1,299. The 2TB tier is new for the iPhone and matters mainly to people who shoot a lot of ProRes or 4K 120 fps video directly to the phone. Apple's store also advertises trade in credit of $35 to $885 depending on the phone you hand in.
Samsung announced the Galaxy S26 Ultra on 25 February 2026 at a starting price of $1,299.99. On 7 November 2026, Samsung.com showed the unlocked model with these prices:
Two things are worth noticing. First, the reference "was" price for the 256GB model ($1,399.99) is higher than the $1,299.99 launch price. Several tech outlets reported a US price increase for the Galaxy S26 series in autumn 2026; we could not open those reports to confirm the exact dates, so we rely only on what Samsung's own store displays. Second, Samsung's promotional prices move often around holiday sales, and trade in offers (up to $720 instant credit on the day we checked) can lower the price further. Treat these numbers as a snapshot, not a fixed list price.
At the 256GB tier, the Galaxy S26 Ultra was $199 cheaper than the iPhone 18 Pro and $299 cheaper than the iPhone 18 Pro Max on the makers' own stores on 7 November 2026. At 1TB, the gap was $199 against the iPhone 18 Pro. If you would rather avoid paying flagship prices at all, our guide to refurbished vs new electronics covers when a certified refurbished previous generation phone is the smarter buy.
Apple's headline change on the iPhone 18 Pro is a variable aperture on the 48MP Fusion Main camera. According to Apple's specs page, the lens can switch between f/1.48, f/1.8, f/2.8 and f/4.0 using six laser cut blades. In plain terms, aperture is the size of the opening that lets light in: a wide setting (f/1.48) gathers more light in dim scenes, while a narrow one (f/4.0) keeps more of a scene in focus, which helps group photos. All three rear cameras are 48MP, and the telephoto sits at 100 mm (4x), with Apple quoting an "8x optical quality" crop at 200 mm.
Samsung takes the opposite approach: more cameras and more zoom. The Galaxy S26 Ultra pairs a 200MP main sensor at f/1.4 with a 50MP ultra wide, a 10MP 3x telephoto and a 50MP 5x telephoto, plus up to 100x digital zoom. Samsung's spec page also lists "optical quality" 2x and 10x crops from its high resolution sensors. For concerts, wildlife or sports from the stands, that extra reach is the Galaxy's clearest hardware advantage. On video, the Galaxy S26 Ultra records 8K at 30 fps and supports the APV codec for professional editing, while the iPhone 18 Pro tops out at 4K but adds 4K 120 fps Dolby Vision and ProRes recording to external drives.
DXOMARK runs a standardized lab and real world protocol on each phone. Its published results, checked on 7 November 2026:
| Score | iPhone 18 Pro | Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Overall camera | 172 | 157 |
| Photo | 171 | 160 |
| Main camera (photo) | 181 | 167 |
| Bokeh | 175 | 165 |
| Ultra wide (photo) | 152 | 139 |
| Telephoto (photo) | 143 | 141 |
| Video | 176 | 153 |
DXOMARK placed the iPhone 18 Pro third in its global ranking at the time of testing, and praised its wide dynamic range, effective stabilization and the variable aperture's deeper focus on group portraits. Its listed weaknesses include low face exposure in harsh backlight, occasional white balance shifts, visible flare, and "long range telephoto performance" that trails some competitors. The Galaxy S26 Ultra's page showed it in 23rd place when we checked; DXOMARK credited its white balance, dynamic range and macro detail, and criticized exposure and color instability plus noise in indoor portraits.
The skeptical reading: the iPhone 18 Pro is the stronger all round camera by this lab's measure, especially for video, but the telephoto scores are nearly tied (143 vs 141). DXOMARK scores are one lab's weighting of many attributes and do not capture personal taste in color, so treat a 15 point gap as meaningful but not decisive.
Apple rates the iPhone 18 Pro at up to 36 hours of video playback, 33 hours streamed and 24 hours of "typical use" (the US models are eSIM only, which Apple says frees space for about two more hours of playback). The iPhone 18 Pro Max is rated at up to 45 hours of video playback and 30 hours of typical use. Apple does not publish battery capacity in milliamp hours. Samsung lists a 5,000 mAh battery and up to 31 hours of video playback for the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Because the two companies use different test conditions, these claims cannot be compared directly.
The most useful comparison is a test that runs both phones the same way. Tom's Guide sets each screen to 150 nits and runs an automated web browsing script over cellular until the battery dies. Its results, published 16 September 2026:
GSMArena's own battery protocol gives the Galaxy S26 Ultra an Active Use Score of 16 hours 23 minutes. BGR reported on 2 November 2026 that a PhoneArena YouTube playback test at matched brightness had the iPhone 18 Pro Max at 12 hours 6 minutes against 9 hours 36 minutes for the Galaxy S26 Ultra; we could not review PhoneArena's full method, so we give it less weight.
The pattern is consistent: the smaller iPhone 18 Pro and the Galaxy S26 Ultra land within a few percent of each other in a like for like browsing test, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max lasts noticeably longer than both. If endurance is your top priority and you want an iPhone, the Pro Max is the one to buy.
Apple says the iPhone 18 Pro reaches 50% in about 15 minutes with a 60W or higher USB C adapter, and 50% in 30 minutes on a 25W MagSafe charger. Samsung quotes up to 75% in about 30 minutes using its 60W charger, which is sold separately. Those fastest figures depend on buying a compatible high wattage adapter if you do not already own one.
Both companies market these as AI phones, but the details matter more than the slogans. In this context "on device AI" means models that run on the phone's own neural processor, while "cloud AI" sends your request to a server. Our explainer what is modern AI covers these terms in more depth.
The iPhone 18 Pro runs iOS 27, which Apple released as a free update on 14 September 2026. Apple's launch press release lists these features:
Apple says the A20 Pro's dual 16 core Neural Engine doubles AI processing power compared with the A19 Pro. The caveat is the beta label on Siri AI: features under that label may change or behave inconsistently, and you should check Apple's site for the current status in your language and region.
Samsung's launch release and US support page list a wider spread of features, several of which lean on Google's services:
On cost, Samsung's US support page says "Galaxy AI basic features provided by Samsung are free," but that "Samsung enhanced AI features and all third party AI features" may carry fees, and some features need a Samsung Account and a network connection. If you plan to pay for an assistant such as Gemini's premium tier, see our comparison of ChatGPT vs Gemini vs Claude paid plans, since the subscription you choose matters more than the phone for many AI tasks.
Galaxy AI is broader today and more open to third party assistants, which suits people who already live in Google's apps. Apple Intelligence is more tightly integrated with iOS apps and emphasizes on device and Private Cloud Compute processing, but its most ambitious piece, the new Siri, launched as a beta. Owner reviews on Samsung's own store are mixed on AI: on 7 November 2026, Samsung.com's review summary showed an average "AI Functionality" sub rating of 3.1 out of 5, lower than its other sub ratings, and one owner complained that audio processing on concert recordings was hard to switch off. Store reviews are self selected and may include incentivized reviews, so read them as anecdotes; our guide on how to spot fake online reviews explains why.
The iPhone 18 Pro is the compact option: a 6.3 inch OLED panel at 460 pixels per inch, 211 g and 8.75 mm thick. Apple lists 1,600 nits peak for HDR and 3,000 nits peak outdoors, plus a smaller Dynamic Island that can show up to three Live Activities at once. It comes in black, silver, glacier and burgundy.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra is a big phone with a sharper 3120 x 1440 panel (about 500 pixels per inch), a quoted 2,600 nits peak and a variable 1 to 120Hz refresh rate. Two features have no iPhone equivalent. The built in S Pen is useful for note taking, signing documents and precise photo editing. The Privacy Display, which Samsung calls a world first for phones, dims what the screen shows to people looking from an angle and can be set per app or for PIN entry. Despite the bigger screen, the Galaxy S26 Ultra weighs just 3 g more than the iPhone 18 Pro (214 g vs 211 g) and is thinner at 7.9 mm. It comes in Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue, Black, White, Silver Shadow and Pink Gold, with some colors exclusive to Samsung.com.
Brightness figures from the two companies are measured differently, so do not read 3,000 vs 2,600 nits as proof that one screen is easier to read in sunlight.
Apple's A20 Pro is built on a 2 nanometer process. Apple claims the GPU is up to 40% faster than the A19 Pro and that a larger vapor chamber gives up to 40% better sustained performance. Samsung's customized Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy is a 3 nanometer chip, and Samsung claims up to 19% faster CPU, 39% faster NPU and 24% faster GPU than the Galaxy S25 Ultra. These are each company's comparisons against its own previous phone, not head to head results. For most people, both chips are far faster than everyday apps need; the difference shows up in sustained gaming, heavy video editing and on device AI.
On connectivity, the iPhone 18 Pro uses Apple's N1 chip for Wi Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, and Apple's own C2 modem with mmWave 5G support in the US. US models are eSIM only, which is convenient for many travelers but rules out swapping a physical SIM. The Galaxy S26 Ultra supports Wi Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, ultra wideband and both sub 6GHz and mmWave 5G.
Software support is a clear point for Samsung on paper: seven generations of Android upgrades and seven years of security updates from launch. Apple does not state a fixed number of years on its iPhone 18 Pro pages, so we cannot quote an official commitment. Both phones are rated IP68 for water and dust.
These verdicts follow from the criteria above, not from brand preference. If you already own a lot of Apple or Samsung accessories, a watch or a tablet, switching costs may outweigh any single spec.
As of 7 November 2026 the Galaxy S26 Ultra is cheaper at the store level: Samsung.com lists the 256GB unlocked model at $999.99 on promotion, while Apple lists the iPhone 18 Pro 256GB at $1,199. Samsung's promotional prices change often, so check before you buy.
On DXOMARK's published tests the iPhone 18 Pro scored 172 overall and the Galaxy S26 Ultra scored 157, with the iPhone ahead mainly on main camera and video. The Galaxy S26 Ultra still has more reach, with 3x and 5x optical telephoto cameras and up to 100x digital zoom, so it suits people who shoot distant subjects.
In Tom's Guide's web browsing test at 150 nits, the iPhone 18 Pro Max lasted 18 hours 27 minutes, the Galaxy S26 Ultra 16 hours 40 minutes and the iPhone 18 Pro 16 hours 17 minutes. The smaller iPhone 18 Pro and the Galaxy S26 Ultra are close; the iPhone 18 Pro Max is the endurance pick.
Apple Intelligence arrived with the free iOS 27 update. Samsung says Galaxy AI basic features provided by Samsung are free, but enhanced Samsung features and all third party AI features may be subject to fees and different terms.
By size, the closer match is the iPhone 18 Pro Max, which has a 6.9 inch screen like the Galaxy S26 Ultra and starts at $1,299. The iPhone 18 Pro is the smaller 6.3 inch model at $1,199. Both iPhones share the same cameras and chip, so the choice between them is mostly size, weight and battery.
Samsung promises seven generations of OS upgrades and seven years of security updates for the Galaxy S26 series from its global launch. Apple does not publish a fixed number of years on its iPhone 18 Pro pages, so we cannot state an official figure for the iPhone.