Head to head
Apple iPhone 18 Pro MaxvsSamsung Galaxy S26
The short answer
Choose the iPhone 18 Pro Max for the larger screen, peak brightness, battery capacity, video playback time and faster charging. Choose the Galaxy S26 for lower weight. The Galaxy S26 is £420 cheaper at UK RRP (£879 against £1,299). The Galaxy S26 gets security updates until February 2033; Apple publishes no date for the iPhone 18 Pro Max, and its record with retired iPhones points to 2033–2037, our estimate, not Apple’s. On that estimate neither clearly gets them for longer.
- Released
- 2026-09-18Apple Newsroom UK — Apple debuts iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, retrieved 2026-09-10
- Price
- £1,299Apple UK store, retrieved 2026-09-10
- Security updates until
- Not published by the makerendoflife.date — iPhone, retrieved 2026-09-10
- Released
- 2026-03-06endoflife.date, retrieved 2026-08-20
- Price
- £879Samsung Newsroom UK — Galaxy S26 series, retrieved 2026-08-20
- Security updates until
- 2033-02-28Samsung UK spec API — Galaxy S26, retrieved 2026-09-22
5 wins for iPhone 18 Pro Max1 win for Galaxy S261 gap borderline0 differences you won’t notice£420 apart at RRP
Verdict: iPhone 18 Pro Max ahead on 5 rows, Galaxy S26 on 1 row
On the makers’ figures and the named third-party sources, the iPhone 18 Pro Max wins on display size (6.9 in against 6.3 in), peak brightness (3,000 nits from the maker against 2,600 nits from GSMArena), battery capacity (5,391 mAh from GSMArena against 4,300 mAh from the maker), claimed video playback (43 h against 30 h) and fast charging (60 W against 25 W); the Galaxy S26 wins on weight (167 g against 249 g). One gap is borderline, a difference most people would not notice: wireless charging (25 W from the maker against 15 W from GSMArena) for the iPhone 18 Pro Max. Both state the same refresh rate, storage (base) and RAM. The other 39 rows have no threshold or no direction to judge by, so nobody wins them.
True to scale
Outlines from each maker’s published dimensions, drawn to scale. Corner rounding is our drawing convention, not a measurement.
Specifications
A win is marked only where the figures can be ranked and the gap is one you could notice. A row the site has no threshold for says whether the two differ, and that it is not ranking them. = marks the same figure on both, ≠ not ranked a difference with no ranking. Every figure carries its source.
Body
Display
Platform
Memory
Camera
Battery
Connectivity
Benchmarks
2 attributes neither phone has a sourced figure for
Google Mobile Services · Geekbench 6 (CPU, multi-core). Rows appear as sources are cited — a gap in our data, not a statement about either phone.
Questions
Is the iPhone 18 Pro Max better than the Galaxy S26?
On the figures, neither is better overall: the iPhone 18 Pro Max wins on display size, 6.9 in (Apple UK) against 6.3 in (Samsung Newsroom UK), peak brightness, 3,000 nits (Apple UK) against 2,600 nits (GSMArena), battery capacity, 5,391 mAh (GSMArena) against 4,300 mAh (Samsung Newsroom UK), claimed video playback, 43 h (Apple UK) against 30 h (Samsung UK) and fast charging, 60 W (Apple UK) against 25 W (Samsung Newsroom UK); the Galaxy S26 wins on weight, 167 g (Samsung Newsroom UK) against 249 g (Apple UK). Every other row is borderline, too close to notice, or not ranked.
Which has the better battery?
The iPhone 18 Pro Max, by a gap you’d notice: claimed video playback, 43 h (Apple UK) against 30 h (Samsung UK). The iPhone 18 Pro Max, by a gap you’d notice: battery capacity, 5,391 mAh (GSMArena) against 4,300 mAh (Samsung Newsroom UK).
Which is lighter?
The Galaxy S26, by a gap you’d notice: weight, 167 g (Samsung Newsroom UK) against 249 g (Apple UK).
Which has the brighter screen?
The iPhone 18 Pro Max, by a gap you’d notice: peak brightness, 3,000 nits (Apple UK) against 2,600 nits (GSMArena).
Which gets updates for longer?
The Galaxy S26 gets security updates until February 2033; Apple publishes no date for the iPhone 18 Pro Max, and its record with retired iPhones points to 2033–2037, our estimate, not Apple’s. On that estimate neither clearly gets them for longer. Sources: dates from Samsung UK spec API; Apple’s record from endoflife.date and Apple security releases.
Which is cheaper?
The Galaxy S26 is £420 cheaper at UK RRP (£879 against £1,299). Prices from iPhone 18 Pro Max: Apple UK store; Galaxy S26: Samsung Newsroom UK.
Other comparisons
The pairs a buyer of either phone would also weigh. Any two phones in the catalogue can be compared from the chooser.