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vsMars
Head-to-head

Samsung - Galaxy S26+ vs Apple - iPhone 18 Pro Max

Last updated · How Mars Score works
Galaxy S26+SAMSUNGILLUSTRATION
Probe A
Samsung
Galaxy S26+
69.4/ 100B
Performance72· 25%
Battery61· 20%
Display70· 18%
Cameras70· 18%
Design65· 8%
Connectivity—· 7%
Operating System95· 4%
iPhone 18 Pro MaxAPPLEILLUSTRATION
Probe B
Apple
iPhone 18 Pro Max
69.9/ 100B
Performance78· 25%
Battery67· 20%
Display72· 18%
Cameras69· 18%
Design36· 8%
Connectivity—· 7%
Operating System86· 4%
The fork

Where they actually differ

The most decisive specs, ranked by how much they matter — before the full spec table.

SpecSamsung - Galaxy S26+Apple - iPhone 18 Pro Max
Wireless charging15 W25 W
AnTuTu22000003550000
Weight196 g249 g
Front camera12 MP18 MP
Wired charging45 W60 W
Pixel density513 ppi460 ppi
Quick verdict

Between the Galaxy S26+ and iPhone 18 Pro Max, the Galaxy S26+ comes out ahead in weight / pixel density, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max wins on wireless charging / antutu. Overall, the Galaxy S26+ scores 69.4 and the iPhone 18 Pro Max scores 69.9 on our Mars Score.

Buying advice

Which should you buy?

These two are nearly even on the Mars Score (69.4 vs 69.9). The decision is not about overall quality — both clear the bar — it is about which specific trade-offs fit your use.

Pick the Galaxy S26+ if you photograph or shoot video regularly and want the better imaging pipeline of the two. The biggest gaps in its favor are weight, pixel density, main camera, among others. The single most decisive one: Weight — 53.00 g less. 196 vs 249.

Pick the iPhone 18 Pro Max if you care most about wireless charging / antutu. Its strongest claims are wireless charging, antutu, front camera, among others. The single most decisive one: Wireless charging — 66.67% more. 25 W vs 15 W.

Both ship with comparable ram, refresh rate, 5g support, so those specs do not separate the two — focus on the differences below.

Bottom line: there is no wrong answer here — match the spec advantages to how you actually use the product. The Mars Score parity says both are well-rounded; the differences are about trade-offs, not quality.

Decision guide

Which should you buy: Samsung - Galaxy S26+ or Apple - iPhone 18 Pro Max?

Apple - iPhone 18 Pro Max leads the current Mars Score by 0.5 points.The more useful decision is the trade-off behind that result: compare screen size, pixel density, battery capacity against the way you will actually use the product.

Choose Samsung - Galaxy S26+ if…

Samsung - Galaxy S26+ has the measurable edge on weight g, pixel density ppi, main cam mp.

Choose Apple - iPhone 18 Pro Max if…

Apple - iPhone 18 Pro Max has the measurable edge on wireless charging w, antutu score, front cam mp.

This is a structured comparison of the published catalog values. It is not a claim of identical real-world performance across every workload; use the linked spec drill-downs and methodology page to inspect the inputs.

Why Samsung - Galaxy S26+ wins

  • ▲Weight — 53.00 g less. 196 vs 249.
  • ▲Pixel density — 11.52% more. 513 ppi vs 460 ppi.
  • ▲Main camera — 4.17% more. 50 MP vs 48 MP.
  • ▲Promised OS updates: 7 (vs 6).

Why Apple - iPhone 18 Pro Max wins

  • ▲Wireless charging — 66.67% more. 25 W vs 15 W.
  • ▲AnTuTu — 61.36% more. 3550000 vs 2200000.
  • ▲Front camera — 50.00% more. 18 MP vs 12 MP.
  • ▲Wired charging — 33.33% more. 60 W vs 45 W.
  • ▲Battery capacity — 10.02% more. 5391 mAh vs 4900 mAh.
  • ▲Screen size — 2.99% more. 6.9 " vs 6.7 ".
Full readout

Spec comparison

Design

SpecSamsung - Galaxy S26+Apple - iPhone 18 Pro Max
Weight196 glead249 g
Thickness7.6 mmlead8.75 mm
Water resistanceⓘIP68IP68
Form factorbarbar

Display

SpecSamsung - Galaxy S26+Apple - iPhone 18 Pro Max
Screen size6.7 "6.9 "lead
Pixel densityⓘ513 ppilead460 ppi
Refresh rateⓘ120 Hz120 Hz
Peak brightnessⓘ2600 nits3000 nitslead

Performance

SpecSamsung - Galaxy S26+Apple - iPhone 18 Pro Max
RAMⓘ12 GB12 GB
Storageⓘ256 GB256 GB
AnTuTuⓘ22000003550000lead
CPU total clockⓘ22.4 GHzlead20.3 GHz

Cameras

SpecSamsung - Galaxy S26+Apple - iPhone 18 Pro Max
Main cameraⓘ50 MPlead48 MP
Front camera12 MP18 MPlead
Optical image stabilizationⓘtruetrue

Battery

SpecSamsung - Galaxy S26+Apple - iPhone 18 Pro Max
Battery capacityⓘ4900 mAh5391 mAhlead
Wired chargingⓘ45 W60 Wlead
Wireless chargingⓘ15 W25 Wlead

Connectivity

SpecSamsung - Galaxy S26+Apple - iPhone 18 Pro Max
5G supportⓘtruetrue
Headphone jackfalsefalse
microSD slotfalsefalse

Operating System

SpecSamsung - Galaxy S26+Apple - iPhone 18 Pro Max
OSAndroidiOSlead
Promised OS updates7 yearslead6 years
Reader questions

Frequently asked

Which has better battery, Galaxy S26+ or iPhone 18 Pro Max?+

iPhone 18 Pro Max has 10.0% more battery — 4900 mAh vs 5391 mAh.

Which is lighter, Galaxy S26+ or iPhone 18 Pro Max?+

Galaxy S26+ is 53g lighter — 196g vs 249g.

Is Galaxy S26+ waterproof?+

Galaxy S26+ has an IP68 rating.

Does iPhone 18 Pro Max support 5G?+

Yes, iPhone 18 Pro Max supports 5G.

Which has a better camera, Galaxy S26+ or iPhone 18 Pro Max?+

Galaxy S26+ has a 50 MP main camera vs 48 MP.

Drill down

Spec-level deep dives

By manufacturer

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