Where they actually differ
The most decisive specs, ranked by how much they matter — before the full spec table.
| Spec | Samsung - Galaxy S26 Ultra | Apple - iPhone 17 |
|---|---|---|
| Main camera | 200 MP | 48 MP |
| Wired charging | 65 W | 27 W |
| RAM | 16 GB | 8 GB |
| Wireless charging | 15 W | 25 W |
| Weight | 232 g | 194 g |
| Battery capacity | 5000 mAh | 3692 mAh |
Between the Galaxy S26 Ultra and iPhone 17, the Galaxy S26 Ultra comes out ahead in main camera / wired charging, while the iPhone 17 wins on wireless charging / weight. Overall, the Galaxy S26 Ultra scores 74.2 and the iPhone 17 scores 63.2 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
The Galaxy S26 Ultra is the clear pick on raw spec strength, leading by 11.0 points on the Mars Score. The margin is wide enough that the underdog only makes sense if its individual strengths line up with what you specifically need.
Pick the Galaxy S26 Ultra if you photograph or shoot video regularly and want the better imaging pipeline of the two. The biggest gaps in its favor are main camera, wired charging, ram, among others. The single most decisive one: Main camera — 316.67% more. 200 MP vs 48 MP.
Pick the iPhone 17 if you carry the device everywhere and weight or thickness has been the deciding factor before. Its strongest claims are wireless charging, weight. The single most decisive one: Wireless charging — 66.67% more. 25 W vs 15 W.
Both ship with comparable refresh rate, 5g support, water resistance, so those specs do not separate the two — focus on the differences below.
Bottom line: the Galaxy S26 Ultra is the safer default. The other model is the right choice only when its specific advantages line up with your priorities.
Which should you buy: Samsung - Galaxy S26 Ultra or Apple - iPhone 17?
Samsung - Galaxy S26 Ultra leads the current Mars Score by 11.0 points.The more useful decision is the trade-off behind that result: compare screen size, ram, pixel density, battery capacity against the way you will actually use the product.
Choose Samsung - Galaxy S26 Ultra if…
Samsung - Galaxy S26 Ultra has the measurable edge on main cam mp, wired charging w, ram gb.
Choose Apple - iPhone 17 if…
Apple - iPhone 17 has the measurable edge on wireless charging w, weight g.
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 Ultra wins
- ▲Main camera — 316.67% more. 200 MP vs 48 MP.
- ▲Wired charging — 140.74% more. 65 W vs 27 W.
- ▲RAM — 100.00% more. 16 GB vs 8 GB.
- ▲Battery capacity — 35.43% more. 5000 mAh vs 3692 mAh.
- ▲AnTuTu — 16.67% more. 2310000 vs 1980000.
- ▲Screen size — 9.52% more. 6.9 " vs 6.3 ".
- ▲Pixel density — 8.91% more. 501 ppi vs 460 ppi.
- ▲Promised OS updates: 7 (vs 6).
Why Apple - iPhone 17 wins
- ▲Wireless charging — 66.67% more. 25 W vs 15 W.
- ▲Weight — 38.00 g less. 194 vs 232.
Spec comparison
Design
| Spec | Samsung - Galaxy S26 Ultra | Apple - iPhone 17 |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 232 g | 194 glead |
| Thickness | 8.6 mm | 8.1 mmlead |
| Water resistanceⓘ | IP68 | IP68 |
| Form factor | bar | bar |
Display
| Spec | Samsung - Galaxy S26 Ultra | Apple - iPhone 17 |
|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 6.9 "lead | 6.3 " |
| Pixel densityⓘ | 501 ppilead | 460 ppi |
| Refresh rateⓘ | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Peak brightnessⓘ | 2600 nitslead | 2200 nits |
Performance
| Spec | Samsung - Galaxy S26 Ultra | Apple - iPhone 17 |
|---|---|---|
| RAMⓘ | 16 GBlead | 8 GB |
| Storageⓘ | 512 GBlead | 256 GB |
| AnTuTuⓘ | 2310000lead | 1980000 |
| CPU total clockⓘ | 22.8 GHzlead | 19.2 GHz |
Cameras
| Spec | Samsung - Galaxy S26 Ultra | Apple - iPhone 17 |
|---|---|---|
| Main cameraⓘ | 200 MPlead | 48 MP |
| Front camera | 12 MP | 12 MP |
| Optical image stabilizationⓘ | true | true |
Battery
| Spec | Samsung - Galaxy S26 Ultra | Apple - iPhone 17 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery capacityⓘ | 5000 mAhlead | 3692 mAh |
| Wired chargingⓘ | 65 Wlead | 27 W |
| Wireless chargingⓘ | 15 W | 25 Wlead |
Connectivity
| Spec | Samsung - Galaxy S26 Ultra | Apple - iPhone 17 |
|---|---|---|
| 5G supportⓘ | true | true |
| Headphone jack | false | false |
| microSD slot | false | false |
Operating System
| Spec | Samsung - Galaxy S26 Ultra | Apple - iPhone 17 |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Android | iOSlead |
| Promised OS updates | 7 yearslead | 6 years |
Frequently asked
Which has better battery, Galaxy S26 Ultra or iPhone 17?+
Galaxy S26 Ultra has 35.4% more battery — 5000 mAh vs 3692 mAh.
Which is lighter, Galaxy S26 Ultra or iPhone 17?+
iPhone 17 is 38g lighter — 232g vs 194g.
Is Galaxy S26 Ultra waterproof?+
Galaxy S26 Ultra has an IP68 rating.
Does iPhone 17 support 5G?+
Yes, iPhone 17 supports 5G.
Which has more RAM, Galaxy S26 Ultra or iPhone 17?+
Galaxy S26 Ultra offers 16GB of RAM.
Which has a better camera, Galaxy S26 Ultra or iPhone 17?+
Galaxy S26 Ultra has a 200 MP main camera vs 48 MP.