iPhone 17 vs Samsung Galaxy S26: how big are the (price) differences?

Samsung presented the Galaxy S26 on Wednesday, February 25 – time to see how big the (price) differences are with the iPhone 17.

iPhone 17 vs Samsung Galaxy S26

The new one Samsung Galaxy S26 comes on the market for a suggested retail price of 999 euros. That’s more than what you currently pay for the iPhone 17 (€ 859). Reason enough to compare the devices!

Housing

The first thing you notice about these two devices is that they are both exactly the same length, namely 149.6 mm. The width is also almost the same (iPhone 71.5 mm, Galaxy 71.7 mm) and the iPhone is also slightly thicker (8 mm compared to 7.2 mm). Both devices have an aluminum frame and a glass front and back.

The iPhone is somewhat better water-repellent: 6 meters for 30 minutes compared to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes. Furthermore, the iPhone is available in the colors Lavender, Sage Green, Nebula Blue, White and Black. The Samsung is available in the colors Cobalt Violet, Black, Sky Blue, White and on the Samsung website also in Pink Gold and Silver Shadow.

Screen

Both devices also have a 6.3-inch screen with a refresh rate of 120 Hz. The iPhone’s screen does have a higher resolution: 1206 x 2622 pixels compared to 1080 x 2340 pixels. The maximum brightness is also slightly higher at 3000 nits (Samsung: 2600 nits). In addition, the iPhone’s screen has an anti-reflective coating.

Camera

We see some more differences with the cameras. For example, the Samsung has three cameras and the iPhone only two. The main camera is the most similar. On the iPhone this is a 48-megapixel wide-angle camera with an aperture of f/1.6, on the Samsung a 50-megapixel wide-angle camera with an aperture of f/1.8. The Galaxy has 2 extra megapixels, the iPhone lets in just a little more light.

Furthermore, the iPhone 17 has a 48-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera and the Galaxy S26 has a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera. And then only the Samsung has a 10-megapixel camera with a 3x optical zoom. We find a selfie camera on both smartphones. On the Samsung this is a 12-megapixel wide-angle camera, on the iPhone an 18-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera.

Performance

It’s no surprise that they are both lightning-fast smartphones. Benchmark tests will soon reveal which device really performs better. In any case, the iPhone 17 runs on an A19 chip, the S26 on a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. The Samsung also has more RAM than the iPhone: 12 GB compared to 8 GB. Furthermore, you have the same choice of storage space for both smartphones: 256 GB or 512 GB.

Battery

On paper, the Samsung has the most powerful battery. It has a capacity of 4300 mAh and that of the iPhone is 3692 mAh. According to Samsung, the battery is good for about 30 hours of video playback and that is exactly what Apple indicates for the battery of the iPhone 17. The iPhone charges slightly faster than the Samsung, especially if you charge wirelessly.

Conclusion: iPhone 17 vs Samsung Galaxy S26

The Apple iPhone 17 and the Samsung Galaxy S26 are quite similar in terms of specifications, with a few clear differences. The devices are approximately the same size and also have the same battery life. Furthermore, both smartphones have their own advantages. The Samsung has more RAM and a camera with 3x optical zoom. The iPhone, on the other hand, has two high-resolution cameras and a screen with a higher maximum brightness and a higher resolution. It just depends on what you find more important.

Buy iPhone 17?

Are you planning to purchase an iPhone 17? In any case, keep an eye on the deals below. You can then be sure that you are not paying too much!