iPhone 18 Pro vs. Samsung Galaxy S26: How this year’s top flagship phones could compare

Every year brings an iPhone vs Galaxy flagship phone face-off, and while 2026 is no exception, things could be a little different this time around. With reports that Apple might shake up its phone release schedule with staggered launches, that could leave only the iPhone 18 Pro models to take on Samsung’s Galaxy S26 offerings later this year.

That would seemingly give Samsung an advantage, at least when it comes to entry-level models. The standard Galaxy S26 figures to be less expensive than the iPhone 18 Pro, even with smartphone pricing up in the air these days. But Apple could have a much more compelling phone on its hands that makes the price gap less relevant.

It’s early days, of course, since we haven’t even seen Samsung’s new flagships yet, let alone the new iPhone models coming out later this year. But with rumors giving us some early indications of what the smartphone scene might look like in 2026, here’s an early iPhone 18 Pro vs. Galaxy S26 comparison that reveals how Apple and Samsung are staking out their corners of the market.

iPhone 18 Pro vs. Samsung Galaxy S26: Rumored specs

iPhone 18 Pro vs. Samsung Galaxy S26: Price and availability

If Samsung had stuck to its script from the last few years, we’d already have some idea about when the first flagship phones of the year were landing. In recent times, Samsung has held a launch event for its Galaxy S devices in January, but there’s no date set yet for Galaxy Unpacked 2026. The speculation is the event will take place in late February, which would mean the Galaxy S26 is on track to show up in March.

Even with the later than expected launch date, Samsung should have a six-month head start on Apple, which doesn’t release its new phones until the fall. This year, reports claim Apple will only release iPhone 18 Pro models — the standard Pro and the Pro Max — pushing back the regular iPhone 18 release to the spring of 2027.

If both companies stick to their current prices, the Galaxy S26 will have a $300 edge on the iPhone 18 Pro. Samsung currently charges $799 for the Galaxy S25, while the iPhone 17 Pro starts at $1,099.

However, both Samsung and Apple could have a hard time holding the line on those prices. Demand for RAM has caused prices to spike, and it’s unclear how that might affect what device makers charge for phones. Already, we’ve heard reports that Samsung may raise Galaxy S26 prices in some reasons as it tries to strike a balance between offering an attractively priced flagship that remains profitable for the company.

iPhone 18 Pro vs. Samsung Galaxy S26: Design and display

Any design changes to either phone are likely to be modest ones. Leaked Galaxy S26 renders have shown off a device that looks an awful lot like the Galaxy S25. Meanwhile, Apple rolled out a big design change for the iPhone 17 Pro last fall with a camera plateau that stretches across the upper half of the phone. We’d expect the iPhone 18 Pro to continue with that newly introduced look.

That said, there has been debate over whether the iPhone 18 Pro will continue to include a Dynamic Island cutout or not. One report has the iPhone 18 Pro switching to under-display Face ID sensors with a punch-hole camera while other reports simply claim that the Dynamic Island will be smaller on the new Apple Pro models.

There’s talk of the Galaxy S26’s display growing every so slightly from the 6.2-inch panel found on the current model. That would give us a 6.3-inch screen, matching the dimensions of the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro — and presumably, the iPhone 18 Pro.

While we’re talking about displays, a report claims that Samsung will use the same type of panel on the Galaxy S26 that Apple puts on its phones. The result should be a brighter screen, though Apple could always top that with an improved display of its own when the iPhone 18 Pro arrives. While the Galaxy S26 Ultra is expected to get a Privacy Display feature that blocks onlookers from seeing the contents of your screen, it’s not clear if that feature is slated for Samsung’s less expensive flagships.

iPhone 18 Pro vs. Samsung Galaxy S26: Cameras

Cameras could be one area where the iPhone 18 Pro holds a big advantage over the Galaxy S26, though it’s not for lack of lenses on Samsung’s part.

Samsung is one of the few phone makers to included a dedicated telephoto camera on its entry-level flagship — you have to get an iPhone Pro to enjoy that feature on Apple device. So the phones could find themselves on equally footing when it comes to the ability to capture zoom shots, even if the iPhone 18 Pro is likely to continue to offer a 4x zoom versus the 3x zoom Samsung currently features on its standard and Plus flagships.

And it sounds as if Samsung’s not making many changes to its cameras, at least on the Galaxy S26. Leaked specs show the Galaxy S26 with the same 50MP main, 12MP ultrawide and 10MP zoom lenses as the Galaxy S25. There has been some talk of a new main camera sensor that would be larger and let in more light. Early claims that the ultrawide lens would get an upgrade to a 50MP sensor have faded as of late.

In contrast, the iPhone 18 Pro has been tipped to feature a main camera with a variable aperture. This would allow the camera to adjust how much light gets let in based on different conditions, and it would give photographers more control over their shot.

iPhone 18 Pro vs. Samsung Galaxy S26: Performance

There’s a potentially interesting comparison brewing as to how these two phones might perform, with a lot hinging on the system-on-chip Samsung turns to for the Galaxy S26. In theory, that would be the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, Qualcomm’s latest silicon, which has proven to be a formidable performer based on both our own benchmarks with a reference device as well as in tests of the OnePlus 15.

But Samsung may have other plans in mind, depending on which Galaxy S26 model we’re talking about and where it’s released. As is usual ahead of a big Samsung phone launch, there’s reports that some models of the Galaxy S26 are going to feature an Exynos 2600 chipset.

Normally, that’s a cause for concern, as Exynos chips tend to lag behind their Snapdragon counterparts when it comes to performance. However, Samsung says the Exynos 2600 is a 2nm Gate-All-Around (GAA) manufacturing process, which should lead to bigger gains in both power and efficiency than what you’d get from a 3nm chip.

There’s no mystery as to the silicon Apple will likely use in the iPhone 18 Pro. After debuting the A19 Pro system-on-chip for its iPhone 17 Pro models, we’re expecting an A20 Pro to power the iPhone 18 Pro. And that chip’s also supposed to be built on a 2nm process for performance gains of its own.

iPhone 18 Pro vs. Samsung Galaxy S26: Battery life and charging

Those leaked Galaxy S26 specs suggest a boost to the battery powering Samsung’s entry-level phone. The new model could turn to a 4,300 mAh battery, which is slightly larger than the 4,000 mAh cell inside the Galaxy S25.

That couple with the upgraded chipset should lead to improved battery life for the Galaxy S26, which would be impressive after the 15 hour and 22 minute time posted on our battery test by the Galaxy S25. Not only is that more than 4 hours better than the average smartphone we test, it’s a remarkably solid time for a compact phone without a lot of internal room for a big battery.

Of course, the iPhone 17 Pro is pretty compact in its own right, and it turned in a slightly better of 15 hours and 32 minutes on our battery test. Considering the more efficient performance expected from the A20 Pro, we could easily see a battery life gain for the iPhone 18 Pro, regardless of what Apple does with the new phone’s battery. (Not that Apple goes around announcing battery sizes.)

While reports tip the Galaxy S26 Ultra to get a boost to wired charging speeds, the Galaxy S26 is expected to remain at 25W. That trails the iPhone 17 Pro, which offers 35W wired charging, and we expect the iPhone 18 Pro to at least match that.

iPhone 18 Pro vs. Samsung Galaxy S26: Software

A big question about how software will compare on the iPhone 18 Pro and Galaxy S26 gets answered this spring, when the iOS 26.4 update is expected to bring a smarter version of Siri that incorporates Google Gemini to Apple’s current iPhones. While the iOS 27 software update isn’t coming until the fall, giving time for Apple to add more features, iOS 26.4 should be our first hint as to how Apple Intelligence compares to Galaxy AI.

Because make no mistake — Apple’s AI tool log behind the competition. And that’s before the Galaxy S26 introduces even more Galaxy AI features. We’re not sure what Samsung has planned, but the lack of big hardware changes to this year’s Galaxy S26 models would suggest the phone maker is putting all of its eggs in the AI basket to win over upgraders.

iPhone 18 Pro vs. Samsung Galaxy S26: Outlook

We’ve got a way to go before an iPhone 18 Pro vs. Samsung Galaxy S26 face-off becomes a reality — quite a long way in the case of the iPhone. Expect a lot more details to emerge in the next nine months that could change how we think about both phones.

But the impending Galaxy S26 launch means it’s time to start thinking about what this year’s phones will be able to do. And the early signs for both models suggest a pretty heated battle to come.

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