Apple is about to fire the starting gun on 2026’s battle of the best phones. The company holds its iPhone 17 launch event this Tuesday (September 9), where we're likely to see four new iPhone 17 models, alongside a number of other new devices.
But the iPhone 17 will only have a few months in the spotlight before it has to make way for its main rival, Samsung's next Galaxy S flagship. While the Galaxy S25 has been out for nine months now, we're expecting to see the Galaxy S26 at the start of the new year.
So the new iPhone's arrival sets the stage for an iPhone 17 vs. Samsung Galaxy S26 showdown. And while that face-off won't take place for a few months, it's never too early to consider how these phones might compare based on various leaks and rumors that we've heard so far about the base models in each lineup.
iPhone 17 vs Samsung Galaxy S26 rumored specs
iPhone 17 (rumored) |
Samsung Galaxy S26 (rumored) |
|
Display size |
6.3 inches (2,556x1,179) |
6.27 inches (2340x1080) |
Refresh rate |
120Hz |
120Hz |
Chipset |
Apple A18/A19 |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2/Samsung Exynos 2600 |
Memory |
8GB |
12GB |
Storage |
128GB/256GB/512GB |
128GB/256GB/512GB |
Rear cameras |
48MP main, 12MP ultrawide |
50MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP 3x telephoto |
Front camera |
24MP selfie |
12MP selfie |
Battery size |
3,561mAh+ |
4,300mAh |
iPhone 17 vs Samsung Galaxy S26 release date and price
As we've discussed, the iPhone 17 should arrive this month, not long after the September 9 event Apple has scheduled. Typically, Apple releases iPhones about two weeks after their launch event, so it’s likely that they’ll be available to buy on Friday September 19.
Price is a big unknown this time around, as it’s unclear how willing Apple will be to absorb the cost of tariffs introduced by President Trump. One analyst believes the price will go up by $50, taking the cost of a base model iPhone 17 to an $849 starting price. Others have suggested that only the iPhone 17 Pro will see a price hike.
In recent years, Samsung has released its Galaxy S phones in the first quarter, with the Galaxy S25 arriving by February, following a January announcement. The Galaxy S25 went on sale on February 7 of this year, as an example, so we'd expect a similar schedule for the Galaxy S26 in early 2026.
The same tariff-based worries apply to the Galaxy S26’s pricing, and it’s likely Samsung will be watching Apple’s moves closely here, too. All the same, it would be surprising if the cost didn't rise from the Galaxy S25's $799 price tag. It’s just a question of how much.
iPhone 17 vs Samsung Galaxy S26 design and display
Unlike the iPhone 17 Pro models that are set to get a Pixel-style extended camera bar along the back, the regular iPhone 17 isn’t likely to look all that different from the current iPhone 16. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
But that doesn’t mean there won’t be at least two significant changes. Firstly, the iPhone 17’s screen is expected to grow from 6.1 inches to 6.3, matching the display on the Pro model. It’s likely this will come with a reduced bezel, rather than an increased footprint.
More importantly, the iPhone 17's screen is expected to support a 120Hz refresh rate, the first time Apple's entry-level flagship has offered that feature. It should give users a far smoother experience closer to the Pro models while also matching what the Galaxy S phones have offered for years.
As for the Galaxy S26 display, it may also expand a little, though not as much as the iPhone 17, going from 6.2 inches to 6.27. Otherwise, we haven’t heard anything about a radically different design this time around, though it's still early in the rumor cycle.
iPhone 17 vs Samsung Galaxy S26 cameras
The iPhone 17 is set to get the first improvement to the front-facing camera in generations with a 24MP lens, according to the analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
Beyond that, however, we shouldn’t expect too much in the way of hardware changes to either phone’s camera setups. All we’ve heard for the Samsung Galaxy S26 is that the main 50MP camera may use a newer ISOCELL GN sensor over the ISOCELL S5KGN3 that's been in place since the S23. That could make a big difference in terms of picture quality, but we won’t know for sure until we test it for ourselves.
Assuming no radical changes to the cameras, you'd figure the Galaxy S26 will enjoy an edge over the iPhone 17, as it still offers a dedicated telephoto lens that supports a 3x zoom. We're expecting the iPhone 17 to continue to rely on its 48MP main camera for zoom shots, cropping in to approximate a 2x zoom, as it has since the iPhone 15.
iPhone 17 vs Samsung Galaxy S26 performance
The Galaxy S26 could be in line to enjoy a notable advantage over the iPhone 17 when it comes to performance, should one rumor about the new iPhone pan out.
While you'd expect Apple's latest phone to get a new chipset — namely the A19 — at least one rumor claims the iPhone 17 will keep the A18 system-on-chip currently powering the iPhone 16. Instead, the iPhone 17 Pro models would run on an A19 Pro.
While the A18 is no slouch when it comes to performance, you'd figure it would have a hard time keeping up with a newer chipset like the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 reportedly in development. Rumored to be clocked at 4.6GHz, Qualcomm's next flagship chip apparently scores around 4 million on the AnTuTu benchmark. To put that into perspective, at the time of writing, the A16 powered iPhone 16 sits at 1,793,195.
There’s a catch to the Galaxy S26's likely silicon, however. In certain regions, Samsung is said to be bringing back its own Exynos chipset, which has historically lagged behind its Qualcomm equivalent. That might be a deal breaker for those outside the United States and South Korea.
Despite both Samsung and Apple’s increasing reliance on AI, there’s not expected to be any advance in RAM in either handset, with the iPhone 17 sticking with 8GB and the Galaxy S26 staying with 12GB. Equally, we’re not expecting any new increase on the base storage for either handset: 128GB is likely to remain the minimum, with 256GB or 512GB options available as an upgrade.
But there could be some other changes. For the Galaxy S26, the battery size might increase 300mAh, taking the power pack to 4,300mAh in Samsung's phone. That will hopefully be possible without an increase to the phone’s size, thanks to use of silicon carbon battery chemistry. There’s also talk of adding a new NFC antenna to the top of the phone, in order to make contactless payments easier.
For the iPhone 17, there’s talk of battery improvements too. Apparently charging speeds may finally exceed 20W, hitting 35W this time around. Additionally, it seems that Apple may boost wireless charging speeds to 50W via support for Qi 2.2 wireless standards.
iPhone 17 vs Samsung Galaxy S26 outlook
On paper, the Samsung Galaxy S26 looks to be the more promising update, based on its likely use of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 and 4GB of extra RAM. At this point, Galaxy AI features on board Samsung's flagship are more advanced than what Apple Intelligence has to offer, though that could change when Siri gets a badly needed AI update in 2026.
But otherwise — and with the caveat that we’re still a long way from release — Samsung's phone looks like a fairly minimal update. The iPhone 17, on the other hand, may be staying static with its choice of chipset, but it has a feature that we’ve been crying out for for years: a 120Hz screen.
Yes, the Galaxy S has had that for years, but for those who prefer iOS but without the budget for the Pro handsets, it could be a game changer.
There is, of course, room for more surprises that have escaped leakers’ attentions. You can find out for yourself next week: here’s how to watch the iPhone 17 event live.
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