Everything the iPhone 17 has that the Samsung Galaxy S26 doesn’t
Samsung recently launched the Galaxy S26 series. While the Galaxy S26 Ultra received meaningful upgrades, including a new Privacy Display feature, the base Galaxy S26 also saw no hardware upgrades other than a faster processor and slightly larger battery. As a result, the iPhone 17 seems to offer more features and a better value overall.
Here’s what the iPhone 17 offers that the Galaxy S26 doesn’t.
What makes the iPhone 17 better than the Galaxy S26?
1. A bright, non-reflective display
The base iPhone 17 has a 6.3-inch OLED display with Full HD+ resolution, a variable refresh rate of 1-120Hz, a maximum brightness of up to 3,000 nits, and an anti-reflective coating.
In comparison, the Galaxy S26 has a 6.3-inch OLED panel with Full HD+ resolution, a refresh rate of 1 to 120Hz, and a maximum brightness of 2,600 nits. It does not include the anti-reflective coating or Privacy display feature found on the Galaxy S26 Ultra.
The iPhone 17 also uses a 10-bit panel with Dolby Vision support, which is not available on the Galaxy S26.
2. Advanced front-facing camera
The iPhone 17 uses a square-format 18MP front-facing camera with autofocus. The square sensor allows users to capture both portrait and landscape photos without actually rotating the phone. It also supports 4K video recording at 60 frames per second with Dolby Vision HDR.
The Galaxy S26, by comparison, has a 12MP front-facing camera with autofocus. It supports 4K video at 60 frames per second with HDR10+, but its standard rectangular sensor requires users to rotate the phone when switching between portrait and landscape settings.
3. Ultrawide high resolution camera
Apple has equipped the iPhone 17 with a 48MP ultrawide camera that uses a 1/2.55-inch sensor and autofocus. The Galaxy S26 features a 12MP ultrawide camera with a fixed-focus lens. While both phones support video recording up to 4K 60fps with HDR, the iPhone offers more detail and the ability to adjust focus.
4. Fast wired and wireless charging
The iPhone 17 has a smaller battery, around 3,700mAh, compared to the Galaxy S26’s 4,300mAh battery. However, it supports fast charging. Wireless charging is up to 40W, allowing the battery to charge up to 50% in about 20 minutes.
Wireless charging supports up to 25W, reaching 50% in about 30 minutes. The iPhone 17 charges at the same speed wirelessly as the S26 does with a wired charger.
Also, despite the smaller battery, the overall battery life of the iPhone 17 is generally competitive and can be longer in certain usage situations.
5. Strong water resistance
Both phones have an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. However, the iPhone 17 is rated to withstand immersion in water up to 6 meters for 30 minutes. The Galaxy S26 is rated for immersion in fresh water up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes. That is a very big difference.
6. Bluetooth 6.0 and Ultra Wideband (UWB)
Both devices support 5G, eSIM, and Wi-Fi 7. However, the iPhone 17 features Bluetooth 6.0, while the Galaxy S26 uses Bluetooth 5.4. iPhone 17 also features Ultra Wideband (UWB), which enables more accurate location tracking and improved smart lock functionality.
The Galaxy S26 offers a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C port, which is faster than the iPhone 17’s USB 2.0 Type-C port. This enables Samsung DeX support, which allows for a desktop-style experience when connected to an external display.
Given these differences, the Galaxy S26 seems a bit competitive in terms of value, especially given its higher price. In the United States, the iPhone 17 with 256GB of storage costs $799, while the Galaxy S26 with the same storage costs $899. The 512GB Galaxy S26 is also priced $100 more than the same iPhone 17 model.
Samsung will need to deliver major improvements with the Galaxy S27 series, especially in areas such as camera hardware and charging speeds, to remain competitive.
