Head to head

Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

Full specification and price comparison for Pakistan, updated 10 Sep 2026.

The short answer

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is the stronger phone of the two, scoring 93 against 72 on our combined specification score. It leads on performance, camera and memory & storage. The Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max still wins on battery & charging, so it remains the better choice if that is your priority. The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is the cheaper of the two at PKR 423,999 against PKR 560,000.

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The verdict

Spec-derived

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra takes it by 21.1 points on our weighted spec score.

Performance Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra leads

Gaming score where available, otherwise chipset tier plus usable RAM.

Camera Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra leads

Camera Score where available, otherwise sensor resolution and lens count. Megapixels alone do not measure image quality.

Battery & charging Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max leads

Cell capacity in mAh weighted with rated wired charging output.

Display Level

Pixel density, refresh rate and panel technology.

Memory & storage Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra leads

Highest advertised RAM and internal storage configuration.

Value for money Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra leads

Combined spec score divided by current Pakistani retail price.

What actually differs

  • Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra costs PKR 136,001 less.
  • Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max packs a 567 mAh larger battery.
  • Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra offers 4 GB more RAM.
  • Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max ships with 1,024 GB more storage.
  • Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra has a 152 MP higher-resolution main sensor.

Buy the Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max if…

you care most about battery & charging.

Buy the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra if…

you care most about performance, camera, memory & storage and value for money.

Full specification comparison

Specification Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
Price in Pakistan
Retail price PKR 560,000 PKR 423,999 Cheaper
Design & build
Release date September 18, 2026 March 11, 2026
Dimensions 163.4 × 78.0 × 8.75 mm 163.6 × 78.1 × 7.9 mm
Weight 249 g 214g Better
Water resistance IP68 (up to 6 meters for up to 30 minutes) IP68 dust and water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 minutes)
Display
Screen size 6.9 inches 6.9-inch
Resolution 2868 × 1320 pixels 3120 × 1440 Pixels, QHD+ Better
Panel type Super Retina XDR OLED Dynamic AMOLED 2X 120Hz, HDR10+, Always-On Display, 2600 nits Peak Brightness
Protection Ceramic Shield 2 front Corning Gorilla Armor 2 w/ DX anti-reflective coating
Performance
Chipset Apple A20 Pro Qualcomm SM8850-AC Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3 nm)
CPU 6-core CPU (2 super cores + 4 efficiency cores) Octa-core (2×4.6 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix L + 6×3.62 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix M)
GPU 7-core GPU with Neural Accelerators Adreno 840
Operating system iOS 27 Android 16 OS(One UI 8.0)
Memory & storage
RAM 12GB 12/16 GB Better
Internal storage 256GB / 512GB / 1TB / 2TB Better 256GB / 512GB / 1TB
Card slot No No
Camera
Main camera 48MP Pro Fusion camera system 200MP + 50MP + 50MP + 10MP, OIS, PDAF, Laser AF, 3x/5x Optical Zoom, Up to 100x Digital Zoom, LED Flash, HDR, Panorama Better
Selfie camera 18MP Center Stage camera Better 12MP, f/2.2, 85° FOV, Autofocus, HDR.
Video recording 4K Dolby Vision up to 120fps; 1080p Dolby Vision up to 120fps; ProRes up to 4K 120fps with external recording; ProRes RAW; Apple Log 2; Spatial Video; Dual Capture 8K@30fps, 4K@120fps, 1080p@240fps, OIS, EIS, HDR10+, Super Steady, Slow Motion, Pro Video.
Battery & charging
Battery capacity 5567 mAh Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery Better Li-Ion (non-removable) 5000 mAh
Wired charging Fast charging: up to 50% in around 15 minutes with 60W-capable adapter or higher; up to 50% in 30 minutes with 35W adapter or higher using MagSafe Charger 60W Wired Charging, 25W Wireless Charging, Reverse Wireless Charging, Wireless PowerShare
Connectivity & extras
SIM Dual eSIM (2 active eSIMs; stores 8 or more eSIMs) Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time)
Wi-Fi Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be), 2×2 MIMO Wi-Fi 7, 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be, Tri-Band (2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz)
Bluetooth Bluetooth 6 6.0, A2DP, LE
NFC Yes, with reader mode Yes
Sensors Face ID, LiDAR Scanner, Barometer, High dynamic range gyro, High-g accelerometer, Proximity sensor, Dual ambient light sensors Accelerometer, Barometer, Fingerprint Sensor, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Hall Sensor, Light Sensor, Proximity Sensor
USB USB-C, USB 3 up to 10Gb/s, DisplayPort USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 1 OTG

“Better” marks the higher (or, for price and weight, the lower) figure. It is a specification difference, not a judgement about real-world experience.

Questions people ask

Which is better, Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max or Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra?

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra comes out ahead on our combined spec score, leading by 21.1 points. It wins on performance, camera, memory & storage and value for money. Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max can still be the better buy if your priorities sit elsewhere or if you find it at a lower street price.

What is the price of Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra in Pakistan?

Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max is listed at PKR 560,000 and Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra at PKR 423,999. That makes Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra cheaper by PKR 136,001. Retail prices move often, so treat these as indicative.

Which has the better camera, Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max or Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra?

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra scores higher in our camera assessment. Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max uses a 48 MP main sensor against 200 MP on Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, though sensor size and processing matter more than resolution alone.

Which phone has the better battery, Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max or Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra?

Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max leads on battery. Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max carries a 5567 mAh cell and Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra a 5000 mAh cell, with 60W and 60W wired charging respectively.

Which is better for gaming, Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max or Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra?

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is the stronger gaming phone here. Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max runs the Apple A20 Pro while Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra runs the Qualcomm SM8850-AC Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3 nm).

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Tools that use this data

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Scores are calculated from the published hardware specification of each device using the same formula for every phone on WhatMobilePK — they are not paid placements and they are not laboratory test results. Prices are indicative Pakistani retail prices and change frequently.