Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
An honest, side-by-side comparison to help you decide which smartphones to buy in Australia.
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Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
Apple
#1 Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
Samsung
#2 Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
Price & Rating
Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
A$2,199
★ 4.6 / 5 · 285 reviews
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
A$2,199
★ 4.5 / 5 · 48 reviews
Scores
Camera
Apple
10
Samsung
10
Performance
Apple
10
Samsung
10
Battery
Apple
10
Samsung
9
Value
Apple
7
Samsung
7
Pros & Cons
Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
Pros
- + Best battery life in any iPhone ever — up to 37 hours video playback
- + Pro Fusion camera with all 48MP sensors and 8x optical-quality zoom
- + A19 Pro chip with 40% better sustained performance
Cons
- − Eye-wateringly expensive at over $2,000
- − Iterative design — looks similar to the iPhone 16 Pro Max
- − Heavy for one-handed use
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
Pros
- + Built-in Privacy Display prevents others from seeing your screen
- + Phenomenal 200MP camera with excellent zoom range
- + Upgraded Galaxy AI with Photo Assist and Creative Studio
Cons
- − Price has crept up to $2,199 for the 256GB model
- − Samsung's One UI can feel bloated with duplicate apps
- − No S Pen included — a step back from the S25 Ultra
Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
Check Price on Amazonon Amazon.com.auSamsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
Check Price on Amazonon Amazon.com.auOur Verdict
Choose Apple iPhone 17 Pro Maxif…
- ✓You value camera (scores 98/10)
- ✓You value performance (scores 99/10)
- ✓You value battery (scores 97/10)
- ✓You value value (scores 70/10)
Choose Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultraif…
Overall average score: Apple 91.0/10 vs Samsung 88.0/10. Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max edges ahead overall.