Samsung
Galaxy S26 Ultra
Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 · 6.9″ · 200 MP
94
/ 100
From $1,399
VS
Galaxy S26 Ultra wins by 2
Apple
iPhone 17 Air
A19 · 6.6″ · 5.4 mm thin
92
/ 100
From $999
Specdex verdict
Galaxy S26 Ultra takes it — here’s why.
In our weighted Specdex score, Galaxy S26 Ultra lands at 94 and iPhone 17 Air at 92. That puts Galaxy S26 Ultra ahead by 2 points — a narrow margin driven mostly by its strengths in the categories below.
Pick Galaxy S26 Ultra if…
- ✓Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 (3 nm refined)
- ✓Galaxy AI Gen 3 with Agent Flow
- ✓7-year updates through Android 23
Pick iPhone 17 Air if…
- ✓Thinnest iPhone ever (5.4 mm)
- ✓Light in hand (165 g)
- ✓Still 120Hz ProMotion
Score breakdown
Galaxy S26 Ultra
94 cpu 97
gpu 97
camera 95
battery 90
display 97
design 93
iPhone 17 Air
92 cpu 97
gpu 94
camera 86
battery 76
display 92
design 100
Specs side-by-side
Spec
Galaxy S26 Ultra
iPhone 17 Air
Display
6.9″ Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, 3120×1440
6.6″ LTPO OLED, 120Hz
Chipset
Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 for Galaxy
Apple A19 (3 nm)
RAM
16 GB
8 GB
Storage
256 / 512 GB / 1 TB
256 / 512 GB / 1 TB
Battery
5200 mAh
3200 mAh
OS
Android 16, One UI 8
iOS 19
Weight
—
165 g
Galaxy S26 Ultra
Pros
- +Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 (3 nm refined)
- +Galaxy AI Gen 3 with Agent Flow
- +7-year updates through Android 23
Cons
- −Price crept up $100 vs S25 Ultra
- −AI features vary by region
- −Still 45W charging
iPhone 17 Air
Pros
- +Thinnest iPhone ever (5.4 mm)
- +Light in hand (165 g)
- +Still 120Hz ProMotion
Cons
- −Single rear camera
- −Battery smaller than Plus (3200 mAh)
- −No telephoto
FAQ: Galaxy S26 Ultra vs iPhone 17 Air
Which is better, Galaxy S26 Ultra or iPhone 17 Air? +
Galaxy S26 Ultra scores 94 on our weighted rubric — ahead by 2. Your best pick depends on the sub-scores above.
Is Galaxy S26 Ultra worth the price? +
At $1,399, Galaxy S26 Ultra delivers a Specdex score of 94 — strongest in cpu.
Is iPhone 17 Air worth the price? +
At $999, iPhone 17 Air delivers a Specdex score of 92 — strongest in design.
Does Galaxy S26 Ultra or iPhone 17 Air last longer? +
Based on our long-term update and support ratings, both ship with multi-year support. Battery and reliability scores are visible in the breakdown above.