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Samsung Galaxy S26 launch as brought back our focus to the iPhone 17 model from Apple with its upgrades.
iPhone 17 is the direct rival to the Galaxy S26 variant from Samsung
Samsung Galaxy S26 launch has brought back attention to Apple’s latest iPhone 17 model which got a considerable number of upgrades when it was announced last year. This has further raised the prospect of Apple ditching the base iPhone 18 for 2026 and focus on the 18 Pro series along with the foldable.
Coming back to the S26, the base variant price in India is much higher, and even more than what people would have to pay for the iPhone 17. So, does the new Samsung Galaxy S26 fare better or worse in comparison to the iPhone 17? We go in-depth to find the answer.
iPhone 17 Vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Price In India
Apple iPhone 17 price in India starts at Rs 82,900 but you can get it for much lower with offers available both offline and online. The base model is available with 256GB storage.
Samsung Galaxy S26 starts at Rs 87,999 for the 12GB + 256GB model in the country and you have to pay Rs 20,000 extra for the 512GB model.
iPhone 17 Vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Design
iPhone 17 gets an aluminium design, with ceramic shield 2 protection on the front. The device comes at 7.95mm thickness and weighs 177 grams. It does get an IP68 rating which is always handy.
The Galaxy S26 also features an aluminium frame and a glass body, protected by Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on both sides. The phone comes with 7.2mm thickness and weighs 167 grams. And like the iPhone 17, Samsung offers IP68 rating.
iPhone 17 Vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Display
iPhone 17 gets a slightly bigger 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR display but with ProMotion 120Hz refresh rate and Always-on-display support. It also sees a bump in the brightness level with now 3,000 nits available for outdoors. The anti-reflective coating is another useful addition.
Samsung Galaxy S26 gets a dynamic 6.3-inch AMOLED display with 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, HDR10+ and 2600 nits of peak brightness. The privacy display feature is not available with the base model.
iPhone 17 Vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Performance And OS
iPhone 17 is powered by the new A19 chipset, most likely with 12GB RAM for Apple AI support. It will get iOS 26 update out of the box later this month and be upgradeable to iOS versions for at least 6 years. You get it in 256GB and 512GB variants.
Samsung is powering the S26 with Exynos 2600 2nm chipset with 12GB RAM and up to 512GB storage. You get it with the Android 16-based One UI 8.5 version with the promise of 7 OS upgrades and security updates.
iPhone 17 Vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Cameras
iPhone 17 has a dual camera setup like the iPhone 16 with a 48MP sensor and a 12MP telephoto lens offered at the back. However, the front sees the 12MP shooter on the iPhone 16 upgraded to an 18MP camera on the iPhone 17 this year.
Samsung continues to dish out the same cameras with the S26 model. You have a 50MP main sensor with OIS, a 10MP telephoto lens with OIS and a 12MP ultrawide lens. The front is also getting the 12MP shooter.
iPhone 17 Vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Battery And Charging
iPhone 17 battery details are not given officially but most sources suggest it packs a 3,692mAh unit with 30W wired and 25W wireless charging speeds.
Samsung is offering a 4,300mAh battery with 25W wired and wireless charging support.
Delhi, India, India
February 26, 2026, 10:28 IST
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