Tech Desk 
Sep 12, 2025
Apple just lifted the veil off the iPhone 17 series, while Samsung is preparing to launch the Galaxy S26 in early 2026.
With both smartphone manufacturers chasing excellence in design and performance to outdo each other, it remains to he seen how well Apple's latest iPhone series stacks up against the upcoming Galaxy S26 series.
Rumour has it that Samsung’s S26 Ultra will likely refine its 200MP ISOCELL HP2 camera with a wider f/1.4 aperture, promising up to 47% more light capture than the S25 Ultra, leaving a lasting impression for night photography.
Apple, on the other hand, seems to be leaning on computational photography, though its iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max pack better ultrawide lenses and enhanced low-light image processing.
Samsung is tipped to retain its dedicated 3× optical zoom, while Apple’s base iPhone 17 models may still rely on digital cropping, giving Samsung a slight edge in flexibility.
On the design front, Apple has made waves with the iPhone 17 Air, just 5.6 mm thick, the slimmest iPhone ever. But Samsung is rumoured to tackle this with the S26 Edge at 5.5 mm, though its camera bump could peak higher than Apple’s sleeker finish.
While Apple’s A19 Pro chip built on 2nm architecture focuses on efficiency and AI, Samsung’s S26 series, powered by Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 or Exynos 2600, is believed to rival Apple with improved AI and graphics.
