iPhone 18 Pro vs Galaxy S26 Ultra · Same €1,449, two different phones
Apple and Samsung price these two identically in Europe, €1,449 for 256 GB, and then sell you different things for it. The iPhone 18 Pro is the smaller phone with the more advanced camera hardware, a 2 nm chip and the deeper video toolkit; the Galaxy S26 Ultra is the bigger one, with a 6.9-inch screen that can hide itself from onlookers, a built-in stylus, two telephoto lenses and seven promised years of updates. The size-for-size rival is really the iPhone 18 Pro Max, and it costs €150 more. Prices are the official German ones.
Published · prices checked
Which one to buy
- If you want the bigger screen and a stylus
- Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
- 6.9 inches at QHD+ against 6.3 inches, with the S Pen in its silo and a Privacy Display that narrows the viewing angle on demand. Apple's size match is the 18 Pro Max, at €1,599.
- If you shoot video, or want manual camera control in the stock app
- Apple iPhone 18 Pro
- 4K at 120 fps in Dolby Vision, ProRes RAW, Apple Log 2 and Genlock, plus Pro controls for aperture, shutter and white balance. Samsung answers with 8K at 30 fps and the APV codec; it is a good answer, but Apple offers more tools.
- If zoom decides it
- Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
- A 50 MP 5× periscope and a 10 MP 3× lens against Apple's single 4× telephoto (8× at optical quality). Two dedicated telephotos cover more of the range with real glass.
- If you want the compact one, sealed deeper
- Apple iPhone 18 Pro
- 150.0 × 71.9 mm and 211 g against 163.6 × 78.1 mm and 214 g, and IP68 rated to 6 m for 30 minutes against Samsung's 1.5 m.
The thing neither spec sheet tells you
The two carry the same €1,449 European price for 256 GB, which no spec sheet mentions, and the ladders then cross: at 512 GB Apple asks €1,699 and Samsung €1,649, at 1 TB €2,199 against €1,949 with 16 GB of RAM on the Samsung, and only Apple sells a 2 TB tier, at €2,949. In the US it runs the other way, $1,199 for the iPhone against $1,299.99 for the Galaxy. And the size-for-size match, the 6.9-inch iPhone 18 Pro Max, starts at €1,599, so like for like Samsung is €150 cheaper in Europe.
Size and price: the same €1,449 buys 6.3 inches or 6.9
The iPhone 18 Pro measures 150.0 × 71.9 × 8.75 mm and weighs 211 g with a 6.3-inch screen; the Galaxy S26 Ultra measures 163.6 × 78.1 × 7.9 mm and weighs 214 g with a 6.9-inch one. Samsung is thinner, 13.6 mm taller and 6.2 mm wider, and for the same money gives you considerably more display. Apple's phone of the same size is the iPhone 18 Pro Max: 163.4 × 78.0 × 8.75 mm, 249 g, 6.9 inches and €1,599, so 35 g heavier and €150 dearer than the S26 Ultra. Both start at 256 GB; Apple goes to 2 TB, Samsung stops at 1 TB but adds 16 GB of RAM there, while Apple never states its memory at all.
Cameras: control against reach
Apple fields three 48 MP Fusion sensors: a main camera with the first variable aperture on an iPhone, f/1.48 to f/4.0 at 24 mm with sensor-shift stabilisation; a 13 mm f/2.2 ultra-wide; and a 100 mm telephoto, 4× optical and 8× at optical quality, digital to 40×. Apple Reference Image cryptographically signs what the sensor saw. Samsung bets on resolution and on the number of lenses: a 200 MP main at f/1.4, a 50 MP 5× periscope at f/2.9, a 10 MP 3× lens, a 50 MP ultra-wide with autofocus, 2× and 10× crops at optical quality and digital to 100×. The front camera is 18 MP on the Apple and 12 MP on the Samsung.
Video: the deepest toolkit against the newest codec
The iPhone records 4K at 120 fps in Dolby Vision, ProRes RAW and Apple Log 2, supports Genlock and ProRes to 4K at 120 fps with external recording, and applies Cinematic effects after capture at up to 60 fps; Pro controls put aperture, shutter speed, white balance and a histogram into the stock app. The Galaxy S26 Ultra records 8K at 30 fps, 4K at 120 fps in Pro Video mode and is the first Galaxy to capture in the professional APV codec, with improved night video and a horizontal-lock mode for Super Steady. Anyone editing on a desktop finds more formats on the Apple; anyone who wants 8K finds it only on the Samsung.
Screens: 3,000 nits and 460 ppi against QHD+ and a Privacy Display
The iPhone 18 Pro has a 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR OLED at 2622 × 1206 and 460 ppi, ProMotion 1–120 Hz, Always On and 3,000 nits peak outdoors, 1,600 in HDR; its Dynamic Island shrank and now holds three Live Activities. The Galaxy S26 Ultra has a 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X at QHD+ 3120 × 1440, 1–120 Hz and 2,600 nits, under Gorilla Armor 2 with its anti-reflective treatment, and the first Privacy Display on any phone: pixel-level control of the viewing angle, so the passenger beside you sees a dark rectangle. The S Pen lives in the body; the iPhone takes no stylus.
Chip, battery and charging
The A20 Pro on a 2 nm process sits on a vapor chamber with three times the area of the 17 Pro's, and Apple claims up to 40 % better sustained performance; the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy on 3 nm runs to 4.74 GHz with a redesigned vapor chamber and 12 or 16 GB of RAM. Battery: 4,056 mAh on the EU energy label for the iPhone against 5,000 mAh for the Samsung, yet Apple claims up to 36 hours of video from the smaller cell and Samsung 31. Charging: 50 % in around 15 minutes from a 60 W adapter against 60 W and 75 % in 30 minutes, 25 W wireless on both, 4.5 W reverse only on the Samsung. Neither puts a charger in the European box.
Software, SIM, sealing and support
The iPhone 18 Pro ships with iOS 27 and Siri AI in beta from 14 September, eSIM-only worldwide, IP68 rated to 6 m for 30 minutes, and no numbered update pledge, though with the best support record in the industry. The Galaxy S26 Ultra runs Android 16 with One UI 8.5, a choice of assistant between Bixby, Gemini and Perplexity, nano-SIM plus eSIM, IP68 to 1.5 m, and a pledge of seven years of OS and security updates, to February 2033. The Samsung has been on sale since 11 March 2026; the iPhone reaches shops on 18 September 2026.
Where they actually differ
| Apple iPhone 18 Pro | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions. | 150.0 mm (Height) · 71.9 mm (Width) · 8.75 mm (Thickness). | 163.6 mm (Height) · 78.1 mm (Width) · 7.9 mm (Thickness). |
| Weight. | 211 g. | 214 g. |
| Materials. | Aluminium (unibody). | Armor Aluminum (frame) · Gorilla Armor 2 (front) · Gorilla Glass Victus 2 (back). |
| Ingress protection. | IP68, to 6 m for 30 min. | IP68. |
| Main display. | 6.3″ (diagonal) · Super Retina XDR OLED (panel) · ProMotion 1–120 Hz (refresh rate); Always On. | 6.9″ (diagonal) · Dynamic AMOLED 2X (panel); Privacy Display · 1–120 Hz (refresh rate). |
| Main resolution. | 2622 × 1206 · 460 (ppi). | 3120 × 1440 · ~498 (ppi). |
| Peak brightness. | 3000 nits (outdoor peak) · 1600 nits (HDR). | 2600 nits (peak). |
| Stylus. | –. | ✓ S Pen, integrated. |
| Chipset. | Apple A20 Pro · 2 nm (process node). | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy · 3 nm (process node). |
| CPU. | 6-core, 2 performance + 4 efficiency. | Octa-core, 4.74 GHz + 3.6 GHz. |
| RAM. | –. | 12 GB (256 GB / 512 GB) · 16 GB (1 TB). |
| Storage. | 256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB / 2 TB. | 256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB. |
| Operating system. | iOS 27. | Android 16 · One UI 8.5. |
| Software support. | –. | 7 × OS + security, to Feb 2033. |
| Main camera. | 48 MP Fusion, variable aperture f/1.48–f/4.0, 24 mm, sensor-shift OIS. | 200 MP, f/1.4, AF, OIS. |
| Telephoto. | 48 MP, 100 mm · 4× (optical zoom) · 8× (optical-quality zoom); 200 mm · 16× (optical-quality range). | 50 MP periscope f/2.9 OIS + 10 MP f/2.4 · 5× / 3× (optical zoom) · 2× / 10× (optical-quality zoom) · 100× (digital zoom). |
| Ultra-wide. | 48 MP Fusion, f/2.2, 13 mm, 120° · macro. | 50 MP, f/1.9, AF. |
| Selfie camera. | 18 MP Center Stage, f/1.9, autofocus. | 12 MP, f/2.2, AF. |
| Video. | 4K@120 Dolby Vision · ProRes RAW · Apple Log 2 · Genlock. | 8K@30 · 4K@120 (Pro Video) · APV codec. |
| Battery. | 4056 mAh (EU) · 4288 mAh (eSIM only). | 5000 mAh (typical). |
| Wired charging. | 60 W adapter, 50 % in around 15 min. | 60 W Super Fast Charging 3.0, 75 % in 30 min. |
| Reverse charging. | –. | 4.5 W Wireless PowerShare. |
| SIM. | 2× eSIM · no SIM tray. | 2× nano-SIM / nano-SIM + eSIM / 2× eSIM. |
| EU price. | €1,449 (256 GB) · €1,699 (512 GB) · €2,199 (1 TB) · €2,949 (2 TB). | €1,449 (256 GB) · €1,649 (512 GB) · €1,949 (1 TB). |
| US price. | $1,199 (256 GB) · $1,399 (512 GB) · $1,799 (1 TB) · $2,399 (2 TB). | $1,299.99 (256 GB). |
Sources
- iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max – official technical specifications (Apple)
- Apple debuts iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max – official announcement (Apple Newsroom)
- iPhone 18 Pro – prices and configurations (Apple Germany)
- Galaxy S26 Ultra – official specifications (Samsung Germany)
- Samsung Galaxy S26 series – official announcement (Samsung Newsroom)