Apple iPhone Air vs Samsung Galaxy S26

Comparing the Apple iPhone Air vs Samsung Galaxy S26 across performance, display, camera, battery, storage, expert reviews and user rating to help determine the better smartphone.

Here is the summary of the results:

Performance: Samsung Galaxy S26 scores higher on the Geekbench Multi-Core test with 11,249, while Apple iPhone Air scores 9,481, making Samsung Galaxy S26 the better performer.

Display: Apple iPhone Air offers a screen size of 6.5 inches, while Samsung Galaxy S26 offers 6.3 inches, making Apple iPhone Air the larger display of the two. Samsung Galaxy S26 features a Dynamic AMOLED 2x display compared to Apple iPhone Air's Super Retina XDR OLED, making Samsung Galaxy S26 the better display of the two.

Rear Camera: Samsung Galaxy S26 offers a higher rear camera resolution with 50 MP, while Apple iPhone Air offers 48 MP, making Samsung Galaxy S26 better for rear camera photography.

Front Camera: Apple iPhone Air offers a higher front camera resolution with 18 MP, while Samsung Galaxy S26 offers 12 MP, making Apple iPhone Air better for front camera photography.

Battery: Samsung Galaxy S26 delivers longer battery life with 11h 22m, while Apple iPhone Air delivers None, making Samsung Galaxy S26 the better pick for all day usage.

Storage: Both Apple iPhone Air and Samsung Galaxy S26 offer the same internal storage of 256 GB.

Expert Review: Samsung Galaxy S26 receives a higher expert rating of 8.3 from the editorial team, while Apple iPhone Air is rated 8.1.

User Rating: Samsung Galaxy S26 receives a higher user rating of 4.7, while Apple iPhone Air has a rating of 4.6.

Apple iPhone Air

₹96,990

@ Amazon

Samsung Galaxy S26

₹76,999

@ Amazon

Summary

Release Date

19 Sep, 2025

11 Mar, 2026

06 May, 2026

Performance


Apple A19 Pro	Samsung Exynos 2600 S5E9965	Snapdragon 8 Gen 5
Hexa Core (upto 4.26 GHz)	Deca Core (upto 3.8 GHz)	Octa Core (upto 3.8 GHz)
8 GB RAM	12 GB RAM	12 GB RAM

Display


6.5 inches (16.51 cm)	6.3 inches (16 cm)	6.31 inches (16.03 cm)
Super Retina XDR OLED	Dynamic AMOLED 2x	AMOLED
1260x2736 px (FHD+)	1080x2340 px (FHD+)	1216x2640 px (FHD+)
120 Hz Refresh Rate	120 Hz Refresh Rate	120 Hz Refresh Rate

Rear Camera


48 MP Primary Camera (upto 2x Optical Zoom)	50 MP Wide Angle Primary Camera (upto 2x Optical Zoom)	50 MP Primary Camera
N/A	12 MP Ultra-Wide Angle Camera	50 MP Telephoto Camera (upto 3x Optical Zoom)
N/A	10 MP Telephoto Camera (upto 3x Optical Zoom)	8 MP Ultra-Wide Angle Camera

Front Camera


18 MP Wide Angle Lens	12 MP Wide Angle Lens	50 MP

Battery


3149 mAh	4300 mAh	6500 mAh
20W Fast Charging	25W Fast Charging	90W Flash Charging
Wireless Charging	Wireless Charging	Wireless Charging

Storage

256 GB	256 GB	256 GB
NVMe	UFS 4.0	UFS 4.1

Expert Review

8.1/10

Read Expert Review

8.3/10

Read Expert Review

8.4/10

Read Expert Review

Pros

Ultraslim & lightweight
Pro-grade display
Smooth performance
Excellent primary camera

Slim and easy-to-carry design
Bright and vibrant flat display
Smooth and responsive performance
Long-term software support

Compact, premium design
Excellent battery life
Reliable performance
Strong portrait photography

Cons

No dedicated telephoto & ultrawide lens
No stereo speakers
Pricey

Slower charging than rivals
Battery life could be better

Video recording inconsistencies
Colours can be slightly oversaturated

User Ratings

4.6/5

(212 ratings)

4.7/5

(224 ratings)

4.4/5

(109 ratings)

Benchmarks (The higher, the better)

2,067,200 AnTuTu Score	3,113,347 AnTuTu Score	3,000,897 AnTuTu Score
N/A	11h 22m Battery Life (PC Mark)	16h 04m Battery Life (PC Mark)

Compare Prices

₹96,990

@ Amazon

₹76,999

@ Amazon

₹79,999

@ Amazon

Video

1 More Video

There are no videos available for the device.

User Feedback

General

Launch Date

Sep 09, 2025

(Official)

Feb 25, 2026

(Official)

May 06, 2026

(Official)

Operating System

iOS v26

Android v16

OS Updates

N/A

7 Years

5 Year

Security Updates

N/A

7 Years

7 Year

Custom UI

N/A

Samsung One UI

Origin OS

Performance

Performance Rating

Excellent

Best In Class

Excellent

Chipset

Apple A19 Pro

Samsung Exynos 2600 S5E9965

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 SM8845

Processor

Hexa Core

4.26 GHz, Dual core Quad core

Deca Core

3.8 GHz, Single core, Arm C1-Ultra 3.25 GHz, Tri core, ARM C1-Pro 2.75 GHz, Hexa Core, ARM C1-Pro

Octa core

3.8 GHz, Dual core, Oryon V3 Phoenix L 3.32 GHz, Hexa Core, Oryon V3 Phoenix M

Architecture (The higher, the better)

64 bit

Fabrication (The lower, the better)

3 nm

2 nm

3 nm

Graphics (GPU)

Apple GPU (Five-core graphics)

Xclipse 960

Adreno 829

RAM

8 GB

12 GB

RAM Type

LPDDR5X

LPDDR5X Ultra

Performance Test Results

AnTuTu Score (The higher, the better) AnTuTu benchmark measures overall performance of a phone by stress-testing CPU, GPU, RAM, etc.

2,067,200

3,113,347

3,000,897

Bootup Time (The lower, the better)

16.0 s

11.0 s

14.0 s

Gaming Test Results

Wild Life Extreme (The higher, the better) Wild Life Extreme is a classic mobile benchmark; it renders in 4K to test the peak performance of a wide range of devices.

N/A

6,665

4,004

Battery Drain* (The lower, the better)

8.0 %

6.0 %

5.0 %

Heating* (The lower, the better)

12.0 %

12.6 %

17.4 %

* after 30 mins of gaming

Display

Display Rating

Excellent

Best In Class

Display Type

Super Retina XDR OLED

Dynamic AMOLED 2x

AMOLED

Screen Size

6.5 inches (16.51 cm)

6.3 inches (16 cm)

6.31 inches (16.03 cm)

Resolution

1260x2736 px (FHD+)

1080x2340 px (FHD+)

1216x2640 px (FHD+)

Peak Brightness

3000 nits

2600 nits

5000 nits

HBM Brightness

1600 nits

N/A

Refresh Rate

120 Hz

Aspect Ratio

N/A

19.5:9

Pixel Density

460 ppi

409 ppi

460 ppi

Screen to Body Ratio (calculated)

88.69 %

90.64 %

90.11 %

Screen Protection

Yes

Corning Gorilla Glass Glass Victus 2

N/A

Bezel-less Display

Yes

Yes with punch-hole display

HDR 10 / HDR+ Support

N/A

Yes HDR 10+

Screen to Body Ratio (claimed by the brand)

N/A

90.9 %

94.38 %

Design

Height

156.2 mm

149.6 mm

150.83 mm

Width

74.7 mm

71.7 mm

71.76 mm

Thickness

5.64 mm

7.2 mm

7.99 mm

Weight

165 grams

167 grams

191 grams

Build Material

Back: Ceramic Shield 2

Back: Gorilla Glass Victus 2

Back: Glass

Water Resistance

Yes Water resistant IP68 (up to 30 minutes in a depth of 6 meter)

Yes Water resistant IP68 (up to 30 minutes in a depth of 1.5 meter)

Yes Water resistant IP68 IP69 (up to 30 minutes in a depth of 1.5 meter)

Ruggedness

N/A

Dust proof

Rear Camera

Rear Camera Rating

Very Good

Excellent

Resolution

48 MP
Primary Camera10x Digital Zoom 2x Optical Zoomf/1.626 mm focal length 1/1.56" sensor size Sensor-shift Image Stabilization

50 MP
Primary Camera2x Optical Zoomf/1.8 Wide Angle 85° field-of-view24 mm focal length 1/1.56" sensor size S5KGN3 1µm pixel size

50 MP
Primary Cameraf/1.57IMX921

N/A

12 MP
f/2.2 Ultra-Wide Angle Camera1/2.55" sensor size 1.4µm pixel size

50 MP
f/2.65 Telephoto Camera

N/A

10 MP
f/2.4 Telephoto Camera67 mm focal length 1/3.94" sensor size 1µm pixel size

8 MP
f/2.2 Ultra-Wide Angle Camera

Autofocus

Yes Multi-directional Phase Detection Autofocus

Yes Dual Pixel Phase Detection Autofocus

Yes

OIS

Yes Sensor Shift Optical Image Stabilisation

Yes

Flash

Yes LED Flash

Yes Dual LED Flash

Image Resolution

N/A

6150 x 8150 Pixels

N/A

Shooting Modes

High Dynamic Range mode (HDR)
Burst mode

N/A

Camera Features

10 x Digital Zoom
2 x Optical Zoom

Digital Zoom
2 x Optical Zoom
Auto Flash

N/A

Video Recording

4k @24/25/30/60 fps
Full HD @25/30/60 fps
HD @30 fps

8k @30 fps

8k @30 fps
4k @30/60 fps
Full HD @30/60/120 fps

Video Recording Features

Dual Video Recording
Slow Motion
Night Time-Lapse
Action Mode
Audio Zoom

Bokeh portrait video

N/A

Front Camera

Front Camera Rating

Best In Class

Excellent

Best In Class

Resolution

18 MP
f/1.9 Wide Angle Primary Camera

12 MP
f/2.2 Wide Angle Primary Camera26 mm focal length 1/3.2" sensor size 1.12µm pixel size

50 MP
f/2.0 Primary Camera

Autofocus

Yes Phase Detection Autofocus

Yes Dual Pixel Phase Detection Autofocus

Yes

Flash

Yes Retina Flash

Yes Screen flash

Camera Features

Wide Angle Selfie

N/A

Video Recording

4k @24/25/30/60 fps
Full HD @25/30/60 fps

Full HD @30 fps

N/A

Battery

Battery Rating

Excellent

Capacity

3149 mAh

4300 mAh

6500 mAh

Battery Type

Li-ion

Quick Charging

Yes 20W Fast Charging 50% in 30 minutes

Yes 25W Fast Charging v2.0 55% in 30 minutes

Yes 90W Flash Charging

Wireless Charging

Yes 20W Wireless Charging

Yes 15W Wireless Charging

Yes 40W Wireless Charging

Wireless Reverse Charging

Yes

Yes 4.5W Wireless Reverse Charging

N/A

Battery Test Results

Battery Life (PC Mark) (The higher, the better) PCMark Battery benchmark measures battery life of a phone with various activities such as web browsing, photo editing, writing, video editing, etc.

N/A

11h 22m

16h 04m

Charging Time (20% to 100%) (The lower, the better)

1h 35m 0s

1h 12m 0s

0h 41m 0s

Storage

Internal Storage

256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB

256 GB / 512 GB

Storage Type

NVMe

UFS 4.0

UFS 4.1

Expandable Storage

Network & Connectivity

SIM Slot(s)

Dual SIM

SIM Type

SIM1: eSIM SIM2: eSIM

SIM1: Nano SIM2: Nano/eSIM

Network Support

5G 4G

VoLTE

Yes

SIM 1

5G Bands:

FDD N1 / N2 / N3 / N5 / N7 / N8 / N12 / N20 / N25 / N26 / N28 / N30 / N66
TDD N38 / N40 / N41 / N48 / N53 / N77 / N78 / N79

5G Bands:

FDD N1

N/A

4G Bands:

TD-LTE 3500(band 48) / 2600(band 38) / 2300(band 40) / 2500(band 41) / 2100(band 34) / 1900(band 39) / 3500(band 42)
FD-LTE 1700(band 66) / 2100(band 1) / 1500(band 32) / 1800(band 3) / 2600(band 7) / 900(band 8) / 700(band 28) / 1900(band 2) / 1700(band 4) / 850(band 5) / 700(band 13) / 700(band 17) / 850(band 18) / 850(band 19) / 800(band 20) / 1900(band 25) / 850(band 26) / 2300(band 30) / 700 (band 12)

4G Bands:

FD-LTE 2100(band 1)

N/A

SIM 2

5G Bands:

FDD N1 / N2 / N3 / N5 / N7 / N8 / N12 / N20 / N25 / N26 / N28 / N30 / N66 / N70 / N75
TDD N38 / N40 / N41 / N48 / N53 / N77 / N78 / N79

5G Bands:

FDD N1 / N2 / N3 / N5 / N7 / N8 / N12 / N20 / N25 / N26 / N28 / N66
TDD N38 / N40 / N41 / N77 / N78

5G Bands:

FDD N1 / N2 / N3 / N5 / N7 / N8 / N18 / N20 / N25 / N26 / N28 / N66 / N71 / N75
TDD N38 / N40 / N41 / N48 / N77 / N78

4G Bands:

TD-LTE 2600(band 38) / 2300(band 40) / 2500(band 41) / 2100(band 34) / 1900(band 39) / 3500(band 42) / 3500(band 48)
FD-LTE 2100(band 1) / 1800(band 3) / 2600(band 7) / 900(band 8) / 700(band 28) / 1900(band 2) / 1700(band 4) / 850(band 5) / 1500(band 32) / 700(band 13) / 700(band 17) / 850(band 18) / 850(band 19) / 800(band 20) / 1900(band 25) / 850(band 26) / 2300(band 30) / 1700(band 66) / 700 (band 12)

4G Bands:

TD-LTE 2600(band 38) / 2300(band 40) / 2500(band 41) / 1900(band 39)
FD-LTE 2100(band 1) / 1800(band 3) / 2600(band 7) / 900(band 8) / 700(band 28) / 1900(band 2) / 1700(band 4) / 850(band 5) / 700(band 13) / 700(band 17) / 850(band 18) / 850(band 19) / 800(band 20) / 1900(band 25) / 850(band 26)

4G Bands:

TD-LTE 2600(band 38) / 2300(band 40) / 2500(band 41) / 2100(band 34) / 1900(band 39) / 3500(band 42) / 3700(band 43) / 3500(band 48)
FD-LTE 2100(band 1) / 1800(band 3) / 2600(band 7) / 900(band 8) / 700(band 28) / 1900(band 2) / 1700(band 4) / 850(band 5) / 1500(band 32) / 700(band 12) / 700(band 13) / 700(band 17) / 850(band 18) / 850(band 19) / 800(band 20) / 600(Band 71) / 1900(band 25) / 850(band 26) / 1700(band 66)