I benchmarked Samsung’s Galaxy S26 series against iPhone and Pixel — there was a clear loser

Smartphone upgrades in 2026 are iterative by nature, and that’s not always a bad thing. It means the product category is mature and refined, so there simply isn’t as much room for major overhauls. One thing we can usually expect from a new smartphone series is a new processor, and Samsung gave us that with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chipset in the Galaxy S26 series. We know the chip powers the Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26 Plus, and Galaxy S26 Ultra — but what does the new processor actually mean for you in real-world use?

This year, we have a clear answer to that question. I ran the base-model Galaxy S26 and high-end Galaxy S26 Ultra through a gauntlet of benchmark tests, and the results show the “for Galaxy” branding of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 isn’t just for show. There are real optimizations here, and Samsung’s revamped cooling system on the Galaxy S26 Ultra pays off big time, especially for gamers. In an unsurprising fashion, the Galaxy S26 lineup trounces the Pixel 10 series. I tested the Galaxy S26 models against the iPhone 17 Pro Max for good measure, too.

I learned a lot, such as that the base Galaxy S26 is actually marginally faster than the Ultra model in some tests. Here are all our findings, and what you should take away from them.

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The Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Ultra aren’t equal

The base model is slightly better in bursts, while the Ultra crushes sustained loads

The entire Samsung Galaxy S26 lineup is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chipset in North America, China, and Japan. In all other regions, the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Plus use the Samsung Exynos 2600 mobile platform, while the Galaxy S26 Ultra uses a Snapdragon chip globally. For the sake of these tests, we’re using the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy version of the Galaxy S26 and the Galaxy S26 Ultra. However, as the results show, there’s more to a phone’s performance than simply what processor it includes.

For starters, both Galaxy S26 models tested performed considerably better than the last-generation Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chip found within the Galaxy S25 series. This is surprising, because major year-over-year performance gains are rare for mobile processor — especially considering Snapdragon 8 Elite already performed stellar. Still, looking at Geekbench 6 single-core performance, we can see a nearly 1,000-point difference between the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S26.

The gap is narrower in Geekbench AI, 3DMark Steel Nomad Light, and the Steel Nomad Light Stress Test. Then, we see a similar gap between the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S26 in the CrossMark overall benchmark score. In layperson terms, there is a noticeable performance increase offered by the Galaxy S26 series. The base-model Galaxy S26 particularly improves upon graphics-based performance. If you’re someone that likes to game or video edit on your smartphone, the Galaxy S26 will be better at those tasks than the Galaxy S25.

Things get quite interesting when comparing the Galaxy S26 to the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Both phones use the same chip and each has 12GB of memory, so you’d expect similar performance. That was the case for benchmark tests straining single-core and multi-core CPU performance in short bursts. In fact, the base-model Galaxy S26 produced scores ever-so-slightly higher in tests like Geekbench 6 and 3DMark Steel Nomad Light.

When I moved to graphics-based stress tests, the script flipped completely. The 3DMark Steel Nomad Light Stress Test is a great indicator of how a smartphone will perform under heavy, prolonged loads. It’s a 1440p gaming benchmark that runs for 20 consecutive laps, and it tests a phone’s thermal threshold and consistency. Phones with excellent thermal management will produce high lap scores consistently, while those with poor thermal management will put up high scores initially but flame out as they overheat.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra has a redesigned vapor chamber for cooling the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chip, and Samsung also made the switch from titanium to aluminum for the chassis. The revamped system places thermal cooling material on the sides of the processor, which allows “heat to spread more efficiently across a larger surface area,” according to Samsung. This isn’t just marketing speak — the Galaxy S26 Ultra beat the base-model Galaxy S26 in stress tests as a result.

Specifically, the Galaxy S26 Ultra was 5% more stable than the Galaxy S26 in the stress test, while recording higher minimum and maximum scores. Another area where the Galaxy S26 Ultra pulled away from the base model was in the Geekbench AI test, as the higher-end variant produced a score nearly 1,000 points higher. This tells us that the Galaxy S26 Ultra is better for gaming and on-device AI processing than the Galaxy S26, despite the two phones using the same chip. By all indications, the new cooling system is to thank.

The Pixel 10 Pro was the biggest loser

Benchmarks aren’t everything, but it’s embarrassing to be this far behind

Let’s get something out of the way: benchmarks aren’t everything. We use them as a point of comparison to see how devices stack up against each other, but they’re only one point of reference. Your individual use case will matter more in determining whether your phone feels fast or slow than how high of a benchmark score it returns in a test. With that disclaimer accounted for, it was stunning to see just how far behind the Google Pixel 10 Pro is compared to the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Ultra.

Google upgraded the Pixel 10 Pro’s processor to the Tensor G5 platform this generation, and it was supposed to be a big deal. While the company historically used Samsung Foundry to manufacture its systems-on-a-chip, the Tensor G5 was the first to be made by TSMC and its advanced 3nm process node. It’s the same one Apple and Qualcomm use for their best chips, and there was hope Google would finally close the performance gap as a result. That didn’t happen.

The Pixel 10 Pro only won two categories of our benchmarking suite, but its small victories might shed some light on why people love Google phones regardless of their raw power.

The Google Pixel 10 Pro lost by more than 1,000 points in Geekbench 6’s single-core test. The Samsung Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Ultra both produced scores double and quadruple those of the Pixel 10 Pro in Geekbench 6’s multi-core and GPU tests, respectively. Even the Geekbench AI test that measures on-device AI processing performance, one of Google’s strengths, was a major loss for the Pixel.

One of Google’s victories was in the stress test, with a 95% stability rating. However, it’s easy to be stable when you’re not maintaining the same level of performance as your competitors, so it’s hard to give Google a true win here.

Instead, the more telling result was the Pixel 10 Pro beating both the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Ultra in CrossMark’s Responsiveness category. This metric scores how well a phone responds to user input in real-world tasks and common situations. And despite all the power in the Galaxy S26 series, it was the Pixel 10 Pro that proved to be the most responsive. It explains why Pixel users love owning their devices despite those products not performing well in every benchmark test.

Samsung and Apple perfected performance

Neither the Galaxy S26 Ultra nor the iPhone 17 Pro Max pull away in benchmarks

Credit: Brady Snyder / MakeUseOf

Of course, you probably want to know how the Galaxy S26 series performs against the iPhone 17 Pro Max and its Apple A19 processor. It’s an easy thing to address — they’re both the best Android and iOS have to offer. Each chipset is paired with 12GB of memory, and each one wins in certain situations. The iPhone 17 Pro Max consistently performed better in graphics-based tasks and AI processing, while the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Ultra handled multi-core CPU performance tests.

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra did survive extended loads better than the iPhone 17 Pro Max, with 77.1% stability in the Steel Nomad Light Stress Test compared to 74.8%. Otherwise, the results don’t conclusively prove that either the Galaxy S26 Ultra or iPhone 17 Pro Max is faster. They’re both industry-leading performers that can each crush the Pixel 10 Pro, but seem to land on equal footing against each other.

The results paint a clear picture. If you need a phone that can handle thermals well for tasks like gaming or video editing, get the Galaxy S26 Ultra. For those that want similar performance but don’t need to play demanding games, the Galaxy S26 is there. If you don’t care about benchmarks in the slightest, the Pixel 10 Pro is for you. And those craving best-in-class power without switching to Android can grab the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

SoC

Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5

Display

6.9-inch Dynamic Super AMOLED 2X

RAM

12 or 16 GB

Storage

256GB, 512GB, or 1TB

Battery

5,000 mAh

Operating System

Android

Samsung’s latest Galaxy S26 Ultra is yet another iterative upgrade, but the small changes make a big difference. The brand took risks by adding innovative features like Privacy Display and Horizontal Lock. Performance and battery life are great, with the Galaxy S26 Ultra charging up to 75% in just 30 minutes over a cable. All told, it’s a true flagship in every way but one — missing Qi2 support looms large.