Samsung
Galaxy S26 Ultra vs nova 15 Max
Device summary
Huawei
nova 15 Max
Full specifications
| Basic information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Release year | 2026 | 2026 |
| Starting price | $1,300 | — |
| Display size | 6.9-inch | 6.8-inch |
| Dimensions | 78.1 mm × 163.6 mm × 7.9 mm | 78.0 mm × 163.3 mm × 8.0 mm |
| Weight | 214 g | 232 g |
| Front material | Corning Gorilla Armor 2 | — |
| Back material | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 | — |
| Display | ||
| Display technology | Dynamic AMOLED 2X with Privacy Display | OLED |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Peak brightness | 2600 nits | — |
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Armor 2 | — |
| Resolution | — | 2756 × 1272 |
| Performance | ||
| Chipset | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy | — |
| RAM | 12 GB, 16 GB | — |
| Storage | 256 GB, 512 GB, 1024 GB | 256 GB |
| Expandable storage | No | — |
| Cameras | ||
| Main camera | Wide · 200 MP · ƒ/1.4 · 2x Optical Quality Zoom | Wide · 50 MP · ƒ/1.9 |
| Ultra-wide camera | Ultra Wide · 50 MP · ƒ/1.9 | — |
| Telephoto camera | Telephoto · 10 MP · ƒ/2.4 · 3x Optical Zoom | — |
| Rear camera 4 | Telephoto · 50 MP · ƒ/2.9 · 5x Optical Zoom / 10x Optical Quality Zoom | — |
| Rear camera 5 | — | Secondary · 2 MP · ƒ/2.4 |
| Front cameras | Front · 12 MP · ƒ/2.2 | Front · 8 MP · ƒ/2.0 |
| Video recording | 4K at 120 fps, 8K at 30 fps | — |
| Battery & charging | ||
| Wired charging | 60 W | 40 W |
| Wireless charging | 25 W | — |
| Charging standard | Super Fast Wireless Charging, Wireless PowerShare | — |
| Typical capacity | 5000 mAh | 8500 mAh |
| Rated capacity | 4855 mAh | 8320 mAh |
| Connectivity | ||
| Cellular | 5G, LTE | — |
| Wi‑Fi | Wi‑Fi 7 | — |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 6.0 | — |
| USB | USB‑C | — |
| NFC | Yes | — |
| eSIM | Yes | — |
| Build & durability | ||
| Frame | Armor Aluminum | — |
| Ingress protection | IP68 | — |
Basic information
Release year
- Galaxy S26 Ultra
- 2026
- nova 15 Max
- 2026
Starting price
- Galaxy S26 Ultra
- $1,300
- nova 15 Max
- —
Display size
- Galaxy S26 Ultra
- 6.9-inch
- nova 15 Max
- 6.8-inch
Dimensions
- Galaxy S26 Ultra
- 78.1 mm × 163.6 mm × 7.9 mm
- nova 15 Max
- 78.0 mm × 163.3 mm × 8.0 mm
Weight
- Galaxy S26 Ultra
- 214 g
- nova 15 Max
- 232 g
Front material
- Galaxy S26 Ultra
- Corning Gorilla Armor 2
- nova 15 Max
- —
Back material
- Galaxy S26 Ultra
- Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2
- nova 15 Max
- —
Display
Display technology
- Galaxy S26 Ultra
- Dynamic AMOLED 2X with Privacy Display
- nova 15 Max
- OLED
Refresh rate
- Galaxy S26 Ultra
- 120 Hz
- nova 15 Max
- 120 Hz
Peak brightness
- Galaxy S26 Ultra
- 2600 nits
- nova 15 Max
- —
Protection
- Galaxy S26 Ultra
- Corning Gorilla Armor 2
- nova 15 Max
- —
Resolution
- Galaxy S26 Ultra
- —
- nova 15 Max
- 2756 × 1272
Performance
Chipset
- Galaxy S26 Ultra
- Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy
- nova 15 Max
- —
RAM
- Galaxy S26 Ultra
- 12 GB, 16 GB
- nova 15 Max
- —
Storage
- Galaxy S26 Ultra
- 256 GB, 512 GB, 1024 GB
- nova 15 Max
- 256 GB
Expandable storage
- Galaxy S26 Ultra
- No
- nova 15 Max
- —
Cameras
Main camera
- Galaxy S26 Ultra
- Wide · 200 MP · ƒ/1.4 · 2x Optical Quality Zoom
- nova 15 Max
- Wide · 50 MP · ƒ/1.9
Ultra-wide camera
- Galaxy S26 Ultra
- Ultra Wide · 50 MP · ƒ/1.9
- nova 15 Max
- —
Telephoto camera
- Galaxy S26 Ultra
- Telephoto · 10 MP · ƒ/2.4 · 3x Optical Zoom
- nova 15 Max
- —
Rear camera 4
- Galaxy S26 Ultra
- Telephoto · 50 MP · ƒ/2.9 · 5x Optical Zoom / 10x Optical Quality Zoom
- nova 15 Max
- —
Rear camera 5
- Galaxy S26 Ultra
- —
- nova 15 Max
- Secondary · 2 MP · ƒ/2.4
Front cameras
- Galaxy S26 Ultra
- Front · 12 MP · ƒ/2.2
- nova 15 Max
- Front · 8 MP · ƒ/2.0
Video recording
- Galaxy S26 Ultra
- 4K at 120 fps, 8K at 30 fps
- nova 15 Max
- —
Battery & charging
Wired charging
- Galaxy S26 Ultra
- 60 W
- nova 15 Max
- 40 W
Wireless charging
- Galaxy S26 Ultra
- 25 W
- nova 15 Max
- —
Charging standard
- Galaxy S26 Ultra
- Super Fast Wireless Charging, Wireless PowerShare
- nova 15 Max
- —
Typical capacity
- Galaxy S26 Ultra
- 5000 mAh
- nova 15 Max
- 8500 mAh
Rated capacity
- Galaxy S26 Ultra
- 4855 mAh
- nova 15 Max
- 8320 mAh
Connectivity
Cellular
- Galaxy S26 Ultra
- 5G, LTE
- nova 15 Max
- —
Wi‑Fi
- Galaxy S26 Ultra
- Wi‑Fi 7
- nova 15 Max
- —
Bluetooth
- Galaxy S26 Ultra
- Bluetooth 6.0
- nova 15 Max
- —
USB
- Galaxy S26 Ultra
- USB‑C
- nova 15 Max
- —
NFC
- Galaxy S26 Ultra
- Yes
- nova 15 Max
- —
eSIM
- Galaxy S26 Ultra
- Yes
- nova 15 Max
- —
Build & durability
Frame
- Galaxy S26 Ultra
- Armor Aluminum
- nova 15 Max
- —
Ingress protection
- Galaxy S26 Ultra
- IP68
- nova 15 Max
- —
Key differences
The most meaningful measured gaps in size and weight — not an overall winner.
Weight
Galaxy S26 Ultra
18 g lighter
Height
Very similar height
Width
Very similar width
Thickness
Very similar thickness
User Experience Summary
Galaxy S26 Ultra
Strengths
- 60W wired charging — major upgrade over S25 Ultra
- Privacy Display for commuting and office shoulder-surfing resistance
- Brighter 200MP main and versatile periscope zoom
Compromises
- Heavy, wide chassis limits one-handed and pocket comfort
- Aluminum instead of titanium divides premium buyers
- Privacy Display trade-offs and S Pen software stagnation