Both of these sit right at the top of what we stock, both land around the £950 mark, and both are genuinely excellent phones — so “which is better” isn’t really the right question. The honest answer depends on which ecosystem and workflow you’re already in. Here’s the real breakdown.
Specs, side by side
| Spec | iPhone 17 Pro (256GB) | Galaxy S26 Ultra (512GB) |
| Price | £956.95 | £938.95 |
| Chip | Apple A19 Pro (3nm), 6-core GPU | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (4.74GHz) |
| Display | 6.3″ LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED, 120Hz, 3000 nits peak | 6.9″ Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, 2600 nits peak |
| RAM / Storage | 12GB / 256GB | 12GB / 512GB |
| Rear cameras | 48MP wide + 48MP periscope telephoto (4x) + 48MP ultrawide | 200MP main + 50MP ultra-wide + 50MP periscope (5x) + 10MP telephoto (3x) |
| Front camera | 18MP, 3D depth sensing | 12MP |
| Video | 4K up to 120fps, ProRes / ProRes RAW | 8K recording |
| Battery | ~4,000mAh, MagSafe 25W wireless | 5,000mAh, 60W wired (0-75% in 30 min), 25W wireless |
| Stylus | Not supported | S Pen included |
| Water resistance | IP68 | IP68 |
| OS | iOS 26 | Android 16, One UI 8.5 |
Where the iPhone 17 Pro wins
Video work, and long-term software support. ProRes and ProRes RAW recording straight out of the camera app is still something Android hasn’t properly matched — if you edit video professionally or just want the cleanest possible footage without extra apps, that’s a real, practical advantage, not a spec-sheet one. It’s also the more pocketable of the two at 6.3″ against the Galaxy’s 6.9″, and Apple’s update support tends to run longer than most Android manufacturers commit to, which matters if you’re planning to keep the phone for 4+ years.
Where the Galaxy S26 Ultra wins
Versatility. The S Pen comes in the box, not as a separate purchase, and it turns the phone into something closer to a small tablet for notes or sketching. The camera system has more reach (true 5x optical zoom against the iPhone’s 4x) and a considerably higher-resolution main sensor. Charging is faster in practical terms — 0 to 75% in 30 minutes wired — and Samsung DeX lets you plug into a monitor and run something closer to a desktop interface, which the iPhone has no real equivalent for.
The bottom line
If you’re already deep in Apple’s ecosystem (Mac, iPad, AirPods) or you shoot and edit video seriously, the iPhone 17 Pro is the one that fits that workflow. If you want the single most capable phone regardless of ecosystem — bigger screen, faster charging, a built-in stylus, and more camera reach — the Galaxy S26 Ultra edges it on raw capability. Both are in stock; browse the full range in our Mobile Phones category.
