Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra vs iPhone 18 Pro Max: Future Battle

Build and design

The iPhone is a proven slab at 6.9 inches, with a Super Retina XDR display, an aluminium unibody at 249g and 8.75mm, and iOS 27. The S27 Ultra is leaked to keep a similar 6.9-inch front design, with a raised camera island, or Camera Plateau, replacing the floating camera rings, and slimmer bezels at 1.21–1.28mm. Colours tipped are Black, Blue, Light Pink and White, plus a special Violet option.

If you want a proven design today, the iPhone wins. If you want a new camera island and slimmer bezels, the S27 Ultra is a wait-and-see leak. For most buyers, the iPhone is the safer choice until Samsung announces the S27 Ultra.

Display and benchmarks

The iPhone offers a 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR at 1320 x 2868, with ProMotion 120Hz and Always-On. The S27 Ultra is leaked to offer a 6.9-inch display at 1440 x 3120, with a next-generation M16 OLED panel and a second-generation Privacy Display, which should help brightness and power efficiency. For everyday use, both displays are flagship-grade on paper, with the S27 Ultra winning on panel generation only if the leak is confirmed.

On benchmarks, the iPhone uses A20 Pro on 2nm and the S27 Ultra is leaked to use Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro for Galaxy, also on 2nm, so no chip winner is claimed — a controlled side-by-side benchmark between these two phones does not exist, and cross-platform benchmarks are not directly comparable. For sustained performance, the S27 Ultra's cooling is not confirmed, while the iPhone's chip is proven in reviews.

Cameras and video

The iPhone offers triple 48MP cameras — a Fusion main with variable aperture, an ultrawide and a telephoto — plus an 18MP front camera. The S27 Ultra is leaked to offer a triple camera: 200MP ISOCELL HP6 main, a 50MP ultrawide and a 50MP 5x telephoto, plus a 16MP selfie camera, with the 10MP 3x telephoto tipped to be dropped. On paper, the Samsung wins on megapixels and 5x telephoto, while the iPhone wins on variable aperture and proven video.

No controlled side-by-side camera test between these two phones exists, so no photo winner is claimed beyond the leaked hardware gap. If you shoot zoom often, the Samsung's 5x telephoto is stronger on paper. If you shoot video often, the iPhone's proven video features are stronger on paper. For everyday photos at 1x, both should be close, despite the megapixel gap.

Battery, software and price

Battery is where the S27 Ultra is leaked to win, with a rated 5,534mAh battery, typically around 5,700mAh, using silicon-carbon cell technology tipped to fit more capacity without a thicker body, versus the iPhone, where Apple does not disclose mAh and claims up to about 30 hours of general use and 43–45 hours of video depending on variant. For most users, the Samsung will last longer on paper if the leak is confirmed, while the iPhone's battery is proven in reviews. Charging for the S27 Ultra is leaked as 60W wired and 25W wireless, while Apple does not publish a wattage figure in the same way.

Software is leaked as One UI 9.5 on Android 17 with 7 years of OS upgrades for the S27 Ultra, while the iPhone runs iOS 27, with Siri AI varying by region and EU/China caveats. In the US and Europe, the iPhone is on sale today from $1,299 in the US and €1,599 in Germany, while the S27 Ultra has no announced price — a price hike is tipped, but no figure is confirmed.

Verdict

Buy the iPhone 18 Pro Max if you want a flagship in the US from $1,299 or in Europe from €1,599 today. Wait for the Galaxy S27 Ultra if you want its leaked 5,700mAh battery, M16 display and triple-camera setup, and check Samsung's announcement in early 2027. For most US and Europe buyers, the iPhone is the only choice today — the S27 Ultra is a leak-based wait-and-see.