Only the differences are shown. 0 specs stay the same.
+7you gain
−0you give up
iPhone 3GS came out in June 2009. Galaxy S26 Ultra came out in March 2026, almost 17 years later.
Note on iPhone 3GS: $199 for 16 GB with a 2-year contract. No front camera. Chip not published by Apple. Storage options not shown: Apple's spec page lists 8 GB, which does not match our data (16 GB, 32 GB). Not shown because Apple's spec page does not state it: frame material, cable transfer speed.
Camera
None → 3x and 5x optical zoom
4 Rear cameras, 200 MP, Ultra wide, Telephoto
Screen
3.5 in → 6.9 in screen
Dynamic AMOLED 2X
Charging & connections
Wi-Fi 3 (802.11g) → Wi-Fi 7
USB-C, Wireless up to 25W, Ultra Wideband
Price check
Galaxy S26 Ultra launched at $1,299.99
All 25 differences
Updates1 change
Software updates
Last security update: iOS 6.1.6 on February 21, 2014›Security updates until February 2033, 7 Android upgrades
Samsung publishes a guaranteed support period; Apple publishes the last security update instead. They are shown as they are, without a gain or a loss.
What does this mean?
Samsung promises security updates until a month and a number of Android upgrades. For recent models Samsung's own page gives the month; for older promises the site works it out from the years Samsung announced, and says so under the row. Apple gives no end date: its security releases page lists each update and which iPhones it is for.
On the Galaxy side you see the month Samsung's promise runs until, or that Samsung no longer updates it; on the iPhone side, the latest update Apple has released for the newest iOS that iPhone can run. One is a promise about the future and the other a record of the past, so neither is marked as a gain or a loss.
Matters most if: You plan to keep the phone for many years, or you are buying one used.
Price1 change
Price check
Galaxy S26 Ultra — launched at $1,299.99
What your iPhone 3GS sells for
- Apple Trade In estimate
- Sold listings on eBay
eBay may ask you to sign in to see sold prices.
Links open in a new tab. Prices are set by each seller and change daily.
Starting price
$199›$1,299.99+$1,100.99
iPhone 3GS: $199 with 2-year carrier contract
Prices are not directly comparable: one is a carrier-contract price.
Battery2 changes
Battery life (each maker's figure)
Up to 10 hours of video playback›Up to 31 hours of video playbackDifferent
What does this mean?
Each maker's own battery test. Apple's figure and Samsung's figure are both hours of video playback on recent phones, but each maker runs its own test.
The tests are not the same, so the site shows both without picking a winner.
Matters most if: You often run out of battery before the end of the day.
Battery capacity
Not published by Apple›5000 mAh
What does this mean?
mAh (milliamp-hours) measures how much charge a battery holds, like the size of a fuel tank.
Samsung lists a capacity for each Galaxy. Apple's iPhone tech specs give no capacity in mAh, so the iPhone side says "Not published by Apple". A bigger number alone does not mean longer battery life.
Camera5 gains · 1 unconfirmed
Rear cameras
1›4
What does this mean?
How many cameras are on the back. Each one has a different lens: standard, wide, or zoomed-in.
More cameras means more ways to frame a shot without walking closer or further away: fit a whole room in with the wide lens, or get a close shot of something far away with the zoom lens.
Main camera
3 MP›200 MP
What does this mean?
MP stands for megapixels. One megapixel is one million tiny dots. A 12 MP photo is made of 12 million dots, a 48 MP photo of 48 million dots.
On a phone screen, a 12 MP and a 48 MP photo look almost the same. The difference shows when you zoom in, crop part of the photo, or print it large: more dots means detail holds up longer. More megapixels also lets the phone zoom 2x by cropping without losing quality.
Matters most if: You crop photos, print them, or zoom in on details later.
Ultra wide camera
GainWhat does this mean?
A second lens that sees a much wider area than the main camera.
You can fit a whole room, a tall building or a big group into one photo without stepping back. On many models it is also used for macro (very close-up) photos.
Matters most if: You take photos indoors, of landscapes, or of groups.
Telephoto camera
GainWhat does this mean?
A zoom lens: a separate camera that sees things far away as if you were closer.
Zooming with a real zoom lens keeps the photo sharp. Without one, the phone has to cut out part of the image, so it gets blurrier the more you zoom. It also makes portrait photos look more flattering, because you can stand further back.
Matters most if: You photograph kids' sports, concerts, pets or wildlife from a distance.
Optical zoom
None›3x and 5x optical zoom
Only optical zoom is compared. Samsung's Space Zoom and digital zoom use processing, not a lens.
What does this mean?
How much the zoom lens (telephoto camera) magnifies with glass, so the photo stays sharp. Where a phone has two zoom lenses, the longer one is compared.
Only lenses are compared. Samsung's Space Zoom and Apple's "optical-quality" steps are made with processing or by cropping a high-resolution camera, not with a separate lens, so they are not counted.
Matters most if: You photograph kids' sports, concerts, pets or wildlife from a distance.
Front camera
Not confirmed›12 MP
Screen2 changes
Screen size
3.5 in›6.9 in
Screen type (each maker's name)
LCD›Dynamic AMOLED 2XDifferent
What does this mean?
Each maker's own words for the screen: Samsung's names such as Dynamic AMOLED 2X, and on the iPhone side the screen technology Apple lists (OLED or LCD).
A name alone does not tell you which screen is brighter or sharper, so the row is marked "Different" without a winner.
Design & buttons3 changes
Unlock
None (passcode only)›Ultrasonic Fingerprint (in the screen)Different
Weight
135 g›214 g
Water and dust resistance
None›IP68Different
Charging & connections2 gains · 3 changes · 1 unconfirmed
Port
30-pin dock connector›USB-CDifferent
Cable transfer speed
Not confirmed›USB Type-C, USB 3.2 Gen 1
Wired charging
Not published by Apple›Up to 60W
What does this mean?
How fast the phone charges with a cable, in each maker's own words.
Samsung names its charging speed in watts (such as Super Fast Charging, 45W) and Apple states how much charge you get in a set time. The two are not the same measure, so the row shows both side by side as "Different". Older iPhones whose Tech Specs give no fast-charge figure say "Not published by Apple".
Wireless charging
None›Up to 25WDifferent
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 3 (802.11g)›Wi-Fi 7
Ultra Wideband
Gain
Safety1 change
Satellite messaging or SOS
No›Satellite messaging through a carrierDifferent
Each maker's own service, in its own words. Samsung's satellite messaging depends on the carrier and the country. Samsung's page
Chip & storage1 change · 2 unconfirmed
Chip
Not confirmed›Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy
Galaxy S26 Ultra: values for the US version. Samsung sells it in other versions too, where the chip and other details can differ; see its Galaxy page.
RAM
Not published by Apple›12 GB (16 GB with 1TB)
What does this mean?
RAM is the phone's working memory for the apps you have open right now, measured in GB (gigabytes). It is separate from storage.
Samsung lists RAM for each Galaxy. Apple's iPhone tech specs do not list RAM, so the iPhone side says "Not published by Apple" and the site does not estimate it.
Storage options
Not confirmed›256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB
What's new
RSS feedAdded Samsung Galaxy S, iPhone vs Galaxy and Pixel vs Galaxy
Galaxy S phones from the first Galaxy S (2010) to the Galaxy S26 series, checked against Samsung's own pages only, with a page for each model and a switch for models Samsung sold in separate versions, such as with an Exynos or a Snapdragon chip. iPhone vs Galaxy and Pixel vs Galaxy pages compare only what both makers publish, in each maker's own words, and you can pick a Galaxy on the iPhone and Pixel tabs.
Added prices by storage and configuration
Spec pages now list the launch price of each storage option, Mac configuration or Apple Watch case, and today's price on the maker's own store for models still sold, from Apple's and Google's own pages only. Comparisons call the old price row the starting price and add the price of the same configuration on both models: the same storage on iPhone, iPad and Pixel, the same memory and storage on Mac, and the same case on Apple Watch. iPhone pages also show Apple's wired fast-charging figure.
Added Google Pixel and iPhone vs Pixel comparisons
Pixel phones checked against Google's Pixel phone hardware tech specs page, with a page for each model and a switch for models Google sells in separate versions for the US, Japan and the rest of the world. iPhone vs Pixel pages compare only what both makers publish, in each maker's own words, and you can pick a phone from the other maker on the iPhone and Pixel tabs.