Pixel 10 vs Galaxy S26+

Both makers promise updates, counted in their own way. Google promises Android and security updates until a month it works out from when a Pixel first went on sale on the US Google Store. Samsung promises security updates until a month and a number of Android upgrades: for recent models Samsung's own page gives the month, and for older promises the site works it out from the years Samsung announced, saying so under the row.

The two promises are not counted the same way, so both are shown as they are, without a gain or a loss.

Matters most if: You plan to keep the phone for many years, or you are buying one used.

The launch price of the smallest storage option both models were sold with.

Starting prices can be for different amounts of storage. This row compares the same storage on both, so you can see what the newer model costs for what you have now. It is shown as a difference, not a gain or a loss.

Each maker's own battery test. Google's figure is an estimate for a typical Pixel user's mix of calls, mobile data, standby and other use; Samsung's is hours of video playback on recent phones.

The tests are different, so the site shows both without picking a winner.

Matters most if: You often run out of battery before the end of the day.

mAh (milliamp-hours) measures how much charge a battery holds, like the size of a fuel tank.

Both makers list a capacity. A bigger number alone does not mean longer battery life.

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.

More in the glossary →

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. Google's Super Res Zoom and Pro Zoom and Samsung's Space Zoom use processing, not a separate lens, so they are not counted.

Matters most if: You photograph kids' sports, concerts, pets or wildlife from a distance.

Each maker's own words for the screen: Google's names such as Actua and Super Actua, and Samsung's such as Dynamic AMOLED 2X.

A name alone does not tell you which screen is brighter or sharper, so the row is marked "Different" without a winner.

How fast the phone charges with a cable, in each maker's own words.

Google states how much of the battery fills in a set time with a given charger; Samsung names a charging speed in watts. The two are not the same measure, so the row shows both side by side as "Different".