Samsung Galaxy S26 vs Xiaomi 17 Pro
Verdict
Samsung Galaxy S26 and Xiaomi 17 Pro tie on the OH Rank at a score of 76. Samsung Galaxy S26 wins on Screen and Desktop Replacement; Xiaomi 17 Pro wins on Battery. Xiaomi 17 Pro is 0.1mm wider than Samsung Galaxy S26. Samsung Galaxy S26 is the more recent release, from Mar 4, 2026.
Score Breakdown
Performance /15
Battery /15
Screen /15
IP Protection /15
Main Camera /15
Selfie /5
Video /5
SD Memory /5
Software /5
Desktop Replacement /5
TOTAL
76
76
Samsung Galaxy S26
71.7mm (2.82in) · Mar 4, 2026 · Rank #42
13+7+13+12+12+5+4+0+5+5 = 76
* TOP Selfie* TOP Software* TOP Desktop Replacement* TOP Compact
EDITORIAL: Like S26 Ultra and the S26+, the vanilla S26 will be remembered for the sad lack of improvement. S26 gained the latest processor and a silly 300mAh more of battery capacity. And that’s it. Oh, it grew 1.2mm in width – when rivals are all shrinking. Still, in a small world of compacts (pun intended) many will love this phone’s performance, bright screen, proficient imaging, Samsung’s polished ecosystem and having the DeX on board.
PROs
one-hand friendly and well build, fast SD 8 Elite Gen 5 (Exynos 2600 in EU) with UFS 4.0 performance, 24hr endurance from a 4300mAh (old Lithium tech) battery with sub-70min 25W (15 wireless) charging, IP69 protection, very good (same as last year) front and back camera setup with a 50MP 24mm main + 10MP 67mm telephoto (both OIS PDAF) + 12MP 13mm sans-AF ultrawide, excellent 12MP 26mm dual pixel PDAF selfie, above average video recording skills, polished and AI feature-packed OneOS with up to 7 years of updates, excellent DeX and fast USBC 3.2 port with DisplayPort and OTG
CONs
same as last year save for updated processor and extra 300mAh of battery, wider then S25, no expandable memory, walled-off Samsung garden you may wish you didn’t enter
Xiaomi 17 Pro
71.8mm (2.83in) · Sep 25, 2025 · Rank #43
13+11+11+12+12+5+4+0+5+3 = 76
FLY* TOP Compact* TOP Selfie* TOP Software
EDITORIAL: This year, Xiaomi is all-out after Apple. Not only did it skip the 16th gen and name their flagships to match Apple's 17th gen - they also matched the design too. Except, instead of just offering a "plateau" bump across the upper back of their Pro phones, Xiaomi put a second screen there. Both back and main screens match in brightness and Dolby Vision certification and allow you to take selfies with back cameras. Otherwise, 17 Pro upgrades on last year's (China only) 15 Pro with better processor, faster memory, bigger battery size and charging speed, higher screen PWM dimming rate, water immersion depth, selfie with a PDAF, new OS and even added Dolby Atmos speaker certification.
PROs
compact, great new design with a large and bright back screen, fast SD Elite 8 Gen 5 processor with UFS 4.1 performance, 36hr endurance from a 6300mAh battery with sub-50min 100W (50W wireless) charging. 2 <1300 bright LTPO AMOLED screens with 120Hz refresh >2000Hz PWM and HDR10+ and Dolby Vision tech, IP68 protection (up to 4m water immersion for 30 min), excellent imaging from the 50MP 23mm OIS main and 50MP 17mm ultrawide (both with PDAF), excellent new 50MP 21mm PDAF selfie, HyperOS 3.0 with 4 years of updates, Android 17's native desktop replacement feature, fast USB-C 3.2 port with Video-out and screen sharing with PCs or Macs
CONs
could end up China-only, sub-1300nits on both screens, only okay 50MP 115mm periscope telephoto performance, no SDmemory, China only
Both phones here were scored by me, using the same ten categories, with no ads, sponsorships, or manufacturer relationships — this comparison is as objective and honest as it gets.
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