Samsung
Galaxy S26
Stepping up
Samsung's base models have shipped with smaller screens than Pixels and iPhones for years, but that's officially changing. The new version has a 6.3-inch screen, an upgraded Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, and a larger battery. Still, the cameras and lack of Qi2 magnetic support leave much to be desired.
Pros
- Bigger 6.3-inch AMOLED 2X display
- Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 in North America, China, and Japan
- 4,300mAh battery capacity
- Taller and wider design with oval-shaped camera bump
Cons
- More expensive than the Pixel 10
- No significant camera upgrades
- Lacks built-in Qi2 magnets
Google
Pixel 10
The starter Android
Google was the first to add Qi2 magnets, making the base Pixel 10 a surprisingly-great alternative to iPhones. It also gained a telephoto camera lens and other improvements, stepping up to Samsung's level.
Pros
- Large battery with full Qi2 support
- Telephoto lens adds 5x optical zoom
- Tensor G5 is a notable improvement
- Full suite of Gemini and Google AI features
Cons
- Gaming performance still isn't great
- Key feature omissions, like Wi-Fi 7
- Aggressive battery throttling
