Samsung Galaxy S26 vs Google Pixel 10: Battle of the Android flagships

While Android handsets are made by a huge range of manufacturers, for some, there are only two players in town: Google and Samsung. The former because it’s also the company behind the OS, making it a great showcase of the platform’s abilities, and the latter because it consistently produces some of the best phones around.

The Samsung Galaxy S26 is likely to continue this form when it arrives next year, but you can already buy the Pixel 10 today. Here, we’ll try to establish which is the best Android phone for you based on what we know and what we’ve heard.

Samsung Galaxy S26 vs Google Pixel 10: Specifications

Samsung Galaxy S26 vs Google Pixel 10: Release date and price

You can buy the Google Pixel 10 right now. Released on 28 August, starting at $799 for the 128GB version, but you can have double the storage for $100 more.

The Samsung Galaxy S26’s release date is still TBC, but expected in the first quarter of 2026. One report suggested it would go a little later than last year, with an Unpacked event scheduled for February 25, but a more recent tip suggests a January announcement after all.

We’re hoping Samsung maintains the $799 starting price to remain competitive with both the aforementioned Pixel 10 and the iPhone 17, but there are reasons to think Samsung may bump up the price this time around.

Firstly, as you’ll read later, Samsung is reportedly set to bump up the base storage from 128GB to 256GB this year. Secondly, a report from Korea suggests that Samsung is struggling to keep costs down with the spiraling cost of RAM.

That alone might be a reason to play it safe and buy now while prices are competitive, but it may, of course, come to nothing.

Samsung Galaxy S26 vs Google Pixel 10: Design and screen

The Pixel 10 is one of the most distinctive phones on the market. Unlike the cheaper Pixel 9a, it maintains the distinctive camera bar that makes it clear you’re using a Google handset.

The display is an FHD+ OLED measuring 6.3 inches across. It features a 120Hz refresh rate and promises to reach a peak brightness of a searing 3,000 nits, making it a good choice for use in bright sunlight.

In trut,h though, it’s not that far removed from the Samsung Galaxy S25 and — because we’re not expecting any dramatic design changes between that and the next generation — the upcoming S26.

Expect a slightly smaller 6.27-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with the same 120Hz refresh rate. We’re expecting brightness to hit 2,600 nits — slightly lower, but not really a big deal in most use cases.

Between these two handsets, it largely comes down to personal preference. Do you like the distinctive Google camera bar, or the stylish Samsung traffic light layout? With design and screen specs otherwise pretty similar that, and color choices, are all it really comes down to.

On that note, Samsung is reportedly planning a bright orange version of the Samsung Galaxy S26, which will certainly stand out.

Samsung Galaxy S26 vs Google Pixel 10: Performance

In terms of performance, however, things will be much more clear-cut. The Tensor chipset that Google uses on its Pixel phones is good, but no match for the flagship Qualcomm chips that Samsung uses in its Galaxy ‘S’ range.

The nearly year-old Galaxy S25 is faster than the Pixel 10 in our tests, and it seems extremely likely that the Galaxy S26 — with its Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite Gen 5 — will make that gap even wider.

The above chart uses benchmarks gleaned from a Qualcomm reference device using the chip that’s expected for the Galaxy S26 in most regions (albeit with 24GB RAM — twice what is expected in Samsung’s upcoming phone) and you can see the difference is significant. It may be even more stark if Qualcomm provides a slightly higher clocked “for Galaxy” version as it has done for the last couple of Samsung flagships.

Some regions are tipped to get the Exynos 2600 chipset instead of Qualcomm’s latest. That would usually be cause for concern, but it seems that it may be no bad thing this generation with some very impressive early benchmarks.

There’s one more reason to wait for Samsung. While the Google Pixel 10 is available in 128GB or 256GB configurations, rumor has it that Samsung will be abandoning the 128GB tier this time and only offering 256GB or 512GB handsets. Assuming that doesn’t see a price rise of over $100 — the price difference between Google’s storage tiers — that’s another point for Samsung.

Still, there are two reasons why you might want to opt for the Pixel 10, even without considering the possibly higher price.

The first is battery life. While Samsung is reportedly set to boost the Galaxy S26’s capacity by 300mAh to 4,300mAh, that’s still significantly lower than the 4,970mAh cell Google packs into the Pixel 10.

Secondly, while both phones run Android, as the hardware is made by Google, the Pixel 10 will get new features and versions of the software earlier for its entire supported life. That’s quite a nice perk for tech enthusiasts.

Samsung Galaxy S26 vs Google Pixel 10: Cameras

Google phones have always punched above their weight camera wise, and the Pixel 10 is a huge leap forward for the cheapest of the flagship models. While the ultrawide resolution drops from 48MP on the Pixel 9 to 13MP with the latest version, that’s more than made up for with the addition of a new 5x optical zoom lens.

True, at 10.8MP, this can’t match the Pixel 10 Pro, but it’s a big improvement and adds more flexibility to one of the best camera phones you can buy with performance that belies its relatively low price tag.

Will the Samsung Galaxy S26 outdo it? The jury’s out on that one, as camera leaks have been confused and contradictory.

Everyone seems to agree that the main camera will remain at 50MP, but it’s rumored to use the newer ISOCELL GN sensor. It’s tipped to be larger, letting in more light and thus improving low-light photography.

As for the ultra-wide lens, one rumor suggests it’ll get a substantial boost to 50MP, but others are convinced it’s staying at 12MP. Given Samsung’s past iterative approach with the regular Galaxy S line, the latter seems like a safer bet.

Finally, that last report also indicates that the optical zoom will increase its megapixel count from 10 to 12MP. Ice Universe, however, disagrees, saying “with certainty” that it’s staying at 10MP.

It’s pretty clear you’ll be getting good camera performance from either phone, even if there are limited advances from the S25. But if you like a gamble, then it probably pays to wait and see how many of these rumored upgrades actually materialize.

Samsung Galaxy S26 vs Google Pixel 10: Outlook

The decision of whether to buy the Google Pixel 10 today or hold out for the Samsung Galaxy S26 comes down to two main factors: performance and price.

For the former, it’s no contest. The Samsung Galaxy S25 is already faster than the Pixel 10, and the next generation is going to be faster still.

Price, however, is an unknown quantity. While the S26 might maintain the same $799 price, there’s every chance it will go up. Even if it doesn’t, the Pixel 10 is likely to have come down by the time the S26 arrives, meaning buyers will still have a tricky decision to make.