Some phone updates are incremental, like the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, while others make large strides and put distance between their older models. That's the case with the iPhone 17 Pro Max, which surprised me this year with features and a redesign that shows Samsung has some catching up to do.

With everyone craving better battery life, we put the newest iPhone and Android batteries to the ultimate test through hours of streaming, gaming, and social media scrolling. The iPhone 17 Pro Max dominated with just 9% battery loss in three hours,

Samsung may be saving its biggest improvements for the Galaxy S27 Ultra, which is expected to launch in 2027, just in time for Apple to launch the 20th-anniversary iPhone 20.

Apple CEO Tim Cook said on the firm's most recent earnings call that he expects this quarter to be the best in company history.

Explore the best Android phones for iPhone users in 2026. Learn how to switch from iPhone to Samsung and find Android phones similar to iPhone.

Phone 17e may use the same OLED panel as the iPhone 16e, but with slim bezels. This could give the phone a new look over the predecessor.