Samsung Galaxy S26 / Google Pixel 8

Samsung varies the processor by market: the US, China and Japan versions use the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy. This entry covers the Exynos 2600 SM-S942B version.

The viewable area is smaller than the rectangular measurement because of the corners and camera hole.

Google quotes 1400 nits for HDR and 2000 nits peak; contrast above 1,000,000:1. Because the corners are rounded, the visible area is slightly smaller than the 6.2-inch rectangle.

The panel lowers its rate to match the content, slowing down on static images to save power and rising to 120 Hz for scrolling and games.

This is Samsung's peak figure, not a brightness held across the full screen.

Samsung says this GPU supports hardware ray tracing and is up to 50% faster at it than its predecessor.

Samsung states up to 29% better heat dissipation for the S26; this is a figure from the maker's own testing.

Usable space is lower than the total because of preloaded software. Options vary by country and carrier.

The 2x optical-quality zoom uses the centre of the main camera's Adaptive Pixel sensor; it is not a separate lens.

Editing features such as Audio Magic Eraser require the Google Photos app.

Samsung quotes up to 30 hours of video playback; the typical figure was measured by a third-party lab to IEC 61960.

The figure was measured from 0% with a 25 W Samsung adapter and 3 A USB-C cable, screen off. The adapter and cable are sold separately.

PowerShare works only with certain Qi-compatible phones and wearables and may not work below 30% battery.

Wi-Fi 7 speeds need a Wi-Fi 7 router; 6 GHz use varies by country.

USB 3.2 Gen 1 carries up to 5 Gbit/s of data, which speeds up wired transfers of large video files to a computer.

eSIM depends on the carrier and country.

Band support varies by market.

Weight may vary by country and configuration.

Water and dust resistance can decline over time with normal wear.

IP68 (IEC 60529) applies when the device leaves the factory; Google notes the phone is not waterproof or dustproof and resistance is not permanent. The aluminium in the housing is 100% recycled.

Google provides seven years of Android OS, security and Pixel Drop updates from when the device first became available on the US Google Store.

Storage options vary by region and channel; there is no memory card slot.

There is no telephoto camera; 8x zoom is software-based. Autofocus on the ultrawide enables Macro Focus shots.

27 W is measured with the Google 30 W USB-C Charger (USB-PD 3.0 PPS) and gives about 50% in 30 minutes; the adapter is sold separately. 18 W wireless needs the Pixel Stand (2nd gen); Qi EPP chargers give up to 12 W.

It is listed as Wi‑Fi 6E in Japan and Wi‑Fi 6 in Taiwan, Singapore and India. The model for Europe and other markets is GPJ41.

The USB-C cable in the box is USB 2.0.