Samsung Galaxy S26 vs. Google Pixel 10: Comparing specs, prices

It's time for another round of Google vs. Samsung.

Google launched the Pixel 10 phone last summer, while Samsung's newest flagship, the Galaxy S26, is making its grand debut in the new year. These two Android heavyweights have plenty in common, but also enough points of divergence to make it a real decision for anyone looking to upgrade their non-iOS handset.

Here is how the Galaxy S26 and Pixel 10 compare, with the caveat that we've only had a little hands-on time with the S26 so far.

Samsung Galaxy S26 vs. Google Pixel 10: Price

Our first category is the easiest to figure out. The Galaxy S26 is launching at $899.99, while the Pixel 10's MSRP is $799. However, while that might make it seem like the Pixel 10 has the edge, it's not so simple. For the S26, Samsung eliminated the 128GB option, and the starting version now has 256GB of storage. The equivalent Pixel model is priced at $899, only a $0.99 difference.

We typically recommend people get at least 256GB of storage anyway. However, if you're OK with 128GB and want the cheapest possible price, then the Pixel 10 does technically offer the lower price.

Samsung Galaxy S26 vs. Google Pixel 10: Specs

Here are the basic specs for the Pixel 10:

• 6.3-inch display with 1080x2424 resolution and 60-120Hz adaptive refresh rate

• 12GB RAM

• 128GB/256GB storage

• Google Tensor G5 chip

• 4,970mAh battery

And here are the equivalent specs in the Galaxy S26:

• 6.3-inch display with 1080x2340 resolution and 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate

• 12GM RAM

• 256/512GB storage

• Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy

• 4,300mAh battery

There are some notable differences here, but let's start with the similarities. Both devices have the same display size and resolutions that are close enough to be more or less indistinguishable to the average person's eyes. Samsung has a slight edge in terms of refresh rate, but only on the lower end; the ability to go all the way down to 1Hz might help with battery life, but in terms of how things actually look, that's not going to be a huge difference for most folks. Both devices also have the same amount of RAM. We'll have to wait and see how the Tensor G5 compares to the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chip inside Samsung's devices, but generally speaking, Google's in-house Tensor chips aren't powerhouses on benchmark tests, even if daily performance is usually not a problem for them.

As previously noted, there are some differences worth exploring. Samsung's slightly higher price tag might be explained by the larger storage options on the S26. Its max capacity is twice that of the Pixel 10's, which is huge for prolific mobile photographers and videographers. However, Pixel 10's battery size is substantially larger than the S26's. It remains to be seen what kind of practical difference this makes, but it's something to look out for as real testing begins.

Samsung Galaxy S26 vs. Google Pixel 10: Design

Neither of these phones marks much of a departure from their immediate predecessors. The Pixel 10 retains the same basic look as the Pixel 9, sticking with Google's signature Cyclops-like horizontal camera bar on the back. Google's latest Pixel comes in four colors: Indigo, Frost, Lemongrass, and Obsidian. The Indigo color is especially nice to look at, in my opinion.

Galaxy S26 also looks pretty similar to the Galaxy S25, with three vertically oriented camera lenses on the upper left corner of the phone's backside. They do jut out a little more this year than they did before, so the S26 might be a tad more awkward on a flat surface than the S25 was. Lastly, the S26 comes in six colors: Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue, Black, White, Silver Shadow, and Pink Gold. Those last two are online exclusives.

Samsung Galaxy S26 vs. Google Pixel 10: AI features

The AI arms race has led both the Galaxy S26 and Pixel 10 to fairly similar places, at least in terms of which features fit onto a bullet point list for each device. How the features actually work will, at least in the case of the S26, have to wait until a real review.

Pixel 10 introduced live language translation during phone calls, which is also supported in Samsung's AI ecosystem. It also brought in Magic Cue, a context-dependent system that will surface certain information from your emails or text messages if they happen to come up during regular use. If someone texts you about an event in your calendar, that information will helpfully pop up right in front of you, for example. Galaxy S26 introduces something that sounds pretty similar in Now Nudge, but we don't yet know how (or if) it differs in function from Magic Cue.

Both devices also feature AI mainstays like Google's Circle to Search, as well as support for Gemini. Samsung's phone also comes with a newly enhanced version of the Bixby voice assistant, as well as access to Perplexity, if that's what you prefer.

While the S26 and Pixel 10 both feature plenty of AI image and video editing tools, Samsung has gone a step further this year by putting them all in one app, called Creative Studio. It's a one-stop shop for AI editing, rather than having to switch between two or three apps. Again, we don't yet know how this differs in practice from the Pixel 10 AI experience, but it's a good idea nonetheless. Aside from editing existing images, Creative Studio will also let users generate new images from text prompts.

Samsung Galaxy S26 vs. Google Pixel 10: Cameras

Of course, everyone wants a good camera setup on their smartphone. Here are the basic camera specs for the Galaxy S26:

• 50MP main lens

• 12MP ultra-wide lens

• 10MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom

• 12MP selfie lens

And here are the equivalent specs for Pixel 10:

• 48MP main lens

• 13MP ultra-wide lens

• 10.8MP telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom

• 10.5MP selfie lens

Purely as far as numbers are concerned, there aren't many big differences here. It's great that both of these base model phones have telephoto lenses, as that was, until recently, something you could only expect to get on Pro-level phones. The biggest advantage either phone has over the other in regard to camera specs is that the Pixel 10's telephoto lens is capable of greater optical zoom than the S26's. Google has been a winner in terms of mobile zoom capabilities for a few years now, and that seemingly hasn't changed here, though we'll have to wait until we do further testing to definitively declare a winner.

Head to Mashable's Samsung Galaxy Unpacked live blog for the latest updates as the newest Samsung products and features are unveiled.