The Samsung Galaxy S26 Extremely has been introduced, and with it a brand new choice for anybody hankering after a super-sized flagship cellphone.
Samsung’s Extremely was once the de facto Android champion, representing all the things that the platform could possibly be in a single chunky piece of premium steel. Today, nonetheless, it has some competitors.
The Google Pixel 10 Professional XL is maybe the Samsung Galaxy S26 Extremely’s essential rival for the crown. In all probability not when it comes to uncooked gross sales, however undoubtedly when it comes to standing, availability and high quality.
So how do these hefty flagship telephones evaluate? Extra to the purpose, which is the very best purchase for you?
Our Galaxy S26 Extremely evaluation isn’t prepared as but, though we do have first ideas from our hands-on time with the machine. However from the specs and impressions we’ve thus far, right here’s the way it stacks as much as the Google Pixel 10 Professional XL.
And, in case you’re questioning if a Galaxy S26 Edge will likely be becoming a member of the line-up, we’ve some theories after chatting with one in every of Samsung’s product group.
Do you care about getting near your topic?
Samsung at all times goes the additional mile in getting you nearer to your topic. As with earlier entries, the Galaxy S26 Extremely comes with two separate telephoto lenses – a 50Mp 10x periscope telephoto and a 10Mp 3x telephoto.
This duo affords way more zoom vary than the Google Pixel 10 Professional XL, which solely offers you the one 48Mp 5x periscope telephoto digicam.
Luke Baker
Don’t get us fallacious, the Pixel 10 Professional XL takes fabulous images. Its 48Mp essential digicam produces a number of the best-balanced snaps within the enterprise, whereas its 42Mp entrance digicam produces selfies which might be proper close to the highest of the pile.
However the Samsung has the clear edge in case you prefer to shoot from afar.
Winner: Samsung Galaxy S26 Extremely
What about handy wi-fi charging?
One of many largest disappointments with your entire Samsung Galaxy S26 vary has been its lack of Qi2 wi-fi charging help.
All through a lot of 2025, hearsay had it that Samsung was trying to implement this handy magnetised charging system into its subsequent flagship smartphone vary. Because it seems, the corporate has carried out no such factor, and also you’ll want to purchase a particular case if you’d like fuss-free wi-fi charging to your Galaxy S26 Extremely.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
That’s not the case with the Pixel 10 Professional XL. Google was the primary mainstream Android producer to implement Qi2 (beneath its PixelSnap branding), with the Pixel 10 sequence.
In the event you haven’t skilled the enjoyment of snapping a charging puck, ring stand, or case to the again of cellphone utilizing magnets, you actually haven’t lived.
Winner: Google Pixel 10 Professional XL
And avoiding pesky shoulder snoopers?
Simply the most important {hardware} and software program innovation of the Samsung Galaxy S26 Extremely is its Privateness Show. This helpful little characteristic blocks anybody from with the ability to see delicate display screen content material from over your shoulder.
It really works by making particular OLED show pixels gentle up solely in a single route, basically showing black from any place aside from your individual.
Luke Baker
You’ll be able to apply this to any content material you want, from incoming notification bubbles to that spicy e-book you’re studying on the underground (Samsung has used this precise situation to advertise the characteristic).
Pulling up the Google Pixel 10 Professional XL for missing such a characteristic could be foolish – Samsung is genuinely innovating right here – however the truth stays, the Galaxy S26 Extremely is the higher decide for privacy-conscious individuals who usually use their cellphone in public.
Winner: Samsung Galaxy S26 Extremely
How essential is a clear UI?
To many individuals, Samsung’s bespoke person interface is Android, and another take seems like an aberration. We’re not judging. We’re simply saying that such persons are fallacious.
It’s Google that makes Android, and thus its personal Pixel telephones current the purest, cleanest, and most feature-complete tackle the world’s hottest cell OS.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Samsung’s One UI has its personal charms, and is arguably the extra customisable working system of the 2. In the event you like fidgeting with settings and making all the things simply so, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Extremely’s software program is pretty much as good because it will get.
However in case you’re after a visually cohesive, finely honed, bloatware-free UI the place sensible AI options are intrinsically woven in relatively than clumsily welded on (an issue with each different Android producer, to be honest), the Google Pixel 10 Professional XL is a greater guess.
Winner: Google Pixel 10 Professional XL
Or is all of it in regards to the final efficiency?
Are you a dedicated cell gamer? Or do you merely demand the best possible efficiency doable to your £1,200-plus funding?
Both manner, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Extremely is a a lot better prospect than the Google Pixel 10 Professional XL. Google insists on utilizing its personal customized Tensor processors with its telephones, that are optimised for AI duties, however fairly underwhelming for all the things else.
Luke Baker
The Tensor G5 chip that powers the Google Pixel 10 Professional XL will fortunately fly by way of duties and run high-end video games, and also you’re unlikely to note any critical cases of lag. However the benchmark outcomes and gaming body charges place it effectively down the flagship pecking order.
As for the Samsung Galaxy S26 Extremely, it runs on the newest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip – and a barely sooner ‘for Galaxy’ variant at that. It’s nonetheless an off-the-shelf part, for positive, but it surely’s additionally the quickest cell processor obtainable, together with the A19 Professional discovered within the iPhone 17 Professional Max.
Winner: Samsung Galaxy S26 Extremely
Is an important factor worth for cash?
This won’t be such an enormous issue in case you’re already prepared to pay 4 figures to your subsequent cellphone, however the Samsung Galaxy S26 Extremely will price you more cash than the Google Pixel 10 Professional XL.
With a beginning value of £1,279, Samsung’s cellphone will price you £80 greater than the Google Pixel 10 Professional XL – on the very least. That hole solely will get greater as you develop your storage, with the 512GB fashions £130 aside, once more in Google’s favour.
Mattias Inghe
The 1TB mannequin of the Galaxy S26 Extremely is £150 costlier than its Pixel equal. That’s a reasonably main distinction, and it possible comes right down to the spike in RAM costs proudly owning to the present AI craze.
What’s extra, with the Pixel 10 Professional XL now having been in the marketplace for a number of months, you’re way more more likely to discover a whole lot on one than you might be on the model new Galaxy S26 Extremely.
Winner: Google Pixel 10 Professional XL
Samsung Galaxy S26 Extremely vs Google Pixel 10 Professional XL: Conclusion
We’re not fairly able to render a verdict on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Extremely simply but, however even at this early stage we are able to see the place its main strengths are more likely to lie, and the way these will mark it out towards the Google Pixel 10 Professional XL.
Samsung hasn’t ripped up the playbook since final yr’s Galaxy S25 Extremely, so its newest flagship cellphone is more likely to be extraordinarily highly effective and wonderful at zoomed-in digicam snaps. It’ll additionally include the distinctive skill to thwart shoulder snoopers, and is just extra highly effective than its rival. All of those parts give it a transparent edge over the Pixel 10 Professional XL.
Google’s flagship, for its half, has cleaner software program and blissfully handy Qi2 magnetic charging. It’ll additionally price you much less cash.
In the end, it appears to be like to be a transparent cut up between power-user options (Samsung) and sheer, easy-life comfort (Google). Place your order accordingly.