Samsung S26 Ultra or Xiaomi 17 Ultra? - My Honest Choice — Transcript

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1. 0:00If you're looking for the most absolute most  ultra Android phone you can buy right now for
2. 0:05most countries outside the US, it really comes  down to these two. The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
3. 0:10and the Xiaomi 17 Ultra. These are the two  most ultra slap phones from the two biggest
4. 0:15Android OEMs in the world. After using each  of these phones for just over a month now,
5. 0:19I now have a pretty good idea on what each of  these are good at and also not so good at. So,
6. 0:23in this video, I'm going to go through all the  details and help you guys pick the right Ultra
7. 0:27for you. Starting off with the hardware, which  is already one of the biggest differentiators.
8. 0:31Personally, I actually really like how the Xiaomi  looks. It looks dynamic with a lot of different
9. 0:35elements that go well together. It's built really,  really well and solid, and it stands out. But when
10. 0:40it comes to actually holding and using these  phones, the Samsung is just a more comfortable,
11. 0:44ergonomic piece of hardware with perfect  weight distribution. The Xiaomi, of course,
12. 0:48has this huge camera bump with a huge sensor  inside, so it is pretty topheavy. And because
13. 0:53that camera bump is so big, my finger got in the  frame when I was taking photos pretty often. It's
14. 0:58so big that Xiaomi's own magnetic wireless charger  doesn't even attach perfectly and it sticks out.
15. 1:03Both phones are made of aluminum this year, which  feels very premium on both. Samsung has the S Pen,
16. 1:07though, which might be a big differentiator  for some of you that use it. For connectivity,
17. 1:11Xiaomi gives you two nano SIM slots in a lot of  their global variants versus Samsung's single
18. 1:15physical slot. So, that part's a win for Xiaomi.  Both do have eSIM support, though, so that's
19. 1:20thankfully covered. Now, if you want to give a  more dynamic look to your new S26 Ultra while
20. 1:24also adding some new functionality to it, then you  might want to check out the new collection of air
21. 1:28and button cases from Paka. These Paka cases are  ultra slim and light, but made with really premium
22. 1:33feeling materials. These have Airid fiber texture,  so not only do you get some extra grip with these,
23. 1:38they just look and feel really nice in the hand.  If you were worried about your Ultra feeling
24. 1:41bulky or ugly with the case, you don't have to  worry about that with these cases. But really,
25. 1:46the special part about these air button cases  versus other ones is that these actually add
26. 1:50some new functionality with three buttons on  the case itself, which you can map or customize
27. 1:55to whatever shortcut or routine you want. These  work via NFC, so your phone knows whenever each
28. 1:59of these buttons were pressed, which is really  cool since all your volume and power keys are on
29. 2:03the right. These buttons also don't interfere with  those, and you're simply just getting some extra
30. 2:07features on your Ultra. With the Aaron Button app,  mapping these buttons is super straightforward,
31. 2:11and you can even set up some really specific ones  through modes and routines to be as personalized
32. 2:15for you as possible. For me, I have the top  button mapped for turning the ringer on or off,
33. 2:19the middle button for quick access to  my wallet app, and the bottom one for
34. 2:22Spotify. With all these companies lately taking  away our physical buttons, it's cool to have a
35. 2:27case that adds some more tactile feel and useful  shortcuts to help with my day-to-day. So yeah,
36. 2:31if you're looking for a nice premium feel case  for your new S26 Ultra, go check out Paka's
37. 2:36Aaron Button cases using my affiliate link down  below. Moving over to the displays on the Samsung,
38. 2:40you're getting that anti-reflective coating,  which might be a little worse than the S25 Ultra,
39. 2:44but it's still very practical and helpful. Another  practical feature is the privacy display. It makes
40. 2:49me feel much safer about checking my banking apps  and sensitive stuff when I'm outside. It also
41. 2:54has a much higher pixel density at around  500 PPI compared to Xiaomi's 416 PPI. So,
42. 3:00for things like reading text or really highquality  movie scenes, the Samsung does look sharper with
43. 3:04more texture and detail. Xiaomi counters that  with a 12-bit panel while Samsung is still on
44. 3:09a 8-bit panel. Now, honestly, you really won't  see much of a difference in your day-to-day, but
45. 3:13when you are watching HDR content, you can notice  it. I noticed that the Xiaomi handles HDR content
46. 3:18much better. On the Samsung, sometimes the bright  white spots can look a bit harsh and it almost
47. 3:23hurts my eyes. Xiaomi feels easier on the eyes.  The skin color reproduction is more accurate and
48. 3:27you can just see more shades of light. It's also  got the 2160 Hz PWM dimming, which is great for
49. 3:32eye comfort. With that said, even though Xiaomi  has a higher peak brightness in real world usage,
50. 3:37I didn't really see a difference. Both are  great in direct sunlight. For the speakers,
51. 3:41the Xiaomi wins this hands down. The sound is much  cleaner. Samsung does have better tuning than last
52. 3:46year, but it still feels like there's a bit too  much treble and it sounds a little too digital.
53. 3:50Xiaomi's vocals and instruments are clearer, and  the bass actually has some impact without being
54. 3:54too much. Samsung's bass just feels a bit weak  in comparison. Finally facing it all fearless.
55. 4:05I'm finally facing it all fearless.
56. 4:12Okay, let's talk cameras, which should be one  of the biggest deals in this whole comparison.
57. 4:17This is actually where the on paper differences  are the craziest. Xiaomi is using a massive 1 in
58. 4:22main sensor and a huge periscope with continuous  zoom from 3.2 2 to 4.3x. While Samsung is still
59. 4:28on a much smaller 1 over 1.3 inch main and much  smaller telephoto lenses. From the specs alone,
60. 4:33the gap is huge and I'd much rather have that one  big variable periscope lens than Samsung's two
61. 4:38telephoto system with a very weak 3x telly lens.  In terms of image quality, Xiaomi is honestly in a
62. 4:44different league when it comes to the professional  look. Because of that massive hardware, you get
63. 4:48way more detail and a softer, more natural look  with less digital sharpening and grain. Whether
64. 4:53it's the ultra wide or the main lens, the contrast  is deep and dramatic. The dynamic range is just
65. 4:58better. It handles tough lighting much better,  and the color reproduction is smarter. It knows
66. 5:01when to boost the focus, the colors, and to  tune down the background. But the telephoto
67. 5:05comparison is where the difference is actually  the most dramatic. This is where you see the gap
68. 5:09between a smartphone camera and a real camera.  At 3x, it's a total wash. Xiaomi's 3.2x optical
69. 5:15zoom is just so much better because the sensor  size gives you actual background blur that makes
70. 5:19Samsung's results look very, very flat. Once you  go longer to 4.3x and beyond, Xiaomi's 8.6x zoom
71. 5:25is much clearer and cleaner than Samsung's 10X.  Xiaomi's periscope feels like you're shooting on a
72. 5:30mirrorless camera, whereas the Samsung still looks  very much like a smartphone. That said, it isn't a
73. 5:36total blowout because Samsung wins on some of the  polished elements. Samsung's post-processing goes
74. 5:40for a much more balanced look with the shadows  lifted. This is that social media look that most
75. 5:45people are actually going to prefer on the first  glance. In low light, Samsung actually takes a
76. 5:49win for me in a lot of the situations. Xiaomi's  deep contrast looks cool, but it goes a little
77. 5:54bit overboard with the moody look, making scenes  look way darker than they actually were. Samsung's
78. 5:58low light photos are much more accurate to the  situation. Samsung also wins on video processing.
79. 6:03Even with the smaller sensors, the S26 Ultra has  much smoother stabilization and cleaner footage,
80. 6:08especially when you're using that 5x periscope.  The more I use the S26 Ultra, the more I realized
81. 6:13that Samsung really is the undisputed king of  video recording in the smartphone market. even
82. 6:17though it is falling behind with still images.  Last but not least, Samsung also takes much better
83. 6:22selfies. The skin tones are way more accurate.  Xiaomi makes me look a little bit too red,
84. 6:26and Samsung handles the highlights way better,  too, whereas the Xiaomi turns my hair into one
85. 6:30black blob. Plus, the selfie video stabilization  and the auto lighting on the S26 Ultra are just
86. 6:35much better for vlogging, too. So, if you are a  type of person that just likes to point and shoot
87. 6:39and get a nice bright photo that's balanced and  even for Instagram, then you're actually going to
88. 6:45like the Samsung a little more. It's reliable. The  video is really smooth and clean, and it handles
89. 6:49people photos like the selfies in more flattering  ways. But if you are an enthusiast or an aspiring
90. 6:54photographer, the Xiaomi is just way more capable.  With that 1in sensor and variable zoom on that
91. 6:59periscope, you can really maximize the results  you get from a phone. The raw workflow is also
92. 7:04miles ahead. It's way faster to capture, faster to  process. You can still use all your Leica filters,
93. 7:09too. Honestly, the raw photos I've taken  on the Xiaomi are the best I've ever seen
94. 7:12from a smartphone. For me though, the real camera  experience really makes a huge difference for me
95. 7:17because this is the only thing I need to carry.  I don't need to carry a separate camera with
96. 7:21me. Now, the software is where that experience  kind of flips. One UI 8.5 is just more capable,
97. 7:26consistent, and approachable with practical,  useful features like mods and routines. All
98. 7:31kinds of multitasking options and gestures in  Galaxy AI. HyperOS 3.0 know has really nice
99. 7:36looking animations and I like the dynamic  island copy better than Samsung's now bar,
100. 7:40but the overall UI is missing a ton of features  including automations. The AI implementations
101. 7:45just feel subpar and the settings and the options  feel disorganized between the ads in the wallpaper
102. 7:50carousel, the outdated looking software store,  and having to use third party apps to enable basic
103. 7:54things like extra dim mode. It just isn't nearly  as polished. In terms of the performance, you're
104. 7:59basically getting the same since you have top tier  specs on both phones. Where the Xiaomi does feel
105. 8:03faster is the camera response, but for everything  else, like video export times and gaming, they're
106. 8:08basically identical. The only real difference  in the internals is the thermals. The Galaxy
107. 8:12takes a lot hotter much quicker, whereas Xiaomi's  temperatures take a few minutes to catch up, but
108. 8:16it's really not that noticeable of a difference.  So yeah, while the RAW performance is basically
109. 8:20the same, the overall software experience and  polish makes One UI and the Samsung phone feel
110. 8:25like a much more complete package. In terms of  battery, Xiaomi has a much larger 6,000 millah
111. 8:30battery compared to Samsung's 5,000 millah. But  surprisingly, I actually get better battery life
112. 8:36on the S26 Ultra. I was getting about 6.5 to 7.5  hours of screen on time on the Samsung. On the
113. 8:41Xiaomi, it was more like 5 to 5.5 hours. For me,  that battery trade-off is worth it for the camera
114. 8:47alone. But if you just want a phone that lasts as  long as possible, Samsung is the better optimized
115. 8:51experience. Charging is also another weird one.  Xiaomi supports 90 watt wired charging while
116. 8:55Samsung peaks at 60 watts. But in my test, the  Samsung actually got a full charge faster, under
117. 9:0050 minutes. The Xiaomi took over 60 minutes unless  I use the specific boost mode, which I usually
118. 9:05don't do. This does make sense since Xiaomi does  have a much bigger battery, but considering the
119. 9:11faster overall charging speed from 0 to 100  on the Samsung and also the better day-to-day
120. 9:16battery life I get on this, uh, for the battery  life and charging, the Samsung surprisingly
121. 9:21gets the win here. So yeah, at the same $1,300 to  $1,800 price point, depending on where you're at,
122. 9:26you are technically getting more value with  Xiaomi for the extra RAM, storage, and that
123. 9:30massive camera hardware. If you are a creator like  me, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is an incredible tool and
124. 9:35the phone I want to carry for those sensors alone.  But for most people, I actually recommend the S26
125. 9:40Ultra. It's super reliable, great ergonomics,  and that screen and the privacy display are just
126. 9:45better and more practical for the day-to-day.  With all that said though, even though the S26
127. 9:50Ultra is the more polished product all around and  I do recommend it to more people, personally, I'm
128. 9:55keeping the Xiaomi 17 Ultra as my daily driver.  I just really enjoy using the camera more here,
129. 9:59and that's enough to make it my personal choice.  But yeah, I want to know what you guys think. What
130. 10:04do you value more, and which phone would you  use? Let me know down in the comments. It was
131. 10:07definitely a very fun comparison. If you want  more videos like this, make sure to subscribe
132. 10:11to support the channel. Thank you so much for  watching, and I'll see you guys on the next one.