Samsung announced three members of the Galaxy S26 family back in February. In this article, we’ll be comparing the smallest member of that family with one of Motorola’s offerings. In other words, this is a Samsung Galaxy S26 vs Motorola Edge (2025) comparison. These two devices are actually quite different in pretty much every way. It’s also worth noting that the Motorola Edge (2025) is notably more affordable.
As we usually do, we will first list the specs of both smartphones. Following that, we will compare their designs, displays, performance, battery life, cameras, and audio output. This should be a rather interesting comparison considering how different these two smartphones are. So… let’s get to it.
Specs
Samsung Galaxy S26
Motorola Edge (2025)
| Samsung Galaxy S26 | Motorola Edge (2025) | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 149.6 x 71.7 x 7.2 mm | 161.2 x 73.1 x 8 mm |
| Weight | 167 grams | 181 grams |
| Display | 6.3-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X | 6.7-inch P-OLED |
| Refresh rate | 1-120Hz | 120Hz |
| Resolution | 2340 x 1080 | 2712 x 1220 |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy / Samsung Exynos 2600 | MediaTek Dimensity 7400 Ultra |
| RAM | 12GB (LPDDR5X) | 8GB (LPDDR4X) |
| Storage | 256GB/512GB (UFS 4.0) | 256GB (UFS 2.2) |
| Main camera | 50MP (wide, f/1.8 aperture, 1/1.56-inch sensor size, 1.0um pixel size, dual pixel PDAF, OIS) | 50MP (f/1.8 aperture, 1/1.56-inch sensor size, dual pixel PDAF, OIS) |
| Ultra-wide camera | 12MP (f/2.2 aperture, 1/2.55-inch sensor size, 120-degree FoV, 1.4um pixel size) | 50MP (f/2.0 aperture, 122-degree FoV, 0.64um pixel size)) |
| Telephoto camera | 10MP (f/2.4 aperture, 1/3.94-inch sensor size, 1.0um pixel size, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom) | 10MP (f/2.0 aperture, 1/3.94-inch sensor size, 3x optical zoom, PDAF, OIS) |
| Periscope telephoto camera | N/A | N/A |
| Selfie camera | 12MP (f/2.2 aperture, 1/3.2-inch sensor size, 1.12um pixel size) | 50MP (f/1.9 aperture, 0.64um pixel size) |
| Battery size | 4,300mAh | 5,200mAh |
| Charging | 25W wired, 15W wireless (Qi2 Ready), 4.5W reverse wireless (charger not included) | 68W wired, 15W wireless (charger not included) |
| Colors | Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue, Black, White, Silver Shadow, Pink Gold | Deep Forest |
Samsung Galaxy S26 vs Motorola Edge (2025): Design
The two phones both look very different, and the same goes for the in-hand feel. The Galaxy S26 is considerably smaller in comparison, but it’s also more slippery at the same time. The phone has glass on the back, while the Motorola Edge (2025) includes vegan leather on its back. The Galaxy S26 has a flat display, with a centered display camera hole up top. The display on the Motorola Edge (2025) is curved, though it has the same display camera hole positioning.
The frame of the Galaxy S26 is flat, while it curves slightly towards the edges. The frame on the Motorola Edge (2025) is slightly rounded. The Galaxy S26 has power/lock and volume up and down buttons on the right side. Those are its only buttons. The Motorola Edge (2025), on the other hand, has that same set of buttons on the right, but the volume up and down buttons are separated. That phone also has another button on the left side, an AI key.
If we flip the two phones around, you’ll notice even more differences. Aside from the backplate material differences we’ve mentioned, they also have different camera islands. The Galaxy S26 includes three vertically-aligned cameras in the top-left corner, on top of a camera island. The Motorola Edge (2025) has three cameras as well, but inside a square camera island that increases in size gradually.
The Galaxy S26 is shorter, narrower, and thinner in comparison, while it’s also lighter. That’s not surprising considering that it has a considerably smaller display. That phone comes with an IP68 certification for water and dust resistance. The Motorola Edge (2025) has that same certification, plus IP69 and MIL-STD-810H certifications.
Samsung Galaxy S26 vs Motorola Edge (2025): Display
The Samsung Galaxy S26 features a 6.3-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X display. That panel is flat, and it has an adaptive refresh rate (1-120Hz). HDR10+ content is supported, while the peak brightness here is 2,600 nits. The screen-to-body ratio is at 90%, while the resolution here is 2340 x 1080 pixels. The Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protects this display.
The Motorola Edge (2025), on the other hand, has a 6.7-inch P-OLED display. That panel is curved, and it has a 120Hz refresh rate. It can show up to 1 billion colors, and it supports HDR10+ content. The peak brightness here is 4,500 nits, while the screen-to-body ratio is around 92%. The resolution this phone offers is 2712 x 1220 pixels, while the display aspect ratio is 20:9. The Gorilla Glass 7i protects this display.
In all honesty, both of these displays are quite good. They’re both vivid, have great viewing angles, and they can get quite bright when needed. Albeit Motorola’s display can get brighter. Do note that one panel is flat and the other is not. Samsung’s panel does have a slight advantage in the power consumption section due to LTPO tech. All in all, though, both panels are very good.
Samsung Galaxy S26 vs Motorola Edge (2025): Performance
The Samsung Galaxy S26 comes in two chip variants. In some markets, it’s fueled by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy processor, a 3nm chip. In others, the Exynos 2600 SoC fuels the phone, a 2nm chip. Regardless of the chip, Samsung opted to use 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM. In addition to that, UFS 4.0 storage is used. Do note that you cannot expand the storage here, so be careful which variant you end up choosing.
The Motorola Edge (2025) is fueled by the MediaTek Dimensity 7400 Ultra processor. That is a 4nm chip, and it’s MediaTek’s mid-range processor. That chip is backed by 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and UFS 2.2 flash storage. The storage here is not expandable either, so you may want to opt for a higher storage variant from the get-go.
When it comes to performance, the Galaxy S26 has the edge. It comes with a more powerful chip, regardless of which chip you end up getting. The Dimensity 7400 Ultra cannot compete, even though it’s a solid processor. Samsung’s phone also has much faster RAM and storage, which only contribute to its superior performance. The Motorola Edge (2025) does offer solid performance, though, as long as you’re not aiming to play demanding games.
Samsung Galaxy S26 vs Motorola Edge (2025): Battery
The Samsung Galaxy S26 features a 4,300mAh battery on the inside. The Motorola Edge (2025), on the other hand, comes with a 5,200mAh battery. Yes, the Motorola Edge (2025) has a notably larger battery, but the phone also comes with a considerably larger display. In all honesty, neither of these two phones will win awards for their battery life, but one has the edge over the other.
No, it’s not the Motorola Edge (2025). In fact, the Samsung Galaxy S26 does a better job in the battery life department, from what we’ve seen. The difference is not huge, but you can get up to an hour of extra screen-on time. It all depends on your usage, of course, so take note of that. Neither phone can compete with the best battery life phones on the market; they’re not even close to that.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 supports 25W wired, 15W wireless, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging. The Motorola Edge (2025), on the flip side, supports 68W wired and 15W wireless charging. Samsung’s phone can reach a full charge in an hour and 5 minutes, while the Motorola Edge (2025) can get there in 45 minutes. Well, if you get compatible chargers, as neither phone comes with a charger in the box.
Samsung Galaxy S26 vs Motorola Edge (2025): Cameras
The Samsung Galaxy S26 features three cameras on the back. The main camera is a 50-megapixel unit with an f/1.8 aperture and a 1/1.56-inch sensor size. It supports dual pixel PDAF and OIS. A 12-megapixel ultrawide snapper (f/2.2 aperture, 1/2.55-inch sensor size, 120-degree FoV) is also included, as is a 10-megapixel telephoto camera (f/2.4 aperture, 1/3.94-inch sensor size, 3x optical zoom, OIS).
The Motorola Edge (2025) has three cameras on the back as well. A 50-megapixel main camera with an f/1.8 aperture lens is included and has a 1/1.56-inch sensor size. Multi-directional PDAF is also included, as is OIS. A 50-megapixel ultrawide camera (f/2.0 aperture, 122-degree FoV) is also included here, as is a 10-megapixel telephoto camera (f/2.0 aperture, 1/3.94-inch sensor size, 3x optical zoom, OIS).
In all honesty, neither phone is great when it comes to taking pictures. Their main cameras are solid, but they cannot measure up to the best ones out there. The Motorola Edge (2025)’s main snapper does provide images that are closer to real-life, though. Both ultrawide cameras do a good job, even though they’re a step or two below the main snappers. The telephoto cameras are not impressive at all, and that especially goes for low light. We’d avoid using them in low light altogether.
Audio
Both of these smartphones come with stereo speakers. Speakers on both phones are good in general. They’re loud enough, though a level below a number of other speakers on phones out there. The sound quality in general is good.
There is no audio jack on either of these two smartphones. You can use their Type-C ports, though, if you need them. Bluetooth 5.4 is on board the Galaxy S26, while the Motorola Edge (2025) offers Bluetooth 5.2.
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