5 ways Galaxy S27 Ultra can beat the iPhone 18 Pro — and 2 ways Apple will still win

The Galaxy S27 Ultra has the potential to outperform the iPhone 18 Pro in several key areas, but Apple still has ways to maintain its edge. First, the S27 Ultra could come with a larger battery, with rumors pointing to a 5,700 mAh capacity. This 14% increase over the Galaxy S26 Ultra would provide a noticeable boost in battery life. However, for Samsung to surpass the iPhone 18 Pro Max's 18 hours and 27 minutes of battery life, it would need to focus on improving efficiency.

Second, the S27 Ultra might introduce an improved privacy display. Leakers suggest that Samsung could adopt a split-screen privacy display, similar to the one found in the Xiaomi 18 Pro. This would allow for better multitasking and customizable dimmed sections of the screen.

Third, the S27 Ultra is likely to maintain Samsung's current S Pen support, which the iPhone 18 Pro lacks. While Samsung won't introduce any major advancements, the S Pen's simple functionality could still appeal to users who prefer stylus-based tasks like drawing, note-taking, or photo editing.

Fourth, the S27 Ultra could feature improved camera hardware. Rumors suggest Samsung could upgrade the front-facing camera to a 16MP sensor, an improvement from the 12MP sensor on the S26 Ultra. Additionally, the telephoto lens may see a larger 1/1.9-inch sensor, which would increase the sensor size and resolution, potentially surpassing the 48MP sensor on the iPhone 18 Pro Max.

Finally, the S27 Ultra may offer a higher RAM option, with the higher-end 1TB models potentially featuring 16GB of RAM. This could give the S27 Ultra an advantage in processing power and on-device AI capabilities, particularly in comparison to the iPhone 18 Pro's 12GB of RAM.