The POCO F9 Ultra, with its aggressive pricing and strong hardware specs, is set to rival the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, challenging long-standing perceptions of flagship dominance with a focus on value and endurance.
POCO’s F9 Ultra is shaping up as one of 2026’s most aggressive value flagships, and a comparative review by Matthews Tech suggests it can challenge Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Ultra in more areas than its price would imply. The two phones share the same 6.9-inch screen size and the same Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 family of chips, but they aim at very different buyers: Samsung leans on polish, software longevity and specialist extras, while POCO pushes raw hardware, faster charging and a lower entry price. Comparative listings from PhoneArena, Mobolist, Pinoy Techno Guide and GSMChoice broadly support that hardware split.
In hand, the POCO is the heavier device at 235g, yet Matthews Tech said its rounded frame makes it feel easier to use than Samsung’s 214g slab. The Galaxy still has the more luxurious build, with glass and metal construction and an integrated S Pen, although this generation drops Bluetooth functions from the stylus. Both phones carry IP68 protection against dust and water.
The display comparison is closer than the marketing would suggest. POCO’s panel runs at up to 185Hz and offers a peak brightness figure of 4,500 nits, though Matthews Tech treated the 10,000-nit HDR claim as a narrow-use figure rather than a normal real-world level. Samsung answers with a sharper QHD+ display, Gorilla Armor 2 anti-reflective glass and a Privacy Display mode that narrows viewing angles. The Galaxy’s screen is more restrained at 120Hz, but it has the cleaner optical finish and higher resolution.
Performance is less divisive. Both phones are built around Qualcomm’s flagship platform, and practical gaming or emulation workloads are unlikely to trouble either device. According to Matthews Tech, POCO’s HyperOS 3 animation handling felt slightly smoother in day-to-day use, but Samsung is the clear winner on support, with seven years of Android upgrades against POCO’s four major OS updates and six years of security patches reported by recent reviews.
POCO’s strongest advantage is endurance. Its 8,050mAh battery is far larger than Samsung’s 5,000mAh cell, and it pairs that with 100W wired charging and 50W wireless charging. Matthews Tech also highlighted much faster reverse charging. That makes the F9 Ultra the more practical choice for heavy users, especially those who spend long periods gaming or streaming.
Audio is another surprise win for POCO. Matthews Tech said its Bose-tuned 2.1 speaker system, complete with a miniature subwoofer, produced fuller bass and greater depth than Samsung’s stereo setup. The Galaxy, however, still holds the broader camera advantage. It combines a 200MP main camera with 3x and 5x telephoto modules plus a 50MP ultra-wide sensor, while POCO uses a simpler triple-camera arrangement centred on a 200MP main sensor and a 5x periscope lens. Samsung also has the better video specification and a more flexible portrait setup.
Pricing sharpens the contrast further. In Ukraine, the Galaxy S26 Ultra was listed at 59,799 hryvnias for the 12/256GB model and 65,299 hryvnias for 12/512GB, while POCO’s F9 Ultra came in at 42,999 hryvnias and 46,999 hryvnias for the same capacities. That gap helps explain the review verdict: Samsung is the more rounded flagship for long-term buyers, but POCO offers an unusually strong specification sheet for the money, and in several categories it is plainly ahead.
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