iPhone 18 Pro Max vs. Galaxy S26 Ultra Speed Test: A20 Pro vs. Snapdragon Showdown

geeky-gadgets.com Sep 21, 2026

iPhone 18 Pro Max vs. Galaxy S26 Ultra Speed Test: A20 Pro vs. Snapdragon Showdown

Curated by Shubham · TechCapsules · Sep 21, 2026

AI-summarised brief · reviewed before publication

Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro Max, powered by the A20 Pro chip, and Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Ultra, featuring Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, were compared in a speed‑test video by XEETECHCARE. The iPhone leads in boot‑up time and single‑core CPU tasks, while the Galaxy edges ahead in GPU‑heavy workloads and third‑party app loading thanks to its RAM management. Both phones offer smooth gaming, with the iPhone delivering quicker in‑game loads and the Galaxy sustaining high performance during long sessions. The comparison highlights how hardware‑software integration shapes everyday performance.

💡 Why It Matters

· The test shows that Apple’s tight hardware‑software bond gives it a decisive edge in startup and CPU‑intensive tasks, whereas Samsung’s GPU focus benefits gamers and graphic‑heavy users.

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CMF will become a majority Indian-owned company, Carl Pei says

Carl Pei announced that CMF, the lower‑priced brand launched by Nothing in September 2023, will become a separate company, majority‑owned by Indian shareholders and headquartered in India. The spin‑off, formalized in December 2025, will retain Nothing’s operating system, engineering team, and brand operations while shifting core design, manufacturing, and supply‑chain responsibilities to India. Nothing plans to invest over $100 million in a joint venture with Optiemus to produce CMF devices locally, creating roughly 1,800 jobs over three years. The move aims to boost domestic engineering capabilities and support a target of 100 million phones annually.

💡 By localizing engineering and production, CMF could reshape India’s smartphone ecosystem, potentially raising domestic design standards and reducing reliance on foreign components.

9to5mac.com · Sep 21

WhatsApp now lets Apple Watch users react with any emoji

WhatsApp has expanded its Apple Watch emoji reaction feature to include the full watchOS emoji library. After a limited rollout that offered only six preset reactions, the app now allows users to access all eight emoji categories—Smileys, Nature, Food, Activity, Travel, Objects, Symbols, and Flags—through a larger picker. Users can tap a message, hold for defaults, or open the full picker to select any emoji, including recent choices. The rollout is gradual, potentially taking several weeks to reach all users.

💡 By enabling full emoji reactions directly on the Apple Watch, WhatsApp removes the need to pull an iPhone for expressive replies, streamlining communication for on‑the‑go users.

androidcentral.com · Sep 21

Xiaomi 18 Pro’s new privacy screen could beat Samsung at its own…

Xiaomi confirmed that its upcoming Xiaomi 18 Pro will include a hardware‑based smart privacy display, mirroring Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Ultra. The screen remains fully visible from the front while side brightness falls to about 1% beyond a 60‑degree angle, rendering the display nearly black to observers. Xiaomi claims its implementation does not dim the front view, unlike Samsung’s version. Software controls will enable privacy for lock‑screen notifications and floating windows. The 18 series is slated for launch in the coming days.

💡 By integrating a non‑dimming privacy layer, Xiaomi addresses a key user‑experience flaw in Samsung’s design, potentially redefining side‑view protection standards in flagship smartphones.

memeburn.com · Sep 21

A $274 Phone With a Flagship Camera Sensor? The TECNO Spark 50…

TECNO’s Spark 50 Pro, priced at $274, features a Sony LYTIA 600 50‑MP sensor—normally reserved for premium phones—paired with a MediaTek Helio G100 Ultimate 6 nm chipset. The device boasts IP69 water resistance, a 5,600‑mAh battery that reaches 63 % in 30 minutes via 60 W charging, and Android 16 with HiOS 16 AI tools. The Helio G100 prioritizes efficiency over raw speed, delivering smooth social‑media use and medium‑settings gaming. TECNO highlights 80 % battery capacity retention after six years, targeting emerging‑market consumers who keep phones longer.

💡 By placing a flagship‑grade Sony sensor in a sub‑$300 phone, TECNO redefines budget photography, offering high dynamic range and fast shutter speeds that rival mid‑tier rivals. This move pressures competitors to rethink sensor allocation and could shift consumer expectations for image quality at entry‑level prices.

windowscentral.com · Sep 21

Microsoft remembers Mixed Reality exists, adds basic features I bet you thought…

Microsoft announced a modest update to its Mixed Reality (MR) platform, introducing a handful of core functionalities that many users assumed were already available. The rollout includes native support for hand tracking, a simplified onboarding wizard for new headsets, and basic spatial audio presets integrated into Windows 11. Developers can now access a streamlined API that consolidates previously fragmented MR toolkits, enabling quicker prototyping of holographic apps. The update also adds a unified settings pane within the OS, allowing users to toggle MR permissions and calibrate device sensors without third‑party software. While the features are elementary, Microsoft positions the release as a step toward broader consumer adoption and a foundation for future AI‑enhanced immersive experiences.

💡 By finally delivering essential MR tools directly in Windows, Microsoft lowers the barrier for developers and consumers, potentially accelerating the ecosystem’s growth beyond niche enterprise use.

appleinsider.com · Sep 21

Apple’s iOS 27.2 beta 2 reveals new anti-snatching protections

Apple is testing a new anti‑theft feature, internally named “AutoLock,” in the iOS 27.2 beta 2 build. The system monitors sudden acceleration, loss of connection to a paired Apple Watch, prolonged network outage, and extended unlocked time to infer a snatch‑and‑grab event and automatically lock the iPhone before a thief can access it. Apple is also adding safeguards such as biometric checks, app‑activity analysis and a back‑off timer to reduce false positives. In the current beta the locking mechanism remains disabled; the software runs in the background to collect data for further refinement. The rollout follows reports that iPhones are a preferred target for thieves in cities like London, where “Apple picking” has become a known crime, and prompting industry attention worldwide.

💡 Locking phones the instant they’re snatched could cripple a lucrative theft market, forcing criminals to rethink targeting high‑value devices.