The iPhone 18 Professional is already placing 2026 Android telephones to disgrace

The 2026 Android panorama is shortly taking form. Samsung’s Galaxy S26 collection has leaked to dying, OnePlus already launched its large telephone for the yr, Google’s subsequent Pixel A handset is correct across the nook, and Motorola is getting again into the flagship race.

We continuously give Apple flak for releasing the identical telephone yr after yr, however 2025 was completely different. Along with including enormous adjustments to the bottom iPhone 17 and attempting one thing utterly new with the iPhone Air, the iPhone 17 Professional was probably the most important upgrades we’ve seen from Apple in years.

The brand new aluminum design, whereas considerably controversial, was a daring redesign that largely paid off. The brand new 48MP telephoto digicam is excellent, as is the genius Middle Stage selfie digicam. Pair that with a strong A19 Professional chip, good battery life, and sooner cost speeds, and the iPhone 17 Professional was precisely the improve we’ve been ready for.

Given all that, it will be secure to imagine the iPhone 18 Professional will probably be a quieter launch with no significant adjustments. Nevertheless, if the most recent rumors and reviews are true, we’re in for an additional yr of main upgrades throughout the board.

One of the crucial important reported adjustments is that Apple’s Face ID sensor will probably be hidden beneath the show, whereas the front-facing digicam is moved to the left nook, and the show bezels are smaller than ever. Dynamic Island is anticipated to stay, however the hidden sensors, repositioned digicam cutout, and slimmer bezels ought to give the entrance of the iPhone 18 Professional one of many largest visible refreshes for the reason that iPhone 14 Professional.

The brand new A20 chipset is anticipated to be constructed on a 2nm design (smaller than the 3nm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5), and the first digicam could function a variable aperture for higher management over lighting in images and movies. And to high all of it off, Apple will reportedly improve the iPhone 18 Professional’s satellite tv for pc connectivity to help 5G networks.

Simply take into consideration all of this for a second. For Apple to doubtlessly ship a refreshed design, a significant new chip, new digicam {hardware}, and a game-changer for satellite tv for pc connectivity — all only one yr after the iPhone 17 Professional — is big. These will not be insignificant adjustments we’re speaking about, and to get this instantly after the iPhone 17 Professional sounds too good to be true.

Assuming these reviews in regards to the iPhone 18 Professional are correct, Apple’s Android rivals have their work minimize out for them. After such a profitable iPhone 17 Professional and the iPhone 18 Professional shaping up the best way it’s, 2026 is the yr Android manufacturers must step it up.

Sadly, there’s slim hope of that taking place. Based mostly on the place we’re at proper now, the iPhone 18 Professional is already placing 2026 Android telephones to disgrace.

The OnePlus 15, whereas technically launched in November 2025, is positioned as OnePlus’s flagship telephone for this yr. And as a 2026 Android flagship, it misses the mark on a number of counts — together with downgraded digicam sensors, poor thermal efficiency, a generic design, and various questionable software program adjustments. The OnePlus 13 was topped as our favourite Android telephone of 2025, however the OnePlus 15 utterly did not stay as much as its predecessor’s success.

Samsung is about to enter the 2026 flagship race, and its outlook doesn’t seem any brighter. All indicators level to the Galaxy S26 collection being a copy-paste job of the Galaxy S25 lineup, which we simply criticized final yr for being too much like the S24 household. We haven’t heard something confidence-inspiring about Samsung’s subsequent trio of flagship Android telephones, and there’s a purpose why my colleague Rita says the Galaxy S26 is already the worst telephone of 2026.

What else do now we have to look ahead to? The Motorola Signature is a promising re-entry into flagship telephones from Motorola, however on the time of publication, there are not any plans for US availability. The Pixel 11 collection could possibly be thrilling, however primarily based on how disappointing an improve the Pixel 10a is shaping as much as be, that’s not a assure both.

And … that’s about it. It’s at all times potential that Samsung, Motorola, or Google will shock us with one thing large, however there’s at the moment no indication that any of them will. And if not, I don’t foresee a future the place any of those 2026 Android handsets can correctly compete with the iPhone 18 Professional.

I say all of this as a longtime Android fan and consumer — as you’d count on from somebody writing for Android Authority. However I’m additionally a realist, and once I take a step again and take a look at the iPhone 18 Professional in comparison with what the Android world will supposedly provide in 2026, I don’t see how Apple doesn’t win that battle each single time.