Apple’s iPhone 17 and Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Ultra now share the top position on DxOMark’s camera leaderboard, according to a report from Notebookcheck published on August 13, 2026. The two flagship phones are tied for first place in the independent benchmarking service’s rankings.
Notebookcheck reports that the iPhone 17 has matched the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s score, placing both devices at the head of the list. The tie means no single handset currently holds the top spot alone, a shift from earlier leaderboard updates where Samsung’s model had been the sole leader.
The DxOMark camera leaderboard evaluates smartphone cameras across a range of conditions, including photo quality, video performance, zoom capability, and low-light behavior. A tie at the top indicates that both devices delivered comparable results in those tests, though the report does not break down the specific scores or subcategory strengths.
The iPhone 17’s rise to the top comes as Apple’s latest device competes directly with Samsung’s premium Ultra model in the high-end market. Notebookcheck’s coverage highlights the close competition between the two brands, with neither camera system gaining a decisive edge in the latest round of testing.
What to watch next: Whether either company pushes out a software update that nudges its score ahead, or if a rival model from another manufacturer disrupts the current tie in a future DxOMark update.
