Samsung quietly gave the Galaxy S26 Ultra its biggest charging upgrade in years. 60W wired charging is finally here. And in lab testing, it hit 84% in 30 minutes. The iPhone 17 Pro Max cannot come close to that number. Here is exactly what the data shows.
The Number That Shocked Everyone
GSMArena’s lab test on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra produced this result:
51% in 15 minutes. 84% in 30 minutes. Full charge in 43 minutes. For context, the S25 Ultra topped out at 45W wired charging. The iPhone 17 Pro Max charges at a maximum of 27W via USB C.
The S26 Ultra at 60W nearly fills its 5,000mAh battery in under 45 minutes. That is a genuinely useful real world improvement.
The Cable Detail Samsung Buried in the Fine Print
Here is something most buyers will miss entirely.
Despite the jump to 60W, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra never draws more than 3 amps during charging. That means your existing USB C cables work at full speed. You do not need a new 5A cable. The 3A cables you already own handle 60W on this phone.
Samsung sells their own 60W PD Power Adapter separately, currently priced at $54.99 on Samsung.com, with an early bird discount of $38.49. No charger is included in the box.
Wireless Charging: 25W Qi 2.2
The S26 Ultra also supports 25W wireless charging via the new Qi 2.2 standard.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max supports 25W MagSafe wireless charging.
Both are equal on wireless speed. But only the S26 Ultra hits 60W wired, making total charge time significantly shorter on Samsung’s side.
The Battery Size Question Everyone Is Asking
The 5,000mAh battery did not grow from the S25 Ultra. Samsung held it flat.
But the charging architecture changed significantly alongside it. A 21% larger vapor chamber manages heat better during the charging process, which is why the 60W charge does not cause thermal throttling during the charge cycle.
Real world battery endurance in PCMark testing came in at over 20 hours. That puts the S26 Ultra ahead of the S25 Ultra on endurance despite identical capacity.
The Bottom Line on Charging
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra went from:
45W (S25 Ultra) to 60W (S26 Ultra).
That is a 33% increase in charging power and a real world improvement from roughly 65 minutes to 43 minutes for a full charge.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max charges fully in approximately 90 to 95 minutes at 27W.
The S26 Ultra charges fully in 43 minutes at 60W.
If you have ever missed an important call because your phone was at 8% with no time to charge, that 47 minute difference is not a spec sheet number. It is a practical advantage in your actual daily life.
At $1,299, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra delivers the fastest wired charging of any current flagship in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. And you probably already own the cable to hit that speed.
Written by Ameer Hamza
Tech Analyst and Founder of Global Tech Press. Currently expanding the GTP hardware testing labs and building the next generation of digital tech media.
