Samsung beats Apple again as Galaxy S26 Ultra crowned best phone

Samsung has strengthened its grip on the smartphone crown after the Galaxy S26 Ultra was named Best Phone at the 2026 T3 Awards, beating Apple's iPhone 17 range and the latest Android rivals to retain the title for a second consecutive year.

The annual awards, judged by T3's panel of technology experts, recognise the standout gadgets and innovations of the past 12 months. Samsung's latest flagship impressed judges with its powerful performance, upgraded features and a new privacy screen designed to stop prying eyes from reading messages and emails in public.

The victory marks another blow for Apple, whose iPhone 17 lineup failed to wrestle the title away from Samsung despite fierce competition in the premium smartphone market.

More than 80 winners honoured

The Best Phone award was one of more than 80 prizes handed out during this year's ceremony.

Taking the coveted Product of the Year title were Adidas' Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 running shoes, praised as the company's lightest and fastest racing trainers ever produced.

Elsewhere, the Dell XPS 14 claimed the award for Best Laptop, while BMW's all-electric iX3 was named Best Electric Car.

Apple chief executive Tim Cook was also recognised, receiving the Person of the Year award for his continued leadership of the technology giant.

iPod earns special anniversary honour

To mark its 30th anniversary, T3 presented a special Biggest Product in T3's Lifetime award to Apple's iconic iPod.

The music player transformed portable listening by allowing users to carry thousands of songs in their pocket and helped usher in the era of legal digital music through iTunes.

T3 Editor-in-Chief Mat Gallagher said the iPod was far more than just another gadget.

"The iPod was more than just a product; it was a revolution for the whole music industry.

"What started with 1,000 songs in your pocket introduced the world to iTunes and paying for digital music. Though ultimately the iPhone made the iPod redundant, without the iPod the iPhone wouldn't have existed."

Samsung extends its winning streak

For Samsung, however, the biggest prize was retaining the smartphone crown.

With the Galaxy S26 Ultra now recognised as T3's Best Phone of 2026, the Korean technology giant has once again edged out Apple in one of the industry's most closely watched annual awards, reinforcing its position at the top end of the premium smartphone market.

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Apple iPhone are designed for children and the elderly, sophisticated tech ppl dont use that junk nor pay extra for it.