Weekly deals: Galaxy S26 series launches while iPhone 17e is up for pre-order

It was MWC week, but newly unveiled devices won’t be available for some time – certainly not this weekend. What is available right now is the Galaxy S26 series. Plus, Apple launched several new devices this week that can be pre-ordered now (and will be available starting March 11).

We published our Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review a few days ago. Although it’s not the most exciting upgrade, it brings worthwhile improvements. Right now, the privacy display is unparalleled in its capabilities and advanced charging has had a significant impact on charge times.

The S26 Ultra doesn’t get a simple storage upgrade – the 512GB model is actually available at the 256GB model’s MSRP, but the top-spec 1TB version (which is the only one with 16GB of RAM) costs €100 more than the 512GB model’s MSRP.

The Samsung Galaxy S26 and S26+ only have 256GB and 512GB models, so you can consider this as a free storage upgrade. Note that you can get €50 off all three S26 phones, while Prime Student members can get an additional €30 off. We have the Galaxy S26 as well as the S26+ for review, so stay tuned for more details.

Samsung released a new 60W Super Fast Charging 3.0 charger for the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Using this, we saw the phone get 84% charged in 30 minutes, compared to 72% for the Galaxy S25 Ultra (which has the same 5,000mAh battery capacity but tops out at 45W). The new Ultra takes 43 minutes to fully charge, which is 16 minutes faster than the old one. By the way, if you’re looking for a new charger, check out our comprehensive charger article.

The new iPhone 17e fixes many of the major gripes of the 16e – it now has proper MagSafe support, you get good base storage (256GB), the improved Ceramic Shield 2 has an anti-reflective coating and the chipset has been bumped up to an Apple A19. Well, a 6.1″ 60Hz display with a chunky notch isn’t ideal and neither is a 48MP camera with a small sensor. The €700 base price certainly stings, but you can rest assured that Samsung and Google are paying attention.

The older iPhone 16e is still available, but unless you’re willing to stick with the 128GB model, it’s not really worth it as the 256GB variant is only slightly cheaper than the 17e.

You may consider the iPhone 16 instead. It has the same notched 6.1″ 60Hz display, but offers better cameras – a 48MP main with a larger sensor (1/1.56″ vs 1/2.55″) and a 12MP ultra-wide. However, despite being a year older, the new 256GB unit is quite expensive at the moment. If you want the iPhone 16 you might want to consider going with a second-hand unit.

Or look at the iPhone Air – the 256GB model is actually €10 cheaper than the 256GB iPhone 16. It’s taller and wider than the iPhone 17e, but it’s also thinner and lighter (156.2 x 74.7 x 5.6 mm, 165 grams for the Air, 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.8 mm, 169 grams for the 17e). This is due to the large 6.5″ display, an LTPO panel with dynamic island. On the back there is a 48MP camera, the version with the larger sensor (1/1.56″). However, the battery is smaller, 3,149mAh versus 4,005mAh on the 17e.

Apple also launched a cheaper MacBook called Neo. iPhone 16 Pro chipset (A18 Pro) with 8GB RAM has been used in it. It’s a 13″ model without a backlit keyboard and only the 512GB variant has Touch ID. Still, it’s the cheapest MacBook and has the same starting price as the iPhone 17e, €700.

Let’s compare it with the iPad (2025). The 128GB slate costs €380, but to get the same 256GB storage as the Mac will cost you €510. An optional folio keyboard is available, but it’s completely unaffordable considering it costs €300. The iPad has a smaller display (11″), a slower chipset (A16 non-Pro), less RAM (6GB), only one USB 2.0 port, and a similar battery (28.93Wh vs. 36.5Wh on the Neo). And remember, macOS can run iPadOS apps.

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Also this week, Apple upgraded the iPad Air from the M3 to the M4 chipset. This puts the Air models a generation behind the Pro models. It is worth noting that the new model has 12GB RAM, which is 50% more than the old model. The only other improvements worth mentioning are Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.0 support (up from Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3). The 11” and 13” displays are still 60Hz IPS LCD.

iPad Pros moved to the latest Apple M5 chip last year. They have 12GB of RAM on 256GB and 512GB versions and 16GB on 1TB and 2TB models. They also feature tandem OLED displays running at 120Hz. Both the Air and Pro tablets can output to an external monitor over USB-C and support Stage Manager for multitasking. Professionals are more expensive, but they have decent discounts at the moment, which helps bridge the gap.