Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S26+

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

Virtually every reviewer calls the S25 Ultra display the best on a smartphone, thanks to the Gorilla Armor 2 anti-reflective coating that practically eliminates glare in sunlight, the 2,600-nit peak brightness, and the sharp 1440p LTPO panel. A few reviewers note PWM dimming only reaches 480 Hz and peak auto-brightness doesn't always sustain.

• The anti-reflective coating makes it one of the easiest phones to use in direct sunlight and held up well to scratches over a week of abuse.
• The Gorilla Armor 2 panel strikes an almost perfect balance between glossy and matte, with 2,600-nit peak brightness that dazzles in any environment.
• The S25 Ultra's anti-reflective screen eclipses every other smartphone right now, especially under harsh sunlight.
• After six months of use it is simply put: the best display I've ever seen on mobile — the bezels, brightness and colors are unbeatable.
• The low-glare, bright LTPO display is a strength, but PWM dimming is only at 480 Hz which can bother sensitive eyes.
• The display still only hits around 850 nits with the manual brightness toggle, so you rarely see the full peak brightness outside of HDR.
• Even without a huge display upgrade, this is still absolutely one of the best displays — super crisp, very bright, high-refresh-rate LTPO.
• Slimmer bezels grow the screen to 6.9 inches without making the body larger, and the Gorilla Armor 2 glass looks great.
• r/Android commenters who upgraded from the S23 Ultra call out the titanium body and the non-reflective screen as the two features they actually notice day-to-day.

Samsung Galaxy S26+

The 6.7-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel with 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate is familiar territory — essentially the same excellent display as the S25+. No Privacy Display here; that remains an Ultra exclusive.

• The 6.7-inch QHD+ panel continues to be one of the best in its class with vibrant colors and excellent brightness
• No Privacy Display on the S26+ is a real missed opportunity — the best S26 feature is locked to the Ultra

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

The 5,000 mAh battery is unchanged but the more efficient chip pushes real-world endurance comfortably beyond a day — Engadget measured 29h 27m video runtime, Mrwhosetheboss got nearly 9 hours of screen-on time. Wired charging tops out at 45W, wireless at 25W. The Qi2 Ready implementation without built-in magnets is a consistent frustration, and Reddit users openly say the OnePlus 13's silicon-carbon battery was the more exciting release this year.

• Most days end with 60 percent left over — good but not amazing for a modern flagship.
• Local video rundown lasted an incredible 29 hours 27 minutes — almost two hours longer than the S24 Ultra.
• Battery life is just under 9 hours of total screen-on time per charge, regularly ending days with 30-40 percent remaining.
• Standby time after half a year of use remains excellent — never a single battery issue during long-term testing.
• Qi2 Ready is frustrating — you need a third-party magnetic case for MagSafe-like functionality, and some cases have weak magnets that pop off.
• Samsung is cutting corners by calling the phone Qi2 Ready without including magnets, and as the biggest phone maker it should do better.
• The S25 Ultra loses in both capacity and longevity to the OnePlus 13, which packs a 6,000 mAh silicon-carbon cell.
• Samsung stuck with the same 5,000 mAh cell rather than upgrading to silicon-carbon battery tech like the OnePlus 13.
• 'The OnePlus 13 was a more exciting release for me, with their new battery tech. Samsung has gotten pretty complacent, for the price they're asking.'

Samsung Galaxy S26+

The 4,900 mAh battery pairs with 45W wired charging (unchanged) and 20W Qi2 wireless charging (up from 15W). A modest wireless charging improvement, but no increase in wired speed or battery capacity.

• Qi2 wireless charging at 20W is a nice bump from 15W, and confirms Qi2 adoption across the S26 lineup (except the base S26)
• 45W wired charging is unchanged from the S25+ — Samsung reserves its 60W upgrade for the Ultra only