Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

The Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy delivers a meaningful generational jump in both CPU and GPU, rivaling Apple's A18 Pro and outscoring the iPhone 16 Pro Max in multi-core. The 40 percent larger vapor chamber keeps the phone cool even under sustained gaming loads. The r/apple thread citing a 36% GPU lead over the iPhone 16 Pro Max generated heated discussion, with most commenters conceding the Snapdragon chip is genuinely fast even if they still wouldn't switch.

• The phone benchmarks crazy high, rivaling Apple's A18 Pro — a little lower in single core but higher in multi-core.
• Samsung's 40 percent larger vapor chamber keeps the phone from warming up in normal use and benchmarks are up 30-40 percent depending on the task.
• Playing Genshin Impact at max settings for nearly an hour produced no stutters and no hot spots — a noticeable improvement over the S24 series.
• Multi-core Geekbench hits 9,793 versus the iPhone 16 Pro Max at 8,772 — the S25 Ultra pulls ahead thanks to extra cores and 12GB of RAM.
• The Snapdragon 8 Elite is the most welcome generational upgrade this year, with a boosted 'for Galaxy' variant delivering more CPU headroom than the standard chip.
• Under heavy loads the S25 Ultra becomes a bit power-hungry, which can cause faster-than-expected battery drain when multitasking or running demanding apps.
• Everyday tasks run smoothly and there was no meaningful performance difference versus the OnePlus 13 running the same chip.
• Apple users on r/apple concede Apple has fallen behind on GPU performance, saying 'competition is good' after the S25 Ultra posted a roughly 36% GPU lead in benchmarks.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy is used worldwide on the Ultra (unlike the base S26 and S26+, which split between Snapdragon and Exynos 2600 by region). Multi-core Geekbench numbers hit 10,713–11,240, with 3DMark stability at 67.6% — a substantial improvement on the S25 Ultra's 58.4%. Sustained gaming improved too thanks to a larger vapor chamber, though Ars Technica still measured about 40% GPU drop under max stress.

• Benchmark scores are the highest seen on a smartphone, closely matching the OnePlus 15 that runs the same chip — gameplay is smooth even at max settings in Genshin Impact.
• In Geekbench 6 the S26 Ultra hit a multi-core score of 11,240 (up from 9,828 on the S25 Ultra) and a GPU score of 25,403 (up from 19,863) — essentially as fast as an Android phone can get in 2026.
• 3DMark Wild Life stability hits 67.6% over a 20-minute benchmark — up from the S25 Ultra's 58.4% and beating the Honor Magic 8 Pro (55.4%).
• Even under maximum stress the Ultra sheds about 40% of its graphical performance — still faster in games than Google's Pixel phones, but a big chunk to lose.
• Opening apps is lightning-quick and the ample RAM easily keeps heavy apps and games in memory — the S26 Ultra is blazing fast all the time, though it damn well better be for $1,300.
• The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5's NPU is 39% more powerful than the previous generation, powering the new AI features — CPU is up 19%, GPU up 24%.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

The only new hardware is a 50MP ultrawide with an f/1.9 aperture and autofocus — the 200MP main, 10MP 3x and 50MP 5x telephoto lenses all carry over from the S24 Ultra. Reviewers agree the ultrawide is a genuine improvement and low-light video processing is noticeably cleaner, but colors still skew saturated and shutter lag persists — a complaint echoed on Reddit by would-be switchers. Samsung's imaging is now slightly behind the Vivo X200 Pro and Xiaomi 15 Ultra but remains top-tier.

• The new 50MP ultrawide delivers more fine detail than the S24 Ultra's sensor, and the wider f/1.9 aperture helps keep noise low.
• Some low-light ultrawide shots are sharper than both the Google Pixel 9 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, but the rest of the cameras feel static.
• Samsung's penchant for slightly overboard sharpening is still visible, though the new ultrawide beats what the Pixel 9 Pro can do.
• Photos straight from the camera are a little too natural-looking, and most shots need editing to look their best.
• The 3x optical zoom uses a small, outdated sensor and is now a weak point of the camera setup.
• All cameras stay the same as on the S24 Ultra except the ultrawide, and Samsung is relying on the new ISP to improve quality.
• The S25 Ultra takes better zoom and ultrawide photos than last year with cleaner skin tones, and shutter lag is finally put to bed.
• Samsung has aimed for consistency, and after six months the stills are vibrant yet muted — pictures up to 15x zoom remain tack-sharp.
• The shutter activation is slow and not as instant as competing phones — a persistent Galaxy flaw Samsung should address.
• Side-by-side low-light video clips versus the S24 Ultra show clearly more fine detail from the S25 Ultra.
• iPhone-curious switchers on r/apple still call out shutter lag as the thing holding them back: 'I just want to open the camera and snap a picture right away. I don't want to have a motion blurred photo.'

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

The sensors are unchanged from the S25 Ultra (200 MP main, 50 MP ultrawide, 10 MP 3x telephoto, 50 MP 5x telephoto), but the main gets a wider f/1.4 aperture (up from f/1.7) and the 5x telephoto widens to f/2.9 (from f/3.4). Low-light improves noticeably, and Horizon Lock video stabilization is a new headline feature. The 3x 10 MP sensor is aging and rivals from Oppo, Xiaomi and Honor now pull clearly ahead on absolute image quality.

• Both the main 200 MP and 5x telephoto get brighter lenses (f/1.7 → f/1.4 and f/3.4 → f/2.9) — a welcome update that especially helps low-light photography.
• The S26 Ultra actually beats the Pixel 10 Pro on noise in low-light shots, and even manages to expose a dim Grogu-doll scene better than Google's phone.
• Versus the Pixel 10 Pro, Google still maintains faster shutter speeds in 2026, though Samsung's wider aperture helps it keep up with Apple on motion.
• Horizon Lock / Super Steady Video automatically corrects up to 360 degrees of rotation, producing dramatically stable footage even when you twist and shake the phone — though it needs plenty of light.
• The 10 MP 3x telephoto uses a comparatively smaller sensor and is noticeably weaker than the other lenses — shots in the 3-5x range don't have the same punch.
• The core camera setup is starting to feel dated next to the Oppo Find X9 Pro (200 MP zoom, 1/1.56" sensor) and the Xiaomi 17 Ultra (1-inch main sensor) — Samsung's mature processing is the only thing keeping it competitive.

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 Ultra

The 5,000 mAh cell is unchanged for the sixth year in a row, but the efficient new chip + display extend real-world endurance a little further — Engadget measured 30h 3min of video playback, Mrwhosetheboss got through a 14+ hour battery test, while Trusted Reviews couldn't make it through a single heavy day at MWC. Wired charging jumps to 60W (0-75% in 30 minutes) and wireless to 25W via Qi 2.2, but there are still no built-in magnets.

• Local video rundown lasted 30 hours 3 minutes, only about half an hour longer than the S25 Ultra — but still beaten by the OnePlus 15 and 15R.
• Days with 5-7 hours of screen time and heavy cellular use leave the Ultra with at least 10-20% in the tank at bedtime — plenty for most users.
• At MWC using the phone for photos, maps and messaging, the S26 Ultra never once made it through a full day without a top-up from a power bank.
• 5,000 mAh isn't 'flagship' anymore — even Apple's iPhone 17 Pro Max now has a bigger battery, and Samsung sells dirt-cheap phones with larger cells.
• It's disappointing that Samsung has yet to explore silicon-carbon batteries unlike its Chinese peers — happiness with day-long battery life doesn't change the hardware gap.
• Wired charging is now 60W (up from 45W) — delivering 50% in 19 minutes, 75% in 30 minutes, full charge in 53 minutes — plus 25W wireless via Qi 2.2.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

One UI 7 on Android 15 is Samsung's biggest skin update in years and earns broad praise for polish. Gemini replaces Bixby as the default assistant on long-press and gains cross-app actions, though the experience is uneven — some reviewers report magical moments, others catch hallucinations. Samsung has committed to seven years of updates, and Galaxy AI is free only through the end of 2025. The r/gadgets thread is openly hostile toward the AI pitch — most top comments view it as bloat, tracking, or a distraction from real hardware progress.

• Gemini can put events on the calendar, but it also hallucinates recipes and insists flights leave the wrong city — AI makes things up a lot.
• Galaxy AI features will be free only through the end of 2025, so don't be surprised if the AI phone comes with an AI subscription fee.
• Having two assistants (Gemini and Bixby) is confusing, and Now Brief still hasn't produced anything insightful in two weeks of use.
• Improved natural-language commands throughout the phone feel slightly magical — asking the phone to add the next Knicks game to a calendar just works.
• Samsung's AI-powered eraser tool is excellent at removing power lines and telegraph poles, and the filter system carries edits across photos.
• Seven years of major Android upgrades and security patches match the industry's best long-term support window.
• As it stands today, Galaxy AI on OneUI 7 has the edge over Apple Intelligence — it's more contextually aware and works across apps.
• After six months I haven't used any Galaxy AI feature except Gemini — there is no reason to let the phone automate things I want manual control over.
• Galaxy AI might not just be marketing hype anymore — the features have gotten from gimmicky last year to actually decent this year.
• Now Brief is mostly useless — every click it just surfaces the weather and a random news story.
• Samsung is withholding pricing on its AI subscription less than a year before Galaxy AI's free period ends, putting business ahead of users.
• 'What benefit does the AI in phones even provide... It's just a search engine with a dedicated button' — representative of the dominant r/gadgets view that AI features are not a reason to buy.
• r/Android commenters praise One UI 7 itself as a reason to stay with Samsung, calling it hard to imagine switching away from even as they criticize the AI push.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

One UI 8.5 on Android 16 adds more Liquid-Glass-style transparency, agentic Gemini task automation (Uber, DoorDash), Now Nudge keyboard suggestions, Photo Assist generative editing, and Perplexity preinstalled with a 'Hey Perplexity' wake word coming soon. Seven years of OS updates keep it supported through 2033. Reviewer consensus: the actually useful feature is the toggle that keeps AI processing on-device; most of the 'agentic AI' is underbaked and duplicates things Pixel and iPhone already do.

• Galaxy AI doesn't do much more than before — Now Nudge, Ask AI and agentic Gemini task automation are all beta features that duplicate things on rival phones.
• Gemini Task Automation (book an Uber, order DoorDash) works, but takes longer than doing it manually — it's a glimpse of agentic AI but deserves its beta label.
• Samsung's Now Brief widget still consistently offers the same barely-useful items — weather, calendar events, recommended YouTube videos — things Google Now did more than a decade ago in Android 4.1.
• The Now Nudge feature looks identical to Pixel's Magic Cue, except locked to Samsung's famously bad keyboard — so it never actually got used.
• Galaxy AI features feel like 'little free trial game CDs that you used to get with magazines' — either too weak on-device or too restricted in the cloud, because nobody's yet charging for smartphone AI.
• The one thing Samsung gets right on AI is keeping the user in control — a toggle keeps all Galaxy AI processing on-device, which reduces features but adds real privacy.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

Samsung removed Bluetooth Low Energy from the S Pen this year, killing Air Actions and the remote camera shutter. Samsung says fewer than 1 percent of users activated the feature, but reviewers — especially long-time Note fans — see it as symbolic of the Ultra losing its 'everything phone' identity. Precision writing and drawing still work as before. On r/Android, would-be upgraders from the S22 Ultra cite the S Pen downgrade as a reason they canceled their pre-order.

• The S Pen now loses Bluetooth, so it can no longer be used as a magic wand, remote camera shutter or media controller.
• Samsung's data shows less than 1 percent of people activated Air Actions, but removing it from the Ultra violates the 'everything phone' identity.
• Air Actions gestures are gone with the BLE downgrade, though you can still get them with the optional S Pen Pro accessory.
• The S Pen is still part of the Ultra, but it no longer supports Bluetooth — no more Air actions, no more remote shutter — and the move is hard to justify.
• The stylus is incredibly useful day-to-day for marking up documents or screenshots, even without Bluetooth features.
• Some users will definitely miss the S Pen's Bluetooth function, which is one of the phone's main downsides.
• Last year's S24 Ultra S Pen fits 99 percent of the way into the S25 Ultra but won't click in, and there is no longer any wireless charger inside the silo.
• S22 Ultra owners canceled their S25 Ultra pre-order explicitly citing the worse S Pen and worse optical zoom as downgrades rather than upgrades.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

The S Pen is still there but unchanged from the S25 Ultra — no Bluetooth, no Air Actions. The pen now has an asymmetrical curved cap to match the rounded corner so it only fits the silo in one orientation. Most reviewers use it rarely, and 9to5Google openly wonders whether the stylus has a future given the design constraints it places on Qi2 magnets and thinner phones.

• The S-Pen is essentially a carbon copy of what we got last year without any functional changes — and because the curved cap only fits one way into the silo, there's a right and wrong orientation.
• The stylus still offers unrivaled precision and responsiveness — if you want a stylus for your phone, the S Pen remains the best around. It would be nice if it still had Bluetooth, though.
• Outside of two or three uses for photo annotation in two weeks, the S Pen never came out of its silo — it's a niche tool at this point.
• The old S25 Ultra S-Pen no longer fits the new silo because the new pen is slightly thicker — a good move, but another small incompatibility layer.
• Between Qi2 magnet pressure and shrinking phone thickness, Samsung needs to figure out a new way forward for the S Pen — it might eventually be thrown out entirely.
• On r/gadgets, top commenters call out that removing Bluetooth from the S Pen on the S25 Ultra was a downgrade and the S26 Ultra hasn't restored it — yet another reason to stay on an older phone.