Samsung Galaxy S25 vs Samsung Galaxy S26

Samsung Galaxy S25

Samsung

8.1

Great

Samsung Galaxy S26

Samsung

6.8

Pre-Release Hands-On

What Reviewers Agree On

Snapdragon 8 Elite delivers excellent performance and efficiency gains
Galaxy AI features like Circle to Search and Live Translate are genuinely useful
Best compact Android flagship available in 2025
Display quality is outstanding with 2600 nit peak brightness
7 years of OS updates provide strong long-term value

Deal Breakers

25W charging is painfully slow compared to competition
No Qi2 magnetic charging support

Detailed Comparison

Design & Build

Samsung Galaxy S25

The Galaxy S25 retains the same flat-edge design language as its predecessor with minimal visual changes. It's slightly lighter and thinner, but you'd be hard-pressed to tell them apart.

I swear these are the new phones, even though they look exactly like last year
Compact form factor remains a rarity in the Android flagship space — fills an important niche
One of the laziest and most uninteresting flagship families Samsung has ever released from a design perspective

Samsung Galaxy S26

The S26 adopts more angular, Ultra-like corners for a unified family design. The Armor Aluminum frame and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 provide solid durability. At ~7.3mm and ~162g, it's pocketable and lightweight.

The unified design language across the S26 family gives even the base model a premium, Ultra-like aesthetic
At 162g it remains one of the lightest flagships available — ideal for users who prioritize pocketability

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What Reviewers Agree On

The $100 price increase from $799 to $899 is the steepest relative increase in the lineup and hardest to justify
Same camera hardware since the Galaxy S23 makes three consecutive years without meaningful camera upgrades
One UI 8.5 AI features and software polish are the main selling points over the S25
The compact 6.3-inch form factor remains its key differentiator for one-handed use
Solid choice only for those upgrading from an S23 or older device

Deal Breakers

No Privacy Display — Ultra exclusive
25W wired and 15W wireless charging are unchanged and feel antiquated at $900
Return of Exynos outside the US after the S25 was Snapdragon worldwide

Display

Samsung Galaxy S25

The 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display delivers outstanding brightness, color accuracy, and smoothness. Anti-reflective coating ensures excellent outdoor visibility.

120Hz LTPO display is butter smooth with class-leading brightness
Anti-reflective coating makes it the most sunlight-readable compact phone available

Samsung Galaxy S26

The 6.3-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate carries over from the S25. It remains a sharp, vibrant panel for its compact size. No Privacy Display — that's Ultra-only.

The 6.3-inch compact form factor remains the S26's biggest strength — it's one of the few true compact flagships available in 2026
FHD+ resolution feels like a compromise at $900 — the S26+ and Ultra both get QHD+ panels

Battery & Charging

Samsung Galaxy S25

The 4000mAh battery delivers dependable all-day life thanks to Snapdragon 8 Elite efficiency, but 25W charging speed is well behind the competition.

Battery life is dependable for a full day of moderate to heavy use
25W charging is adequate but embarrassingly slow compared to Chinese flagships offering 100W+

Samsung Galaxy S26

The 4,300 mAh battery, 25W wired charging, and 15W wireless charging are all unchanged from the S25. At $900, the lack of any charging upgrade feels particularly stingy — the S26 is the only model in the lineup that doesn't get Qi2.

25W wired and 15W wireless charging are unchanged — at $900, Samsung is asking more money for the exact same charging experience
No Qi2 wireless charging — the S26 is the only model in the lineup left out of the new standard