Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

Samsung dropped titanium for Armor Aluminum this year, shaving the S26 Ultra to 7.9 mm (214 g) and rounding the corners further so the Ultra now visually matches the base S26 and S26+. Most reviewers welcome the weight loss and improved one-handed feel, though the move is widely read as Samsung following Apple's iPhone 17 Pro back to aluminum. The camera bump is taller and makes the phone rock more on a flat surface without a case.

• The S26 Ultra is slightly slimmer (7.9 mm vs 8.2 mm) and lighter (214 g vs 218 g) than the S25 Ultra, with the weight cut partly from the switch back to aluminum.— The Verge
• Samsung has finished the job of bringing the Ultra's aesthetics in line with the regular S26 and S26+ — all hints of the boxy Note look are gone.— The Verge
• The phone rocks on a table worse than ever — it's slimmer, but the camera module is thicker, making caseless tapping inelegant.— Wired
• Apple returned to aluminum with the iPhone 17 Pro, so Samsung knew it could do it too — aluminum is cheaper and lighter than titanium, so it's a win for Samsung.— Ars Technica
• The S Pen now has a slightly curved cap that only fits in one orientation in the silo — insert it the wrong way and it sticks out awkwardly at the corner.— Trusted Reviews
• The Galaxy S26 Ultra is thinner than every prior Ultra, and the swap back to aluminum makes it noticeably more comfortable to hold without feeling any downgrade in materials.— 9to5Google
• The Cobalt Violet 'hero' color often looks gray under real-world lighting and only occasionally shows purple undertones — Sky Blue or white look better in person.— 9to5Google
• The switch to aluminum makes sense because it handles thermals better than titanium — titanium can get too hot and cause throttling, which isn't a great look for a top-end flagship.— Trusted Reviews
• Samsung just dropped titanium after pushing it for two years — 'all the people that bought the S25 Ultra because of the titanium, what's your excuse for buying the S26 Ultra now?'— Snazzy Labs

The S26 Ultra's 6.9-inch LTPO AMOLED retains last year's 3120x1440 resolution and 2,600-nit peak brightness, but adds Samsung's 'Black Matrix' pixel architecture — narrow and wide sub-pixels that can be toggled to hide the screen from anyone viewing at more than a ~45-degree angle. Reviewers praise the per-app and notification-only customization; most also note the baseline display is very slightly dimmer and less anti-reflective than the S25 Ultra, even with Privacy Display switched off.

• Privacy Display is a genuinely useful innovation you can toggle per-app or just for notifications — 'unlike a physical screen protector, this actually blocks all viewing angles, horizontal or vertical.'— MKBHD
• Over two weeks of real use, Privacy Display delivered an extra level of comfort knowing nosy public-transit neighbors and coffee-shop lovers couldn't see the screen.— Wired
• Privacy Display is the Ultra's biggest upgrade and works well — the screen becomes quite hard to read once you get about 45 degrees off-center, and the per-app activation for PIN entry or banking apps is a powerful privacy tool.— Ars Technica
• In Standard Privacy Display mode the image-quality hit is minimal, but Maximum Protection mode drops contrast and luminance enough that OLED blacks look more like a mid-range LCD.— Engadget
• Privacy Display inherently turns off half the pixel array, so the whole display looks less sharp and a bit dimmer even before you enter Maximum Protection mode.— 9to5Google
• The new pixel structure also means the baseline display has slightly reduced anti-reflective performance — Samsung silently nerfed the best thing about last year's screen to make room for Privacy Display.— Mrwhosetheboss
• The Gorilla Armor 2 coating is not as anti-reflective as it is on the S25 Ultra — when you compare them in detail, the S25 Ultra is clearly more matte.— SuperSaf
• Privacy Display uses Samsung's new 'Black Matrix' architecture with narrow and wide pixels — narrowing the path of light when privacy mode is enabled, with customizable per-app and per-notification triggers.— TechCrunch
• After a long weekend of travelling, Privacy Display quickly became invaluable — on planes, in pre-briefings on Slack, and simply for checking bank balances without worrying about prying eyes.— Trusted Reviews
• Privacy Display is a scam — it makes your phone dimmer and less legible whether on or off, for a feature that most regular people do not need.— Snazzy Labs
• Samsung told reviewers the panel was a true 10-bit display, but experts later confirmed it is 8-bit with FRC — an important miscommunication Samsung should learn from.— SuperSaf

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.— Wired
• 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.— Engadget
• 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%).— Trusted Reviews
• 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.— Ars Technica
• 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.— Ars Technica
• 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%.— Engadget

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 Verge
• 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.— Engadget
• 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.— Ars Technica
• 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.— Wired
• 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.— Trusted Reviews
• 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.— Trusted Reviews
• Side-by-side with a Xiaomi 17 Ultra, the Xiaomi has more depth, better facial detail, and less oversharpening — Samsung is falling behind on absolute camera quality.— Mrwhosetheboss
• The 5x telephoto uses a new periscope design with lenses on top of the prism instead of behind it, making the module smaller and the bokeh more pleasant — but extending the minimum focus distance to about 52 cm.— Ars Technica
• The base S26 ships with essentially the same camera system Samsung has been using since 2023 — four generations, same sensors, just some sprinkled AI on top.— Austin Evans
• The base S26 shot of a perfect gym photo looks balanced on its own, but next to the Xiaomi 17 Ultra it's obvious what Samsung's oversharpening is replacing — real detail on the face.— Mrwhosetheboss
• Shots from the main sensor are noticeably brighter in low light and processing is sharper with better motion than last year — it's 'completely acceptable, but Samsung is due for some real hardware improvements.'— 9to5Google

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.— Engadget
• 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.— 9to5Google
• 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.— Trusted Reviews
• 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.— 9to5Google
• 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
• 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.— Trusted Reviews
• Samsung still skips internal magnets like those in Apple and Google devices — magnetic accessories interfere with the S Pen, but it would be nice to have the option while the pen is in its silo.— Ars Technica
• Despite being rated at 60W, the S26 Ultra doesn't ship with a charging brick in the box — just a USB-C cable.— Trusted Reviews
• Despite the unchanged battery size, the more efficient chip and display meant the S26 Ultra beat last year's Samsung, beat the iPhone and beat Xiaomi's top-end device while staying cool in thermals.— Mrwhosetheboss
• Samsung's excuse for skipping Qi2 magnets — 'people use cases' — is transparent: if 98% of buyers use a case, just include a magnetic case in the box.— Snazzy Labs

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.— Ars Technica
• 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.— Wired
• 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.— Ars Technica
• 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.— 9to5Google
• 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.— Mrwhosetheboss
• 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.— Ars Technica
• Samsung's equivalent of Apple Intelligence looks very underwhelming — the examples shown in marketing feel like the entire feature set.— 9to5Mac
• Seven years of major Android upgrades and security patches take the phone through to Android 23 — one of the strongest long-term promises available on any Android phone.— Trusted Reviews
• The upgraded document scanner, Audio Eraser, and Samsung Gallery's generative AI edits are genuinely useful — the 'mundane things AI should help us with.'— Wired
• Samsung's Keyboard remains one of the most frustrating parts of the experience — voice typing is awful, swipe typing is lackluster, and Gboard is the first thing I install.— Wired
• AirDrop support is rolling out to S26 devices this week — a rare cross-ecosystem win that makes Mac-to-Galaxy transfers finally painless.— Reddit r/Apple

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.— Engadget
• 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.— Ars Technica
• 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.— 9to5Google
• 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.— JerryRigEverything
• 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.— 9to5Google
• 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.— Reddit r/gadgets

At $1,299 the 256 GB Ultra holds the line on base pricing, but the 512 GB ($1,499) and 1 TB ($1,799) tiers jumped and post-preorder trade-in deals are considerably weaker than last year. Reviewers generally agree the S26 Ultra is the most complete Android phone you can buy — but not the best at any one thing. Chinese rivals (OnePlus 15, Oppo Find X9 Pro, Xiaomi 17 Ultra) beat it on battery, charging and camera hardware; the iPhone 17 Pro Max beats it on ecosystem. For many reviewers, 'buy a discounted S25 Ultra' is the genuine advice.

• If you're coming from a flagship Galaxy from a year or two ago, maybe even three, you don't need to spend $1,300 to upgrade unless something is seriously wrong with your current phone.— Wired
• The Galaxy S26 Ultra remains the top pick as a phone that can do pretty much everything really well — just a stealthy, undercover update rather than an eye-catching new crown jewel.— Engadget
• For $1,300 you get the fastest mobile processor in the world, the best OLED screen on a phone, durable materials, a stylus and seven years of support — you could get your money's worth for the long haul.— Ars Technica
• The 512 GB model jumped from $1,419 to $1,499 and the 1 TB from $1,659 to $1,799 — a real price hike for everything but the base configuration, plus trade-in values fell off a cliff after pre-orders.— 9to5Google
• If you prioritize multi-day battery life or bleeding-edge camera hardware above all else, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra and Oppo Find X9 Pro would better suit your needs.— Trusted Reviews
• Samsung catches flak for its slow rate of Galaxy S hardware innovation, but the strategy is working — pre-orders are up and this will be the most popular flagship Android phone in most of the world this year.— Ars Technica
• The Galaxy S26 Ultra is a classic Samsung 'safe' upgrade — not the automatic go-to option at the top-end of the market that it once was.— Trusted Reviews
• Top r/Android comment on the Ars Technica review captures the mood: 'If you want to spend $1,300 on a phone, it might as well be this one. The apathy of the sub-headline is beautiful.'— Reddit r/Android
• r/gadgets users reviewing the phone argue this is the time to buy an S24 Ultra instead — 'the last one that's actually nice' — because the S26 Ultra's upgrades are minor and its price is high.— Reddit r/gadgets
• This is the most complete hardware and software experience on Android — 7 years of updates, the best S Pen, Horizon Lock video, Privacy Display and One UI customization all in one package.— Mrwhosetheboss