Very few changes, I think that sums up the Galaxy S26 series. Has Samsung dropped the ball? Is there anything really worth talking about here? Yes, let’s get into it.
I’m going to say this right up top: the changes to the base Galaxy S26 and S26+ are comical and highlight a massive problem with how these devices have been treated in recent years. While using a solid foundation and arguably good devices, to receive no major updates over the past 4 years is downright offensive.
There is no change to the camera hardware. Zero. Identical from S22 to S26. That is absolutely shocking for Samsung’s premier smartphone lineup. Yes, we get a new chip and the enhanced privacy screen, but when you consider that the rest of the device is practically identical to a 4-year-old phone with the price premium of 2026, is that “enough”?
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No care or attention
Let’s put it into perspective, as Apple has supercharged the iPhone 17 to be arguably one of the best base models out there. Google’s Pixel 10 includes many improvements to make it more competitive. Lest we forget that you can get much more for your money elsewhere. What the heck is going on with the Samsung team over there in Korea?
You’re ceding ground to the competition, and the lack of effort is so obvious that it borders on disrespecting your potential customer base. It doesn’t even warrant a second look, and I’ve barely even used the duo. The S26 Plus is the toughest sell in mobile at over $1000. Last year’s S25 Ultra would be a better buy at under $800 on sites like Swappa or eBay.
These are technically the first two devices to ship with a 2nm mobile chip. However, that is only part of the story here. In global regions, the Samsung Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus ship with the Exynos 2600 chip. In North America, China, and Japan, these phones come with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.
While we are yet to learn the benchmark scores for the Exynos chip, it means a two-tier approach to the smaller devices. Edging potential buyers back up the totem to the Ultra once again. The flip-flopping use of Samsung chips on models isn’t helping the lineup and diminishes the enthusiast clamour, given the rocky history of Exynos processors of the past.
It takes away from the undoubted quality of the other components of the S26. Great hardware that is being left to rot over four generations. Samsung should be wary that other brands are making concerted efforts to provide the best experience possible on the base models of their own flagship lineups.
There is little care and attention being paid to the Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus, and it’s becoming untenable. Do these phones even matter to Samsung? It feels like no, as the company slaps in the latest processor and calls it a day.
Can any phone remain “Ultra” indefinitely?
None of this bodes well for the “other” phone Samsung has released. Thanks to the leaks and by virtue of being the most well-known Android phone launch every year, the Galaxy S26 Ultra can only fall under the unbearable weight of expectation.
Again, the expectations are low given what we knew about the device ahead of time. And yes, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is so similar to its predecessor, itself a very competent and consistent experience, but it doesn’t excite in any way, shape, or form this time around.
Time for some boring stuff, it has basically the same internals and camera, but the new chip and screen stuff. That is what you need to know, but what does this mean?
The headline addition and one that feels like it could save the entire launch is the brand-new privacy screen function. Effectively, this uses a different sub-pixel structure to eliminate light from being visible at an angle, so a polarizing screen filter doesn’t need to be applied like a screen protector.
It is an excellent addition to arguably the best mobile screen out there. In tandem with the anti-glare coating, it’s incredible. You can keep it active all the time, or enable it with notifications or in the camera app as well. To be clear, this is the only “killer” addition this year. The axis at which you are unable to see things on the display is quite acute in my own brief testing, but it still manages to obscure enough that someone can’t infer what you’re typing – or scrolling through.
As I keep repeating, this alone is an excellent addition to the repertoire for one of the best displays in mobile, but it feels like something that won’t shift units.
I don’t know whether to commend Samsung or deride the company for updating the design language to fit better in the lineup. I say “don’t know” because I feel that visually, the Ultra now looks almost too similar – sans extra camera lenses – to the Galaxy S26 Plus.
Maybe that’s a harsh nitpick, but it was something I felt diminished the phone a little, as it doesn’t stand apart from the cheaper models.
You might also notice that the S Pen has altered this year. It no longer has a completely flat base. It’s curved to fit more snugly into the edge curves of the Galaxy S26 Ultra frame. The only benefit I can see is that this means you can’t put it in the wrong way. We’ve also lost the color-coded S Pen in favor of black and white with an appropriate button tip. It also protrudes a little from the frame now, which is annoying given it was flush on the S25 Ultra.
There’s also the distinct and obvious lack of magnetic attachment for wireless charging for the second year in a row. Given that Google has done this on its own minimally updated Pixel series makes this more than an annoyance. Samsung is, instead, putting the magnets in first-party cases to try and cover this omission. Skipping Qi2 magnets is yet another reason the S26 Ultra feels out of sync with the wants and needs of Samsung’s core audience.
I can’t yet speak for the performance, but no doubt it’ll be absolutely top-tier once again.
One UI 8.5 gains a few new AI tricks that have trickled down from the Pixel 10 series, would you believe. There’s a new Pixel Studio, Magic Cue, Call Screening, and Pixel Screenshots replicas all baked into this version of Android 16 for Samsung phones.
Of these, I was only able to test the Screenshots ability, which is baked into the Samsung Gallery app. It works much the same way as Pixel Screenshots, intelligently organizing images into categories like receipts, logins, bills, and more. It’s a great addition to the increasingly Pixel-like Galaxy AI suite.
Initial impressions
It is almost comical how little Samsung has done to really make the Galaxy S26 Ultra feel like an update worthy of the top end of the spectrum. The company has copied a little of Google’s homework with its software, adding only one admittedly impressive display tweak, and then decided it is enough to carry the company through 2026.
I’m very ready to eat humble pie as I did last year with the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Everything told me that it was a by-the-numbers update, and still, it managed to be one of the best experiences I had with a modern smartphone over the past 12 months. The first Android device I have personally spent over $1,000 on, and I have loved every second of it. I put much of that down to One UI 7 overhauling the software experience alongside the solid specifications.
This time around, Samsung can’t hide behind a big software update, and with only one “major” change, it’s not clear how this will really enhance the experience enough for anyone beyond the S22 series to look to upgrade.
The Galaxy S26 starts at $899, the Galaxy S26 Plus starts at $1,099, and the Galaxy S26 Ultra is priced at $1,299. All three devices are available for pre-order, and getting them straight from Samsung has its benefits. Those who pre-order the Galaxy S26 series devices can get a discounted pair of Galaxy Buds 4. Samsung generally ends that offer when pre-orders are up.
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