Samsung announces the Galaxy S26 series, with new designs, AV upgrades, and higher prices
Samsung has announced its three latest Android smartphones, with the Galaxy S26, S26 Plus and S26 Ultra making up the three-strong lineup for 2026.
These high-end handsets will serve as flagship models, replacing the award-winning Galaxy S25 Ultra and the four-star Galaxy S25 Plus from last year.
Samsung’s new flagship, the Galaxy S26 Ultra
Starting with the Galaxy S26 Ultra, this flagship handset has a 6.9-inch Super AMOLED 2X display with a variable refresh rate of 1Hz-120Hz, and a resolution of 3120×1440.
It sports the excellent ProScaler feature of its predecessor, which upscales low-resolution content to look best on a high-resolution display, and Samsung says it has worked with its TV division to further improve the technology on the new S26 Ultra.
In addition, Samsung proposes an advanced mDNIe system for more natural and subtle colors, as well as HDR10+ and HDR10 support for compatible streaming applications.
Dolby Atmos audio is also on board, and can be accessed via wireless or wired headphones, as well as a built-in stereo speaker system, which uses the handset’s bottom-firing speaker and earpiece.
Powering this beast of a smartphone is the latest Snapdragon Elite Gen 5 Galaxy chipset from Qualcomm, and it is supported by 12GB of RAM if you choose the 256GB or 512GB model, or 16GB of RAM if you choose the open 1TB configuration.
This powerful processor powers the wide-ranging Galaxy AI framework, including automatic translation, Google Search Circle, writing tools, productive image editing, and the Now Bar system, which can show you related news, calendar entries, and weather information at the right time.
Now Nudge is another new feature, which uses AI to mine your apps for relevant information to automatically reply to messages or enter information on websites. There is also a photo assistant productivity tool that can completely change the photo you have taken to a new style or condition with a simple text.
Speaking of photography, the S26 Ultra sports a quad rear camera system with a new 200MP sensor that’s reportedly 47 percent brighter than its predecessor, as well as improved telephoto sensors that provide better noise reduction and HDR performance.
Samsung is pushing higher charging speeds, with wired charging now up to 60W, and wireless charging up to 25W. If you have a compatible 60W wired fast charger, Samsung says you can expect the Galaxy S26 Ultra to reach 75 percent in just 30 minutes.
Disappointingly, Samsung hasn’t improved the battery itself, meaning we have the same 5000mAh cell featured in the last few iterations of the Galaxy S Ultra.
All these features are wrapped in a redesigned chassis with smoother, more rounded corners, and an Aluminum Armor (long titanium) frame that features improved durability to resist knocks and scratches.
This is also the thinnest Ultra smartphone to date, according to Samsung, as the S26 Ultra is 7.9mm thick, down from the S25 Ultra’s 8.3mm thickness.
Samsung is launching the S26 Ultra in four widely available variants (Black, White, Cobalt Violet and Sky Blue) and two exclusive colors (Pink Gold and Shadow Silver) on its online store.
As we mentioned earlier, prices have increased this year, with the S26 Ultra now starting at £1279 for the 256GB model, £1449 for the 512GB version, and a whopping £1699 for the 1TB model. Those prices are £50, £100 and £150 more than last year’s models, respectively, which is a tough pill to swallow.
International prices are TBA as of now; however, we do know that the S26 Ultra will launch on March 11, 2026, and Samsung is offering customers double the storage capacity at no extra cost if they choose to order the handset before then.
Advanced ground-up models are also underway
Coming down to the Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus, these phones shave off a few features in an effort to keep costs down.
The S26 sports a 6.3-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a resolution of 2340×1080, a refresh rate of 1Hz to 120Hz, and support for HDR10+ and HDR10. Unfortunately, it doesn’t support ProScaler, although this year’s model features a 0.1-inch screen size improvement compared to last year’s model.
The S26 Plus goes up to a 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a resolution of 3120×1440, support for the same dynamic refresh rate and HDR formats as other models, and the ProScaler feature is supported here.
Both phones use Samsung’s latest Exynos 2600 chipset in the UK. However, that has changed to the same Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite Gen 5 Galaxy chip in North America, China and Japan. That’s supported by 12GB of RAM across the board on both models, and the base storage configuration is now 256GB on the standard S26, with a 512GB version also available on both.
The S26 sports a 4300mAh battery supported by Samsung’s Super Fast Charging and Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 standards, which translates to 25W wired charging or 15W wireless charging. The S26 Plus, on the other hand, steps up to Super Fast Charging 2.0 and Super Fast Wireless Charging, allowing for 40W or 20W wireless charging.
Both devices have a triple rear camera, with a 12MP ultrawide, a 10MP telephoto and a 50MP main sensor. In addition, many of the Galaxy AI features listed on the S26 Ultra are also supported here.
The Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus will be launched in various Ultra colors – Black, White, Cobalt Violet and Sky Blue (widely available), as well as Pink Gold and Shadow Silver (Samsung exclusive) – on March 11.
Prices have also gone up for the entry-level models, thanks to the removal of the 128GB base storage, meaning the Galaxy S26 now starts at £879 instead of £799 (or £1049 for the 512GB version).
The Galaxy S26 Plus starts at £1099 rather than the £999 starting price of the Galaxy S25 Plus, with the 512GB model costing an Ultra-like £1269. Samsung will also double your storage on the S26 and S26 Plus if you choose to pre-order before the official launch date.
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