The Galaxy S26 will go on sale soon, and Samsung says its S26 Ultra is flying high
What you need to know
- Samsung has shared details about pre-orders for the Galaxy S26 series, saying the new phones are up 25%, but the S26 Ultra is taking 80%.
- Major retailers are seeing a huge increase in consumer pre-orders for the S26 series, such as Best Buy, which is reporting “more than doubling” of traffic.
- The last day to pre-order the new phones is today (Mar 10) before they go on sale on March 11 across all channels.
We’re a day away from the Samsung Galaxy S26 series going live in stores; however, there are new details being shared about its pre-order performance.
The Galaxy S26 series introduced a small line of Samsung’s most AI-powered phones, and with that, the company says pre-orders are up 25%. The press release cites “strong early demand” for the Galaxy S26 series ahead of its official March 11 in-store and online release. While the latest series saw pre-orders increase by 25%, Samsung says the Galaxy S26 Ultra accounted for 80% of that initial catch.
Samsung highlighted major retailers, such as Best Buy, that saw an increase in early buyers of the S26. It says retailers have seen “more than double pre-order volume” for the Galaxy S25 series.
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The post attributes this growing interest in the Galaxy S26 to its AI-powered camera improvements (Nightography), Generative Edit, and Super Steady horizontal lock. However, what may be the biggest cause of interest for the S26 Ultra is the Privacy Display, which Samsung acknowledges as a trending topic on social media. Today (Mar 10) is the last day consumers can pre-order the Galaxy S26 series before it hits the market on March 11.
It adds, “Customers interested in upgrading or switching to the Galaxy S26 series can take advantage of competitive savings on Samsung.com – with up to $900 instant trade-in credit or get $150 off trade-in to apply toward other eligible devices when you pre-order on Samsung.com. Offer ends at midnight.”
Pre-orders are up for a reason
During Galaxy Unpacked, Android Central’s Derrek Lee got to play with the Galaxy S26 series for a few minutes. Not only did the series feel like an improved Pixel experience, but the S26 Ultra’s display quickly stole the show. The Privacy Display introduced by Samsung is the first of its kind at the hardware level. Users can activate this feature to hide their display in a certain area, meaning that prying eyes, if you’re out in front of people (or at home), can’t see what you’re doing.
Major steps to increase the capabilities of the Galaxy S26 series, including the development of a bright 200MP camera, have been taken. With the base S26, Samsung increased its initial storage to 256GB, while the S26 Plus gets fast wireless charging. It’s worth mentioning that Qi2 is supported on the S26 series; however, you will need a proper case to make this work.
Android Central Take
I’m not surprised by the numbers that Samsung has released pre-orders for the Galaxy S26 series. If I were to quickly go through the improvements—Galaxy’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, slimmer overall design, better cameras, more Galaxy AI, etc.—you come to something that’s more beneficial: the Ultra Privacy Display. It is possible that Samsung has brought i a little more on S26 and S26 Plus? Maybe. But we have a very important addition to the Ultra and it clearly shows that consumers are raving about it. Maybe out of interest. Maybe out of curiosity. The fact of the matter is that the Galaxy S26 is putting up numbers, but can Samsung keep up?
