“An even more compelling prospect”: How Samsung made its Galaxy phone king go from strength to strength in the S26 Ultra
It’s become almost a tradition for Samsung to be first out of the blocks with its top-tier flagship phone each year. While the 2026 calendar has been somewhat muddled, with the Galaxy S26 Ultra on review here arriving a little later than usual, it’s still the handset to bring a new and exciting prospect to the phone market.
If you followed Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event, then you’ll know about the S26 Ultra’s debut of an all-new panel technology feature, called Privacy Display. Right now, no other phone can offer this hardware, bringing the ability to limit viewing angles to prevent would-be snoopers from seeing your content. It can be applied per-app or even to pop-up notifications only.
Price and Availability
Being at the top of the Android phone tree, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is unapologetically pricey. It’s hardly any different to last year, although some regions – the USA being the prime example – have seen no year-on-year price rise.
Just so that the RRP is etched into ‘online stone, I’ve listed the three storage variants’ prices in the table below for the UK, USA, Australia and European region.
| Row 0 – Cell 0 |
256GB |
512GB |
1TB |
|
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
£1279 $1299 AU$2199 €1449 |
£1449 $1499 AU$2499 €1649 |
£1699 $1799 AU$2949 €1949 |
If you’re quick then a (region-dependent) double storage promotion (prior to the 11 March 2026 on-sale date) will create yet greater value for you. Pay for 256GB up front and you’ll receive 512GB, saving almost 12%. Pay for the 512GB, however, and you’ll receive the 1TB variant – which is also the only model to plump for 16GB RAM (up from 12GB in the others).
What’s New?
- Variety of camera upgrades:
- Main and wide-angle cameras add faster apertures
- 3x tele features a new sensor (but remains 10MP)
- Lens improvements for all optics
- Introduces ‘Privacy Display’ – a world-first in panel tech
- More rounded corners as part of design changes
- New, now even deeper camera enclosure
- Thinner (-0.3mm to 7.9mm thickness)
- Faster charging, to 60W wired
(Image credit: Future)
As I said in my preview piece on this phone, the Galaxy S26 looks akin to its predecessor. But I take that as a good thing – this many generations in, the S-series has carved out its own iconic look, which differs from key competitors. It’s further built on that this generation, albeit subtly.
The most obvious change is to the rear, with this handset’s camera enclosure now not only more decorative, thanks to an island around its trio of lenses, but even more protruding. The second part of that equation isn’t such a good thing in terms of practicality, though, meaning considerable ‘desk wobble’ when laid flat on a surface.
Has Samsung done this just for a laugh? No, obviously not. It’s because the increased aperture values of both the main and 5x telephoto lenses demand greater depth – that’s just camera physics. But it means that more light can enter, giving more for the respective sensors to play with for better photo-processing.
The cameras do bring other subtle improvements, with enhanced optics all round, while the less far-reaching 3x telephoto features a new-and-improved sensor. That said, I find the presence of a mid-step 3x optical zoom behind the pack now.
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While the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s display is the same size, resolution and brightness as its predecessor, it’s not actually the same display. As mentioned up top, new hardware enables Privacy Display, bringing a new bag of tricks to the S26 Ultra that no other phone can offer right now.
Note: this new feature is only in the Ultra model, not the base and Plus units in the S26 line-up. That’s because it’s a hardware solution at its core – a development of Samsung Display’s Flex Magic Pixel technology – with an additional software layer to dictate how it responds to on-screen activations during use.
The S26 Ultra’s central body is also slightly more slender than its predecessor. I’m talking 0.3mm, though, so I cannot feel the difference whatsoever. Believe me, I’ve checked, having pulled out my well-used (and, sadly, screen-scratched) S25 Ultra for comparisons during this review process. Granted, it does trim a few grams from the weight – but, again, nothing that can really be felt.
With this updated design, you might be wondering whether the S Pen stylus has made it into the S26 Ultra – often cited as a key differentiator for this model. It most certainly has, also in a nip-and-tuck design refresh, but one that hasn’t brought Bluetooth back.
The handset’s more rounded corners aren’t cause for any S Pen panic, therefore, with the small stowage to the base remaining easily accessible – although place the stylus in ‘backwards’ and it doesn’t flow in sync with the handset’s new curved-corner design.
Design
- Colourways: Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue, White, Black
- Armour Aluminium finish, no longer Titanium
- IP68 water/dust resistance
(Image credit: Future)
While the Galaxy S24 series introduced a titanium finish for that phone’s frame – which also continued in the S25 Ultra – for the S26 Ultra, it’s a move to the brand’s Armor Aluminium 2 solution instead.
Why? I quizzed Samsung’s Executive Vice President and head of Samsung Mobile’s research and development, Sunghoon Moon, who confirmed it’s due to a number of factors. While titanium is technically tougher, aluminium is more ‘elastic’, which increases durability, he claimed. A new vapour chamber design for cooling also means a better heat dissipation result in the S26 Ultra’s design.
Each year, there’s also a new champion colourway to look forward to. For 2026, that’s called Cobalt Violet, as reviewed, and I really enjoy its purplish-grey, slightly muted yet metallic palette. It’s distinctive without being outlandish. There’s also a Sky Blue option, plus typical Black or White finishes. Oh, and Pink Gold and Silver Shadow also exist as online exclusives – which I saw at Mobile World Congress 2026, looking rather splendid.
- 6.9-inch AMOLED panel with Privacy Display
- QHD+ resolution (3120 x 1440)
- 2600 nits peak brightness
- 1-120Hz refresh rate
(Image credit: Future)
At a glance, the S26 Ultra’s display appears just like its predecessor’s, at 6.9 inches across the diagonal and with the same core resolution and output brightness. It’s an OLED panel capable of a maximum peak output of 2600 nits, adjusting between a 1-120Hz refresh rate, while outputting at an up-to-QHD+ resolution (1440 x 3120 pixels). It continues with ProScaler to upscale content, too.
But, to be clear, it’s very much not the same display as its predecessor. That’s down to a critical hardware shift that makes Privacy Display possible. How exactly does this work? Using an interlaced duo of wide-output and narrow-output pixels, it’s possible to deactivate those wide-output pixels to considerably narrow the field of vision.
Now, I’ll get the downsides of this out of the way first. Irrelevant whether or not you activate Privacy Display on the S26 Ultra, its viewing angles are not as considerable as those of its predecessor.
If this were a TV product, then I’d call that a big downside. But in a mobile phone? It’s a personal device, viewed front-on, so it’s a non-issue in my view. I’ve side-by-side tested the two handsets, new and old, and it’s visible only at considerably acute angles.
If you do choose to activate Privacy Display, then you’ll also need to accept that this comes with a shift in resolution, too. That’s because an affected area isn’t illuminated by half the pixels behind it, ultimately. The overall brightness isn’t as high either, again because you’re seeing a reduction in illumination concentration.
Which sounds like I’m bad-mouthing Privacy Display. For some it may be the Achilles’ Heel of the S26 Ultra. For me, however, I’ve quickly come to love what it offers. Those who’ve always used a physical privacy layer attachment will undoubtedly love this far superior hardware solution, too.
Plus, there’s more nuance to Privacy Display than I’d first expected. This isn’t a binary ‘on or off’ solution, as there’s a software component to its application. The ‘Maximum privacy protection’, for example, goes all-out in its application – here blacks cease to be more than greys, but the rapid fall-off in angle acuteness will stop would-be snoopers seeing anything on the panel when outside the line of sight.
Personally, I prefer the more subtle default, where your blacks remain just that. But, as I have no need to activate this at all times, it’s the option to activate it per-app that I’ve enjoyed using the most. Perhaps you just want WhatsApp to engage it. Or your banking apps. You can easily select from a list, as you please.
More impressively, you can even apply Privacy Display to affect all notification pop-ups. So those elongated oblongs on your home screen will present as darkened-out areas from acute angles. I find this super-clever and suspect there’s yet more that this display tech’s software component could introduce later down the line.
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What it can’t do (yet, at least) is be active for notification pop-ups from specific apps only. It’s all notifications or none. I suspect this is an Android restriction in how it is applied. It also can’t, for example, only detect password fields and show over those – another potential great use of this tech. And split-screen apps and floating windows also can’t (yet) benefit from it.
Privacy Display is undeniably the S26 Ultra’s biggest new feature, one that’s going to get people talking. It does come with minor trade-offs to consider, but for real-world personal use-cases, I just see those add up as general positives.
Besides, the screen as a whole is great in the context of current Android flagships. I’ve been testing the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, which I’ve also been side-by-side comparing to the Galaxy S26 Ultra, and find the former’s lower colour saturation and increase in reflective properties simply see the Samsung as the better offering. Let’s not overlook how good Samsung’s screen tech is, even with Privacy Display switched off.
Performance and Battery
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 ‘for Galaxy’ chipset
- 12GB RAM as standard (16GB RAM in 1TB model only)
- 5000mAh battery, 60W (25W wireless) charging
- Redesigned vapour chamber for cooling
(Image credit: Future)
All Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra handsets come fitted with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 in its ‘for Galaxy’ overclocked variant. In the UK and many other regions, however, the Ultra is the only model with Snapdragon – the S26 and S26 Plus are the world’s first to bring Samsung’s 2-nanometre Exynos chip on board instead.
I’ve used plenty of Gen 5 chips in various phones and have been impressed throughout. The Galaxy S26 Ultra’s souped-up version means it’s even more powerful when demand needs. That’s why the aluminium build and new vapour chamber were so integral for this design – especially with no battery capacity increase for this generation (indeed, it’s been quite some time since there’s been an increase!).
Having tested all manner of phones in recent months, however, I’ve been impressed with how this heat dissipation works. Even when tethering, for example, the S26 Ultra hasn’t got too spicy – and that’s really helpful for battery life. Some competitor systems, with even larger batteries, can be lax in their heat management. I’ve not found that to be the case with the Samsung.
Power is inevitably no issue for this device, either. I’ve had dozens of apps open in the background, which has caused no dramas, while all my gaming escapades – not that there’s been much time, given Unpacked and Mobile World Congress – have always been super-smooth throughout.
(Image credit: Future)
I’ve run the S26 Ultra through eight charging cycles now, allowing it just enough time to bed in before publishing this review. All phones are poor for their first few cycles, but I’ve found even the 5,000mAh cell on board is easily able to deliver a day’s innings with use that’s beyond moderate – with 7 hours of screen time per day on average, with 17 hours away from the plug.
No, Samsung hasn’t increased the battery capacity, nor the cell type. The brand has stated that it is exploring silicon-carbon for the future – but that’s been the answer for at least two years in a row now. While that solution might help out an ‘S27 Ultra’, we can only speculate about the would-be impact on the S26 Ultra.
As it is, though, the lack of movement in this department might look almost lazy, but I don’t find it’s had any real-world impact on my day-to-day practicality. Being able to use a phone confidently is key – and Samsung still has this nailed, despite what the competitor stats may say.
Oh, and it does now charge faster, at up to 60W wired – a much-needed upgrade for slightly quicker top-ups (although still not at the bleeding edge of what’s plausible).
Galaxy AI
- First Galaxy handsets with One UI 8.5 software at launch
- New ‘Now Nudge’ feature for contextual prompts
- Perplexity app agentic AI integration
Samsung put a lot of time into focusing on the new Galaxy AI enhancements as part of its Unpacked reveal. A lot sounds really promising, too, delivering just the kind of contextual prompts that I’d want and would find useful from an artificial intelligence engine – which is exactly what Now Nudge is supposed to deliver.
However, in pre-release form, using a UK device with Samsung Keyboard and all app permissions granted, I’ve found Now Nudge will often suggest bizarre prompts. In a WhatsApp chat, for example, it will bring up the suggestion of an answer to a question someone has posed in a message. Thus far, however, those prompts have been entirely wrong in my experience – whether geographically, by date, or otherwise.
Some of Samsung’s Galaxy AI features are great, though. Universal search by broader context – “show me pictures from San Francisco”, for example – is really handy, while the development of cross-AI platforms will, for some users, be useful via the Perplexity app. But only those who are invested in such systems at present.
The real magic of Galaxy AI, for me, comes down to the more practical solutions it offers. The Photo Assist function – with Object Eraser tool and more – delivers seriously impressive results straight on device with just a few clicks. Check out the example below:
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Elsewhere, there’s Creative Studio, where you can create fun stickers and collections with ease – including from your own photographs. I can see these being popular as they’re cute, personal and easy to use.
Other features I’ve seen demonstrated – such as asking AI to order an Uber, which it’ll do as ‘an agent’ on your behalf via Automated App Action – but are regionally specific. That’s a US and South Korean feature at launch, for example, so not something I can practically trial – until a wider rollout occurs anyway.
The suite of AI features offers promise and I can see the intent of some and where they can get to. Right now, however, there’s still a distance for them to go before they’re all useful. When those dots are joined up, however, I can see the full experience being much more fluid – I just hope that all comes together before the next-gen S27 Ultra launches.
Cameras
- Main (24mm): 200-megapixel, f/1.4 aperture, optical stabilisation (OIS)
- Zoom (5x, 120mm): 50MP, f/2.9, OIS
- Zoom (3x, 70mm): 10MP, f/2.4, OIS
- Wide (13mm): 50MP, f/1.9
(Image credit: Future)
The S25 Ultra’s rear certainly doesn’t look the same as its predecessor’s did, marking the handset’s biggest design change. It’s also a change with reasoning: the main and 5x telephoto cameras now have wider apertures, for handling increased light input, which demands greater physical depth. That’s why the enclosure protrudes as it does.
Otherwise the core spec remains the same, meaning there’s that 50-megapixel 5x telephoto zoom, an ultra-resolution 200MP main camera, and an in-between 3x optical zoom. The last of those, while still only 10MP in resolution, is a new and updated sensor. I still think that’s somewhat behind the pack, though, and its results are only marginally improved.
One thing I have noticed in the S26 Ultra’s shots, however, particularly at night, is the improved optics. Lens flare is more distinct, less smudgy, and the system now seems to identify highlights more intrinsically and not allow them to blow out as much. All subtle improvements, but subtle improvements on one of the best cameras of recent times can only be a good thing.
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That combination of zoom elements defaults in the Camera app to 0.6x, 1x, 2x, 3x, 5x, and 10x – which I’ve shown, step by step, in the gallery above. As you can see from my shots, though, at each stage there’s ample sharpness, a naturality to colour, and consistency across all the cameras that feels holistic.
Now, the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s cameras are an undoubted success. Whether ad-hoc shooting, dim to low-light conditions – like the market and near-blackout gig shots in the gallery below – there’s huge variety at your fingertips.
The wider context of the market has changed, though. I shan’t dwell on making this review a comparison piece, but having recently used the Xiaomi 17 Ultra and the Oppo Find X9 Pro, as two key examples, those devices’ focus on larger sensors and more significant zoom optics does deliver, well, more.
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It might look like a minor update, therefore, but as you can see from the range of shots, I think Samsung still delivers strongly where it matters for most users. The suite of AI features continues to advance in positive fashion, as pointed out above, making for real, meaningful impact.
Furthermore, some of the video features are mighty impressive. The Super Steady Video, for example, locks the horizon, stabilising the horizontal position, regardless of your movement, and it works incredibly well. High-resolution footage, even pro features such as LOG shooting (even LUT application) are part of the package – for those who that’ll matter to.
There are a few slight slip-ups here and there. While you can zoom way beyond 10x, for example, I do find this can quickly result in shots that dissolve detail and highlight image noise. I’ve also found some peculiarities with strobe light detection failing. And low-light shooting can miss increasing the shutter speed when detecting subjects, resulting in blur. Minor points, but points nonetheless.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review: Verdict
(Image credit: Future)
The Galaxy S26 Ultra is ultimately a finessing of Android’s finest, delivering an impressive world-first in Privacy Display and, for me, it just feels like a homecoming when it comes to software implementation and usability.
Sure, some AI features don’t yet deliver their full promise by any means – although the core photographic ones are really great – but I suspect Samsung will continue to grind to improve and advance these features. Here’s hoping that’s before this time next year, mind, as I made similar criticisms last generation.
Looking at the competition, it’s easy to see some major Chinese brands delivering considerable camera alternatives, which I admit are very compelling. Samsung’s S26 Ultra camera is still a super suite of options, though, which has improved by yet another whisker and, importantly, delivers a rounded experience.
The Android phone market continues to evolve, with Samsung here doubling down on its long-standing success in the premium flagship space. The Galaxy S26 Ultra might seem like a marginal generation-on-generation upgrade, but when you’re upgrading the best to be even better, that only makes it a more compelling prospect.
Also Consider
It’s a fairly obvious alternative: the previous Galaxy S25 Ultra, if on discount, offers a very similar package – and its software ought to update to deliver some S26 features in the near future. If you’re buying outright, this might be the more obvious choice for most.
Elsewhere, the Oppo Find X9 Pro delivers a mighty camera suite that can now challenge Samsung, even if the software is fussier overall, while Google’s Pixel 10 Pro XL is a similarly minded, AI-focused Android alternative with a compelling feature set.
