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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways
- Pros: Privacy Display is genuinely unsocial and practical, well-rounded show and battery, large semipermanent bundle support
- Cons: AI tools are not the astir reliable, Samsung's cameras are nary longer the best, deficiency of Qi2 magnets
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Samsung has been utilizing a tried-and-tested look for its S-series flagships since 2024: it pairs a quality-of-life show upgrade with a processor boost, slimmer design, caller (sometimes questionable) AI features, and somewhat amended cameras. The latest Galaxy S26 Ultra follows this aforesaid script.
The S26 isn't a revolutionary upgrade implicit the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which wasn't a large overhaul of the Galaxy S24 Ultra. However, the look seems to beryllium working, yet again.
Also: Samsung Galaxy S26 vs. S26 Plus vs. S26 Ultra: I compared each exemplary to assistance you decide
As overmuch arsenic I privation Qi2 magnets, bigger camera sensors, and much artillery capacity, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is simply a well-rounded flagship. I've been utilizing it since launch, and features like Privacy Display, faster charging, and Horizontal Lock marque for a amended idiosyncratic experience. Are they capable to warrant an upgrade from its predecessor? No. But is the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra 1 of the best phone experiences disposable close now? Yes.
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A large telephone that feels light, but...
Samsung continues to slash the value and thickness of its premium phone. It has shaved 4 grams disconnected the Galaxy S25 Ultra, bringing the S26 Ultra to 214 grams. The thinner, 7.9mm plan is down from 8.2mm connected the predecessor. In comparison, the iPhone 17 Pro Max (8.75mm) weighs 233g, and the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL (8.50mm) is 232g.
If you similar a large surface but can't spell from a 6.3-inch telephone to a 6.9-inch 1 due to the fact that of weight, see the Galaxy S26 Ultra. It is, successful fact, the slimmest and lightest among its contiguous rivals.
The crisp sides of the Galaxy S26 Ultra are little ergonomic than the iPhone's curved sides, contempt the Samsung telephone weighing astir 20g less.
However, Samsung is keeping the crisp sides connected the backmost for different year. The Galaxy S26 Ultra is thinner and lighter but not considerably easier to clasp than the Galaxy S25 Ultra. As I utilized the telephone successful regular life, I realized it wasn't comfy to clasp for long.
I usage my telephone without a case, truthful the crisp sides excavation into my thenar and fingers. Apple added flimsy curves to the iPhone 17 Pro this year, and I privation Samsung had too. That said, if you enactment your caller telephone successful a case, this is nary longer an issue.
Also: Samsung confirms astute glasses capabilities to vie with Meta Ray-Bans - what's coming
I emotion the information that Samsung flagships travel with conscionable 3 buttons (volume rockers and a broadside button) alternatively of adding a redundant Camera Control oregon Action Button copy. You get the S Pen successful the bottommost near corner. It is thinner than past year's and is slanted connected 1 broadside to lucifer the curvature of S26 Ultra's corner.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra features a cleanable layout with the signature boxy look and a vertical (slightly modified) camera module connected the back.
The champion surface connected a telephone I've seen
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra has a 6.9-inch AMOLED show with enactment for a 120Hz adaptive refresh complaint and a 3120x1440-pixel resolution. It is housed wrong the anti-reflective Corning Gorilla Armor 2 screen glass. It is bright, vivid, and the champion surface connected a telephone close present -- acknowledgment mostly to Samsung's anti-reflective coating and execution of its caller Privacy Display feature.
Theoretically, Privacy Display works similar a privateness surface protector -- it limits the viewing angles to support your on-screen contented from enarthrosis surfers. But dissimilar a third-party accessory, Samsung offers a scope of customization options to fine-tune the experience.
You tin toggle it connected for everything oregon conscionable for definite apps. For instance, I person it acceptable up for my banking and messaging apps arsenic good arsenic for my passwords and PINs. Whenever I participate a password successful an app, the strategy turns connected the Privacy Display diagnostic to support my delicate information.
If you alteration Privacy Display for circumstantial apps, pop-up notifications from those apps volition beryllium protected arsenic well. This is particularly useful erstwhile you're utilizing your telephone successful public, and a notification pops up. While it'll stay disposable to you, anyone looking astatine it from a broadside space volition spot a blacked-out container successful the precocious information of your screen.
Side-angle changeable of Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra with Privacy Display turned on.
I emotion this diagnostic due to the fact that of Samsung's meticulous implementation. Unlike a third-party surface protector, you tin power apps, settings, and notifications to acceptable erstwhile and astatine what strength you privation to bounds your screen's viewing angles. Privacy Display is 1 of those quality-of-life features I privation each telephone institution would copy. It is the champion portion astir the Galaxy S26 Ultra.
Smooth arsenic ever and lasts an full day
Samsung's caller top-of-the-line flagship is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chipset. It is paired with 12GB of RAM connected the basal variant with 256GB of storage, and 16GB of RAM connected the 512GB and 1TB models. It runs Android 16-based One UI 8.5 retired of the container and is promised to get 7 years of bundle and information updates.
Also: 5 Samsung bloatware apps I ever uninstall archetypal (and wherefore you should bash the same)
In my clip with the phone, it hasn't stuttered once. The Galaxy S26 Ultra is accelerated and responsive. I utilized the Samsung telephone the aforesaid mode I usage my iPhone 17 Pro Max -- messaging, societal media, taking photos, and navigating astir daily. It didn't get lukewarm to the interaction (the iPhone gets blistery erstwhile I'm outdoors and multitasking betwixt apps) and performed good nether nonstop sunlight, too.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra packs the aforesaid 5,000mAh artillery capableness arsenic erstwhile generations. I was disappointed to spot this connected the spec sheet, particularly since rival brands are utilizing silicon-carbon anode batteries to summation the compartment size successful their phones. We person the OnePlus 15, the Oppo Find X9 Pro, and much phones with 7,000mAh+ batteries.
However, portion the Galaxy S26 Ultra doesn't past arsenic agelong arsenic those devices, it is amazingly efficient. With mean use, you tin expect the Galaxy S26 Ultra to past you an full day. I charged it to afloat successful the mornings and utilized it to doomscroll connected societal media apps, ticker Reels, substance connected WhatsApp and Instagram, navigate for 15 minutes connected Google Maps, and instrumentality a fewer photos. My usage was divided betwixt Wi-Fi (~75%) and 5G (~25%).
On specified days, I got to bedtime with 25% oregon much artillery left. It'll deplete faster if you're gaming, navigating for longer, oregon shooting 8K videos.
If you extremity up needing to complaint your Galaxy S26 Ultra successful the mediate of the day, Samsung has improved its charging rate. The caller telephone supports 60W accelerated charging, enabling it to spell from 5% to 75% successful 30 minutes.
It tin besides complaint wirelessly astatine 25 watts, but determination are nary Qi2 magnets for alignment. Samsung says it had to omit the magnets to support the telephone thin. You'll request a compatible lawsuit to alteration Qi2 magnetic charging and enactment magnetic accessories.
All the AI you'd request (and past some)
Samsung has packed its caller phones with contextual AI features. For example, Now Nudge uses Galaxy AI to aboveground real-time suggestions based connected what's connected your screen. If your person asks you for photos from, say, London, the Samsung Keyboard volition suggest taking you to the Gallery with London photos already searched for you.
However, similar Google's Magic Cue feature, Samsung's Now Nudge was inconsistent passim my reappraisal period.
Also: Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. S26 Ultra: Should you upgrade to the latest exemplary aft 2 years?
The Galaxy S26 Ultra present includes an upgraded Audio Eraser diagnostic that tin beryllium utilized connected videos from third-party apps. I utilized it to minimize the artificial assemblage sound truthful I could perceive to the commentary intelligibly portion watching my favourite sport.
Samsung Keyboard automatically recognizes what's connected your surface and displays contextual actions.
Samsung besides updated Bixby to assistance you find the settings you request from the location screen. I enabled it to beryllium my superior adjunct via the broadside key. And similar astir AI features, it is besides inconsistent. Bixby was capable to crook connected Privacy Display connected my command, but it searched the web for different akin requests.
I liked different AI feature, Document Scan, successful the Camera app. It shows up erstwhile you are taking a photograph of a papers and removes shadows oregon creases connected the insubstantial to springiness you a sharper image. You tin besides export them arsenic PDFs.
Samsung is connected the close way with features similar Now Nudge and improved Bixby, but it needs to beryllium much accordant to sway users into its broader propulsion for AI phones. I emotion it erstwhile they work, but there's ever that unreliability inactive breaking the creaseless idiosyncratic experience.
The cameras are...good enough
Samsung says the Galaxy S26 Ultra has its "best camera strategy yet." The upgrades see a 200MP superior camera with a bigger f/1.4 lens (vs. f/1.7 connected S25 Ultra) and a 50MP telephoto sensor with 5x optical zoom and f/2.9 (up from f/3.4). These are paired with the aforesaid 10MP f/2.4 3x telephoto sensor and a 50MP ultrawide-angle camera arsenic before.
A large camera upgrade is simply a caller GoPro-like Horizontal Lock diagnostic that keeps your videos dependable adjacent erstwhile you rotate the phone. In my tests, it worked amazingly well, and I can't hold to enactment it up against the GoPro Hero 13 Black on my adjacent adventure.
The superior camera delivers bully dynamic scope and plentifulness of details.
I emotion the colour reproduction connected superior and 5x telephoto cameras. This was a 5x changeable successful the evening and it managed to seizure the vividness of the sky.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra's camera strategy performs good successful daylight conditions. You get bully clarity, dynamic range, and tegument tones stay adjacent to accurate. Using the 200MP mode gives you richer photos with plentifulness of item to crop. Colors stay accordant crossed lenses.
The 10MP 3x telephoto camera does a decent occupation successful the evening (like successful this photo) but 1x and 5x lenses seizure much details successful lowlight
1x and 3x representation shots.
At night, it captures amended photos with little sound than before, and it's connected par with, oregon adjacent amended than, the iPhone 17 Pro. However, representation shots tin beryllium unpredictable. Sometimes they travel retired great, different times they tin look artificial with beardown blur and mediocre borderline detection.
Also: Own a Samsung phone? I changed 10 settings to greatly amended its performance
The Galaxy S26 Ultra is not a camera-specific telephone oregon geared toward mobile photographers similar the caller Xiaomi 17 Ultra oregon past year's Oppo Find X9 Pro. Instead, you tin expect the aforesaid vibrant Samsung colors and affluent details alongside improvements successful nighttime videos and photos.
ZDNET's buying advice
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is 1 of the champion all-around flagship phones that you tin bargain close now. It excels successful 1 country (display) portion delivering a satisfying acquisition crossed the different fronts. For $1,300, you get the champion surface connected a phone, fantabulous performance, semipermanent bundle support, bully artillery life, and a versatile acceptable of cameras. There are immoderate applicable AI features too, but they aren't accordant capable to trigger a purchasing decision.
If you person the Galaxy S25 Ultra, there's nary request to upgrade. If you're coming from an S24 Ultra oregon older generation, oregon simply looking for a reliable high-end Android phone, the caller Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra volition service you well. As overmuch arsenic I privation for a amended acceptable of cameras and Qi2 magnets, the wide bundle remains casual to recommend.
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