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