Beebom
Rating8
The Samsung Galaxy S26 is a polished, yet safe upgrade that boasts an excellent display, great speakers, and impressive performance. It recycles its established design and camera hardware, alongside seven-year OS support and more AI features. While the phone's battery life and charging are decent at best, overall, it provides a familiar flagship experience to the masses.
Pros
- Premium, compact design
- Excellent sharp display
- Solid all-round performance
- Rich OS experience and support
- Reliable camera setup
Cons
- Battery life needs improvement
- Slower charging than current standards
My reaction to Samsung taking the wraps off the Galaxy S26 wasn't different from Galaxy S25, which wasn't so different from Galaxy S24. Samsung's cautious approach has undoubtedly created a unique sense of unease among enthusiasts. And yet when I got my hands on the Galaxy S26 for this review, I get why Samsung chose to do what it did.
While a change in the standard S-series phone is well overdue, it doesn't imply that the Galaxy S26 is inherently a bad offering. After using it as my primary phone for a whole month, here is my full experience with it.
Unboxing
Starting with the unboxing, the package for the Samsung Galaxy S26 includes exactly what you'd expect from a 2026 flagship:
- Samsung Galaxy S26 smartphone
- USB-C to C cable
- A SIM ejector tool
- Standard paperwork
The lack of charging brick and case continues, but the box itself has been tweaked to accommodate the slight design change of the phone. It's taller and slimmer and features zoomed-in graphics with the branding shifted to the top edge.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Key Details
- Xclipse 960
- FHD+ AMOLED
- LTPO
- HDR10+
- 25Watt (wired)
- Wireless Charging Supported
- 256GB (UFS 4.0)
OIS
8K@30fps
- 4k@60fps
- Gorilla Glass Victus 2 (Back)
- Armor Aluminium (Side)
- IP68 (Dust and Water Resistant)
- 7 year(s) of OS Update
Build and Design
- 149.6 x 71.7 x 7.2 mm, 167 grams
- Armor Aluminum 2 frame with Glass back
- Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 at the front and back | IP68 water resistance
Samsung has a few new colours up its sleeve for the Galaxy S26. I have the Cobalt Violet colour with me, and I think it's the perfect blend of simple, while not being overly boring like Black or White colourways.
Right out of the box, the phone has grown up just a bit. It's slightly taller and a fraction heavier, which I could feel, and it features slightly less rounded corners compared to the Galaxy S25. The thickness, though, is identical.
The most significant shift, though, is on the back. The floating camera modules with rings on top are now gone, replaced by a camera island deco, reminiscent of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy S25 Edge. They look cleaner, but now the smartphone wobbles aggressively when it's lying flat on a table.
On the plus side, the Armour Aluminium 2 frame and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 back are durable, and the frosted glass finish is not as slippery as last year's model. With IP68 protection, it has all the basic features that could help it survive the test of time.
Display and Audio Quality
- 6.3-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X FHD+ panel (2340 x 1080)
- 120Hz LTPO panel with 410 PPI pixel density
- 2,600 nits of peak brightness
Samsung has stuck with its trusty FHD+ panel, which is more than enough for the 6.3-inch screen size. There's not much to complain about during daily usage. The display is stunning, and the blacks are deep. The bezels are even thinner this year, and the overall experience is excellent.
One fantastic new software addition is Dim Strobing. When watching a video with harsh lights, the display automatically dims to protect your eyes. In our testing, it worked flawlessly. Unfortunately, like last year, Samsung has withheld the anti-reflective coating found on the Ultra. There's no Privacy Display, which is present on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, but the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor is fast and accurate.
Watching HDR10+ content on Netflix is a treat, too, although the lack of Dolby Vision support is a bit disappointing. Samsung has also put significant effort into the vibration motor. The haptics are tighter, punchier and could easily rival Apple's Taptic Engine or Google Pixel 10 series' haptic upgrades. The best part about it is that One UI 8.5 incorporates these across the UI so that the overall experience remains responsive.
The stereo speakers are fantastic. They come with Dolby Atmos support and a 50:50 audio split and can get incredibly loud. They also retain a surprising amount of bass, although the audio could get a bit scratchy at higher volumes. When I pitted them against the Galaxy S25 and the iPhone 17, the Galaxy S26 wins on sheer loudness.
Performance Tested
- Exynos 2600 (2nm) 10-core processor, Xclipse 960 GPU
- 12 GB LPDDR5X RAM and up to 512 GB UFS 4.1 storage
Samsung has clearly outdone itself this time when it comes to performance, not because the Galaxy S26's Exynos variant outperforms its Snapdragon variant but because it has extensively closed the generational gap that Exynos previously suffered from. For starters, the Exynos 2600 chipset comfortably beats the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor and inches closer to the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset.
However, it falls slightly behind in graphical capabilities, both in terms of stability and raw performance. In real-world gaming, BGMI ran flawlessly at 120 FPS on Ultra Extreme settings, staying incredibly cool at 39.2°C. Genshin Impact held a steady 58 FPS on max settings. Where Winds Meet also performed well on ultra, copping 55 FPS, but the phone did heat up significantly to about 43.3°C during the process.
In day-to-day usage, the Galaxy S26 is excellent. The generous amount of RAM means apps can stay open, AI tasks are brisk, and multitasking is effortless. I rarely had the phone stutter on me, and while it does get a little warm when outdoors, there are no Pixel-like heating issues.
Cameras Reviewed
- 50 MP main f/1.8, 1/1.56" OIS camera
- 10 MP telephoto f/2.4, 1/3.94" 3x Optical Zoom camera
- 12 MP ultrawide f/2.2 1/2.55" 120˚ FoV camera, 12 MP selfie snapper
I vividly recall what an absolute rollercoaster the Galaxy S26 camera leaks were. Most suggested serious changes in cameras, but it all ended with the same trusty camera setup Samsung has been relying on for quite some time. While the hardware is the same, Samsung has clearly made strides in computational photography and post-processing.
The images shot with the main lens are fantastic. Samsung's efforts to make the colours look more natural, with excellent dynamic range and sharp details, are clearly visible. Images captured by the phone showcase Samsung's characteristic warm tone and a contrasty appearance, resulting in a visually pleasing overall output. The lens does struggle in low light, with visible noise, requiring the subject to be stationary, but the noise is well contained, and images are still very usable.
The telephoto lens, however, gets the job done. The camera handles the colours and lights very well, and surprisingly, there's little colour disparity between the lenses. However, as you zoom in further, things start to fall apart, constantly reminding you that it's just a 10 MP snapper. Day-time photos come out great, but night-time photos exhibit lots of noise.
The ultrawide sensor is not as colour-accurate as the other two. The images come out well in good lighting conditions, but they fall short in the absence of light. The colours are slightly off, and the details are lacking. It gets the job done, but it's also important to adjust your expectations. The portraits, on the other hand, have excellent edge detection. The selfies are natural, too, with significant details.
Overall, the cameras are well balanced. The colour science is marginally better than its predecessors, and the skin tones are natural, too. However, we believe the older hardware is starting to show its age, and we hope the Galaxy S27 finally improves in this department.
Software
The Galaxy S26 runs One UI 8.5 based on Android 16 and comes with a promise of seven years of updates, meaning it will be supported until 2033. One UI remains polished and highly customisable.
Samsung has doubled down on Galaxy AI features, though, with a new Now Nudge feature that recommends actions based on your messages. Priority notifications clean up your lock screen, and Now Brief is a game-changer for information at a glance.
Battery and Charging
- 4,300mAh Li-ion battery with 25W fast charging
- 15W reverse charging. No magnetic charging
- Charges slow and lasts decently long for a small phone
Samsung bumped the battery to 4,300mAh, and I averaged about 4.5 to 5 hours of screen-on-time per day. On heavier usage, I managed 6.5 hours but needed a quick juice-up by the evening.
Charging is slow, as it caps out at 25W and 15W wireless. Going from 0–100% took around 1 hour and 22 minutes with the official Samsung 60W adapter. And unlike the Pixel 10, the Galaxy S26 doesn't have built-in magnets, meaning there's no Qi2 support.
Samsung Galaxy S26: Should you buy it?
At Rs 87,999, the Samsung Galaxy S26 is a balanced flagship phone. The software is fantastic, the AI features are helpful, and the display is gorgeous. While it brings quite a few improvements, underneath that, its battery is decent at best, charging is slow, and the camera hardware remains familiar.
Still, the Galaxy S26 is one of the nicest compact phones you can get, with an excellent in-hand feel, overall build quality, and all the improvements that we've already mentioned. If you are looking for your next pocketable smartphone in the premium category, your search ends here.
Disclaimer: The price & specs shown may be different from actual. Please confirm on the retailer site before purchasing.
