Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Review: 1 Month Later and I Can't Switch Back

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is a phone that needs no introduction. It is the benchmark for Android phones, and the most refined Samsung flagship yet. This year, it brings a new trick called the Privacy Display, alongside camera and AI upgrades. But are these changes meaningful or just incremental? I spent a month with the phone to find out, and I will answer everything you need to know in this Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Unboxing 

Before heading over to the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review, let's take a quick look at everything included in its box. Here are the contents:

• Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra smartphone with S-Pen
• USB Type C to C cable
• SIM Ejector tool
• Paperwork

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Key Details

Processor

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5

• Adreno 840

Display

6.9" (120Hz)

• QHD+ AMOLED
• LTPO
• HDR10+

Battery

5000mAh (Lithium Ion)

• 60Watt (wired)
• Wireless Charging Supported

RAM/Storage

12GB (LPDDR5X)

• 256GB (UFS 4.0)

Front Camera

12MP (Wide)

• Sony IMX854
• 4k@60fps

Rear Camera

200MP (Wide-angle)

• Samsung ISOCELL HP2

50MP (Periscope)

• Sony IMX754

50MP (Ultra-wide)

• Samsung ISOCELL JN3

10MP (Telephoto)

Hybrid Stabilization

8K@30fps

Design

Gorilla Glass Armour 2.0 (Front)

• Gorilla Glass Victus 2 (Back)
• Armor Aluminium (Side)
• IP68 (Dust and Water Resistant)

OS

Android (One UI)

• 7 year(s) of OS Update

See full specifications

Design and Build 

• 163.6 x 78.1 x 7.9 mm, 214 grams weight
• Armor Aluminium 2 frame, glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2)
• IP 68 dust and water tight, S-Pen, USB Type-C 3.2

The Samsung Galaxy Ultra series seems to be on a weight loss journey, as the Galaxy S26 Ultra is thinner and lighter than the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which was a trimmed-down version of the Galaxy S24 Ultra before it. Samsung achieved this lightweight build by ditching titanium and going with an all-aluminium frame instead. 

The reduced weight makes the phone a comfortable carry in the pocket. I especially felt it since I travelled a lot with it; from Lodhi Garden to Qutub Minar, a weekend at Comic Con and a morning at Humanyun's Tomb. Samsung has also improved the aesthetics, as the S26 Ultra has more rounded corners, and a bump between the cameras and the Gorilla Glass Victus 2 back. But the sides remain completely flat. 

Many argue that this design is a departure from the classic Ultra appeal and looks similar to the Galaxy S26 Plus. I was of the same mindset, but after a month of using the phone, I have come to appreciate this design. The thin frame and the curvature also offer an improved in-hand feel. Meanwhile, the IP68 rating gives me peace of mind that water can't damage the internals. 

The S-Pen has also gone slimmer sporting a curved top, to align with the phone's sides. This means you can only insert the it from one side, so you need to be careful about that. Overall, I enjoyed this design during my Samsung Galaxy 26 Ultra one-month review period. It has better ergonomics while still carrying the same Ultra charm. 

Display and Audio Quality 

• 6.9-inch (1440 x 3120) Dynamic 120Hz LTPO AMOLED 2X Display
• 8-bit panel, HDR 10+, DX anti-reflective coating, Privacy Display
• Corning Gorilla Armor 2 protection, 2600 nits peak brightness

The Galaxy S26 Ultra packs a large 6.9-inch QHD display, which is stunning to look at. The panel is sharp, colours are well-tuned, and everything from anime to YouTube videos looks as good on this screen. Over the course of my Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review period, I thoroughly enjoyed many shows and videos on this screen, and it was easily one of my favourites.

The real highlight is the new Privacy Display. This feature turns off portions of the pixel grid, making the screen difficult to read from side angles. It works in both landscape and portrait, and you can even set it for notifications or certain apps, where you don't want others to see your sensitive details.

During my Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review period, I tested the Privacy Display to see how it would do in real-life situations. There were times when it worked, especially in close spaces like lifts or public transport. But in some situations, people next to me could see what I was looking at. 

I asked strangers sitting next to me if they could see the contents on my screen, and they could. That's because the Privacy Display doesn't work well at high brightness. Lowering brightness helps, but then it affects your own visibility. The maximum privacy mode pushes this further, but also makes the screen almost unreadable for you, too. 

Privacy Display is a double-edged sword, but where it works, it works. As for audio, the stereo speakers are excellent. They get loud, sound full, and have enough depth to fill a room.

Performance Tested 

• Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3nm), Adreno 840 GPU
• Up to 16 GB LPDDR5X RAM + 1 TB UFS 4.1 storage
• Vapor Chamber Cooling system

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra comes with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset for Galaxy. This is the same flagship chipset that we have seen on other high end devices, like the Xiaomi 17 Ultra and OnePlus 15. It is a powerful chipset and here are the benchmark scores, for those curious: 

Over the one-month review period, the Galaxy S26 Ultra literally flew past day-to-day tasks like a breeze. Animations, juggling multiple apps, demanding tasks, and long photography sessions, nothing could affect the performance of this device. 

Even in gaming, it can play BGMI and Call of Duty: Mobile at 120FPS on Smooth and Low graphics. Demanding games like Genshin Impact and Wuthering Waves can also be played at the highest settings on 60FPS with all the advanced graphics settings enabled. However, there is no frame interpolation as seen on iQOO 15R or OnePlus 15R. 

I tried to push the limits by playing challenge fights in Genshin Impact for half an hour, and the phone didn't even get that hot. That's thanks to the included vapour chamber and aluminium build that is better at dispersing the heat. So, if you are in the market for the best gaming phone, the S26 Ultra wouldn't disappoint you. 

Software and Updates 

• One UI 8.5 based on Android 16
• Up to 7 major Android updates and security patches
• Galaxy AI suite of features

The Galaxy S26 Ultra runs on One UI 8.5 based on Android 16. The software experience is smooth, polished, and packed with features as always. There are ton of customisations out of the box, and if that’s not enough, the Good Lock app lets you push things even further with deeper UI tweaks allowing you to change almost every aspect of the OS. 

Samsung already has a neat set of AI features, but this year's highlight is the updated Bixby assistant. This time, it is more conversational, faster to respond, and has better control over system functions. It feels closer to a proper assistant than ever before. I tried it out for a few days during my Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review period, but quickly turned off this Galaxy AI feature and went back to Google Gemini. 

There’s also Now Brief, which is supposed to give you contextual updates throughout the day. But I didn’t find it particularly useful. It mostly shows weather information, unless you’re using a Galaxy Watch, where it can show sleep scores and energy levels. Overall, the One UI 8.5 experience remains one of the best in the Android space, and if you want a feature-rich OS, then it doesn't get any better than this. 

Camera Review 

• 200 MP (Main), f/1.4, 23mm, 1/1.3", OIS, video recording: 8K 30FPS/ 4K 60FPS (HDR 10+)
• 10 MP (Telephoto), 67mm, 3x + 50MP (Periscope), 111mm, 5x + 50 MP (Ultrawide), 13mm, 120˚
• 12 MP (Selfie), f/2.2, 23mm, 1/3.2", video recording: 4K 60 FPS (HDR 10+)

While the camera scene remains largely the same, Samsung has increased the aperture of the main and periscope lens. This allows for more light and better night shots. 

The main camera takes sharp, bright and detail-packed images. Something we have come to expect from the flagship Samsung phones. From the beautiful vistas of the Lodhi Garden to the serene beauty of Qutub Minar at night, it takes immaculate photos in both day and night. Dynamic range is one of Samsung’s strongest suits, with shadows lifted and highlights well controlled.

The improvement in night-time photos is apparent, as you can see in the photo outside the Qutub Minar entry. The details are well retained, without any noise in the scene. Samsung's post-processing also gets a shout-out, as it keeps the shot clean and vibrant. Some might not like the look and prefer the deeper contrast and realistic look of the iPhone 17 Pro. But you can't argue with the results. 

Zooming in closer, the 3x telephoto lens offers a good close-up of the subjects. It can capture some artistic shots, as you can see in the image from Humayun's Tomb. However, it requires a longer focus distance, so if you click a subject that is already up close, it will just resort duties to the main camera. That's not an issue, since the 200MP camera delivers more detailed photos over the 10MP telephoto. 

The 50MP periscope lens remains the highlight of the Galaxy S26 Ultra's camera array. This is the camera I had most fun taking photos with. Photos between 5x to 30x look crisp and detailed, be it the day or night. The bigger aperture allows for better low light performance. You can clearly see the quality in images below. Like the one with the goose, or of Qutub Minar, or the Goku figure. 

However, it suffers from a minimum focusing distance issue. If the subject is less than 50cm away, it will transfer duties to the 3x lens. That results in a surprisingly low quality shot. I think Samsung needs to be more transparent about that. That said, it is easily one of the most reliable zoom systems.

The ultra-wide camera is solid as usual, delivering consistent colours and good detail, though it doesn’t stand out as much as the main or zoom lenses.

The front 12MP selfie camera also takes clean-looking selfies, but it tends to brighten up the face. It is not as bad as Oppo Phones that rid all of your facial blemishes. But it is noticeable. The portraits are also picture-esque and though the soft blur is nowhere near that of the iPhone 17. 

In the end, the Galaxy S26 Ultra delivers a camera system that is reliable, versatile, and consistently good across almost every scenario. It may not surprise you, but it rarely lets you down either.

Battery Life and Charging 

• 5,000mAh silicon carbon battery
• 60W wired charging, 50% charge in 20 minutes
• 25W wireless charging (Qi2.2), 4.5W reverse wireless charging

In terms of battery, Samsung is still sticking with a Li-Ion battery, as the phone comes with a 5,000mAh capacity. This feels a bit small now, especially in comparison to the Vivo X300 Pro and the Oppo Find X9 Pro that have Si/C batteries. While on paper it doesn't sound impressive, in real use, I was still able to get an average of 7.5 hours of screen time during my Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review period. 

It comfortably lasts a full day, and if you watch a lot of content, it can stretch even further. In fact, I started binge-watching the One Piece Netflix series at around 50%, and the phone managed to last through the entire first season before giving up. That’s impressive. Charging has also been bumped to 60W. This means, if you have a supported charger, the phone can go from 0–50% in about 20 minutes.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Review Verdict: Should You Buy It? 

The Galaxy S26 Ultra is exactly the phone that you expect from a Samsung flagship. It delivers the full package, and it delivers it well. From the sleek design and gorgeous display to innovative features like the Privacy Display, strong battery life, a polished yet highly customisable software experience and long-term support, it checks every box.

Yes, the price has gone up, and it might not be as cutting-edge as some of the Chinese competition. But that's not the point. Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra offers a more stable experience for everyday users. And I don’t even need to recommend it. If you’ve been following the Galaxy Ultra series, you've already either booked it or are reading this review on one.

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