Samsung’s Galaxy S26 series may be named after the year 2026, but the three models feel like they are from different times. The Ultra once again gets the best new features, the vanilla model gets few but important upgrades, while the Plus model, well, there isn’t much to say about that one.
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra boasts a new Privacy Display feature. Compared to the S25 Ultra, it also has wider apertures on its 200MP main (f/1.4 instead of f/1.7) and 5x 50MP telephoto module (f/2.9 instead of f/3.4). Samsung also finally pushed past its self-imposed 45W charging limit and the new Ultra does 60W over a wire and 25W wirelessly (up from 15W). However, its 5,000mAh battery is small by today’s standards.
The S26 Ultra has a subtly different design from its predecessor – the raised camera island is the most noticeable change, but the corners are more rounded too. Also, Samsung ditched the titanium and went back to Armor Aluminum 2 for the frame. The front is Corning Gorilla Armor 2, which remains exclusive to the Ultra. The phone is 0.3mm slimmer and 4g lighter too, for what that’s worth.
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra starts at $1,300 / €1,450 / £1,280 / ₹140,000 – you can find a detailed pricing breakdown here. During the pre-order period (which ends on March 11) you will get a free storage upgrade to 512GB. There is also a 1TB variant, which is the only version with 16GB of RAM. But is a Galaxy S26 Ultra the right choice for you?
Before you answer, check out our hands-on review with the Ultra (and the other two models). We also have a hands-on video (embedded above).
The Samsung Galaxy S26+ finds itself in no-man’s land. Apple no longer makes an iPhone Plus, Google never had a Pixel Plus. Other companies have similar lineups too with small and big Pro models. The small ones will compete with the S26, while the big Pros are priced above and are more capable than the S26+ – we’re talking about the likes of the iPhone 17 Pro Max, Pixel 10 Pro XL, vivo X300 Pro, Honor Magic8 Pro and so on.
So, what phones is the Galaxy S26+ competing against? Well, there’s the OnePlus 15, we guess. But the reality is that the S25+ may be its stiffest competition – the two are almost identical. There are two changes of note, the first being the chipset. You get an Exynos 2600 unless you are in North America, China or Japan – then you get a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 like the Ultra.
Samsung Galaxy S26 and S26+ camera system
The other change is that wireless charging now goes up to 20W (up from 15W). Wow. Wired charging is still at 45W, by the way.
The Galaxy S26+ starts at $1,100 / €1,250 / £1,100 / ₹120,000 – but is it worth your money? Maybe with the storage upgrade – and don’t forget to check your trade-in options.
It’s not like the Samsung Galaxy S26 is brimming with new features, but it does have three changes that align it better with the iPhone 17 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro and vivo X300. It has a larger 6.3” display (up from 6.2”), the battery capacity went up to 4,300mAh (+300mAh, same 25W/15W charging, though) and the base storage is now 256GB.
This storage upgrade doesn’t come free, by the way. The vanilla S26 now starts at $900 / €1,000 / £880 / ₹88,000 (pricing breakdown here). The chipset situation is the same as on the plus model. What do you think – yay or nay?