Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review: Subtle upgrades, greater power

At first glance, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra may give "déjà vu," as it sticks to a design profile that we’ve seen in several previous generation models. While Samsung plays it safe, it may feel a little boring to people looking for something revolutionary. 

Although the exterior tells a familiar story, the narrative changes entirely once you experience and get to use the device. From a new built-in privacy screen, a powerhouse of a processor, and some needed Galaxy AI upgrades, this so-called “flagship” proves it has much more to offer than just a refined silhouette.

We have been testing the Galaxy S26 Ultra for over a week now, and the phone surely lives up to the standard. It is a pure combination of power, privacy, and productivity for people who seek efficiency without compromise. Be it juggling between heavy multitasking, the limits of the new camera hardware, the S26 Ultra feels like it is beautifully designed for the modern professionals.

Therefore, without any further ado, let’s take a deep dive into the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and see if its subtle upgrade is worth upgrading or if you should wait for another year.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Design: ​Déjà Vu, now in a slimmer suit

Design-wise, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra plays it safe by not making incremental changes. While it does not look very different from its predecessor (Galaxy S25 Ultra), we still love the design. 

Notably, the phone does come with a few changes, first and foremost being the comeback of the Armour Aluminium frame, in place of the titanium frame. 

In addition, the smartphone is slimmer in thickness, measuring just 7.9mm from 8.2mm. It has also shed 4 grams of weight, now measuring 214 grams. Although it does not sound like a big change, it surely feels more comfortable in-hand. Alongside a slim and lightweight design, the smartphone has received slightly more curved corners. 

Needless to say, the matte finish on the rear panel looks classy, and well, the quad-camera setup also received a slight revamp, but again, not too revolutionary. While everything about the design is good, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is quite slippery if you do not have a phone case on. 

Rest assured, the smartphone has quite a sturdy build, with the Armour Aluminium frame and advanced Corning Gorilla Armour 2 glass, which silences the tiny voice of panic every time the phone slips. In addition, the phone also comes with an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance.

Apart from these changes, Samsung offers new colours: Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue, Black, and White. It also has exclusive colours for its online store, the Silver Shadow and Pink Gold. We received the Cobalt violet, which looks classy and premium, and may resonate with many buyers, unlike the bright Orange colour we have been seeing recently. 

Lastly, the S-Pen yet again looks the same.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra display: ​The "None of Your Business" Display

The Galaxy S26 Ultra features a 6.9-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X flat display that offers a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate and up to 3000nits peak brightness. While it already has the best display, Samsung has done something extraordinary by making it more private to users.

The display now has a built-in privacy screen technology that restricts others from taking a peek at your phone. The technology is an impressive combination of hardware and software that smartly controls the light distribution of the pixels, and makes the screen go black from the side angle. However, it will be completely visible to the person sitting in front of the screen. 

Although the technology is built in, Samsung also introduced some software-based customisation, which makes it even more interesting. Firstly, users can set up maximum privacy mode and customise where they want privacy, like for notification pop-ups and PIN/ password areas. In addition, users also have the liberty to select a specific app where they want the privacy screen to be enabled, making it an incredibly flexible privacy suite.

Despite the new tech, the display retains its charm, the visuals remain crisp, the colours are punchy and vibrant, and the overall viewing experience is top-notch. However, with privacy display enabled, you may want to increase the phone brightness to about 10% for optimal clarity. 

Overall, the Galaxy S26 Ultra has the best display, it has the perfect size and resolution for content viewing, a  120Hz refresh rate display for smooth gaming and multitasking, impressive colour accuracy for professional-grade creative workflows, and a large screen area that is meant for productivity. 

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Performance and software: Power meets productivity

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chip paired with 12GB or 16GB RAM, with up to 1TB internal storage. Since it powers the most powerful Android flagship, you will expect exceptional performance and ease of multitasking. Well, it surely delivers what it promises.

From impressive performance for demanding, high-end gaming to seamless multitasking, it manages everything without breaking a sweat, consistently delivering smooth performance, fast app loading times, and efficient power management even during heavy workloads. We also did video editing on the phone, and the experience was equally impressive.

Gaming performance on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is exceptionally smooth. We ran BGMI on a higher graphics setting, and the experience was nothing short of extraordinary. It offered smooth frame rates and zero lag or stutter, making the gameplay enjoyable. However, with over an hour of gaming, you may notice a slight heat, but it is nothing too uncomfortable. 

We also tested with Genshin Impact, and it was pure graphic bliss, but we would recommend turning off privacy mode for better visuals and brightness. Therefore, if you are a hard-core gamer, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is the right phone for you. 

Coming to the software front, the smartphone runs on One UI 8.5 out of the box, based on Android 16. There are no significant changes in comparison to the OneUI 8, but with the new chipset, Samsung takes a step forward in powering its smartphone with agentic AI. The software brings plenty of Galaxy AI features, which are worth mentioning. 

First of all is Now Nudge, which is very similar to Apple's teased on-screen awareness. However, it majorly works on messages, as it analyses the screen and offers suggestions for relevant actions. However, it only supports a few third-party apps for starters. 

Samsung also integrated Perplexity, and it can be activated with a simple "Hey, Plex" prompt. What makes it even more interesting is that it can now perform tasks in third-party apps and can also complete tasks in multi-step workflows. 

There are plenty of exciting features, such as improved Bixby, Photo Assist with text prompts, Audio Eraser now works across third-party apps, and much more. Coming to the UI and user experience, well, Samsung has one of the cleanest and clutter free UI, and it has been drastically refined over the years.

From impressive Galaxy AI features, smooth animation, to a refined experience, it provides all the flagship experience you expect from a phone.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Camera

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra features the same quad-camera setup that consists of a 200MP main camera, a 50MP ultrawide camera, a 50MP telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom, and a 10MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom. While it looks unchanged on paper, the new-gen includes a brighter f/1.4 aperture (up from f/1.7) on the main lens, and the 5x telephoto also gets a wider aperture at f/2.9.

Now, coming to the real-life camera performance, it performed very similarly to its predecessor. The smartphone captures impressive images in daylight conditions with accurate and vibrant colours, sharp clarity, and good dynamic range.

Although the portrait image lacks originality this year. While images captured up to 2x zoom come out decent and warm, but the image quality starts to lack beyond that. In addition, if you are trying to click a portrait with more than one person in the frame, then the camera has a tendency to lock focus, which can be frustrating at times. I hope Samsung refines the portrait mode in the upcoming update.

Now, coming to the night-time photography, it may come as a shock to many as the Galaxy S26 Ultra does not include a dedicated Night mode. Now, the system automatically detects low-light conditions and applies Night Mode processing on its own. In terms of performance, the photos and images appear sharp, vibrant, and with accurate colours. 

Overall, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra maintains its legacy of offering impressive camera hardware, offering a capable, consistent, and, in the right conditions, genuinely impressive result. However, the portrait mode fell short of expectations, and the telephoto lens felt underwhelming. 

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: Same battery, faster charging 

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra retains the same 5000mAh battery, but it does not compromise on battery life. In fact, the new-gen delivers a couple more hours of usage in comparison to its predecessor. While the smartphone lasts an entire day, it gives about 16 hours of screen time on a single charge, which is quite impressive. From a charging front, Samsung has finally upgraded the charging speed to up to 60W, which takes about 45 to 50 minutes to fully charge from 1% to 100%.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is one of the most refined flagships I have used this year, from performance, display, AI, to bringing upgrades where it matters the most. The company knows how to take the winning formula and make it even better.

The Privacy Display is a genuine innovation that makes sense. The performance is top-notch as expected, battery life is improved, and the 60W charging was long overdue. The camera system, while not a dramatic leap forward, yet it remains the finest on any Android device. Furthermore, a new addition to Galaxy AI features has also added another meaningful layer to the already capable software, making the Galaxy S26 Ultra smarter and feel more intelligent. 

Overall, we can say that the Galaxy S26 Ultra does not seek a reinvention. But for professionals who demand power, productivity, and privacy at the front, and are willing to pay Rs 1,39,999 for it, then the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is one of the best Android flagships in the market.