Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

♡

14th best camera at GSMCritic

GSMCritic Take: With its vibrant display, improved speakers, and refined design, this phone delivers a premium experience, though some AI features can occasionally behave unpredictably.

6.9-inch

214g

7.9mm

60W

waterproof

100

Click to open full specs on GSMArena.com:

* Screen covers 90.7% of body.

Reviews

Overall phone rating and the reviews that impact it.

1st review by

6th review by

2nd review by

GSMCritic Score

100

5th review by

3rd review by

4th review by

* How the rate is calculated?

Last update: 2026-03-10

Pros

Camera

Excellent Camera System: The cameras are regarded as excellent overall and have been upgraded compared with earlier iterations.

Faster Camera Apertures: The main camera and 5× telephoto camera feature faster apertures than previous versions.

Performance

Powerful Flagship Performance: The device is positioned as powerful and capable, consistent with its flagship class.

Design

Refined Iconic Design: The device features an iconic design that has been further refined, giving it a distinctive appearance that stands out and is described as looking better than ever.

Thinner and Lighter Chassis: The phone introduces a thinner and lighter build, improving ergonomics and making the hardware feel more polished.

IP68 Water Resistance: The phone is rated IP68 for water and dust resistance.

Display

Solid Display Quality: The screen continues to deliver a strong overall viewing experience as part of the device’s display tradition.

Privacy Display Feature: The display introduces a Privacy Display mode that can be selectively applied, even limited only to notifications, adding flexible privacy controls.

Battery

Improved Battery Life Efficiency: The device delivers better battery life despite retaining the same battery capacity.

Faster Charging Speeds: Charging performance is significantly faster than before, allowing quicker power top-ups.

Price

No Price Increase: The device launches without a price increase compared with its predecessor.

Software

Integrated S Pen Support: The device includes a built-in S Pen stylus that provides productivity and creativity functionality rarely matched by competing smartphones.

Extensive AI Feature Set: The phone includes a large number of artificial intelligence features and is described as offering the best AI tools available on a smartphone.

Slick Software Experience: The system software is described as slick, contributing to overall usability.

Advanced Video Features: The device supports features such as the APV video codec and Horizontal Lock recording aimed at mobile videography.

Audio

Improved Speakers: The stereo speakers sound better than before, improving the overall audio experience.

Cons

Camera

Camera Hardware Behind Top Android Phones: The camera system is described as trailing the very top Android camera phones on the market.

Outdated 3× Telephoto Sensor: The device still uses a 10-megapixel 3× telephoto camera that is considered behind current competitive standards.

Performance

CPU Throttling Under Sustained Load: The processor throttles significantly during longer sustained workloads.

Design

No Titanium Construction: The chassis no longer includes titanium as part of its construction.

Camera Bump Desk Wobble: The protruding camera assembly causes noticeable wobble when the phone is placed flat on a surface.

Battery Density and Size Behind Competitors: The battery’s density and overall size remain behind some competing devices.

Water Resistance Behind Some Competitors: While rated IP68, competing Android devices have begun offering IP69 ratings and deeper immersion tolerance.

Battery

No Battery Capacity Increase: The battery does not receive improvements in type or capacity compared with the previous generation.

No MagSafe-Style Magnetic Charging: Wireless charging does not include a MagSafe-style magnetic alignment system.

No Qi2 Magnets: The device lacks Qi2 magnets for magnetic wireless charging compatibility.

Price

High Price: The phone is still considered expensive despite not increasing in price.

Software

Inconvenient S Pen Position: The positioning of the integrated S Pen is considered somewhat inconvenient in everyday use.

AI Features Sometimes Unreliable: Some AI functions fail to behave exactly as promised or expected.

Availability

Now Nudge Malfunction: The Now Nudge AI feature was observed failing to perform as intended during pre-release testing.

Other

Minimal Hardware Upgrades: The device introduces only limited internal hardware changes compared with previous generations.

Rankings

The Best Phone Of 2026: #2

The Highest Optical Zoom Of 2026: #2

The Largest Screen Size Of 2026: #2

The Smallest Screen Size Of 2026: #15

The Lightest Phone Of 2026: #13

The Thinnest Phone Of 2026: #6

The Fastest Charging Speed Of 2026: #11

The Highest Screen To Body Ratio Of 2026: #5

The Cheapest Phone Of 2026: #14

GSMCritic Camera Score: 100