Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

♡

2nd best phone of 2026 (~$1299)

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

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

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GSMCritic Score

100

5th review by

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4th review by

* how the score 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: #18

The Lightest Phone Of 2026: #15

The Thinnest Phone Of 2026: #7

The Fastest Charging Speed Of 2026: #14

The Highest Screen To Body Ratio Of 2026: #6

The Cheapest Phone Of 2026: #16

GSMCritic Camera Score: 100