Samsung Galaxy S26

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7th best phone of 2026 (~$900)

GSMCritic Take: With its vibrant LTPO OLED display, smooth Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 performance, and long-lasting battery, this phone delivers a polished flagship experience, though its slower 25W charging means topping up takes longer than many competitors.

6.3-inch

167g

7.2mm

25W

waterproof

85

Click to open full specs on GSMArena.com:
Samsung-s26

* Screen covers 90% of body.

Reviews  

Overall phone rating and the reviews that impact it.

86

1st review by

80

6th review by

80

2nd review by

85

GSMCritic Score

90

5th review by

80

3rd review by

94

4th review by

* how the score is calculated?

Last update: 2026-03-18

Pros

Human Checked Mobile Phone Pros&Cons
Camera
High-Quality Rear Cameras: The camera system is capable of producing consistently high-quality photos.
Excellent Front Camera: The front-facing camera includes autofocus and is considered excellent for selfies and front-facing capture.
Advanced Video Tools: The phone supports video features such as LUTs and Horizon Lock for flexible video creation and stabilization.
Performance
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy: The device is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chipset, enabling exceptionally fast and responsive performance.
Good Thermal Management: The device maintains solid heat control under load with generally good thermal management relative to its performance.
Design
Premium Build: The phone features a premium construction with a clean, modern aesthetic that feels polished and high-end.
Compact Flagship Design: Despite being a flagship device, it maintains a compact form factor while remaining thin and lightweight.
IP68 Water and Dust Resistance: The phone carries an IP68 rating, providing flagship-grade protection against dust and water.
Display
Bright LTPO OLED Display: The device uses a bright LTPO OLED panel that delivers vibrant colors and strong brightness in everyday use.
Battery
Larger Battery Than Previous Generation: The phone includes a larger battery compared with the previous generation model.
Strong Battery Endurance: Battery life is described as excellent in many scenarios and can last for days under certain conditions.
Improved Charging vs Galaxy S25: Charging speeds are faster than those of the Galaxy S25.
Software
Smooth System Responsiveness: The phone delivers extremely smooth and quick system behavior with consistently responsive interactions.
Intuitive Software Interface: The software interface is widely regarded as intuitive and modern.
Galaxy AI Features: The device includes upgraded Galaxy AI capabilities along with additional AI assistant options and AI-powered features.
Long Software Support: The phone is promised seven years of Android version updates and security patches.
Cons
Human Checked Mobile Phone Pros&Cons
Camera
Cameras Not Groundbreaking: Although capable of high-quality photos, the rear cameras are often described as competent rather than extraordinary.

Missing 4K 120fps Video: The phone does not support 4K video recording at 120 frames per second.

Unintuitive Night Mode: The dedicated Night mode implementation can feel unintuitive and may not behave as users expect.

Performance
Cooling Not as Strong as S26 Ultra: The cooling system does not reach the thermal performance level achieved by the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

Design
Lower IP Rating Than Some Rivals: The device has an IP68 rating while some competing Android devices offer IP69 protection.

Display
No 10-bit Color: The display does not support true 10-bit color depth.

No Dolby Vision: The screen lacks support for Dolby Vision.

No High-Frequency PWM Dimming: The display does not include high-frequency PWM dimming technology.

No Privacy Display: The phone does not include a Privacy Display feature for protecting screen visibility in public.

Battery
Battery Not Class-Leading: While battery life is good, some impressions note it is not among the strongest available compared with other flagship devices.

25W Wired Charging: Wired charging is limited to 25W.

Price
$100 Price Increase: The phone introduces a $100 price increase tied to additional storage.

Software
No APV Video Codec: The device lacks support for the APV video codec available on the S26 Ultra.

Limited Perplexity Integration: Integration with the Perplexity assistant exists but remains limited in scope.

Connectivity
Minor Upgrade Over Galaxy S25: The device is very similar to the Galaxy S25 with only modest changes and incremental improvements.

Rankings


ranking-point The Best Phone Of 2026: #7

ranking-point The Largest Screen Size Of 2026: #15

ranking-point The Smallest Screen Size Of 2026: #2

ranking-point The Lightest Phone Of 2026: #1

ranking-point The Thinnest Phone Of 2026: #2

ranking-point The Fastest Charging Speed Of 2026: #15

ranking-point The Highest Screen To Body Ratio Of 2026: #9

ranking-point The Cheapest Phone Of 2026: #12