The Samsung Galaxy 26 Ultra, the latest high-end flagship from Samsung, is one of its best phones yet. The latest improvements, including better cameras, built-in privacy screens, and excellent performance, make it a must-buy for any mobile power user. Not everything is better, as the redesigned S-Pen doesn’t fit as well, and the Privacy Screen is hit or miss, but overall, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is a fantastic phone packed full of useful features.
The 26 Ultra might look and feel a lot like last year’s 25 Ultra, but the changes here make an impact. The screen size may be the same, at 6.9 inches with a 120 Hz QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, but it’s slightly larger and brighter. The bevel around the screen is slightly smaller than before, giving it more overall real estate on the phone’s face. The more rounded corners give the 26 Ultra a bit more screen to work with. The metallic finish on the back feels premium, available in Black, Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue, Pink Gold, and Silver Shadow, with the last two available online on Samsung’s site.
The major change on the display side is the integrated Privacy Display. When turned on, it dims the screen slightly, actually turning off specific pixels on the display. It means people sitting nearby can’t easily see what’s on your screen, adding an extra layer of built-in privacy. It sounds great on paper, but in practice, it’s hit or miss. Using it at the default setting dims the screen, making it harder to see, and greatly limits the viewing angle. It also doesn’t make the screen totally impossible to see; from the couch, my partner could still see the basics of what was going on. It definitely helps, but it’s not an all-out solution.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra’s Main Focus Is Privacy
There’s a setting you can turn on to maximize privacy protection, and while this does make it hard for anyone to see your screen, it also dims it further. Given how bright and beautiful the screen is, it doesn’t reach its full potential. What does work brilliantly, though, is the conditional turn on. This is genuinely a game-changer and absolutely brilliant, letting you choose which parts or apps to use the privacy screen with.
There are plenty of screen protectors you can buy with the same overall effect, but nothing compares to the conditional turn-on. I have it set to notification pop-ups, and it works like a charm, just dimming the incoming notifications. This makes it almost impossible for anyone looking at my phone to see what notifications come in, without sacrificing the overall look of the screen. I have this on all the time, and it’s a fantastic way to enhance privacy without sacrificing anything else. It’s a step forward for phones that I genuinely hope becomes common practice because of how well it works.
On the performance front, the 26 Ultra uses a new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chip that does make things feel snappier and more responsive. The new chips definitely give the 26 Ultra an edge in performance, with everything running and loading seamlessly. Jumping from Persona 5 The Phantom X to Gmail to Netflix is instant, with everything tested running fluidly and without issue.
Improved Camera
The cameras on the S26 Ultra are another improvement, even if they seem similar to those on the S25 Ultra. The overall camera specs aren’t too different, with a 200MP main camera, 50MP ultra-wide, dual telephoto lenses, and a 12MP front selfie camera. What is new is the new processing and lighting enhancements, with the 26 Ultra taking brighter photos thanks to the aperture letting in more light. It creates sharper, more visually appealing photos that really capture the subjects’ colours.
Night photos also look cleaner because of it, paired with AI that helps clean up darker images more than before. It doesn’t make them perfect, but there’s much less noise and blurring. Portrait mode looks great as well, with a cleaner image, though the focus can be a bit inconsistent. All of this translates to video, too, capturing up to 8k at 30 fps. The new Horizon Lock is also really cool, being able to lock the horizon in place while taking video, so everything is much more stable. It’s great for action shots or keeping a shot in frame even while moving.
Battery life is pretty similar to the S25 Ultra, packing in a 5000 mAh battery that charges up to 75 percent in about 30 minutes. It supports 60W wired and 25W wireless charging. In practice, the phone lasted all day, even with moderate use. On heavier gaming days, it would need an extra bump partway through the day. It doesn’t reach the same heights as Apple or Chinese phones, but it does the job.
AI Features To Play With
There are plenty of new AI features for those who like to mess with them. The photo assistant can edit photos easily, with more natural language understanding. Want to change the sky or remove something from a photo? Tell the phone what you want it to do, and most of the time, the edits are really smooth and well done.
Creative Studio is another way to let your creativity fly, using AI to make and edit photos, letting you draw and play freely to make some wild creations. The Call Screening features are the ones I use most often, blocking unwanted spam and marketing calls and letting me know who is calling before answering. Bixby also feels more usable and natural than before, more easily understanding prompts, setting timers, and doing searches faster.
That being said, not everything is an improvement. The huge cameras mean a case is necessary if you plan to put it down, as the phone rocks on any flat surface when on its back. The new S-Pen isn’t flush like it was in the 25 Ultra and needs to go in a specific way, which makes it more frustrating to use compared to last year’s model. It can still go either way, but one way leaves an edge out that doesn’t sit flush. They’re not major issues, but they are noticeable.
Verdict
Overall, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is a fantastic step forward for Samsung’s highest-end line of phones. The screen is a bit bigger and brighter, the performance enhancements from the new chips are noticeable, and the camera updates are substantial. The Privacy Screen, especially in its conditional settings, is a genuine game-changer that adds privacy in natural ways. For creative and power users, the Samsung S26 Ultra is an easy upgrade.
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is out now, with the 256GB model with 12GB of RAM at $1899.99, the 512GB model with 12GB of RAM at $2179.99, and the 1TB model with 16GB of RAM at $2599.99.
[Samsung provided a launch retail unit for this review.]
