Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: All Hail To The King of Galaxies

Thursday, 26 February 2026 at 00:59

Samsung’s annual flagship refresh is here, and this time the Ultra model brings a few meaningful hardware upgrades instead of just software polish. The new Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra arrives with Qualcomm’s latest flagship chip, a hardware-level Privacy Display, and the fastest charging ever on a Galaxy device.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: Slimmer body, Familiar face

At first glance, not much has changed. The front still features a large 6.9-inch LTPO AMOLED panel with QHD+ resolution and a 1–120Hz adaptive refresh rate. Peak local brightness remains at 2,600 nits, matching its predecessor, and the screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Armor 2.

The S Pen is still here, though it remains without Bluetooth functionality. Samsung also keeps its anti-reflective display coating, ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, and 12MP front camera.

Physically, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is slightly slimmer at 7.2mm and lighter at 214 grams. Samsung has moved away from titanium this year, opting for an aluminum frame while retaining Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the back.

Privacy Display: An Interesting Hardware Innovation

The headline feature is the new Privacy Display. Unlike simple software-based viewing filters, this is a hardware-level implementation. The panel can selectively dim specific pixels so that parts of the screen appear black when viewed from an angle.

In practice, this means people sitting next to you on a bus or plane won’t easily see your messages, notifications, or password entries. The feature works alongside software controls and can automatically activate when the phone detects you’re on the move, or you can toggle it manually.

Snapdragon Everywhere

Unlike the standard S26 models, the Galaxy S26 Ultra ships with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy in all regions. No Exynos split this time. Memory and storage configurations are as follows:

12GB RAM + 256GB storage
12GB RAM + 512GB storage
16GB RAM + 1TB storage

This certainly is the variant for those who want the best hardware on a Samsung smartphone. Also, if you're part of the anti-Exynos bandwagon, this variant is the one with the Snapdragon regardless of your region.

Camera: Subtle Hardware Tweaks, Bigger Low-light Gains

The Samsung Ultra series always bring the best camera upgrade. This time, Samsung isn’t reinventing the camera system, but there are notable refinements.

The 200MP main sensor returns, now paired with a brighter f/1.4 aperture. Samsung claims the updated configuration allows up to 47% more light capture, improving low-light performance.

The 10MP 3x telephoto now uses a slightly smaller sensor compared to last year. Meanwhile, the 50MP 5x periscope telephoto gets a brighter f/2.9 aperture, said to be 37% brighter than before. The 50MP ultra-wide remains unchanged.

Same Battery, Faster Charging

Despite some claims pointing to small bump, the Battery capacity stays at 5,000mAh, continuing Samsung’s conservative approach to capacity increases. However, charging finally sees a meaningful jump.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra now supports 60W wired charging, breaking past the long-standing 45W ceiling. Samsung says this allows the device to reach 75% in about 30 minutes, though the charger is sold separately. Keep a record of this moment, because we probably won't see another upgrade in the next few years.

The Wireless charging reaches up to 25W via compatible Qi 2.2 chargers, alongside 4.5W reverse wireless charging.

One UI 8.5 and Galaxy AI features

The Galaxy S26 Ultra runs One UI 8.5 based on Android 16 and leans heavily into Galaxy AI integration.

Photo Assist enables AI-powered editing directly in the Gallery app. Screenshots are automatically categorized for easier organization. Creative Studio allows users to generate custom stickers, greeting cards, and wallpapers from images or sketches.

Audio Eraser now works inside third-party apps like YouTube, Netflix, and Instagram, helping reduce background noise and isolate voices.

Call Screening can answer unknown calls, identify the caller, and display a live transcript. Meanwhile, Now Nudge offers contextual suggestions, such as relevant photos during chats or reminders about upcoming appointments. Now Brief analyzes notifications, messages, and emails to surface useful shortcuts directly on the home screen.

Colors and Pricing

The Galaxy S26 Ultra is available in Black, Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue, and White. Two online-exclusive colors — Silver and Pink Gold — are available via Samsung’s website. Yeah, unfortunately, there is no Orange version at this moment. It seems that Samsung isn't going full Apple like some Chinese brands have been doing lately.

Pricing in Europe starts at:

€1,450 for 12GB/256GB
€1,650 for 12GB/512GB
€1,950 for 16GB/1TB

Pre-orders begin today, with official sales starting March 11.

Quick Specs Recap (Galaxy S26 Ultra):

Chipset: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy (all regions)
Display: 6.9″ LTPO AMOLED, QHD+, 1–120Hz, 2,600 nits
Protection: Gorilla Armor 2 (front), Gorilla Glass Victus 2 (back)
RAM & Storage: 12GB/256GB, 12GB/512GB, 16GB/1TB
Main Camera: 200MP (f/1.4)
Telephoto: 10MP 3x + 50MP 5x periscope (brighter f/2.9)
Ultra-wide: 50MP
Front Camera: 12MP
Battery: 5,000mAh
Charging: 60W wired, 25W wireless, 4.5W reverse
OS: One UI 8.5 (Android 16) with Galaxy AI
Extras: S Pen (no Bluetooth), Privacy Display, ultrasonic fingerprint scanner
Build: 7.2mm thickness, 214g, aluminum frame

Final take

The Galaxy S26 Ultra doesn’t radically redesign the formula, but it delivers meaningful upgrades where they matter. The Privacy Display introduces something genuinely new to the category, the Snapdragon platform is standardized globally, and 60W charging finally modernizes the Ultra’s power profile.