Samsung Galaxy S26, S26+ and S26 Ultra: Software beats hardware

Contents

No time for experiments: Samsung has opted for a gentle facelift rather than a radical overhaul for its new S-Class. The Galaxy S26, S26+, and S26 Ultra bring a lot of familiar hardware, with new features found in the software instead.

The top model, Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, like the other two, looks very similar to its predecessors from the past three generations. The smartphone continues to feature a 6.9-inch OLED display with a resolution of 3120 x 1440 pixels. The anti-reflective surface is the same as in the previous year's model, absorbing a good portion of light reflections and making the display more readable in bright environments. The Galaxy S26 Ultra is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 in the "for Galaxy" version with a slightly increased maximum clock speed. The passive S Pen still has its place in the casing.

The most significant hardware innovation besides the processor is the Privacy Display. When activated, the smartphone deactivates parts of the pixel matrix in the display, causing the screen to dim significantly when viewed from an angle. This prevents onlookers from seeing sensitive data. While deactivating pixels also reduces display brightness for the person viewing the screen head-on, this is a small price to pay when handling sensitive information. Privacy Display is exclusive to the Ultra, and it can be manually toggled on/off or set as the default for individually selected apps.

Familiar Cameras

New camera features are difficult to find. The Ultra continues to have four cameras on its back: a 200-megapixel main camera, a 50-megapixel ultra-wide-angle, and two telephoto lenses, one with a triple zoom and 10-megapixel sensor, and another with a fivefold zoom and a 50-megapixel resolution. The Galaxy S26 Ultra, like its sister models, takes selfies with only 12 megapixels. The differences compared to the S25 Ultra's camera are only slightly larger apertures in the main and fivefold telephoto cameras, allowing more light to reach the sensor.

Samsung has also left the battery untouched; it still has a capacity of 5000 mAh – just like since the Galaxy S20 Ultra. The S26 Ultra is thus the seventh model with the same battery. At least it now charges at up to 60 watts instead of 45 watts, with 25 watts possible wirelessly.

Samsung is increasingly focusing on new software features, all of which are more or less related to AI. For example, Perplexity is now on board, responding to the command "Hey Plex." Bixby, Samsung's first AI assistant, which was practically phased out, has been equipped with new functions to make local search and system settings easier to use. Now Nudge is another new AI feature that aims to simplify life with context-sensitive small buttons. For instance, if a friend asks about a possible meeting on a specific day, Now Nudge pops up and has already checked the calendar to see if it's feasible. All S26 models will receive software updates and security patches for 7 years.

No More Spam Calls

Incoming calls from unknown numbers can be initially intercepted by the AI using the Spam Detection function on the Galaxy S26 devices. The AI then attempts to determine whether it's a "real" call or a spam call that should not be allowed through. Finally, there's the new Finder, which aims to find content in all Samsung apps via a plain text search, such as a note or list on a specific topic.

Samsung has not yet announced which of these new features will be rolled out to earlier Galaxy S generations and other model series.

Bild 1 von 28

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, S26+ und S26 in Bildern (28 Bilder)

Samsung Galaxy S26

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra can be purchased starting at 1449 euros, positioning it among the most expensive smartphones on the market. With 512 GB of internal storage, it costs 1649 euros, and the version with 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB of internal storage, available only in Samsung's online shop, costs a hefty 1949 euros. For the launch, Samsung is offering preorder customers of all S26 models the larger storage variant at the price of the next smaller one for several weeks. For the 1 TB version, an additional charge of 100 euros applies.

Base Models with Few Changes

The compact Galaxy S26, with its 6.3-inch display showing 2340 × 1080 pixels, does not feature a Snapdragon but a Samsung processor. The Exynos 2600, which Samsung claims is the first chip manufactured using a 2-nanometer process, is accompanied by 12 GB of RAM, with 256 GB and 512 GB of internal storage available. At just under 7 millimeters thick and weighing 167 grams, the Samsung Galaxy S26 is slim and light, barely noticeable in a pocket. The S26's triple camera is a step down from the Ultra's quad-camera setup. While the 10-megapixel telephoto lens is identical, the main camera is limited to 50 megapixels and has a smaller aperture of f/1.8. The ultra-wide-angle also has a lower resolution of 12 megapixels, and its aperture of f/2.2 is less light-sensitive than that of the S26 Ultra. These cameras were already present in the predecessors Galaxy S25, S24, and S23.

Samsung has not increased the battery capacity in the Galaxy S26, just as it did not in the Ultra; it still has a comparatively low capacity of 4300 mAh. The Galaxy S26 also does not support faster charging. At least Samsung has made the software features accessible to all three models in the S-Class. Samsung continues to not include a magnetic back for Qi2, as offered by Apple (MagSafe) and Google (Pixelsnap), for attaching accessories like battery packs. For this, buyers will need to use a corresponding protective case.

For this small step in hardware, Samsung charges the same prices as last year. The Galaxy S26 thus costs 999 euros in the base storage configuration, with 512 GB costing 200 euros more.

Technically largely identical to the S26, only slightly larger, is the Galaxy S26+. Its OLED display measures 6.7 inches and has the same resolution as the S26 Ultra's. This makes it the S26 with the sharpest screen in terms of pixel density. The battery, at 4900 mAh, is closer to the Ultra than the small model, and the 190-gram weight represents the golden mean. The Galaxy S26+ costs from 1249 euros.

The Slimming Diet is Over

The Edge model, meaning the particularly slim Galaxy S, has been discontinued after one season. The Galaxy S25 Edge, despite its slim and lightweight design, had found little favor with customers. Its price dropped rapidly, and it will not be released as a Galaxy S26 Edge for now.

Samsung invited the author to the Unpacked event in San Francisco and covered the costs of travel and accommodation.

(sht)