Customer reviews from Samsung US
Samsung - Galaxy S26 Ultra 256GB (Unlocked) - Cobalt Violet
Average customer rating
4.9
(3,316 Reviews)
Rating breakdown 3,316 reviews
5 Stars
2,977
4 Stars
276
3 Stars
41
2 Stars
7
1 Star
15
67%of customers recommend this product.
(
20 out of
30)
Customer Reviews for Samsung - Galaxy S26 Ultra 256GB (Unlocked) - Cobalt Violet
Customer Rating
3
I want to love it but....
on March 16, 2026
Posted by: Anonymous
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] On paper, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra should be the undisputed king of 2026. With its new "Privacy Display" and the agentic AI features of One UI 8.5, it promises the future. However, after using it as my daily driver, that future feels more like a frustrating trip back to the era of laggy hardware and software glitches.
Performance: The "Ultra" Lag
For a phone at its price point, you expect instant response. Instead, I’ve encountered consistent technical bottlenecks:
The App Opening Struggle: There is a noticeable "buffering" period when tapping on everyday apps like Instagram or even the Camera. The icon pulses, the screen hangs, and you’re left wondering if the phone even registered your touch.
Complete Freezes: It isn’t just slow; it’s prone to total lockups. I’ve had several instances where the UI becomes completely unresponsive mid-scroll, forcing me to wait nearly 30 seconds for the system to catch up.
The "Play Protect" Bug: Many users, myself included, have hit a bizarre "Device not Play Protect certified" error out of the box, which prevents banking apps from opening at all.
The Restart Loop
The most disappointing part of the S26 Ultra experience is the constant need to restart. To clear the "ghost in the machine" that causes the stuttering, I find myself rebooting the device at least twice a day.
The Problem: Even after a fresh restart, the fluidity only lasts for an hour or two before the sluggishness returns. It feels like a deep software optim
Performance: The "Ultra" Lag
For a phone at its price point, you expect instant response. Instead, I’ve encountered consistent technical bottlenecks:
The App Opening Struggle: There is a noticeable "buffering" period when tapping on everyday apps like Instagram or even the Camera. The icon pulses, the screen hangs, and you’re left wondering if the phone even registered your touch.
Complete Freezes: It isn’t just slow; it’s prone to total lockups. I’ve had several instances where the UI becomes completely unresponsive mid-scroll, forcing me to wait nearly 30 seconds for the system to catch up.
The "Play Protect" Bug: Many users, myself included, have hit a bizarre "Device not Play Protect certified" error out of the box, which prevents banking apps from opening at all.
The Restart Loop
The most disappointing part of the S26 Ultra experience is the constant need to restart. To clear the "ghost in the machine" that causes the stuttering, I find myself rebooting the device at least twice a day.
The Problem: Even after a fresh restart, the fluidity only lasts for an hour or two before the sluggishness returns. It feels like a deep software optim
Value
3
Response from Samsung USBy R&R Team, March 17, 2026
Hey Bambii, we appreciate you sharing your experience of your Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra with us. We know how distressing it can be when your new device is not aligning to your expectations in functionality, and we would love nothing more than to help you resolve your frustrations. We have provided links below to troubleshooting guides to help you maximize the speed, responsiveness, and freezing you mention experiencing with your device. We have also shared a link to the Samsung Support Team to offer additional assistance if you continue to experience these frustrations with your device, or you would like assistance with the error message you are receiving with certain apps. Thank you for being a Samsung customer. -Elizabeth
How to adjust refresh rate options on your Galaxy phone or tablet
https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS10003396/
Galaxy phone or tablet's screen is frozen or responds too slowly
https://www.samsung.com/us/support/troubleshooting/TSG01001765/
Samsung phone or tablet freezes and crashes
https://www.samsung.com/us/support/troubleshooting/TSG01001416/
Samsung Support
smsng.us/Samsung-Support
Samsung Community
smsng.us/Samsung-Community
Facebook
smsng.us/Facebook-Messenger
X
https://smsng.us/X-Messages
How to adjust refresh rate options on your Galaxy phone or tablet
https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS10003396/
Galaxy phone or tablet's screen is frozen or responds too slowly
https://www.samsung.com/us/support/troubleshooting/TSG01001765/
Samsung phone or tablet freezes and crashes
https://www.samsung.com/us/support/troubleshooting/TSG01001416/
Samsung Support
smsng.us/Samsung-Support
Samsung Community
smsng.us/Samsung-Community
smsng.us/Facebook-Messenger
X
https://smsng.us/X-Messages
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US
Customer Rating
5
Great Upgrade
on March 16, 2026
Posted by: ScubaNitrox
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] The Samsung s26 Ultra has been a nice upgrade compared to my old Pixel 8 XL. The cutting edge features like the built in privacy scree and fast charging has been awesome. I'm so glad that I have switched.
Value
5
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US
Customer Rating
5
Slim and great features
on March 16, 2026
Posted by: FOX2Samsumg
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Sleek and powerful, love the blue screen and great features.
The camera is great and combined with the Samsung AI makes it fun applying the enhancements.
The camera is great and combined with the Samsung AI makes it fun applying the enhancements.
Value
5
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US
Customer Rating
5
Awesome phone
on March 16, 2026
Posted by: Dieselguy
from Youngstown, ohio
I really like s26 ultra. Camera is awesome. The display is very nice and quick. I'm happy I bought it for sure!
I would recommend this to a friend!
Features
5
Performance
5
Design
5
Value
5
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US
Customer Rating
5
Best upgrade ever
on March 16, 2026
Posted by: BobnotBilly
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I had the samsung galaxy s23 ultra, and the upgrade to the s26 ultra in incredible!
Galaxy AI has made everything so much simpler. I have no complaints about this device
Value
5
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US
Customer Rating
5
As far as phones go, this is it;
on March 16, 2026
Posted by: Remjexy
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] In a stagnant breath of technology where we are no longer improving on most things due to tech constraints, Samsung yet again pushes the boundaries of how a phone should feel.
The upgraded chip makes you really appreciate the new device, as someone who had mo issues with the s25 Ultra, I was pleasantly surprised to notice how smooth, quick and more stable the s26 ultra felt, granted the feel is not a massive difference but being able to already improve on peak is incredible.
The Camera is still as wonderful as ever, with beautiful photos that usually people say are not as colorful as other mainline phones but that's the big point, my pictures feel and look real to what my mine sees, not over saturated color swatches.
The Galaxy AI features are fun as well, I like the privacy filter, though I don't really have too much of a reason to use it. Having it being able to be set for specific things was a smart move that I did like, so hopefully I find a reason to use that. On board assistant and perplexity work well too though I haven't messed with them an awful lot.
The only thing I wish that samsung would bring back is the sPen functionality. I miss being able to take photos with the pen or control small aspects with the connectivity to it.
Over all a wonderful device, as always. I look forward to the updates.
Value
5
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US
Customer Rating
4
Great so far
on March 16, 2026
Posted by: LDom91
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] This version of the Galaxy family has not changed a whole lot from the S25. The few things is has changed has been the rounder corners of the phone itself. Although it's slightly more rounded it doesn't take away from the screen at all.
The location of the S-Pen has changed too. It's closer to the corner and to be honest it is a little annoying having to make sure the correct side is facing up so it can fit inside correctly.
The quality of the screen has changed and it has better resolution. Right out of the box it is set to a lower setting by default, so you would have to adjust it to see the difference.
The location of the S-Pen has changed too. It's closer to the corner and to be honest it is a little annoying having to make sure the correct side is facing up so it can fit inside correctly.
The quality of the screen has changed and it has better resolution. Right out of the box it is set to a lower setting by default, so you would have to adjust it to see the difference.
I've only had it for a few days so I'm still playing with the different features,but I would say it's been great so far.
Value
4
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US
Customer Rating
5
Great battery life
on March 16, 2026
Posted by: Gmoney
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I use my Samsung 26 Ultra to create AI videos and make music with Suno. The camera is amazing, and the zoom absolutely blew my mind. The battery lasts much longer than my 24 FE did. I also really like the privacy feature on the screen—it’s a really cool addition. By far the best phone I have ever owned
Value
5
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US