[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] After using large phones (the note/ultra series) for years, I had decided I needed to downsize a bit. I was tired of carrying around a phablet, and the stylus had lost almost all of it's draw to me since circle to search arrived.
The S26 may not be as big of a change as it should have been from the S25 series, but for someone who has started to love smaller phones (Zenfone 10 for example) and who hasn't had a small Samsung phone in ages, it's a phenomenal option.
The weight distribution is incredible and I love how thin the darn thing is. It's amazing having the ability to use a phone with one hand again and it actually fits in all of my pockets!
As mentioned, there are a few things that I would love updated next generation, with the main things being that I just would love a small phone with flagship level cameras and 1TB of storage. While the S26 kicks the regular Pixel 10's butt in my opinion, it still lags behind the 6.3in 10 Pro in the camera department and the fact that the Pixel has a 1TB option came EXTREMELY close to making me drop Samsungs all together. I would be the first in line to pick up a pro-like version of the 6.3in phone and I would rave about it to everyone.
We're getting so close to having access to the perfect phone and all Samsung needs to do is get with the times. With the size of photos/videos these days, we need larger storage options. A lot of people, including myself, have stopped trusting the cloud and there's a simple fix just out of reach.
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I do love it it is fragile, so definitely get a case. The only thing I don't like is when trying to unlock phone Samsung pay thing keeps coming up how do I turn that off.
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] The S26 is definitely a welcome change from the fold in the middle of the screen and clarity when reading and typing is remarkable
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Galaxy AI is awesome: it suggests helpful actions automatically and makes photo edits super easy – just tell it what to fix! The camera takes sharp, bright pics even in low light, the phone feels fast and smooth for everything I do, battery lasts all day, and the screen looks vibrant outdoors. Love the Cobalt Violet color – it looks sleek and catches the light nicely. Solid upgrade overall! Highly recommend this compact flagship!