[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I transition from a 23 ultra to the 26 ultra. I can say it was worth the wait. It has been so smooth using my phone on a day to day. I am excited to try out more of the features especially the camera functions with my kiddos.
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] The hardware is responsive and the battery life is excellent. The AI is pervasive, but can be managed so that it doesn't get in the way, and can be genuinely useful. Coming from an s22u, I was concerned about the loss of 10x optical zoom, but the s26u wider apertures and greater pixel density seem to balance out. I wish the phone weren't so expensive, but I'm liking it so far.
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I'm still learning all the new features of the S26, but so far I like this phone! I'm excited to figure out all the AI features so I can maximize usage.
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Excellent screen and phone speed but I just wish they actually upgraded the battery. Why can't we have higher capacity like the one plus for this price point? Still a fantastic phone. Also add more Bluetooth audio codecs please. Galaxy AI is pretty cool tbh
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra isn’t just an iterative update; it’s a powerhouse that justifies its flagship status through genuine hardware innovation and unmatched performance. After spending time with the device, it's clear why it's already being hailed as the king of Android.
The standout feature this year is the Privacy Display. This hardware-level innovation allows you to shield your screen from side-angle onlookers with a simple toggle—perfect for working on sensitive documents in public. The 6.9-inch AMOLED panel remains the best in the business, though the new privacy layer does introduce a slight gray tint and reduces the effectiveness of the anti-reflective coating seen on previous models.
I don't know that I have ever been so disappointed in a phone upgrade. I have been running galaxies since the S3 and am upgrading from an S23 Ultra. Don't get me wrong, the processor and raw performance of the S26U are top-notch and that is the *only* reason why I haven't returned it immidiately. The screen of the S26U is absolutely atrocious. Especially when placed next to the S23U, the S26U is washed out with an old led-like look. It feels like comparing an old backlit pixelated Gameboy next to an AMOLED panel. Its astonishing how bad the S26U looks. The S26U is also less than half the brightness of the S23U despite claiming the opposite. The screen brightness of the S26U does not really change past 25% of the slider and wont go any brighter even after turning off adaptive displays etc. whereas the S23U clearly gets brighter and brighter to maximum. You can also clearly see all of the added black space in the S26U panel for the physical structure of the privacy pixels when on a screen with lots of white space adding to the feel that I am looking at an old pixelated 2004 era screen. The cameras seems to be slightly better on the S26U vs. the S23U, especially the telephoto 5x. There is no difference in battery other than the new snapdragon is more powerful and does not need to "work as hard" so you can get a bit more life out of it on the S26U. Its such a major disapointment and other than the raw performance of the chip and equivalent cameras, it feels like a massive downgrade in all other aspects. I just haven't yet decided if the performance gains outweigh the extensive downsides.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Features
2
Performance
5
Design
4
Value
2
Response from Samsung USBy R&R Team, March 12, 2026
Hello Andromeda, thank you for taking time out of your day to share your experience of your Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra with us. We know how distressing it is when your new device is not meeting your expectations in functionality. We have provided a link to the complete manual for your device to help you adjust different display settings to best align to your preferences, and discover all of the enhanced features and new capabilities of your device like Galaxy AI and horizontal lock. We have also shared a link to the Samsung Support Team to assist you if you continue to experience this frustration, or have questions as you continue using your device. We appreciate you being a Samsung customer. -Elizabeth Product Manuals https://www.samsung.com/us/support/downloads/ Samsung Support smsng.us/Samsung-Support Samsung Community smsng.us/Samsung-Community Facebook smsng.us/Facebook-Messenger X https://smsng.us/X-Messages