Customer reviews from Samsung US
Samsung - Galaxy S26 Ultra 1TB (Unlocked) - Cobalt Violet
Average customer rating
4.8
(17,951 Reviews)
Rating breakdown 17,951 reviews
5 Stars
15,680
4 Stars
1,801
3 Stars
283
2 Stars
82
1 Star
105
64%of customers recommend this product.
(
105 out of
165)
Customer Reviews for Samsung - Galaxy S26 Ultra 1TB (Unlocked) - Cobalt Violet
Customer Rating
3
Misses on very basic functionality
on September 14, 2026
Posted by: Twilli
My S24 Ultra was a much better experience than the S26 Ultra. Initially, I loved this phone, but the longer I use it, the more irritated I am by the things that just don't work as they should.
Yes, it has a lot of cool new features. However, the excitement over those disappears pretty quickly when the things you do most often on your phone are buggy. I've spent countless hours troubleshooting issues and trying to find workarounds.
For example: copy and paste. It took me forever to figure out how to make it work properly. Copy some text, go where you want to paste it, and it will let you paste exactly where you originally left the cursor. Move the cursor because you want the text somewhere else? Suddenly the clipboard clears and you have to go copy it again.
The included keyboard has been another source of frustration. I finally gave up and switched to a different one. I got tired of telling people, "I swear I passed English." Predictive text will have you sending spelling and grammatical errors because either you didn't catch them first, or you're simply too exhausted from fighting "I'm" vs. "Im" for the 1,000th time to care anymore.
Then there's facial recognition. I've used other phones where facial recognition simply worked. I've spent far too much time troubleshooting this one.
Samsung allows one main face registration and one alternate. Okay. I registered my face on my day off with no makeup and no glasses, then added an alternate with my glasses. The next morning I got ready for work and discovered the phone didn't recognize me with makeup on.
Samsung allows one main face registration and one alternate. Okay. I registered my face on my day off with no makeup and no glasses, then added an alternate with my glasses. The next morning I got ready for work and discovered the phone didn't recognize me with makeup on.
So apparently, to make facial recognition reliably work for me, I need:
No makeup, no glasses.
No makeup, glasses.
Makeup, no glasses.
Makeup, glasses.
No makeup, glasses.
Makeup, no glasses.
Makeup, glasses.
That's four versions of the exact same human being. Samsung gives me two registrations, and apparently the phone isn't smart enough to figure out that mascara hasn't fundamentally changed my identity.
Then there was the.... calendar.
I had about 2,000 old work contacts on my phone. Samsung actually made it fairly easy to delete those contacts, so credit where it's due. Unfortunately, those contacts also included everyone's birthdays.
The calendar apparently decided one reminder per birthday wasn't enough. I was getting three, four, six, sometimes eight entries for the same birthday. I had to have at least 12,000 birthday entries in there.
I spent more than an hour trying to get rid of them. Eventually, I gave up, installed a different calendar app and—poof—the birthdays were gone.
I spent more than an hour trying to get rid of them. Eventually, I gave up, installed a different calendar app and—poof—the birthdays were gone.
And here's one more example of how unnecessarily complicated basic functions can be: I temporarily switched back to the included keyboard to try one of Samsung's custom sticker features. When I was finished, the normal keyboard-switching option had disappeared and my preferred keyboard no longer appeared as an available choice. I eventually discovered that I had to toggle that keyboard off and back on in Settings before it reappeared so I could switch back.
Switching keyboards should not require troubleshooting.
I'm not saying the S26 Ultra is a bad phone. I actually love the phone otherwise. I'm writing this review for two reasons.
First: Samsung developers, these are problems. Flashy new features don't matter nearly as much when basic things people use every day are frustrating or unreliable.
Second: if you buy this phone, be prepared to replace some of the included apps with alternatives. In my experience, doing that has actually made the phone considerably less frustrating to use.
Great hardware. Cool features. But after spending this much money on a flagship Samsung phone, I shouldn't have to replace the manufacturer's own software with third-party alternatives just to make basic functions work properly.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Features
2
Performance
5
Design
5
Value
4
Response from Samsung USBy R&R Team, September 15, 2026
Hello Twilli, we appreciate you sharing your experience of your Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra with us. We completely understand how valuable your device is to you for both personal and professional needs every day, and how frustrating it is when your device is not meeting your expectations. We have provided a link to a troubleshooting guide to help you with the facial recognition of your device at your convenience. We have also provided a link to the complete manual for your device to help you customize the settings to your preferences, and discover additional features you may want to integrate in to your usage. Lastly, we have provided a link to the Samsung Support Team to assist you if your frustrations continue with your device, or you have questions during your usage. We appreciate you being a Samsung customer. -Elizabeth
Use Facial recognition security on a Galaxy phone or tablet
https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS00062630/
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
Use Facial recognition security on a Galaxy phone or tablet
https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS00062630/
Product Manuals
https://www.samsung.com/us/support/downloads/
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
Best Phone out!
on September 14, 2026
Posted by: MrfixIt
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I chose this phone and its the best decision I've made. Photographs, recording videos, gaming, editing, coding. The performance keeps up with all my apps at once and I don't have to use a laptop. Its a computer in the palm of your hands. You can scan print, email, fax you name it. If everyone had the ability to try the phone for a week they would definitely get rid off the fruit phone. Built for tech savy people and also for the simple users. 👍🏻
Value
5
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US
Customer Rating
5
Love this phone
on September 14, 2026
Posted by: Sozapops
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I am so glad I chose the samsung s26 ultra! I went from using my iPad that barley supports chrome to using my PHONE to do work and school work! This phone has an amazing camera, and everything is so smooth! I can run video games, watch movies and do tons of different things with very high quality! I usually use this phone rather than using my computer or TV to watch stuff, or get things done. The battery life is amazing, I'll go a day without charging it and it'll still be ready for the next, with everything else I need to do. Its SUPER smooth without using excessive amounts of battery, (unlike some brands..) The privacy screen is super useful for when I need to download, review or look at important documents, texts or anything else I dont want the people around me taking a peak at. The s pen is also super useful, taking notes, drawing, its always super satisfying to use, in fact i'm using it to write currently! This phone never fails to impress me weather its performance, finding new features, or just using it and watching what it can do in general! 10/10
Value
5
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US
Customer Rating
5
Great phone
on September 14, 2026
Posted by: alexmusica78
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I chose this phone after years of buying the Samsung A models. This is my favorite phone ever! Great camera, and fast processor. I use it mostly to check social media, and planning to stream soon. The photo editing with AI is also great!
Value
5
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US
Customer Rating
4
Samsung S26 Ultra
on September 14, 2026
Posted by: JiminFlorida
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I upgraded from the Samsung S21 Ultra, while. Some changes may be better, the wireless charging in next to useless. Once a protection case is placed on the phone it will not charge wirelessly at home or in my truck. The battery last quite a bit longer, may 3 times.
Value
4
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US
Customer Rating
5
Still the best
on September 14, 2026
Posted by: Jasonxe
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I tried several different phones but Samsung is still my favorite. Oneui just gets it right and works properly as it should. Glad I chose Samsung 26 ultra.
Value
5
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US
Customer Rating
5
S26 ultra
on September 14, 2026
Posted by: Ladj707
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I hade a zfold. I was looking at reviews to decide what phone I wanted to upgrade to. I chose the s26 ultra cause the features are amazing the camera the while ai aspect that helps you with your daily life to make it easier I have no complaints there is alot I still need to figure out buts it worth every penny.
Value
5
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US
Customer Rating
5
S26 ultra plus
on September 14, 2026
Posted by: Evee2cat
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Samsung is my go to mobile device. Having own all the galaxy series since they can out, they have been the most reliable phone on the market. The screen is clear with camera options exceptional.
Value
5
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US