Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Review: Refined with meaningful upgrades

Value-added features such as Privacy Display, custom Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, Galaxy AI-based photography tools (in particular object eraser), and built-in S Pen, make the Galaxy S26 Ultra stand apart from the rival brands.

Earlier this month, Samsung's Android flagship Galaxy S26 Ultra hit stores in India.

The device comes in three configurations-- 12GB RAM + 256GB storage, 12GB RAM + 512GB storage, and 16GB RAM + 1TB storage -- for Rs 1,39,999, Rs 1,59,999 and Rs 1,89,999, respectively.

Design, build quality and display

The new S26 Ultra retains most of the design elements of the previous iterations, but it is refined. It is slimmer, weighs less, and yet, manages to pack a 5,000mAh capacity battery.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra.

The phone is easy to hold, and the aluminium frame, which comes with a matte finish around the edge, offers a really good grip to hold it firmly. The device is well protected against scratches thanks to Corning's Gorilla Glass Armour 2 on the front and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the back.

The mid-rail on the sides, Samsung calls it Armoud Aluminium (2nd gen), is also very sturdy, capable of withstanding accidental drops. It may suffer dents, but it will protect the internal components.

Also, the device comes with an IP68 rating, meaning it can survive a drop in a swimming pool or any freshwater body like a pond or a river. It can withstand pressure up to the depth of 1.5 metres (around five feet) for close to 30 minutes.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra of 2025 was best in its class, and now with the S26 Ultra, Samsung has raised the benchmark to another league, way above any other rival brand in its class.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra.

It flaunts a massive 6.9-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X display with peak brightness of 2,600 nits, 1440 x 3120p resolution and pixel density of 500 pixels per inch (ppi). It is the best screen on a mobile to consume multimedia content or play games for hours. The pictures and the videos appear vibrant with darker black, making for a delightful viewing experience.

One thing to note: Turn off Privacy Display mode, as it limits the display brightness at side angles.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra with 'Privacy Display' feature on.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra with 'Privacy Display' feature off.

Talking of Privacy Display, which by the way is exclusive to the Galaxy S26 Ultra, is a magical feature. Owners will no longer need a third-party screen guard to protect the screen from prying eyes behind or in the sides.

The feature is deeply optimised with display hardware and the software to protect the user privacy of the owners.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra with 'Privacy Display' feature on.

When using the phone, the content on the screen will be visible only to the owner. Any form of content, be it a text notification, a video or a photo, can only be viewed from the direct line of sight of the user.

This particular feature is a game-changer for people who travel in the metro or any mass transit vehicles or stand in a crowded place. Prying eyes of people on the side will not be able to see any content, but a black screen.

And, the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor is absolutely top-class. It works smoothly without any issues.

Eco-friendly Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

The 17 per cent of the device is made of recycled materials.

Several metals, such as aluminium for the frame, gold in camera bonding wire, tantalum, and copper in motherboard, cobalt and lithium in battery, glass cover on the back and front panel, and most of the plastic used in the phone are all made from repurposed materials.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra.

Performance

The S26 Ultra comes with the 'Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy' chipset co-developed by Qualcomm and Samsung.

It is custom optimised to smoothly run advanced Galaxy AI features, support AAA gaming titles, 8K video recording and other heavy-duty tasks.

The device is available in three variants -- 12GB RAM + 256GB storage, 12GB RAM + 512GB storage, and 16GB RAM + 1TB storage.

It runs Android 16-based OneUI 8.5. It is clean and easy to navigate through the settings. Also, it comes with several customisation options to visually enhance the user interface.

Also, in the Galaxy S26 series, the Perplexity AI has been deeply embedded across select Samsung apps — including Samsung Notes, Clock, Gallery, Reminder and Calendar, as well as select third-party apps. More apps will be supported later in the year.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra comes with several AI features.

Users will be able to summon Perplexity through a dedicated voice wake phrase, 'Hey Plex'. They will also have the option to use Perplexity AI via quick-access controls such as pressing and holding the side button, making contextual assistance easy to reach when needed.

Samsung has upgraded Bixby as a conversational device agent, making it more intuitive and easier than ever to interact with Galaxy devices. Users can navigate their devices and adjust settings using natural language, without the need for exact terminology or commands. This will come in really handy for senior citizens and non-tech-savvy customers.

Besides Perplexity and Bixby, users can opt for Google Gemini as their digital assistant.

It also comes with new AI editing tools, there is real-time features such as Now Brief, enhanced Circle to Search, and more.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra supports Creative AI studio app.

Also, the device comes with a built-in S Pen. You can find it on the left side at the base. You can take notes or let your creativity run wild with sketching. Even if the drawing is really bad, the Creative AI Studio app can turn any crappy sketch into a piece of art.

Like the previous Galaxy S series, the security aspect has been fully covered by Samsung. The devices come with Private Album, Knox Matrix protection, and more.

Be it regular day-to-day activity like web browsing, messaging or playing games or running powerful generative Artificial Intelligence (gen AI) applications, the device works smoothly without any sign of lag-ness as such.

It should be noted that, when outdoors, while operating heavy-duty tasks, the device does get warmed up, particularly beside the camera module. But it is not overwhelming enough to complain about. All premium phones made of metal and glass exhibit such behaviour when pushed to the extreme under direct sunlight.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra supports Creative AI studio app.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is guaranteed to get seven years of Android OS and security patches for protection against emerging cyber threats up to 2033.

With a 5,000mAh battery, it can easily last a full day under normal usage with Wi-Fi (at home) and partial dependence on cellular internet outdoors. However, if you are fully reliant on cellular data all day, you may need the power bank before dinner time.

One of the biggest improvements we see in the S26 Ultra is 60W charging support. It can reach from zero to the 75 per cent mark in around 30 minutes. It also supports 25W wireless charging and 4.5W reverse charging capability.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra's camera sample.

Photography

On the back, it boasts of quad camera module --main 200 MP(f/1.4 aperture, 23mm wide lens, 1/1.3-inch sensor, 0.6µm pixel size, multi-directional PDAF: Phase Detection Auto Focus, OIS: Optical Image Stabilisation), a 10 MP (f/2.4, 67mm telephoto lens, 1/3.94-inch sensor, 1.0µm pixel size, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom), 50 MP (f/2.9, 111mm periscope telephoto, 1/2.52-inch sensor, 0.7µm pixel size, PDAF, OIS, 5x optical zoom), and 50 MP (f/1.9, 120-degree ultrawide, 1/2.5-inch sensor, 0.7µm pixel size, dual pixel PDAF, Super Steady video) with Laser Auto Focus, LED flash on the back.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra's camera sample.

It takes brilliant photos in the sunlight. It gets all the details in crisp quality with vibrant colours. The human face look smooth and the flowers appear bright with warm punchy hues than what they appear to our eyes. They look beautiful worthy to be shared on social media platforms.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra's camera sample.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra's camera sample.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra comes with wider apertures for improved low- light photography and enhanced Nightography Video for vibrant, clear footage in dim conditions.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra's camera sample.

It takes fine ultra-wide angle photos, covering the vast area of the scene with great details.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra's camera sample.

In the close-up range, the device again excells with neatly capturing the minute details of the subject.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra's camera sample.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra's camera sample.

It can also take amazing quality digital zoom photos up to 10X. As you can see the pictures of the squirel and the crow, they look absolutely sharp with hardly loss of quality in digital zoom mode.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra's camera sample.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra's camera sample.

It can also take sharp photos of the moon with 100X zoom at night. But, during the daylight, it kind of struggles with sharpness.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra's camera sample.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra's camera sample.

That said, Galaxy S26 Ultra boasts the most advanced AI-powered editing tools to remove, add objects and do more, to deliver an enhanced photography experience for the owners.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra's camera sample.

There is also a feature-rich Photo Assist. Users can edit using typing the description of the change they want to see in the photo. They can ask it remove the stain of the clothing. Also, users can ask it change the outfit. The app will instantly do the changes. Editing can be made continuously, reviewed step by step, and easily.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra's camera sample.

On the front, it features a 26mm wide 12MP camera ( with f/2.2, sensor, 1/3.2-inch sensor, 1.12µm pixel size, dual pixel PDAF).

It takes brilliant selfies in all light conditions. The AI ISP improvements we see in the primary camera are now extended to the selfie camera. It can deliver clear, crisp photos with natural skin tones and finer details in mixed lighting.

It is also upgraded with Super Steady technology, which ensures stable framing during video capture.

Notably, the S26 Ultra is the first Galaxy series phone to support the Advanced Professional Video (APV) standard for efficient compression of high-quality video. This will come in handy for amateur photographers to record high-quality videos for content creation, to be shared on social media platforms.

Final thoughts

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is an incremental upgrade over the predecessor. But, value-added features such as Privacy Display, custom Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, Galaxy AI-based photography tools (in particular object eraser), and built-in S Pen, make it stand apart from the rival brands.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra's camera sample.

The aforementioned features are compelling enough reasons for me to put the Galaxy S26 Ultra at the top of the recommendation list, for people who are looking for an all-around premium phone.

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