Samsung Galaxy S26 review: Reliable premium compact phone

Samsung's Galaxy S26 is the most compact among the three S26 series variants launched in India.

I have reviewed the Galaxy S26 Ultra and the S26+ and am now ready with the standard Galaxy S26 model.

Design, build quality and display

The Galaxy S26 comes with a compact form factor. It retains the minimalistic design elements of the predecessor.

On the back, the device sports the familiar metal-ringed camera islands vertically aligned within a glass-based capsule and an LED flash in the top left corner. A little over the base, there is Samsung's brand engraving at the centre.

Samsung Galaxy S26.

It features a smooth frosted glass cover. The matte finish does a fantastic job of repelling the fingerprint smudges.

The new S26 plus weighs around 167 grams and measures just 7.2 mm in thickness, 71.5mm wide and 149.6mm in length. It is a lot easier to carry around in one's hand. When in the pocket, I could barely feel its weight.

That said, Samsung has not compromised on build quality. The metal frame around the display is made of aerospace-grade armour aluminium 2 series, very sturdy enough to withstand accidental falls.

Also, the company has incorporated Corning's Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on both the front and the back panel. It is well protected to withstand scratches when kept in the close confines with coins and keys in the pants pocket.

Samsung Galaxy S26.

Like all previous Galaxy S series, the S26 also comes with IP68 rating. It can survive a drop in a freshwater body up to 1.5 metres (around five feet) for close to 30 minutes.

That said, given the expensive price tag, I recommend prospective buyers to get a cover case or get the Samsung Care+ package, which offers priority after-sales services at subsidised repair costs.

Samsung Galaxy S26.

The new Galaxy S26 sports a 6.3-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X full HD+ (1080 x 2340p) screen. It supports 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ content on OTT apps, has a pixel density of 411 ppi (pixels per inch) and offers peak brightness of 2600 nits.

Samsung Galaxy S26.

Unlike the S26 Ultra, the standard S26 doesn't come with Privacy Display. But it has a really good screen with super thin bezels, perfect for consuming multimedia content. Also, even outdoors, with full brightness (thanks to the Vision Booster feature) pushed to the max, text messages are legible to read from chest height.

Also, the ultrasonic optical fingerprint sensor works smoothly without any issue.

Performance

Barring the display, structural dimension and battery capacity, the Galaxy S26 features the same internal hardware as the S26+.

The device is powered by a 2nm class Exynos 2600 deca-core (3.80GHz C1-Ultra x 1 core + 3.25GHz C1-Pro x 3 cores + 2.75GHz C1-Pro x 6 cores) chipset paired with Xclipse 960 GPU. It is backed by 12GB RAM and 256GB/512GB storage.

Samsung Galaxy S26's CPU and GPU performance score on Geekbench 6.0.

It should be noted that Samsung, in order to differentiate the S26 series variants, has incorporated a more powerful custom Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy in the S26 Ultra model.

That said, the regular S26 is no less of a premium phone in terms of performance. Be it graphics-rich games or running generative Artificial Intelligence (gen AI), the device doesn't sweat much when used indoors.

However, in harsh summer conditions outdoors, S26, like any other premium phone with a metal frame and glass cover, tend to get warm during heavy-duty tasks. But, not overwhelming to complain about.

The device runs Android 16-based One UI 8.5 OS. It is clean and comes with a lot of customisation options in wallpaper and themes to match the customer's taste and style.

Samsung Galaxy S26.

Like all Galaxy S series phones, the Galaxy S26 is guaranteed to get seven years of Android OS updates and also security patches for up to 2033.

Similar to the Galaxy S26+ and S26 Ultra, this S26 model too comes deeply integrated with Perplexity AI across select Samsung apps — including Samsung Notes, Clock, Gallery, Reminder and Calendar, as well as select third-party apps. Samsung will expand it to more apps later this year.

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 Galaxy S26.

Also, Galaxy S26 series will come with the most advanced AI-powered editing tools to remove, add objects and do more, to deliver an enhanced photography experience for the owners.

The device houses a 4,300mAh battery. It can last a full day under normal usage with Wi-Fi at home and the office. However, if you are fully reliant on the 5G internet via cellular SIM all day, the device may last up to evening and require a power bank, or connect to a charging point.

With 25W wired charging capability, it can reach from zero to 100 per cent mark in around one hour.

It supports 15W wireless charging capability. It can also reverse charge another device at 4.5W speed.

Samsung Galaxy S26's camera sample.

Photography

The Galaxy S26 houses a triple camera module-- main 50 MP wide camera (with f/1.8 aperture, 1/1.56-inch sensor, 1.0µm pixel size, dual pixel PDAF, OIS: Optical Image Stabilisation) backed by 10 MP telephoto lens (with f/2.4, 67mm sensor, 1/3.94-inch sensor, 1.0µm, PDAF: Phase Detection Auto Focus, OIS: Optical Image Stabilisation, 3x optical zoom ) and a 120-degree ultra-wide 12MP (with f/2.2, 13mm, 1/2.55-inch sensor, 1.4µm pixel size) with LED flash on the back.

Samsung Galaxy S26's camera sample.

Samsung's premium phone does a fantastic job with photos in almost all light conditions.

Samsung Galaxy S26's camera sample.

As you can see from the camera samples, the Galaxy S26 manages to capture crisp, clear photos in natural sunlight.

Samsung Galaxy S26's camera sample.

Though it adds a bit of warmth to the colours, the subjects, be it a human face or the flowers, look more vibrant, worthy to be shared on social media platforms.

Samsung Galaxy S26's camera sample.

In close range too, the Galaxy S26 takes neat images with all the minute details.

Samsung Galaxy S26's camera sample.

Samsung Galaxy S26's camera sample.

At night, the device does a good job with pretty sharp photos with less noise.

Samsung Galaxy S26's camera sample.

Samsung Galaxy S26's camera sample.

Samsung Galaxy S26's camera sample.

With portrait mode, the Galaxy S26 gets pretty nice images with edge detection and artfully blurs the background to get that bokeh effect.

Samsung Galaxy S26's camera sample.

It can also take ultra-wide-angle photos, and it does an amazing job of capturing vast landscapes within the frame.

Samsung Galaxy S26's camera sample.

It supports digital zoom up to 30X. It takes loss-less quality zoom photos up to 10X.

Samsung Galaxy S26's camera sample.

Also, like all premium phones in the market, Samsung has incorporated gen AI photography editing tools such as object eraser, photo unblur and more. But, have to say, these are the best in the class, making Galaxy S26 stand out among the rival brands.

Samsung Galaxy S26's camera sample.

The main camera is capable of recording high-quality 8K videos at 24/30fps (frames per second) .

It can even record 4K videos at 30/60fps, full HD 1080p at 30/60/120 fps. It can even record slow-motion videos in full HD quality at 240fps.

Samsung Galaxy S26's camera sample.

On the front, it houses a 23mm wide 12MP (f/2.2, 1/3.2-inch sensor, 1.12µm pixel size, dual pixel PDAF) camera.

Samsung Galaxy S26's camera sample.

It takes pretty nice selfies and also gets super stable, high-quality video during phone calls. Further, it comes with native tools and filters to make the face photogenic.

Samsung Galaxy S26's camera sample.

The front camera can record 4K videos at 30/60 fps and full HD 1080p at 30 fps.

Samsung Galaxy S26's camera sample.

Final thoughts

Though not as powerful or big as the S26 Ultra, the Galaxy S26 delivers good performance without any sign of lag-ness as such. As noted earlier, it can last a full day under normal usage, and the camera is really good, on par with rival brands in its class.

Samsung Galaxy S26.

The one thing that makes the compact premium phone Galaxy S26 class apart is the deeply integrated gen AI features.

The Galaxy S26 is available two configurations-- 12GB RAM + 256GB storage, and 12GB RAM + 512GB storage -- for Rs 87,999, and Rs 1,07,999, respectively.

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