Galaxy S26 Ultra upgrades I want but probably won’t get

Samsung launched the first Galaxy S Ultra phone in 2020 with the Galaxy S20 Ultra. Since then, every new model in the lineup has delivered a long list of upgrades, often making it easy to justify upgrading from the previous generation.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra, however, feels different. Based on what we know so far, Samsung’s next Ultra flagship appears set to offer just four meaningful upgrades over the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Those upgrades are as follows: first, a new AMOLED display with 10-bit color depth; second, Privacy Display, which limits side-angle visibility; third, a faster and more efficient processor in the form of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5; and fourth, faster 60W charging, up from 45W.

With only four headline upgrades, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is shaping up to be one of the least ambitious updates Samsung has ever delivered in the history of the Ultra lineup.

At this point, it feels fair to say that Samsung should have offered more. That brings me to the four upgrades I want to see on the Galaxy S26 Ultra—but probably (most likely?) won’t.

To be clear, the Galaxy S26 Ultra will not be a bad phone. Far from it.

It is expected to feature Samsung’s new M14 OLED panel with 10-bit color depth. This allows the display to show more colors, resulting in smoother gradients and less color banding, especially in darker images and scenes. It is a quality-focused improvement that display enthusiasts will appreciate, even if most users may not notice it immediately.

The Privacy Display reduces side-angle viewing, making it harder for people around you to see what’s on your screen. It’s a useful feature for anyone who often uses their phone in public or for work.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is expected to deliver better performance and improved power efficiency than its predecessor. That should translate into smoother day-to-day use, better sustained gaming performance, and potentially longer battery life. This is an area where Samsung rarely disappoints.

Faster charging is another sensible upgrade. The Galaxy S26 Ultra is expected to support 60W charging, up from 45W on the current model. While 45W is already fast enough for most users, Samsung hasn’t improved charging speeds since 2019.

That stagnation has become increasingly hard to defend, especially as rival brands push far higher speeds. With the Galaxy S26 Ultra, Samsung is finally addressing that complaint.

The issue, once again, is not the quality of these upgrades. It's the quantity.

When you step back and look at the Galaxy S26 Ultra as a whole, four headline upgrades feel unusually modest for Samsung’s top-tier flagship. Previous Ultra models typically introduced multiple camera improvements, major display enhancements, and sometimes even noticeable design changes.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra feels too much like a refinement cycle. That may be acceptable for casual users, but Ultra buyers are usually enthusiasts. They expect Samsung to push boundaries, not just polish existing features.

And that brings us to the upgrades I wish Samsung would include.

Samsung is expected to offer the Galaxy S26 Ultra with 16GB of RAM only with the 1TB storage variant. The brand is continuously adding more AI features to One UI, and some of the new ones require more memory than older ones.

12GB of RAM no longer feels worthy of an Ultra phone in 2026. Offering 16GB across all models would better future-proof the device and reinforce its flagship status.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra uses a 10MP sensor for its 3x telephoto camera, and Samsung is expected to reuse it on the Galaxy S26 Ultra. While it delivers decent image quality, a 10MP sensor feels outdated.

A move to a 50MP sensor would significantly improve detail and low-light performance, while also bringing consistency across the non-primary rear cameras. Samsung has already demonstrated the benefits of higher-resolution sensors elsewhere, which makes this omission hard to justify.

This is a small change that could make a big difference. OIS on the selfie camera would improve low-light selfies, video stabilization, and video call quality. For a phone positioned as the ultimate content creation tool, the lack of OIS on the front camera feels increasingly dated, especially when its main rival, the Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max, already offers it.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra packs a 5,000mAh battery, and the Galaxy S26 Ultra is expected to stick with the same capacity. This comes despite a brighter display and a more powerful processor. Even if efficiency improvements allow the upcoming phone to offer a similar battery life as its predecessor, I was hoping to see the capacity increase to at least 5,500mAh.

That would have pushed endurance even further, and more battery life is something no one complains about. A 5,000mAh battery also feels less impressive in 2026, when many competing phones offer capacities of 6,000mAh and higher.