Galaxy S26 Ultra teardown uncovers new cooling trick and high repairability

When Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S26 Ultra, one of the upgrades it highlighted was a redesigned cooling system. It features a slightly beefier vapor chamber and, more importantly, a redesigned TIM (thermal interface material).

Samsung hasn’t explained much about how it works, but a recent PBKreviews teardown sheds more light on the phone's internal design. And by the looks of it, the new cooling system has one extra layer compared to the S25 Ultra.

According to the teardown video below, Samsung’s upgraded cooling system for the Galaxy S26 Ultra has four main layers. From top to bottom, they consist of:

The Galaxy S25 Ultra had only the first three components. The Galaxy S26 Ultra improves cooling by adding thermal paste, which helps transfer heat more efficiently through the thermal pads and graphite pad, and eventually into the vapor chamber.

Thermal pads are often adequate and Samsung used them a lot, but generally speaking, thermal paste is considered a superior alternative. However, Samsung didn't have to choose and is now using both solutions to transfer heat away from the Galaxy S26 Ultra's chips.

Besides revealing the new cooling system, the video also looks at repairability, where Samsung's new flagship phone seemingly takes another win.

How is that possible? Well, despite the thinner body and the slightly more complex cooling setup, the Galaxy S26 Ultra received the same repairability score as the S25 Ultra — a 9/10 on PBKreviews’ scale. For a closer look at the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s internals, watch the full teardown video below.

If you’re planning to buy the new Ultra, consider doing so during the pre-order period. It ends tomorrow, and it’s unclear whether Samsung will continue offering perks, deals, and freebies once the pre-order benefits expire.