5 reasons to consider the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

The Galaxy S26 Ultra is Samsung’s most capable flagship, powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, featuring the world’s first built-in Privacy Display on mobile, and equipped with the brightest camera system Samsung has ever put in a Galaxy phone.

Here is a quick summary of what sets the Galaxy S26 Ultra apart:

The Galaxy S26 Ultra features updated Galaxy AI tools designed to make everyday tasks easier. Now Brief^[1] and Now Bar^[2] surface useful information such as reminders, reservations, and daily updates without requiring you to open multiple apps.

Samsung has also improved how AI works across apps. In Samsung Browser, you can summarize webpages, translate content, or ask questions about what you’re reading.

On the creative side, Photo Assist^[3] lets you edit images using voice and text prompts, such as removing objects or adding elements. Creative Studio^[4] goes a step further — it is a standalone tool that generates entirely new visuals from scratch using text prompts, including stickers, wallpapers, invitation cards, greeting cards, and profile images.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra can also summarize notifications and highlight important information, making it easier to manage messages and alerts.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra brings a number of camera upgrades that improve both photo and video quality in everyday use.

One of the most noticeable changes is the 24MP shooting option, which captures more detail than the default 12MP mode while keeping similar dynamic range.

Samsung has also improved the hardware. The wide camera now has an f/1.4 aperture, letting in 47% more light than the Galaxy S25 Ultra. This helps with low-light photography, reduces noise, and creates more natural background blur in portraits. The 50MP 5x telephoto lens has also been upgraded to f/2.9, bringing in 37% more light at zoom distances.

Video recording has also been upgraded. The new APV format allows for higher-quality video, including support for 8K recording, along with better control over color. Features like Log video with preview make it easier to see how footage will look after editing.

There are also improvements to stabilization. Super Steady^[5] with Horizontal Lock keeps videos level even when the phone is moving or turning, which is useful when recording while walking or filming action.

Samsung has also expanded its pro camera tools. Features like Expert RAW now offer more flexibility, including virtual aperture across multiple lenses and tools like a virtual reflector for better lighting in portraits.

Together, these changes make the Galaxy S26 Ultra camera more versatile, whether you’re taking everyday photos, shooting in low light, or recording high-quality video.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra features one of the best displays you’ll find on a smartphone, with a panel that’s extremely bright, vivid while still preserving color accuracy, and has inky blacks.

What really sets it apart from the crowd is the world’s first built-in Privacy Display^[6] on mobile. Instead of relying on a third-party screen protector, Samsung has built privacy protection directly into the display.

When enabled, Privacy Display makes the screen harder to read from side angles, which can be useful when using your phone in public or around other people. At the same time, it doesn’t get in the way of normal use, and you can control how it works depending on the situation.

For example, you can make the effect stronger with Maximum Privacy Protection, have it turn on automatically when opening certain apps or entering a PIN, or apply it only to notification pop-ups so messages are harder for others to read.

It’s a simple idea, but one that makes the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s display unique and more useful in everyday situations.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, and it feels fast no matter what you’re doing. Apps open quickly, switching between them is smooth, and the phone doesn’t really slow down even when you push it a bit.

It’s also a solid phone for gaming. The improved GPU helps deliver smoother gameplay, and Samsung has added Vulkan optimizations for a wide range of games, which helps keep performance stable. An upgraded cooling system that's the largest of any Galaxy S Ultra smartphone also plays a role here, helping the phone manage heat better during longer sessions.

AI performance has improved as well, thanks to a faster NPU. This helps with things like image editing, context-aware suggestions, and other AI features running in the background without slowing the phone down.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra isn’t just about what it can do today, it’s also built to hold up well over time. With a powerful processor, it has enough performance headroom to handle future updates and new features without slowing down.

Samsung also promises seven years of Android OS upgrades and seven years of security updates, which is one of the longest support commitments you can get on an Android phone right now. That alone makes it easier to keep the device for several years without worrying about missing out on updates.

Features like Galaxy AI are also likely to improve with time, so the phone will gain new capabilities through software updates.

On top of that, the overall package — display, performance, camera, and battery — is very well-rounded, so you’re not buying a phone that’s strong in one area but lacking in others.

^{[1] Now Brief: Samsung account login and network connection required.}

^{[2] Now Bar: Samsung account login and network connection required.}

^{[3] Photo Assist: Requires network connection and Samsung account login. A visible watermark is overlaid on the saved image to indicate it was generated by Galaxy AI. Accuracy of output not guaranteed.}

^{[4] Creative Studio: Requires network connection and Samsung account login. Accuracy of output not guaranteed.}

^{[5] Super Steady: Super Steady results may vary depending on editing method and/or shooting conditions.}

^{[6] Privacy Display: Requires manual activation in settings to function. Privacy Display feature is not AI-powered.}