The annual Galaxy S-series update is here and the S26 Ultra gets the latest Qualcomm flagship chip, a new privacy display that keeps eyes away from your screen and the fastest charging ever on a Galaxy. It is slightly thinner (7.2 mm) and lighter (214 grams) than its predecessor, replacing the titanium frame with aluminum and retaining the Gorilla Glass Victus 2.
There aren’t many visual changes ahead – watch it on video here. You get a 6.9-inch LTPO AMOLED display with QHD+ resolution and 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate. It’s rated at up to 2,600 nits of peak local brightness, just like the S25 Ultra, and has Corning Gorilla Armor 2 protection. Samsung isn’t killing the stylus as the S Pen will live for yet another year, but it’s still Bluetooth-less. An impressive anti-reflective display coating, ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, and a 12MP selfie camera are also present here.
The new bit is Privacy Display, which blurs parts of the screen when viewed from an angle. This is actually a hardware breakthrough in which Samsung is able to dim specific pixels of the screen so that they appear black when viewed from the side.
This should be great for keeping prying passers-by at bay while on public transit, and it works in conjunction with the software to dim notifications, pop-ups, and password entries so your information stays safe. Privacy Display can be toggled manually, or you can hand the phone over to automatically enable it when you’re on the go.
Unlike its S26 siblings, the S26 Ultra gets Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for the Galaxy in all regions. This is paired with 12GB RAM on the base 256GB storage variant and 512GB model, while the 1TB trim is upgraded to 16GB RAM.
There is not going to be any major change in the camera department in the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Last year’s 200MP main camera is once again present, but now features a wider f/1.4 aperture to capture better light in low-light scenarios. Samsung claims that the updated main sensor can capture 47% more light.
The 10MP has a smaller 1/3.94” sensor for the 3x telephoto, compared to the 1/3.52” imager on the S25 Ultra. The longer-reaching 50MP 5x telephoto gets an updated f/2.9 aperture, which is 37% brighter than before. The 50MP ultrawide lens is unchanged from last year.
Samsung has been hesitant about battery upgrades, so the S26 Ultra has the same 5,000 mAh battery capacity as the last few generations of Ultra Galaxies. But this time there is fast charging. The S26 Ultra finally overcame the 45W charging limit and is now capable of 60W wired charging speeds, although you’ll have to provide your own charger. This should be enough to give you a 0-75% charge in 30 minutes.
You also get up to 25W wireless charging via a compatible Qi 2.2 charger and 4.5W reverse wireless charging.
Like its S26 siblings, the S26 Ultra boots One UI 8.5 based on Android 16 and has plenty of Galaxy AI features on board.
Samsung’s Photo Assist suite allows faster edits and enhancements using Galaxy AI in the native Gallery app. Galaxy AI will also classify your screenshots by category. Creative Studio provides an easy way to create custom stickers, greeting cards and wallpapers from your photos or rough sketches.
Audio Eraser is gaining support for third-party apps like YouTube, Netflix, and Instagram and will be able to reduce background noise and isolate voices so you can actually hear what’s happening on your favorite TV show.
Call Screening will filter incoming calls and prevent spam by answering the call and identifying the caller, as well as giving you an on-screen transcript.
Now Nudge can provide relevant information based on what you’re doing with your phone. For example, it can suggest relevant photos when messaging friends or remind you of calendar appointments so you can easily plan. Now Brief can use information from your notifications, messages and emails to bring you relevant information and shortcuts right on your home screen.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra will be available in Black, Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue and White along with two online exclusive colors – Silver and Pink Gold, which will be available through Samsung.com.
ground line 12/256GB trim starts €1,450. Midway 12/512GB will go for model €1,650While the top tier 16GB/1TB is set to €1,950. Pre-orders begin today, while the official sale is scheduled for March 11.
