Samsung has announced its new flagship smartphones, the Galaxy S26 series, today. The Galaxy S26 Ultra is the most powerful phone out of the bunch, and in this article, we’ll compare it to its predecessor. In other words, we’ll compare the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Do note that we still have not reviewed the Galaxy S26 Ultra, of course. For in-depth information, you’ll need to wait for our review, which will be coming in the near future. Stay tuned.
With that being said, let’s get to comparing the two devices. We’ll first list the spec sheets of both phones, and will then move to compare them across a number of other categories. We will compare their designs, displays, performance, battery life, cameras, and audio output. Yes, they are very similar in many ways, but there are some differences. With that being said, let’s get to it.
Specs
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
| Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 163.6 x 78.1 x 7.9 mm | 162.8 x 77.6 x 8.2 mm |
| Weight | 214 grams | 218 grams |
| Display | 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display | 6.9-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X |
| Refresh rate | 1-120Hz (adaptive) | 1-120Hz (adaptive) |
| Resolution | 3120 x 1440 | 3120 x 1440 |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy |
| RAM | 12GB/16GB (LPDDR5X) | 12GB (LPDDR5X) |
| Storage | 256GB/512GB/1TB | 256GB/512GB/1TB (UFS 4.0) |
| Main camera | 200MP (wide, f/1.4 aperture, 1/1.3-inch sensor size, OIS, multi-directional PDAF) | 200MP (wide, f/1.7 aperture, 1/1.3-inch sensor size, OIS, multi-directional PDAF) |
| Ultra-wide camera | 50MP (f/1.9 aperture, 120-degree FoV, dual pixel PDAF) | 50MP (f/1.9 aperture, 120-degree FoV, dual pixel PDAF) |
| Telephoto camera | 10MP (f/2.4 aperture, 1/3.94-inch sensor size, 1.12um pixel size, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom) | 10MP (f/2.4 aperture, 1/3.52-inch sensor size, 1.12um pixel size, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom) |
| Periscope telephoto camera | 50MP (f/2.9 aperture, 1/2.52-inch sensor size, 0.7um pixel size, PDAF, OIS, 5x optical zoom) | 50MP (f/3.4 aperture, 1/2.52-inch sensor size, 0.7um pixel size, PDAF, OIS, 5x optical zoom) |
| Selfie camera | 12MP (f/2.2 aperture, 1/3.2-inch sensor size, 1.12um pixel size) | 12MP (f/2.2 aperture, 1/3.2-inch sensor size, 1.12um pixel size) |
| Battery size | 5,000m,Ah | 5,000mAh |
| Charging | 60W wired, 25W wireless (charger not included) | 45W wired, 15W wireless (Qi2 Ready), 4.5W reverse wireless (charger not included) |
| Colors | Black, Cobalt Violet, Pink Gold, Silver Shadow, Sky Blue, White | Titanium Silver Blue, Titanium Black, Titanium White Silver, Titanium Gray, Titanium Jade Green, Titanium Jet Black, Titanium Pink Gold |
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Design
While their designs are very similar, you’ll immediately notice some differences. The Galaxy S26 Ultra has slightly more rounded corners than the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Both phones have flat displays and a centered display camera hole up top. The bezels are uniform on both devices, and they’re very thin as well. The power/lock and volume up and down keys sit on the right-hand side of both phones.
The frame on both devices is flat all around; there are no differences in that department. Samsung did use aluminum for the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s frame, while titanium was used last year for the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s. The difference in terms of weight is negligible, though, as the Galaxy S26 Ultra is only 4 grams lighter than the Galaxy S25 Ultra. The backplate is made of glass on both phones.
Speaking of the back, both phones have flat backplates, but their camera setups look slightly different. The Galaxy S26 Ultra actually has a camera island for the three cutouts on the left, which are three of its four cameras. The other two cutouts protrude straight from the backplate. The Galaxy S25 Ultra, on the other hand, has five cutouts, and all of them poke straight from the backplate.
Both of these smartphones are IP68 certified for water and dust resistance. Both phones are also quite slippery, and they feel similar in the hand. There is also an S Pen stylus tucked away inside both phones, and it’s available from the bottom.l
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Display
When it comes to displays, well, they do look very similar on paper, but there are some differences that we’ll mention. Both of them have 6.9-inch QHD+ (3120 x 1440) LTPO AMOLED 2X panels with an adaptive refresh rate (1-120Hz), HDR10+ support, and a peak brightness of around 2,600 nits. The screen-to-body ratio is around 92% on both devices, while the Gorilla Armor 2 protects both displays.
So, they’re identical, right? No, not really. The Galaxy S26 Ultra has a different display, with newer tech. On top of that, it has the much-talked-about Privacy Display feature, which is a combination of hardware and software. You can basically block shoulder surfers from seeing your screen when you enable this feature, which is not something that the Galaxy S25 Ultra offers. All in all, the Galaxy S26 Ultra does have a better and more modern display.
You’ll also notice that both phones use Gorilla Armor 2 protection from Corning. That not only provides great display protection, but it also plays an important role when it comes to glare. Gorilla Armor 2 proved to be great in that regard on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, and now it’s back on the Galaxy S26 Ultra. It’s the best display protection to fight off reflections in the market, at least from what we’ve seen. Both displays are vivid, have good viewing angles (when the privacy display is off on the Galaxy S26 Ultra), and good touch response.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Performance
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 fuels the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. That is Qualcomm’s most powerful chip to date, a 3nm processor. That chip is paired with either 12GB or 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM inside the phone. The availability of that RAM will be market-dependent, of course. Do note that you cannot expand storage here either, but 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB options are available.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, on the other hand, is fueled by the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy. That was Qualcomm’s flagship chip last year, and it’s also a 3nm processor. That processor is paired with 12GB or 16GB of RAM inside this phone, while the same storage options are available. This phone doesn’t offer storage expansion either.
Needless to say, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is a more powerful smartphone. It has a newer and more powerful processor, but the Galaxy S25 Ultra still performs like a champ, no doubt about that. We’ll put the Galaxy S26 Ultra through its paces soon, in our full review, but we are expecting outstanding performance considering the hardware on offer here. Let’s hope that Samsung did a good job of optimizing everything.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Battery
When it comes to battery capacity, there is no difference between these two smartphones. Samsung still refuses to use silicon-carbon tech, which is why both phones are stuck with 5,000mAh battery packs. Some of their competitors from China offer way more battery capacity. The Galaxy S25 Ultra did offer really good battery life, at first, though it did deteriorate over time, probably due to updates.
We did experience that we’re getting notably less use out of the phone in the last couple of months than we did before. When it launched, the battery life was actually excellent, much better than you’d think for a 5,000mAh unit. We’ll see how the Galaxy S26 Ultra will fare once we test the battery life, as that’s not something we can comment on at this time. Let’s hope Samsung put all the right optimizations in place, though.
When it comes to charging, the Galaxy S26 Ultra supports 60W wired charging, and thus, the charging is faster than the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s 45W wired charging. When it comes to wireless charging, that’s where the new phone has the edge as well. The phone supports 25W wireless charging compared to the 15W wireless charging that the Galaxy S25 Ultra offers. There are no magnets in the new phone either, unfortunately. Reverse wireless charging is supported by both phones. Neither device ships with a charger, though.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Cameras
The cameras across these two phones are almost identical. There are only slight differences. The Galaxy S26 Ultra features a 200-megapixel main camera with an f/1.4 aperture and a 1/1.3-inch sensor size. There is also a 50-megapixel ultrawide camera (1/2.5-inch sensor size, 120-degree FoV) and a 10-megapixel telephoto camera (1/3.94-inch sensor size, 3x optical zoom). The last camera on the back is a 50-megapixel periscope telephoto unit (1/2.52-inch sensor size, 5x optical zoom, f/2.9 aperture).
The Galaxy S25 Ultra, on the other hand, has that same 200-megapixel main camera sensor, but it has a narrower aperture at an f/1.7. Its ultrawide camera is exactly the same as on the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Its periscope telephoto camera is identical in all ways but one, it has a narrower aperture on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, f/3.4. Samsung used a bit larger telephoto sensor inside the Galaxy S25 Ultra, though, it seems, as it offers a 10-megapixel telephoto camera with a 1/3.52-inch sensor size, and 3x optical zoom.
Last year’s flagship did a good job with photos, but not to the level of the best camera smartphones out there. The images were not particularly accurate, and they did get oversaturated at times. It remains to be seen if the Galaxy S26 Ultra will deliver some improvements in that regard, despite the fact it has an almost identical camera setup.
Audio
In terms of audio, both phones do a very good job. Both of them include stereo speakers, which are plenty loud. Well, we did not get to see much from the Galaxy S26 Ultra, but it does seem to deliver similar quality to the Galaxy S25 Ultra. More on that soon.
There is no audio jack on either of these two smartphones. You can connect your wired headphones to their Type-C ports, though, if you’d like. Alternatively, Bluetooth 5.4 is available on both devices.
The post Phone Comparisons: Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra appeared first on Android Headlines.
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