In this article, we’ll be comparing two high-end smartphones from Samsung. In other words, this is a Samsung Galaxy S26 vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra comparison. Both of these phones were announced quite recently, actually, at the end of February. They went on sale a couple of days ago, along with their Galaxy S26+ sibling. Having said that, the two phones we’re comparing here are siblings, but they are quite different.
Design-wise, there is not much difference, but there is under the hood, and in the general feel of using them, as the ‘Ultra’ model is considerably larger. As per usual, we’ll first list the specs of both phones, and will then move to compare their designs, displays, performance, battery life, cameras, and audio output. Before we start, do note that we have reviewed both the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Ultra at this point.
Specs
Samsung Galaxy S26
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
| Samsung Galaxy S26 | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 149.6 x 71.7 x 7.2 mm | 163.6 x 78.1 x 7.9 mm |
| Weight | 167 grams | 214 grams |
| Display | 6.3-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X | 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display |
| Refresh rate | 1-120Hz | 1-120Hz (adaptive) |
| Resolution | 2340 x 1080 | 3120 x 1440 |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy / Samsung Exynos 2600 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 |
| RAM | 12GB (LPDDR5X) | 12GB/16GB (LPDDR5X) |
| Storage | 256GB/512GB (UFS 4.0) | 256GB/512GB/1TB |
| Main camera | 50MP (wide, f/1.8 aperture, 1/1.56-inch sensor size, 1.0um pixel size, dual pixel PDAF, OIS) | 200MP (wide, f/1.4 aperture, 1/1.3-inch sensor size, OIS, multi-directional PDAF) |
| Ultra-wide camera | 12MP (f/2.2 aperture, 1/2.55-inch sensor size, 120-degree FoV, 1.4um pixel size) | 50MP (f/1.9 aperture, 120-degree FoV, dual pixel PDAF) |
| Telephoto camera | 10MP (f/2.4 aperture, 1/3.94-inch sensor size, 1.0um pixel size, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom) | 10MP (f/2.4 aperture, 1/3.94-inch sensor size, 1.12um pixel size, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom) |
| Periscope telephoto camera | N/A | 50MP (f/2.9 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 | 4,300mAh | 5,000mAh |
| Charging | 25W wired, 15W wireless (Qi2 Ready), 4.5W reverse wireless (charger not included) | 60W wired, 25W wireless (charger not included) |
| Colors | Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue, Black, White, Silver Shadow, Pink Gold | Black, Cobalt Violet, Pink Gold, Silver Shadow, Sky Blue, White |
Samsung Galaxy S26 vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: Design
If you take a look at these two phones side-by-side, you’ll notice that they’re very similar. The ‘Ultra’ model has not been this similar to the standard Galaxy S model for a long time. Both phones include flat displays with a centered display camera hole up top. The bezels on both are both thin and uniform as well. The corner curvature is identical on both of them, not too sharp, but not too rounded either.
The frame is flat on both phones, and it’s made out of aluminum. You’ll find their physical buttons on the right-hand side. The power/lock button sits below the volume up and down keys. Those are all the physical buttons on the devices; there’s nothing placed on the left side. The backplate is also flat on both phones, and we’re looking at a glass backplate here, which is quite slippery.
The camera setups look very similar as well, though the Galaxy S26 Ultra has some added sensors next to the pill-shaped camera island. The Galaxy S26 Ultra also has one extra camera on the back, and different camera hardware in general, more on that later. The Galaxy S26 is a lot shorter, narrower, and a bit thinner than the Galaxy S26 Ultra. It’s also considerably lighter at 167 grams compared to 214 grams. Both phones are IP68 certified for water and dust resistance.
Samsung Galaxy S26 vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: Display
The Samsung Galaxy S26 features a 6.3-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X display. That panel is flat, and it supports a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. HDR10+ content is also supported, and the peak brightness here is 2,600 nits. The screen-to-body ratio is at around 90%, while the display aspect ratio is 19.5:9. You’ll get a resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels here, while the display is protected by the Gorilla Glass Victus 2.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra, on the other hand, includes a 6.9-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X panel. That display is also flat, and it offers a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. HDR10+ content is supported, while the peak brightness is 2,600 nits. This phone has a screen-to-body ratio of around 91%, and a display aspect ratio of 19.5:9. The resolution here is 3120 x 1440 pixels, while the Gorilla Armor 2 protects this panel.
Both of these displays are really good, actually. They’re both vivid, have great viewing angles, and good touch response. They also get bright enough when needed. The Galaxy S26 Ultra has the benefit of the Gorilla Armor 2 to fight off glare, while it also has the Privacy Display feature to prevent shoulder surfers from seeing the screen. Those are the two main advantages of the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s panel.
Samsung Galaxy S26 vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: Performance
The Samsung Galaxy S26 actually comes in two SoC options. In some countries, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy is used, while in others the Exynos 2600 is deployed. Both of those are flagship chips, and the Snapdragon unit is actually an overclocked variant of the standard chip. The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is a 3nm chip, while the Exynos 2600 is a 2nm processor.
The Galaxy S26 combines that chip with 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM, while the Galaxy S26 Ultra offers 12GB or 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM. Both smartphones also include UFS 4.0 flash storage. You will not be able to expand storage on either phone, so choose carefully between available storage variants.
General performance is really, really good on both devices. In fact, they seem to be performing about the same, in all honesty, at least as far as the user experience is concerned. Do note that we’ve had usage time with Snapdragon variants of both devices. In general day-to-day use, both are very snappy, with nothing to complain about. They don’t get particularly warm either, unless you’re gaming. Even then, neither phone got too hot to handle or anything like that. Gaming performance was also on a high level.
Samsung Galaxy S26 vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: Battery
The Samsung Galaxy S26 includes a 4,300mAh battery, while the Galaxy S26 Ultra has a 5,000mAh battery on the inside. The Galaxy S26 Ultra does have a notably larger display, so this is to be expected. It’s a shame Samsung is not using silicon-carbon batteries, as many of the competitors overshadow both of these phones in terms of battery capacity. Samsung did a fine job of optimizing both phones for power consumption, though.
During our Galaxy S26 Ultra review, we realized that the phone actually offers great battery life. The thing is, the Galaxy S25 Ultra did the same, until some updates, several months after launch, messed up its battery life. We hope that the same will not happen with the Galaxy S26 Ultra. As things stand, the phone is really well optimized, and it offers better battery life than its battery capacity would suggest. Something similar can be said for the Galaxy S26 as well, actually. The battery life it offers is… well, great considering the battery capacity. As things stand right now, you have nothing to worry about.
The Galaxy S26 has the same charging speed as its predecessor, it supports 25W wired, 15W wireless (Qi2 Ready), and 4.5W reverse wireless charging. The Galaxy S26 Ultra, on the other hand, gets improved charging. It supports 60W wired, 25W wireless, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging. We managed to charge the Galaxy S26 in an hour and 22 minutes, while the Galaxy S26 Ultra was fully charged in 45 minutes.
Samsung Galaxy S26 vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: Cameras
The Samsung Galaxy S26 features three cameras on the back. A 50-megapixel main camera (1/1.56-inch sensor size) is backed by a 12-megapixel ultrawide snapper (1/2.55-inch sensor size, 120-degree FoV). The third camera on the back is a 10-megapixel telephoto shooter (1/3.94-inch sensor size, 3x optical zoom).
The Galaxy S26 Ultra, on the other hand, has four cameras on the back. A 200-megapixel main camera (1/1.3-inch sensor size) is backed by a 50-megapixel ultrawide snapper (1/2.5-inch sensor size, 120-degree FoV). A 10-megapixel telephoto camera (1/3.94-inch sensor size, 3x optical zoom) is also included on the back, as is a 50-megapixel periscope telephoto camera (1/2.52-inch sensor size, 5x optical zoom).
The Galaxy S26 Ultra is definitely the more capable phone out of the two, in terms of camera performance, even though the Galaxy S26 does a fine job. Processing has been improved on both phones, and the images are a bit brighter on the Galaxy S26 Ultra. The Galaxy S26 Ultra’s periscope telephoto camera provides noticeably more detailed images than the one on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, due to a different prism structure. The results are definitely not the same as on their predecessors despite many camera similarities. The Galaxy S26 actually didn’t get a single change in terms of camera hardware, but it does do a better job than the Galaxy S25.
Audio
When it comes to audio output, both phones have stereo speakers. They are loud enough, but not to the extent of the loudest phone speakers out there. The sound output quality is good as well.
There is no audio jack on either of these two smartphones. You can use their Type-C ports to connect your wired headphones, though, if you want. Bluetooth 5.4 is supported by the Galaxy S26, while the Galaxy S26 Ultra supports Bluetooth 6.0.
The post Phone Comparisons: Samsung Galaxy S26 vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra appeared first on Android Headlines.
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