Samsung is having a moment. A new report from Counterpoint Research shows that the Galaxy S26 series recorded 13% higher sales in its first six weeks after launch than the Galaxy S25 series a year ago. That’s not a small win. And this is likely partly due to the RAM crisis, as people are upgrading before prices skyrocket.
This shouldn’t surprise anyone who’s been paying attention. The early signs were already screaming success. The first three-week numbers showed an even more bonkers figure, with sales up 29% YoY for the Galaxy S26 lineup in its first 3 weeks of availability. The six-week figure is more of a “normalized” view once the initial launch hype settles. Either way, Samsung is winning.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra Is Doing All the Heavy Lifting
Here’s where it gets interesting. The Galaxy S26 Ultra alone accounted for 71% of total sales, about 10% higher than the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s share last year. That’s a huge jump. Seven out of every ten Galaxy S26 buyers are walking out with the Ultra. Not the base. Not the Plus. The big one. The most expensive one.
Why? Privacy Display is a legit standout feature, and we said as much in our Galaxy S26 Ultra review. Carriers also went absolutely nuclear with promos. AT&T and T-Mobile offered the Galaxy S26 Ultra for free when trading in a device or opening a new line of service, which is hard to say no to.
But there’s another piece here. Higher prices for the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Plus led more users to choose the Ultra model instead. When the gap between tiers feels small, people just go for the best. That’s exactly what happened. And it lines up with what we covered in our Galaxy S26 review: the base model is good, but the Ultra is the obvious move if you can swing it.
The broader market got a lift, too. In the three weeks following these new model launches, the US smartphone market grew 5% YoY, with Samsung leading the charge alongside Apple’s iPhone 17e and the Pixel 10a. After a sluggish January and February that saw Android sales tank 14% in the US, Samsung’s late-March launch basically saved the quarter for Android.
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