Just over a year ago, I sat here and declared the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra to be a big, powerful phone that no longer felt special. Yes, it offered a big battery, flexible cameras, and a built-in S Pen, but so did the Galaxy S24 Ultra before it, and the Galaxy S23 Ultra before that, and… you get the picture. So, when leaks of the Galaxy S26 Ultra began to flow, showing off a big battery, flexible cameras, and yes, a built-in S Pen, I decided to exercise caution rather than excitement.
After all, I’ve been fooled by hope before. I’ve seen one flagship launch after another promise new levels of power and clever AI features that I’ll definitely actually use this time, only to find myself in the same usage patterns as before. But now that I’ve had the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra for a few weeks, I can confidently say it’s no mere clone of the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Is it special again? Maybe not quite yet, and there’s still more I’d like to see from the series in the future, but I know it’s a good enough iteration of Samsung’s ever-popular, super-premium flagship to keep its place in my pocket a while longer — here’s why.
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