Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Review: Privacy Matters

Those not familiar with the model of Samsung’s Galaxy Ultra are simply two smartphones the galaxy S line and the Galaxy Note line. While Samsung’s decision to merge the two into one and kill the Note made sense, it appears that the S Pen is holding back from becoming a true “Ultra”, based on an original term coined by Samsung itself but has since been redefined in Chinese competition. The other thing that is particularly a problem with this issue is Samsung’s lack of new battery technology and the switch in its camera hardware.

Like most of the Galaxy S series models, we are given core hardware updates by the Samsung Galaxy s26 Ultra (in typical Samsung fashion), but for one time it adds a new Privacy Display feature, re-designed video stabilisation capability and faster charging. While the last one is an incremental upgrade, the first two are new features of paraphrasingr. Will Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra convince older buyers to upgrade since it has also changed its design?

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Design: Slimmer, Lighter And… Wobbly?

• Dimensions – 163.6 x 78.1 x 7.9mm
• Weight – 214g
• Durability – IP68

Despite its familiarity, it is not surprising to see the Galaxy S26 Ultra as being updated in the standard Samsung way. Its form has now been 0 for its . Although the Galaxy S25 Ultra may not seem like much, it is 3mm thinner than its counterpart – but this also means that the S Pen has become even skinnier. And it’s also lighter… but just 4 grams less than . And so, if you are looking for a noticeably slimmer or lighter Galaxy S26 Ultra upgrade, these upgrades will not be exciting.

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra has an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance

This flat-sided frame is now made of aluminium (probably because Apple ditched titanium), but it’s rigid and solid, with no flex. But, sadly, Samsung’s design magic (or overall slimmer profile) has made the device lighter than the previous one. It will only be time to know whether the aluminium frame is as durable as a titanium one, or not. But the device was ‘high-end and not too heavy’, as said.

It is nice to have an IP69 rating for a device that costs upwards of Rs. since we are talking about durability. 1 paraphrasing. paraphrasing 3 lakh,. While IP68 still protects you from dust and water, Samsung doesn’t cover damage due to water ingress so it’s not advisable take it for an underwater shoot on your next vacation.

Its thick rear camera module means the phone is always tilted when placed on a flat surface

Its design sure does well-fit the hype for a high-end smartphone, but I’m not fond of the new camera layout which puts 3 rear cameras on erect, capsule-shaped glass slab. Quite an odd placement, and its awkward position makes the phone very wobby when placed on a table or flat surface with it protruding somewhat. The type on/use of this is very annoying, so I had to pick up the device whenever I needed it (even at my office desk). More than that, this odd rear-camera placement makes the phone tilt towards the left (which is just weird), as I put my phones to the right of my laptop or desktop (keyboard) when working.

The phone has gotten just 0.3mm slimmer, so upgraders won’t notice a difference

The S Pen, a thin-skinned version of the space constraints that has been tightened down to even thinner and now feels like twig. With the same buttons, it gets job done but still does not have Bluetooth so it can’t be used as a camera remote like on the Galaxy S24 Ultra and previous models.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Display: Innovative, but Not the Best

• Display size – 6.9-inch, 1,440 x 3,120 pixels, 500 PPI
• Display type – 8-bit, LTPO AMOLED, 1-120Hz
• Display protection – Corning Gorilla Armour 2

A redesigned and downgraded display is an upgrade to the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. The size and borders of its are similar to those of panel panel Galaxy S25 Ultra. Also, it has the useful anti-reflective coating from the previous model that cuts glare dramatically when seen outdoors.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra headlining feature of the head is Privacy Display. If it is activated, it almost magically prevents the person next to you from seeing what you don’t want them to see when they are activate. It’s not always on or active like an off-the-shelf privacy screen guard, unlike a . It’s a switch on when you are in crowded space with too many prying eyes, and turn off when it doesn’t need to be turned off.

It also has three privacy levels or modes of . The first is the Conditions mode, which will smartly prevent people around you from seeing some apps, PINs, patterns and passwords being punched in (along with notification pop-ups). Basically, the Privacy Display technology covers some parts perfectly and accurately in this mode so that it’s only visible to the user (and not to someone sitting next to them) and is just visible for the person who has been using privacy display technology.

The Privacy Display feature has three levels of privacy, with the Maximum Privacy setting (last image) completely blocking the view

Second level is an intuitive Privacy Display (a simple privacy display) mode that reduces visibility to a certain extent for someone looking at your display. The first mode, however enables blocking (or decrease) the viewing angles of anything and everything on the display for someone sitting next to them. Nevertheless, when someone sits next to you, they can readjust their head and still see the rest of them.

Most effective is the third mode of , which costs less clarity, saturation and contrast. The whole display literally looks greyed out to someone sitting next to you after Maximum Privacy Protection is switched on. Unlike mode two, it’s really hard to see or know what the user is up to at all. Although the phone is always in this mode for some buyers, it makes the display look washed out and not perfectly legible; so when required to activate a display, that should be turned off.

You have to know that the Privacy Display option isn’t magic now, you need to understand. The most basic hardware is Flex Magic Pixel (FMP) which disables or reduces the brightness of some pixels on display, allowing only the user holding the phone to see sensitive information. It could be due to a new multi-layer black matrix structure and LEAD 2 that is also designed for this purpose, as well as the structural structure of MEAD 2. 0 Samsung Display A polariser tech for the 0-advisors is available.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra’s unique display panel has two types of pixels, just explained ‘It is simply an example of the type of one that can be used to explain how it works. Its type that allows wide viewing angles can be individually turned off (or dimmer) at the time of need, so only one user holding the phone view that patch or the display.

Samsung retains 8-bit colour depth as sharp and vibrant as it appears, while most manufacturers provide 10-bit or 12-bit panels.

A panel based on an 8-bit (colour depth) is not related to the FMP technology as it sounds so innovative. And if I reviewed the lower-priced Xiaomi 17 that Samsung is not using a 10-bit, or even 12-bit display like it on its low-budget version of this statement, so there’s no clear reason. It also helps reduce colour gradients with Samsung’s mobile Digital Natural Image engine (mDNIe) display engine, which is used to . In this respect, there’s little to complain about so much that .

But I have noticed a slight blue tint when looking at the display off-centre, which has been my long time on high-end displays. This is also the best anti-reflective coating, which reduces glare dramatically when outdoors use of the device. The coating/layer, which makes a sort of mild matte finish, does make the display smudgy but not by itself? However, unlike many flagships which both support HDR10+ and DolbyVision (along with a full-time model of the same), Samsung only provides the former.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Software: Even More AI

• Android version – 16
• Software – One UI 8.5
• Software commitment – 7 years OS + 7 years SMRs

The One UI 8 by Samsung is one of the most popular s in its history. A complete UI overhaul is yet to be done on 5 but still looks very similar to the previous version of . But there are a few new and improved bits all over. The most prominent one is the ‘high-technavigation’ layout for the Quick Panel, which has become easier to customise and a bit like Apple’s iOS 26. The floating Tabbar style element in most native apps for easier navigation is shown in iOS 26 as a new and familiar-looking feature that appears in the majority of native applications, which also shows up with more advanced apps. This is useful, as it’s helpful for s to have a similar search bar at the bottom of their browser. wallpapers/themes, and we have some new rounded 3D icons but not much changed in the past.

Samsung’s floating tab bar design is seen here in its Gallery app

There’s more AI as for features, a . You can now select three AI models, and all are well-integrated in their own special style. It is default voice assistant for Google’s Gemini (although you can also use the better-integrated Bixby, download and use Perplexity as well), since it has become a deep part of One UI. More useful Bixby has now found and modified settings for you with voice commands, which I really like. For example, on iOS and in the card itself, it can even display you a slider or toggle depending on the query.

Samsung’s AI tools get more powerful with One UI 8.5

More ‘Samsung Galaxy AI did a fine job with image editing and erasing, but has since been upgraded to manage general photo edit using voice commands. Because this is a result of Samsung’s Galaxy AI model, you can just think what’s in your mind and the tool will imagine it. This is a newer, yes, add and manipulate images apart from the usual edits it does to normal photos; shockingly looks very realistic (see screenshot above). Other tools that work in the same way are Creative Studio, which is available in Notes app, but by using S Pen inputs. If you need to draw out your idea, all you have to do is sketch it and it quickly brings your ideas into reality.

You can now get help with finding and modifying settings using voice commands

It also reaches further places with Galaxy AI as it enters the space. Another Now Nudge feature is similar to Google’s Magic Cue and works in a way that it can be used on its Pixel devices. The prompts or information chips from Samsung, which are supposed to be more useful and suggest even more details (such as Photos found in your Gallery app) related to the on-screen conversation. But from the last few weeks I have been using the review unit, I’ve not seen a single suggestion on the Samsung keyboard.

This is the most awaited agentic AI skills, wherein the AI communicates with other apps and executes commands to complete tasks (such as booking an Uber) was not working in India at the time of writing this review.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Performance: As It Should Be

• Processor – Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (for Galaxy), 4.74GHz, 3nm
• RAM – 12/16GB, LPDDR5X
• Storage – 256/512/1TB, UFS 4.0

It is a flagship product focused on productivity, so the Galaxy S26 Ultra will be expected to offer nothing but the best in raw performance as it has. We have another customised chipset this year, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, which is built to perform any task (it’s productivity, camera smarts, AI or gaming). The vapour chamber cooling system is also a large vacuum chamber to ensure performance doesn’t suffer under stress.

| Benchmarks | Galaxy S26 Ultra | iQOO 15 | iPhone 17 Pro Max |
| — | — | — | — |
| Display resolution | QHD+ | 2K | 1,320 x 2,868 pixels |
| Chipset | SD 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy (3nm) | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3nm) | Apple A19 Pro |
| AnTuTu v10 | 37,61,149 | 38,44,437 | 23,95,000 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 | 20,273 | 16,038 | NA |
| Geekbench 6 Single | 3,675 | 3,647 | 3,484 |
| Geekbench 6 Multi | 10,846 | 10,206 | 9,080 |
| Geekbench AI CPU (Quantized) | 6,913 | FTR | NA |
| Geekbench AI GPU (Quantized) | 4,004 | 2,941 | NA |
| 3DM Wild Life | Maxed Out | Maxed Out | Maxed Out |
| 3DM Wild Life Unlimited | 30,069 | 25,279 | NA |
| 3DM Steel Nomad Light | 2,794 | 2,842 | NA |

From the table above, you can tell that despite its pixel-dense QHD+ panel, Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra delivered impressive numbers in our benchmark tests. Our review unit was 12GB RAM, so that everyday multitasking and even heavy games like Genshin Impact ran smoothly at maximum settings. Camera app was the only phone hot app to get the phone. It makes the phone hot, whether it shoots photos or recording video, but not unusually hot like that skinny Galaxy S25 Edge I reviewed last year. A similar phone handles heat pretty well, and never received an overheating warning or asked to close the camera app despite shooting 4K video samples back to back under the afternoon sun.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Cameras: Well-Equipped… but Far From Perfect

• Primary camera – 200-megapixel, f/1.4, PDAF, OIS
• Telephoto camera – 10-megapixel, f/2.4, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom
• Telephoto camera – 50-megapixel, f/2.9, PDAF, OIS, (periscope) 5x optical zoom
• Ultrawide camera – 50-megapixel, f/1.9, PDAF, 120-degree
• Selfie camera – 12-megapixel, f/2.2, PDAF

Samsung’s camera hardware remains the same for yet another year, with some minor adjustments

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra’s camera setup is largely the same, with only minor changes to its camera configuration as you can tell from the points above. The main camera, along with the 50-megapixel periscope telephoto camera now has an expanded aperture (which means that it should be slightly more efficient) but we are not expecting anything spectacular or vastly different from the previous model.

As seen with all cameras, the colour tone is quite warm (or yellowish) and usually saturated in a very Samsung way. The images also seem oversaturated, sometimes with a bit of . It has also been an a little contrasted look for the company, which adds some depth to all images. This is a popular product that will appeal to the larger consumer audience, but certainly not the fan base. To get more realistic or natural colours that really represent the real scene, you can go to the ‘Pro mode’.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra ultrawide camera samples (tap images to expand)

Super wide The ultrawide camera is a fine example of taking photos with an over-exaggerated field of view. Ample The sample above, taken at dawn (at night) shows impressive images even in strange lighting conditions since the camera has autofocus. Good detail, good dynamic range photos are also shown in broad daylight.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra primary camera samples (tap images to expand)

A sample of primary cameras samples looks quite naturally natural. No oversharpening as we see on most flagships these days. So the dynamic range is good, and so are the details. The camera is also a good choice for portraits, but it’s warmer than the selfie camera and has softer effects on Portraits. Things aren’t as impressive in low-light or street-lit settings, such as when it comes to . Light and colour photos are similar to light or low-light photos, but they have the same properties as daylight pictures. But they are a bit soft, low on resolved detail and do not have the slightly contrasted processing of the daylight photos. Trying to switch to max auto Night mode (which increases the capture time), I even tried it, but there were minor gains. In fact, this is quite the reverse of what I expected from a 200-megapixel primary sensor.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra 3x telephoto camera samples (tap images to expand)

a bit of mystery, the 3X telephoto camera is just an. Unlike the Galaxy S25 Ultra, for reasons best known to Samsung, the 10-megapixel unit is weirdly produced 12-megapixel photos and it has been given an exclusive feature that makes this device unique from the other 10 MP units. The photos taken in daylight are good images of the world but appear slightly soft with less resolved detail (probably due to the upscaling) Despite the photos being fine otherwise, images appear soft in low light (although they look good) and are more natural.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra 5x periscope telephoto camera samples (tap images to expand)

The 5X periscope telephoto camera is one of the cameras that does not have the ‘Ultra’ branding right. Unlike some Chinese flagships, it does not have the floating telephoto capability like on its own and so you must maintain at least 60 centimetre from your subject/object but results are well-marked. Those photos of lossless 10X also have good detail, but anything beyond it (30x final sample above) has the added effect on appearance.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra selfie camera sample (tap image to expand)

Selfies are a mixture of good detail, sharpness and dynamic range. This is strange, however, not the colour correct (in terms of skin tones) as Portrait mode photos from the rear-facing primary camera. But I noticed that the edge detection wasn’t as good as it was, severing my hair, ears and even clothes in broad daylight. Those who are taken in low-light settings, however, have the same overall features as themselves but they seem slightly washed out colours.

A video shot at 4K resolution looks great! Autofocus is quick and accurate. Despite the contrasted scenes, there is great stability (a bitrate and good dynamic range) with plenty of detail. While the ultra-wide camera does seem a bit dreamy in bright daylight, it is good quality footage with that extra reach provided by the 3X and 5X telephoto cameras. With good stabilisation, dynamic range and impressive noise control, things remain the same in low-light settings with good stability. HDR10+ video recordings also look very detailed and vibrant with great dynamic range, even in low-light (with some noise).

Similarly, high-quality video recordings of selfie videos can be recorded at 4K resolution. I am sure the level of detail and bitrate is fine, but I did notice that in some settings (bright afternoons) the camera could not handle bright backgrounds which led to a lot of light spots and clipped highlights even after turning on HDR.

A video shot by the phone can also shoot 8K 30 fps, and it is well-balanced with a steady bitrate and contains much detail at an expense of significantly higher storage. Yet, in low-light it’s not as impressive (although noise is under control) The footage seems a bit soft. Similarly, I tested the new Horizon lock video mode (which is available via stabilisation settings in the app) which was also tried by . It is a good and can record at QHD resolution (30/60 fps)). If you have a subject’s stabilisation trick, Samsung is only the plane perpendicular to your subject so moving along with your topic/pet seems like the only way to make good use of it (provided you can keep up and hold your phone at the same time).

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Battery: Surprisingly Good

• Battery capacity – 5,000mAh, Li-ion
• Wired charging – 60W, PD 3.0
• Wireless charging – 25W, Qi 2.2
• Charger in the box – No

My pixel-rich display meant that I didn’t think the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra would last half as long as it did with its massive. But combining an efficient chipset and an LTPO panel with the power-efficient chips did wonders for this behemoth’s average battery even though it still adhered to the QHD+ resolution. Almost every day I got about a day and half of casual use. When pushed with heavy camera use, the battery will touch the 20 percent mark by end of the day. PCMark’s Battery life test scored an average of 15 hours and 44 minutes, about two hours more than the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Speeds have also increased, and the Galaxy S26 Ultra charged 51 percent in 30 minutes and 93 percent over an hour to reach a full charge state in 1 hour and 11 minutes with utilizing another third-party 100W charger. While these figures are almost the same as Galaxy S25 Ultra, we’re pretty sure that using Samsung’s 60W power adapter could be a little faster.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Verdict

The paper says Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Ultra isn’t a big leap for . The new Privacy Display is useful, yes, but I would not say it’s necessary. There’s even a little hope Samsung could be the next big thing here, with other brands following suit in the coming year. It was not clear if the faster charging speeds were noticeably different from those of . But I would have loved to see built-in magnetic wireless charging, such as on Apple’s iPhones and Google’S Pixel 10 Pro.

The Samsung’s reluctance to change its camera hardware and battery technology is holding back slowly when compared to other flagships, however, as it does not yet switch the camera itself. While Apple can afford to maintain back or “gatekeep” features from its ever-growing user base, a large number of users may be in demand for the same phrase. shipments of Samsung’s smartphone, which means that buyers are tired of seeing smaller hardware improvements with slow sales. As the year goes on, and this will be more pronounced by .

Currently, Google’s Pixel 10 Pro XL (from Rs. Similarly to Xiaomi’s 17 Ultra (from Rs. 1,24,999) and 1, 24,991 ). its competitors in India, 1,39,999) are it’s . While the Pixel 10 Pro XL is not as capable of being on the hardware front, Pixel UI is a solid, bloatware-free alternative to Samsung’s blunder One UC 8 (which was formerly known as “The Big Apple”). 5 and also supports magnetic charging, a that is used in the term 5. In a new and improved image hardware, with its Leica partnership, Xiaomi’s 17 Ultra is the first of many innovations in technology that should be entering the hands of photography enthusiasts who are interested in imaging. Samsung’s view of the device as a productivity-first (especially with its S Pen) will appeal to most Samsung fans, who are undoubtedly larger in number than the former two. Unless these fans already have the Galaxy S24 Ultra or the Samsung S25 Ultra, I don’t need to upgrade my new model until it is clear that users will be required to use the Privacy Display.

Adding pressure to the situation are some speculations that there will be another ‘Ultra’ entering the Indian market. Vivo’s X300 Ultra and Oppo Find x9 Ultra (long-term) will also be coming out in India this year, which is a challenge for Samsung’dless camera system.

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