I’ve spent two weeks with the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, and I keep asking myself the same question: who is this phone for?
The Good
The 200MP camera with AI-enhanced zoom is genuinely impressive. I photographed a street sign from 100 feet away and could read the parking restrictions clearly. The new vapor chamber cooling system actually works—no more overheating during gaming sessions.
Battery life is excellent. Two days of moderate use without anxiety about finding a charger. The S Pen latency is noticeably improved, though I still can’t shake the feeling that handwriting recognition peaked in 2015.
The Bad
$1,399. Let that sink in. For a phone that’s marginally better than the S25 Ultra, which is now $800 on Amazon. Samsung’s trade-in offers help, but not enough.
The AI features feel half-baked. Live Translate works about 60% of the time. Circle to Search is useful but not $1,399 useful. Most of these features will come to older phones anyway via software updates.
Verdict
Buy an S25 Ultra on discount and pocket $600. Or wait six months for the inevitable price drop. This is a great phone at a terrible price.
Rating: 7/10 — Excellent hardware, indefensible pricing.
Compare with our iPhone 17e review