Am I missing something or is Samsung intentionally setting up the Galaxy S26 Ultra to fail?
It might be just me and it might be too early to draw conclusions, but it feels like Samsung is focusing more on making the Galaxy S26 Pro and S26 Edge interesting than the Galaxy S26 Ultra.
This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.
Unless you've been living under a rock for the last six months or so, you probably already know that the Galaxy S25 Ultra is a bigger box-office hit than the "vanilla" S25 and the S25 Plus. Despite its... uncomfortable price point, the largest and most sophisticated member of Samsung's latest (non-foldable) ultra-high-end handset family has managed to continue a trend noticed in recent years, substantially outselling its smaller and cheaper brothers right off the bat and maintaining that global advantage to this day (presumably).
But while you might expect the world's top smartphone vendor to do everything in its power to keep the sales balance of its most impressive products tipped in favor of the costliest model, I'm starting to feel like Samsung is focusing less on the Galaxy S26 Ultra and more on the sequels to the S25, S25 Plus, and S25 Edge.
Gosh, I hope that charging "upgrade" will not be one of the S26 Ultra's key selling points!
Because if it is, then we might be in for a world of mediocrity here. Mediocrity by Android flagship standards, of course, but mediocrity nonetheless. Allow me to very simply illustrate that point with a quick list of product names and numbers:
Yes, I realize that 60 is a bigger number than 45, so technically, the S26 Ultra is all but guaranteed to charge faster than its predecessor, which could be enough to satisfy some hardcore Samsung fans unwilling to ever consider a brand like Motorola or OnePlus and not allowed to (officially) buy Xiaomi, Honor, Vivo, or Realme stuff in their country.
The OnePlus 13 comes with blazing fast 100W charging capabilities... and is even available in the US. | Image Credit -- PhoneArena
But even if it's only theoretical in markets like the US, competition matters, and Samsung can't just act like those aforementioned China-based companies don't exist. The thing about the above list is that it's not comprehensive (far from it, actually), and it doesn't only include super-expensive Android flagships either.
The Motorola Edge (2025), for instance, is a pretty affordable mid-ranger (available stateside), while something like the OnePlus Nord CE4 packs a decidedly non-flagship Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 processor, carrying a fittingly reasonable price point... in markets like India.
So, yes, ironically calling Samsung's expected bump from 45W charging capabilities on the S25 Ultra to 60W speeds for the Galaxy S26 Ultra a quote-unquote "upgrade" might be a little mean on my part, but I sincerely hope that the tech giant doesn't plan to advertise this... change very aggressively or its "next big thing" will be rightfully and viciously mocked by rivals and consumers alike.
If not this, then what?
That, my friends, is the million billion-dollar question I would love to have the answer for, but I don't. Let's hope Samsung does, although between the unchanged 5,000mAh battery capacity that's gaining steam in the rumor mill and a new chip that's unlikely to get a lot of hearts pumping with excitement, 2026 is starting to look like yet another year of refinement.
The S Pen is highly unlikely to be a key Galaxy S26 Ultra selling point. | Image Credit -- PhoneArena
Will the Galaxy S26 Pro look radically different from the 6.2-inch Galaxy S25? Will the Galaxy S26 Edge employ silicon-carbon battery technology to try to vastly improve its forerunner's mediocre running times between charges (at the risk of much quicker cell degradation)? I don't know for sure just yet, but I certainly look forward to finding out. Meanwhile, the S26 Ultra is eliciting almost no emotion in me.
How do you feel about the Galaxy S26 Ultra (for now)?
Underwhelmed at best
31.69%
Excited as can be
7.04%
Bored out of my mind
20.42%
Disappointed
22.54%
(Cautiously) excited
18.31%
Feeling bored is arguably worse than feeling disappointed in the lead-up to a major smartphone's launch, although I can't really say which of those two feelings better describes my current relationship with the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Luckily for Samsung, there's still plenty of time to change that for myself and any of you that might be sharing my... apathy. There it is, the best way to describe Samsung's "next big thing" right now!
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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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