This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra is one iconic phone | Image by PhoneArena
I spent the last few days using the Galaxy S26 Ultra and Samsung refreshed design left me with mixed feelings. Two little changes made a surprisingly big impression on me, but there is also one thing that still bothers me.
But first: what has changed really? The S26 Ultra now has an aluminum body instead of the titanium one that we had on the S25 Ultra and S24 Ultra. Samsung understandably doesn't brag about this change (after all, it spent the last couple of years trying to convince us how great titanium is). In reality, I could barely notice the change, though. The phone feels very familiar. Also, I haven't dropped it in the first few days. I'm saying this because aluminum is much softer, and it dents and scratches much easier. It's good for now, but I can't help but wonder how it will age.
There is also a new look for the rear cameras. The main, ultra-wide and 5x telephoto cameras are now all placed in a raised pill-shaped island, with the flash and 3x telephoto camera on the right.
However, it's the little tweaks to the weight and thinness that have made the biggest impression on me. And I still don't understand why Samsung insists on including an S Pen on the Ultra rather than just giving us a bigger battery.
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So is this refreshed design a win, or did Samsung compromise more than it should have?
A slightly tweaked design | Image by PhoneArena
I have the Galaxy S26 Ultra in the Cobalt Violet colorway. It looks different depending on the lighting and on this particular day it looks a bit washed out, while at other times I see a darker shade of violet. Samsung goes with "safe" colors that look good, but might feel a bit bland and boring. I don't mind this, but some people may.
The power and volume keys are on the right side as usual | Image by PhoneArena
Coming to the Galaxy S26 Ultra from an iPhone, I miss some alternative to the Action button and Camera shutter key. These are little conveniences, but they go a long way towards improving the user experience.
The display is massive at 6.9 inches | Image by PhoneArena
I expected Samsung to go with a brighter screen, but the S26 Ultra still features the same 2,600 nit max brightness.
The headline feature is Privacy Display | Image by PhoneArena
The new Privacy Display feature is really cool. You can set it to auto-activate with just some apps like your banking for example.
You have two modes or protection | Image by PhoneArena
But even when you don't turn on the Privacy Display option, the S26 Ultra display has slightly worse viewing angles than the S25 Ultra.
Maximum protection is great for sensitive apps like your banking | Image by PhoneArena
The Maximum protection mode makes it even harder to see the screen from the side.
The S26 Ultra remains one of few flagship phones to still have four rear cameras | Image by PhoneArena
Samsung adds a faster aperture to the main camera which helps get more light at night.
There are two telephoto cameras, 3x and 5x, but the 5x one is much more powerful | Image by PhoneArena
You have two telephoto cameras, a 5x and 3x one, and the 3x camera remains a weak link with its tiny sensor.
AI editing is more powerful now | Image by PhoneArena
Samsung was probably best phone for AI editing, and it has familiar features like the ability to move and remove objects with generative fill.
The main camera also gets a faster f/1.4 aperture | Image by PhoneArena
The main camera captures better night photos and Samsung has also tweaked its color and design rendition.
You can now not only erase but add things using AI and by writing prompts in the keyboard | Image by PhoneArena
You can now also add objects to photos and do multi-step edits.
I also love built-in AI summaries in the Samsung browser | Image by PhoneArena
Summaries (and the great night mode) are why I keep using the Samsung browser instead of Chrome.
Little conveniences go a long way | Image by PhoneArena
Here is how a typical summary looks like.
The S26 Ultra features the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip in all markets | Image by PhoneArena
The new Snapdragon chip on this Galaxy is a powerhouse.
Performance is on par or better than the iPhone 17 Pro Max | Image by PhoneArena
We measured single-core CPU performance matching the latest iPhones and mulit-core performance far ahead.
You have One UI 8.5 and Android 16 out the gate | Image by PhoneArena
One UI 8.5 remains one of the most feature-rich Android skins out there.
The S26 Ultra About screen | Image by PhoneArena
The S26 Ultra base model comes with 256GB storage and 12GB RAM.
The S26 Ultra on the bottom and the older S25 Ultra on top | Image by PhoneArena
The difference with the previous generation is subtle.
The S26 Ultra is at the center, while the iPhone 17 Pro Max is on the right | Image by PhoneArena
But the S26 Ultra feels so much thinner and lighter than the latest iPhone.
Price is unchanged at $1,300 | Image by PhoneArena
Samsung is raising the prices of its base S26 and S26 Plus models by $100, but the S26 Ultra price remains unchanged at $1,300.
After spending some time with the S26 Ultra, I feel that the lighter and thinner design is a big standout, and I love the subdued look of it. At the same time, I just don't understand why Samsung insists on including an S Pen with this phone, a feature barely anyone uses.
Victor, a seasoned mobile technology expert, has spent over a decade at PhoneArena, exploring the depths of mobile photography and reviewing hundreds of smartphones across Android and iOS ecosystems. His passion for technology, coupled with his extensive knowledge of smartphone cameras and battery life, has positioned him as a leading voice in the mobile tech industry.
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