Is Samsung so clueless that it expects us all to let those boring Galaxy S26 specs slide?
Who said the specifications of a new phone are no longer important? Not me, that's for sure.
This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.
The Galaxy S26 looks... not bad in white. | Image by Evan Blass
The problem is not the absence of mystery or intrigue here, but the completely uninspired information revealed, for instance, a couple of days ago, for which the blame lies entirely with the world's number two smartphone vendor.
Stop acting like specs don't matter!
I'm not sure exactly when this all started, but I've noticed over the last few years that certain Android handset makers are talking less and less about specifications and cold hard numbers when promoting a new device (or three), using instead more and more hyperbolic and even outright poetic marketing language that... doesn't really mean anything for the end user.
Just look at this Galaxy S25 series announcement from over a year ago on Samsung's official Mobile Press website. The title basically says nothing about the capabilities or uniqueness of the company's then-latest ultra-high-end handsets, the subheading is even worse, and the first major and concrete upgrade over the Galaxy S24 family is barely mentioned in the third phrase of the article's body, after four (!!!) meaningless AI shoutouts.
The camera details are buried all the way down in the 16th (!!!!!) paragraph, and if you wanted to find out... anything about the battery sizes, endurance claims, or charging speeds of the S25, S25 Plus, and S25 Ultra, you had to check the tables at the very end of the otherwise lengthy announcement post.
To me, that said a lot about Samsung's Galaxy S25 series advertising priorities, and the start of the official Galaxy S26 buzz-building campaign suggests the company's focus will stay on AI and pompous talk of "pioneering new eras" and setting gold standards for technologies that most of you don't really care about.
How important are a new phone's specs to you?
Now, some of you might argue that Samsung is doing these things because it doesn't have a lot of new or upgraded specs to advertise. But what if it's the other way around? What if all those specifications are going virtually unchanged (yet again) because Samsung believes they don't matter that much to you?
It's the Apple effect of days past
Look, I'm not trying to be a Samsung hater without rhyme or reason (at least not today), but we all know this is a company that often copies finds inspiration in Apple's camp without always thinking things through. That's most likely how the Galaxy S25 Edge was born (even though it did technically come out before the iPhone Air), that's probably where the idea for the titanium-made Galaxy S24 Ultra came from, and I'm pretty sure Apple also "inspired" Samsung to gradually and continuously reduce its focus on delivering the best possible specs.
The iPhone 17's success clearly has a lot to do with its specs. | Image by PhoneArena
But this is yet another area where following Apple's example is clearly not the way to glory, and it feels like even Apple agrees. Just look at this official iPhone 17 announcement post from a few months ago. First phrase - 48MP main camera, 2x telephoto, 48MP ultra-wide-angle lens. That's three specs Samsung is likely to keep carefully hidden from you for paragraphs on end in its upcoming Galaxy S26 launch article, and Apple goes further to promote the screen size, chip, and storage options of the iPhone 17 within the opening of that aforementioned post.
Is it a coincidence that the iPhone 17 sold like hotcakes around the world since its September 2025 release? I think not. Will Apple start publishing complete spec sheets below their smartphone announcements soon? Probably not, but the company is clearly more focused than ever on offering meaningful improvements and upgrades rather than just talking a good game, and I believe Samsung should take a page from its arch-rival's (revised) playbook in this particular case... before it's too late.
Are the Galaxy S26 specs really that bad?
Well, perhaps "bad" is not the right word for them. But they are definitely boring. Underwhelming. Probably even bitterly disappointing in certain areas, like the 5,000mAh battery capacity of the Galaxy S26 Ultra or the 25W charging support of the "vanilla" Galaxy S26.
AI will clearly be the focus of Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra advertising. | Image by Evan Blass
But what makes my blood boil in anger is that I know (as you all do) that Samsung could have easily made a lot of those specifications better, and I get the feeling that the reason that's not happening is not because the company is intentionally holding things up its sleeve for next year's Galaxy S27 family or anything like that.
Instead, it seems to me that Samsung's shot-callers are either completely disconnected from the real needs of the brand's fans and users or so arrogant that they think they know better than anyone what matters most and what makes a new phone great. And I really don't know which of those two possible explanations for what's happening with the Galaxy S26 trio is worse.
- If you liked this article and want more tech insights just like it, find me on X and Threads.
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