I've been using the phone for the past two months, ever since I concluded my early March review, and while I was a bit critical about it back then, relying on it as a daily driver for this lengthier amount of time has revealed that it's actually a very decent device. I'm still convinced that Samsung would have been better off with a smaller Galaxy S26 Ultra without an S Pen rather than a super-sized regular Galaxy S26. Maybe next year?
At first glance, the Galaxy S26 Plus is not a particularly exciting phone
I have to admit that I've grown spoiled with the sheer variety of excellent Android devices in the high-end segment, where Ultras and very premium flagships push the boundaries of hardware. Exceptional cameras, large batteries, and super-fast charging, as well as interesting features, are common in the niche. It's extremely easy for a phone like the Vivo X300 Pro, or the Find X9 Pro, or the Xiaomi 17 Ultra to ruin all other phones for you.
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Admittedly, the Galaxy S26 Plus is not such a device.
It's not a captivating phone, doesn't excite with anything in particular, and doesn't have particularly intriguing specs. Actually, inspecting what the competition of the Galaxy S26 Plus has to offer, particularly Android phones hailing from China, I had to hype and gaslight myself up that the phone is worth using, as it was objectively a downgrade from the phone I was using before it (the Find X9 Pro).
The genius in simplicity
Yet, after a couple of weeks with the Galaxy S26 Plus, you forget that it doesn't have the best battery life, the brightest screen, or even class-leading performance. It lulls you into a sense of safety that only Samsung and iPhone devices are capable of, distorting reality in such a way that you no longer think of the specs but simply use your device.
Nothing wrong with that!
I grew to really appreciate the simple and boring no-frills design, which lacks many quality-of-life features, like extra buttons on either side. The compact battery island, in particular, is an excellent design element that has one clear drawback, but from a usability perspective, is a great thing to have. Like many others, I've also fallen out of love with curved screens, so the flat corners and display are perfect from a functional point of view.
Generally, the Galaxy S26 Plus blends with its surroundings and doesn't attract any attention to itself, which isn't a bad thing to have. It's the Toyota Corolla of phones, one that exists in perpetual stealth.
Galaxy AI isn't something I used as much as I had anticipated. | Image by PhoneArena
Not the best hardware, but the best experience
And just like a Corolla, which "excites" with its signature reliability, the Galaxy S26 Plus is a phone that feels great to use due to its software, not its hardware.
Even though I might sound like a broken record because I've lost count of how many times I've mentioned this in who knows how many articles and reviews, but One UI has gradually become the best Android skin by a long shot. It has the most user-friendly, most feature-packed, and most customizable implementation of Android right now, bar none.
Just like iOS locks you in with the power of the Apple ecosystem, One UI makes it extremely challenging for me to switch to another Android phone, because I know for a fact neither will be as polished or will have as many useful features, or will have anything remotely similar to the exceptional Good Lock suite, which is the best personalization tool I've ever used on Android.
The camera is the biggest reason to leave
The worst feature of the Galaxy S26 Plus is its camera system.
If you use your phone to only capture landscapes or flowers or post-it notes and open the camera app once in a blue moon, you'd see no issue with the Galaxy S26 Plus. It will perfectly suit your needs if you only shoot immobile subjects, I'm sure of it.
However, I’ve got two kids, a five-year-old and an eight-month-old. You better believe that immobile subjects these two are not, and I simply have to have a decent camera on me at pretty much all times in order to capture these essential magical moments. And ironically, it's only the Galaxies that struggle with my use case; no other phone has disappointed me as much.
The Galaxy S26 Plus is simply not fit for capturing my children. I need a reliable and superb point-and-shoot experience at all times, and I don't get that with the Samsung phone, which tends to favor a very low shutter speed and struggles in less than perfect lighting conditions. Most of my photos have been ruined by motion blur due to the low shutter speed, while others suffer from catastrophic noise and artifacts.
What epic dealbreakers!
In good lighting conditions, I’d say 50% of all photos I’ve taken were usable, but in less than ideal lighting, the chances of disappointment skyrocket. That’s just how Samsung phones have always been for me: quite disappointing when it comes to moving subjects.
With the Galaxy S26 Plus, Samsung introduced a hidden new setting that lets you set a minimum shutter speed that the phone wouldn't go below, but the lowest is 1/120s, which is too quick to soak up enough light in dim conditions. Still, a step in the right direction, but we are still not there, Samsung.
The lack of any meaningful upgrades to the camera hardware is also what makes the camera of the Galaxy S26 Plus its weakest aspect.
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Peter, an experienced tech enthusiast at PhoneArena, is captivated by all things mobile. His impartial reviews and proficiency in Android systems offer readers valuable insights. Off-duty, he delves into the latest cryptocurrency trends and enjoys sci-fi and video games.
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