Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra will feature exclusive upgrades, making the other models seem obsolete

With the Galaxy S26 series coming out early next year, Samsung is reportedly locking some exclusive features to the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Though hardly a new practice, this generation’s upgrades will be significant enough that even casual consumers might consider splurging for the Ultra model.

Charging speeds and the privacy display

As reported before, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is finally seeing an improvement when it comes to charging speeds. According to reports, the phone will have 60W of wired charging, up from 45W, and 25W of wireless charging, up from 15W. On the other hand, the base model Galaxy S26, as well as the Galaxy S26 Plus, might not see any upgrades in this department at all.

The Ultra will also apparently feature a privacy display, which will be able to hide the contents of the screen from passersby. AI will be able to detect when someone is trying to sneak a peek at the phone, and automatically hide the contents while still keeping them visible for the user.

You will also be able to configure when the screen should be hidden. For example, if a banking app is currently open. This feature will not come to the other Galaxy S26 models.

Exclusive AI features on Galaxy S26 Ultra

According to a new leak (translated source), the Galaxy S26 Ultra might feature new, advanced AI features that will not be available on the other Galaxy S26 models. Even the Galaxy S25 Ultra will have to wait several months before receiving these features in an update, which is setting a dangerous precedent for Samsung.

Many consumers still don’t care too deeply about AI features on their phones, but for those who do, it’s a no-brainer on which S26 model they will have to splurge for.



Other than AI, the Galaxy S26 Ultra will also feature a very welcome upgrade to its selfie camera: allowing for photos taken with a wider field of view. Arguably, this is a much stronger reason for consumers to get the Ultra than exclusive AI features.

Just wait a couple of years?

If I had to guess, once these features become less costly to implement, the base and Plus models will get them as well. This might happen when the Galaxy S27 series comes out, or it might happen a lot later, but I think that it will happen eventually.

Of course, by then, Samsung will have other new features to entice you to get the Ultra models regardless.