Should you upgrade from your current Android phone to the new Galaxy S26?

As we're speaking, the Galaxy S26 draws its first breath and what we need to ask ourselves is – should you get it?

If you're already hooked on the Android ecosystem and you would rather not give Apple a try, Samsung's flagship phones are always a good idea. They're stylish, they come with a ton of nice software features, the One UI experience is super cool and there's that Samsung seven-year support promise.

But it's a complex question, so a simple "yes" or "no" just doesn't cut it as a meaningful answer.

We need to outline several hypothetical scenarios.

Pre-order the Galaxy S26 and save up to $500

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The Galaxy S26 brings an improved design and more powerful processor and more optimized software. The best part? You can pre-order the device for up to $700 off with eligible trade-ins.

Pre-order at Samsung

If you're a Samsung Galaxy S user…

If you already own the Galaxy S25 or the Galaxy S24, I'd say it's probably best to wait another year for the Galaxy S27 and see what it's all about.

If the S27 is not to your liking as well, you'll always be able to score the Galaxy S26 in some 10-11 months at a good discount.

The Galaxy S26 just doesn't bring that much new hardware to the table for you to give up your Galaxy S25. Yes, the battery is marginally larger at 4,300 mAh (instead of 4,000 mAh on the S25), but that's not a day-and-night type of difference. You won't get another seven hours of usage with the new cell on the Galaxy S26.

The display on the Galaxy S26 also grows marginally to 6.3 inches (vs. the 6.2 inches of the S25). If you're that obsessed with larger screens, just get a Galaxy S Plus model.

All in all, there are several AI tricks up the Galaxy S26's sleeve, but if you're not into AI, this won't allure you.

If you have a Galaxy A phone…

Maybe you're not yet familiar with the Galaxy S models. Maybe you're still using a phone from the Galaxy A family, the budget-friendlier series by Samsung.

If you're not particularly happy with your A-series phone and you've got the money – and you wish to stick to Samsung – I'd say go for it. In case you're not happy with the Galaxy S26 after a month or two, you shouldn't have much trouble reselling it.

The new Galaxy S26 could be a better bet than the Galaxy S25, if only for the new chipset (if you're in the US, China or Japan, you'll get the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5).

I'm sure you'll appreciate the Galaxy S26 cameras way much better than those of any Galaxy A series phone.

Overall, you'll immediately understand why flagships are so desired: they're blazing fast, reliable, sleek and dominate mid-rangers.

If you feel like experimenting… (#1)

If you don't need seven years of support, if you don't care that much about customer support and if you don't mind being asked "What's that phone in your hand?" just to hear "I've never heard of it!" afterwards, you have plenty of side options to choose from.

Moreover, if you like to give jaw-dropping cameras a try, if you want a two-day battery life, you should look in the other direction.

The Galaxy S26 now starts at $899, which is $100 more than the $799 price tag of the Galaxy S25. You're right to argue that an extra hundred dollars will not break the bank – certainly not in this inflation era we're going through.

But $100 is still $100; I don't think you're getting $100 of upgrades compared to the Galaxy S25.

So, time to look at some exotic phones. Like ones made by Vivo, Xiaomi, Oppo, OnePlus, et cetera. Current-day Chinese flagships often come with ~7,000 mAh capacity batteries, the latest Snapdragon high-end silicon and they almost always pack 50 MP telephoto cameras. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S26 is still stuck at using a 10 MP sensor for its 3x optical zoom.

If you feel like experimenting… (#2)

Here's an unusual point I want to make. You can both act adventurous and still stick with the Galaxy S26. How? Well, if you're in Europe, you'll get the Galaxy S26 with the brand-new Exynos 2600 chipset instead of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.

Up until now, an Exynos-fueled Galaxy S was often considered a compromise. That's because Exynos silicon had its fair share of issues (like on the thermal front) and was lagging behind its Snapdragon counterparts in terms of raw power and efficiency.

However, early benchmark tests of the Exynos 2600 hint that something big has changed – and in a good way. That's the first 2 nm chipset in a phone – and the lower the nm figure – the more advanced the chip, generally speaking.

You can be among the first users in the world to rock a phone with a 2 nm chipset inside. Sounds cool, doesn't it?

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