This $1,300 is burning a hole in my pocket, but I refuse to spend it on the Galaxy S26 Ultra

February 25 – that's when the Galaxy S26 family is expected to be unveiled, which means it'll be in March at the earliest that those who have pre-ordered will be able to toy around with Samsung's latest and greatest.

This time around, there's a great deal of uncertainty in at least four major directions:

• The price hike: there are multiple conflicting reports on the matter. Half of them say that the Galaxy S26 lineup will arrive at last year's price levels, while the other half warns of a price hike because of the memory chip crisis;
• The battery on the Ultra model: some say it's going to get boosted to 5,200 mAh, others say it'll stay at 5,000 mAh (both figures are laughable for an Android flagship in 2026, but here we are);
• The Galaxy S26 Edge saga: first, it was going to happen. Then, it was allegedly cancelled. Then, it was brought back to life… only to be "cancelled" again. And so on.
• The premiere date: again, there are multiple conflicting reports. The most recent date for the big event is the one I mentioned at the very beginning, but several leaks claimed the S26 family would drop in January… or March. It's a mess.

I'm trying my best to remain calm in this cacophony, but the Galaxy S26 Ultra leaks really do grind my gears.

What are you going to pull out of that hat?

Unveilings used to be magic. Leaks and preliminary information bits tend to ruin the surprise atmosphere on the event day, but if rumors promise big things, they push emotions in the opposite direction and many fans anticipate big things from the unveiling. They want to believe.

The other day, a tipster went and listed 10 expected improvements and notable features on the S26 Ultra:

• New display with higher efficiency
• Integrated privacy screen
• New lens and coating
• Bigger main and telephoto camera apertures
• Wider selfie camera
• Faster wired and wireless charging
• Faster and more efficient processor
• New video controls on autofocus and sharpness
• Faster memory
• Thinner design

I may sound cold-hearted, but this list doesn't seem to thrill me. It seems there aren't any meaningful upgrades on board to lose sleep over.

A brighter screen? Yeah, no. Same goes for the battery (allegedly)

The Galaxy S26 Ultra is expected to move to Samsung Display's newer M14 OLED material, up from the M13 used in the S25 Ultra. M14 is more efficient thanks to heavier use of deuterium, which improves stability, boosts power efficiency by roughly 20 to 30%, and supports higher brightness and longer panel life.

That said, early leaks suggest users should not expect a big visual leap. The idea is that Samsung will use the M14 mainly to save power, not to push display performance. Unlike rivals such as the iQOO 15, which reportedly squeezes maximum brightness and color out of the same material, Samsung is said to hold the S26 Ultra back with limits on color depth and peak brightness.

At 5,000 mAh capacity battery – what many reliable tipsters say the new Ultra is going to come with – the situation gets even worse. That's to be the seventh year in a row with a 5,000 mAh Ultra.

I know, Samsung has some cool tricks and all, but wouldn't it be better to pull those same battery life-extending tricks on a cell with a capacity of, say, 6,000 mAh?

As far as the new, bumped 60W (from 45W) wired charging speeds go, that's twice as slow as some Chinese rivals offer (120W). I'd take 60W over 45W, but please don't ask me to applaud this move. It's like feeling gratitude towards someone who gives you a biscuit after starving you for two weeks.

A solid flagship – yes, sure! But so what?

If you're a mid-range or even "vanilla flagship" user and somebody gives you the Galaxy S26 Ultra, I'm sure that you'll be happy with it. The top-tier Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset is expected under the hood – and, regardless of that clumsy moniker, this silicon is mighty fast and reliable.

If the display inherits the glare-free capabilities of its predecessors, it'll be a major selling point. If you come from an older generation Galaxy S Ultra, you'll love the new, faster charging capabilities. And… that's about it.

But at $1,299 – which is the starting price of the S25 Ultra and if there are no price hikes on February 25 – the Galaxy S26 Ultra needs to offer more to turn heads.

One UI is great and Samsung's customer support may be way more reliable than that of certain competitors, but that's not the whole picture.

Users crave new hardware: and that doesn't necessarily mean thinner phones. Both the Galaxy S25 Edge and the iPhone Air were released in 2025 – and they truly are spectacular, if you're after a wasp-waisted bijou – but neither of those turned out to be a market hit. In fact, these two newcomers sold poorly.

The camera setup on the Galaxy S26 Ultra is also not too promising – new lens coating, possible wider apertures, "maybe this", "maybe that" minor touch up – but no serious rumors about groundshaking new hardware. That's almost acceptable, as the Galaxy S25 Ultra is already a great photography tool.

But $1,300 is still $1,300 and it's OK to ask for the most bang for your buck.

The Vivo X300 Ultra and the Oppo Find X9 Ultra, for example, are rumored to arrive with two 200 MP cameras (the main and the primary telephoto), large sensors and whatnot. I'm not saying these two are better than the Galaxy S26 Ultra in every possible way; but they do seem much more thrilling. And appeal is important.

More importantly, the fact that these usually stay China-exclusive allows Samsung to avoid substantial camera upgrades for years – and I hope the aforementioned Vivo and Oppo flagships are globally available this time around.

Maybe Samsung will wake up and revolutionize the S27 Ultra.