You're torn on the Galaxy S26 Ultra's new look – and Samsung should be worried

The Galaxy S26 Ultra redesign is now all but confirmed by multiple leaks and rumors. The phone is expected to come out early next year, together with the Galaxy S26 and the Galaxy S26 Plus. Leaked renders are showing a new look of the Ultra model, which, historically, has been more Note-like previously. 

We asked you if you liked the new Galaxy S26 Ultra design in a recent poll of ours. Curiously enough, it seems that you, the PhoneArena readers, are having some trouble determining whether you prefer it or not. 

Poll shows the public is divided on whether the new Galaxy S26 Ultra look is cool 

At the time of writing, 35.4% of voters in our poll have chosen the "It’s okay, I don’t mind it" option in relation to the Galaxy S26 Ultra's new look. The design features more rounded corners and a camera island, similar to the smaller siblings in the lineup, the Galaxy S26 and S26+. 

Then, we have in second place, but very close, 33.88% of you voting for "I don't like it, it looks cheap". This result is alarmingly close to the leading result thus far, from the people who don't mind the new design. 


Now, the winning poll option isn't "liking" the design, but rather "not minding it". So, it's not in favor of the design, in a way. If we think it that way, it seems the majority of you really don't like the design. The voters who like it are way fewer than the people who hate it, plus the people who would just live with it together. 

If I were Samsung, I'd be seriously concerned at the moment. 

Galaxy S26 Ultra: new design, faster charging, Qi2 

The Galaxy S26 Ultra and the rest of the Galaxy S26 series are reportedly coming early next year. Exactly when is still under wraps, but it may be a bit later than previous years, given that Samsung has (reportedly) changed its strategy about the phones, and that may have thrown the schedule off a bit. 

Nevertheless, we're not hearing about huge changes with the Galaxy S26 Ultra. The faster wired charging (60W) is now all but confirmed, thanks to a charger that Samsung itself revealed, as well as certification listings corroborating it. Apart from that, we expect Qi2 support, potentially satellite connectivity, One UI 8.5 with an upgraded Bixby, and Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 across all regions. 

Of course, the new design is a change as well. However, as you can see, the changes from the Galaxy S25 Ultra don't sound like too many, at least as far as leaks have revealed. One can't help but wonder how successful this strategy would turn out to be. 

But hey, on the other hand, the Galaxy S25 Ultra has a lot of good things going for it, and why fix something that's not broken, right? 

The results of our poll are interesting, but I find myself disagreeing (yet again)

It seems that the majority of you don't necessarily like the new Galaxy S26 Ultra design. However, I find myself disagreeing, to an extent. I think it's nice that the lineup is going to look unified and the Ultra isn't going to stand out too much. And I also tend to prefer the rounded, softer look. That looks, in my mind, more premium than the boxy look, which to me looks like older tech. 

But of course, whether you like a design or not is entirely subjective. The most important thing, after all, is how the device performs and the upgrades it brings, not just how it looks. So, hopefully the Ultra is going to rock in that regard.