Samsung's S26 Series Saves the Big Upgrades for the Top-End Ultra Model
Today, 1:49 PM by Rich Brome @rbrome.bsky.social
updated Today, 4:35 PM
Samsung has announced its Galaxy S26 series of flagship phones for 2026. The company has seemingly reverted to its traditional arrangement of models: S26, S26+, and S26 Ultra, with no mention (yet) of a thinner "Edge" model. All models sport updated specs, including the custom Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chipset. The S26 base model also has a larger battery (4,300 mAh, up from 4,000) but at the expense of mmWave 5G support. Samsung has saved its biggest upgrades for the top-end S26 Ultra. This includes a first-of-its-kind Privacy Display. This feature limits visibility of on-screen content from side angles. But unlike traditional privacy films, it can be switched on and off dynamically, and works in both portrait and landscape orientations. Furthermore, it can be controlled on a pixel level, so it can obscure only your notifications (that might contain one-time codes), for example. The Ultra model also has main and telephoto cameras with wider apertures, enhancing photo quality. The Ultra also supports the new APV video codec, enabling "visually lossless video quality that stays true even after repeated editing." The S26 Ultra also sports Samsung's 60-watt "Super Fast Charging 3.0", which can reach "up to 75% charge in just 30 minutes." Most other specs of the lineup are similar to last year's models. While the Ultra still starts at $1,300, the S26 and S26+ are now $100 more expensive, at $900 and $1,100, respectively. (This increase comes as the whole industry faces skyrocketing memory prices due to the boom in AI datacenter construction.) The S26 series will come in Cobalt Violet, White, Black, and Sky Blue. Samsung.com will also exclusively offer the Pink Gold and Silver Shadow colors. The Galaxy S26 series will ship March 11th.
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Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy S26+
Samsung Galaxy S26
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