is an editor covering deals and gaming hardware. He joined in 2018, and after a two-year stint at Polygon, he rejoined The Verge in May 2025.
Samsung unveiled its Galaxy S26 lineup at its recent Unpacked event in San Francisco. As expected, the new series consists of the baseline S26, which starts at $899.99, and the bigger S26 Plus, which starts at $1,099.99. At the high end, there’s also the $1,299.99 S26 Ultra, which is the largest in the lineup and comes with a bigger battery, better cameras, S Pen support, and expanded options for both storage and RAM. The price difference between Samsung’s cheapest and most expensive S26 phones is $400 (last year, it was $500).
While some of its updated Galaxy AI software features are new, it’s another year of minor hardware updates for Samsung’s flagship phones. However, there are some notable changes that you should know about upfront. The base S26 costs $100 more than last year’s model, but comes with 256GB of storage instead of 128GB. It also has a bigger battery and a slightly larger 6.3-inch screen (not great news if you appreciated the S25’s smaller size), but it’s now missing mmWave 5G support. The S26 Plus is $100 more, yet, as noted in the chart below, it offers even fewer upgrades.
If you want a side-by-side comparison of how the Galaxy S26 lineup fares in terms of specs to the last-gen models, we’ve made a table for your perusal. All of the new phones are up for preorder starting today, February 25th, and will ship on March 11th. Samsung also announced the forthcoming Galaxy Buds 4 and Buds 4 Pro, which are also available for preorder starting today ahead of their release on March 11th.
Samsung Galaxy S26 vs. S25 Specification Samsung Galaxy S26 Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Samsung Galaxy S25 Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra OS Android 16 Android 16 Android 16 Android 16 Android 16 Android 16 Display 6.3-inch OLED 6.7-inch OLED 6.9-inch OLED 6.2-inch OLED 6.7-inch OLED 6.9-inch OLED Resolution 2340 x 1080 3120 x 1440 3120 x 1440 2340 x 1080 3120 x 1440 3120 x 1440 Max. refresh rate Up to 120Hz Up to 120Hz Up to 120Hz Up to 120Hz Up to 120Hz Up to 120Hz Dimensions (mm) 149.6 x 71.7 x 7.2 158.4 x 75.8 x 7.3 163.6 x 78.1 x 7.9 146.9 x 70.5 x 7.2 158.4 x 75.8 x 7.3 162.8 x 77.6 x 8.2 Weight 5.89 ounces (167 grams) 6.70 ounces (190 grams) 7.55 ounces (214 grams) 5.71 ounces (162 grams) 6.70 ounces (190 grams) 7.68 ounces (218 grams) Battery 4,300mAh 4,900mAh 5,000mAh 4,000mAh 4,900mAh 5,000mAh Processor Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Snapdragon 8 Elite Snapdragon 8 Elite Snapdragon 8 Elite Storage 256GB, 512GB 256GB, 512GB 256GB, 512GB, 1TB 128GB, 256GB, 512GB 256GB, 512GB 256GB, 512GB, 1TB RAM 12GB 12GB 12GB / 16GB 12GB 12GB 12GB Ports USB-C USB-C USB-C USB-C USB-C USB-C Rear camera Wide: 50MP, f/1.8 / Ultrawide: 12MP, f/2.2 /Telephoto:10MP, f/2.4 Wide: 50MP, f/1.8 / Ultrawide: 12MP, f/2.2 /Telephoto:10MP, f/2.4 Wide: 200MP, f/1.4 / Ultrawide: 50MP, f/1.9 / Telephoto 1: 10MP, f/2.4 / Telephoto 2: 50MP, f/2.9 Wide: 50MP, f/1.8 / Ultrawide: 12MP, f/2.2 / Telephoto: 10MP, f/2.4 Wide: 50MP, f/1.8 / Ultrawide: 12MP, f/2.2 / Telephoto: 10MP, f/2.4 Main: 200MP, f/1.7 / Ultrawide: 50 MP, f/1.9 / Telephoto: 50MP, f/3.4; 10MP, f/2.4 Front camera 12MP, f/2.2 12MP, f/2.2 12MP, f/2.2 12MP, f/2.2 12MP, f/2.2 12MP, f/2.2 Front video 4K at 60fps 4K at 60fps 4K at 60fps 4K at 30 / 60fps 4K at 30 / 60fps 4K at 30 / 60fps Rear video 8K at 30fps / 4K at 60fps 8K at 30fps / 4K at 60fps 8K at 30fps / 4K at 120fps 8K at 24 / 30fps (main lens only), 4K at 30 / 60fps (all lenses) 8K at 24 / 30fps (main lens only), 4K at 30 / 60fps (all lenses) 8K at 24 / 30fps (main lens only), 4K at 30 / 60 / 120fps (all lenses) Biometrics Ultrasonic fingerprint and facial recognition Ultrasonic fingerprint and facial recognition Ultrasonic fingerprint and facial recognition Ultrasonic fingerprint and facial recognition Ultrasonic fingerprint and facial recognition Ultrasonic fingerprint and facial recognition Water and dust protection IP68 IP68 IP68 IP68 IP68 IP68 Connectivity 5G (no mmWave) / Wi-Fi 7 / Bluetooth 5.4 5G (includes mmWave) / Wi-Fi 7 / Bluetooth 6 5G (includes mmWave) / Wi-Fi 7 / Bluetooth 6 5G / Wi-Fi 7 / Bluetooth 5.4 5G / Wi-Fi 7 / Bluetooth 5.4 / Ultra wideband 5G / Wi-Fi 7 / Bluetooth 5.4 / Ultra wideband Wireless charging? Yes, 15W Yes, 20W Yes, 25W Yes, 15W Qi2 Yes, 15W Qi2 Yes, 15W Qi2 Stylus support? No No Yes No No Yes Colors Violet, blue, black, white (online exclusives: silver, gold) Violet, blue, black, white (online exclusives: silver, gold) Violet, blue, black, white (online exclusives: silver, gold) Green, silver, light blue, navy (online exclusives: coral, black, gold) Green, silver, light blue, navy (online exclusives: coral, black, gold) Green, silver, light blue, navy (online exclusives: coral, black, gold) Starting price $899.99 $1,099.99 $1,299.99 $799.99 $999.99 $1,299.99