GoKawiilThe Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra has impressed us with its processor performance, camera skills and of course its innovative Privacy Display, which actually works as well as the company boasted it would. It's a powerhouse of an Android phone and it comes with a price tag to match. At $1,300 (£1,279) it requires a lot of cash to get one into your pocket but there is a cheaper option. Last year's Galaxy S25 Ultra has many of the same specs and you can pick it up used for around $720 on Gazelle -- a whopping savings over the original.
It's actually extraordinary how much less the S25 Ultra costs when buying a used one, especially when you consider just how similar it is to the latest model. Sure, you won't get the new Privacy Display, but the camera performance is similar, the displays are the same size and resolution and both have 5,000-mAh batteries. The S26 Ultra is mostly an iterative upgrade over its predecessor, but you'll have to shell out almost twice as much for it. Of course, if you're selling your S25 Ultra then that amount of depreciation really sucks. But if you're looking to upgrade from an older phone, then you have yourself a bargain on a high-end device.
So what difference does one generation make? Can last year's model still perform like the current flagship? Let's put these phones side by side and see what we get.
Watch this: Don't Buy the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Save Money With a Used S24 Ultra Instead 07:54
Which one's which? It's difficult to tell. Andrew Lanxon/CNET
Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. S25 Ultra: Key specs compared
On paper, the key specs are similar. They both have massive displays with identical resolutions and refresh rates. They both have potent Qualcomm processors, 12GB of RAM, 200-megapixel cameras, and an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. And yes, both have the S Pen stylus tucked inside if you want to doodle pictures while pretending to be working. The S25 Ultra is made from titanium, whereas Samsung opted for Aluminum for the S26 Ultra. That change sheds 4 grams off the new model, which isn't an amount you're ever likely to notice, and potentially radiates heat out of the phone more effectively.
From a purely numbers perspective, there's little to choose between the S26 Ultra and S25 Ultra -- certainly nothing that warrants such a steep price difference. So what are they like to use in person? Let's start with the cameras.
Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. S25 Ultra: Cameras
Camera performance is a central way phone-makers try to upgrade their phones each year, with the latest models typically boasting better imaging skills than previous generations. While there are some upgrades on paper -- like the S26 Ultra's wider f/1.4 aperture on the main camera -- Samsung hasn't really altered its format that much for its last few Ultra models, so the differences in everyday use are negligible.
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