GoKawiilStephen Radochia / Android Authority
I was underwhelmed by the Galaxy S26 Ultra when I first got my hands on it. I’d be a fool to argue it’s not a solid flagship phone, and I understand why Samsung does what it does. Still, the Galaxy S26 Ultra didn’t generate the same level of excitement I’ve had with other devices, and its hardware lags behind similarly priced smartphones overseas.
However, that hasn’t stopped buyers from eating up the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Sales figures remain strong, proving that Samsung knows what it’s doing.
But that doesn’t mean any of this is good — at least not for you and me. The S26 Ultra may be good for Samsung’s pocketbook, but for anyone who wants more from Samsung and its smartphones, this is the worst-case scenario.
Which Samsung phone did you upgrade from when you bought a Galaxy S26 Ultra? 53 votes Galaxy S22 Ultra or older 32 % Galaxy S23 Ultra 19 % Galaxy S24 Ultra 19 % Galaxy S25 Ultra 30 %
Samsung didn’t offer anything invigorating on the Galaxy S26 Ultra
Stephen Radochia / Android Authority
I don’t live in an enthusiast bubble, and you’ll never see me use benchmarks to help convince you to buy (or not buy) a phone. But Samsung needs to strike a balance. Yes, the casual user experience is excellent, but that doesn’t excuse the company for not including all the hardware improvements you’d expect on a $1,300 smartphone.
It doesn’t help that the big innovation Samsung pushed falls flat. I can’t turn on a television without seeing commercials for Samsung’s Privacy Display feature on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, and I couldn’t care less about it. It’s not a gimmick, and I look forward to the company working on future generations of the technology. But it’s not worth the compromise to display quality in its current form.
Samsung is smart enough to know how people in the US buy their phones.
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