Galaxy S26 Ultra

The S26 Ultra is the year Samsung finally let go of the kitchen-sink approach. Out goes the “more megapixels = more better” 200MP marketing; in comes a 4-aperture variable main sensor, a more honest periscope, and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 that no longer needs the “for Galaxy” performance tax to compete with Apple’s chip.

Camera, refined

The new 50MP variable-aperture main (f/1.6-f/4) replaces the “200MP that crops to 12MP” approach with something photographers actually understand. Shallow depth-of-field handheld portraits look cleaner than the 16 Pro Max’s. The 200MP-claim periscope is now an honest 5x optical with 50MP processed output — sharper than last year’s 200MP claim implied. Video matches Apple’s ProRes for the first time, with the caveat that you need to enable Pro Video mode in Settings to unlock it.

S Pen still the differentiator

S Pen with Bluetooth and AI handwriting recognition that finally works in real-time. If you use a stylus on a phone, no other manufacturer is even trying.

Display and battery

The 6.9-inch panel hits 3,200 nits peak — brighter than the 17 Pro Max — and Dynamic AMOLED 3X has proper full-frame variable refresh down to 1Hz. Battery is 5,200 mAh and we averaged 13.5 hours screen-on in mixed use. 65W wired charging fills 0-50% in 18 minutes.

What you give up

$1,299 starting, One UI 7’s “AI everywhere” feels overstuffed compared to Apple Intelligence’s quieter integration, and Samsung’s update commitment of 7 years still trails Apple’s effective lifespan.

Bottom line: The first Ultra in years that earned the name. If you’ve been waiting for Samsung to mature out of the spec-war era, this is it.