We have the brand new Galaxy S26 Ultra from Samsung now up for pre-order. It’s quite the looker, featuring a slightly updated design, taking inspiration from last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 in a couple of ways. The camera housing is more along the lines of what that phone has in terms of appearance, but Samsung also went with a slimmer, lighter design for the S26 Ultra.
After having spent 24 hours with the phone now, and before I deliver any sort of full review, I’d like to present you with 5 reasons to buy (or at least strongly consider) the Galaxy S26 Ultra.
1. Privacy Display: Possibly the best “hardware innovation” we’ve seen in the past few years, if we aren’t counting how awesome the Z Fold lineup has become, Privacy Display is something that likely every smartphone user would and should want on their device. Even if you aren’t looking at sensitive material, it’s a great way to hinder curious looky-loos on public transit or in other public spaces. And for those of us that do consume sensitive material, whether it be banking information or whatever, what a fantastic feature it is. You can set it per-app or have it enabled across the entire system.
2. S Pen: I spoke to multiple people during Unpacked this week, ranging from fellow tech bloggers to Samsung reps on this subject. If you know me, you know I don’t use much S Pen when an Ultra is my daily driver. However, I’m beginning to understand why it’s so important to many of you. I promise to no longer be so dismissive. While Samsung didn’t highlight any major changes for the actual S Pen, it could be an enticing feature to get you off of an iPhone or some Android device that doesn’t come equipped with one. For me, the coolest thing I have yet to do with S Pen is turn my awful doodles into AI-generated masterpieces of ultimate cuteness. For that reason alone, S Pen now gets my stamp of acceptance.
3. Camera System: There is an upgraded camera system on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, but not in the traditional sense exactly. While the sensors are essentially unchanged (note, the main sensor moves to an f/1.4, up from f/1.7, allowing for 47% more light), there are new features that require highlighting. For example, the horizontal lock when shooting video is really intriguing. There may be a puppy in my life here soon, so I look forward to testing out the lock functionality when it begins running around outside. Also, there is an improved Nightography mode, as well as the all-new Ocean Mode that Samsung showcased during the keynote. If you’re a diver, you can use Ocean Mode to capture the true color of underwater things, which is better than the muddy, overblown greenish hue you might typically get. If you have any snorkeling adventures planned in Hawaii, this would be the phone to take with you.
4. Updated Hardware: Maybe to the untrained eye, Galaxy S26 Ultra might look relatively unchanged from the Galaxy S25 Ultra. However, the in-hand experience has been improved greatly with the removal of all sharp corners. In addition to the rounding of corners, the phone is quite light at 214 grams, thanks mostly to the reintroduction of Armor Aluminum. Samsung also included a renovated vapor chamber which will deliver improved heat dissipation. For the gamers and hardcore multitaskers who ran into heat issues on past models, this phone should stay much cooler under the pressure. Again, after only spending 24 hours with the phone, it really does feel excellent in hand.
5. AI Kidding, But Kinda: Samsung said “AI” a lot this week. Whether we like it or not, it’s here and has been baked deeply into the device. For the most part, it’s helpful. It can pull information and complete tasks for you without being prompted, you can utilize the updated Circle to Search that people seem to love, and even Bixby is becoming more agentic and useful by finding you system settings that maybe you didn’t know existed simply by speaking to it like a normal person. The changes Samsung implemented are designed to be helpful, and while it may somewhat change your typical workflow on the device, it’s all created with efficiency and ease of use in mind. From my brief time with all of it, it really hasn’t been overbearing or difficult to use. And if at the end of the day, no one is forcing you to use it.
There you have it, 5 reasons to buy the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Expect full review sometime soon.
