For years, flagship phones have all been about one aspect – the top-tier specifications. Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Ultra changes that with its approach to a flagship smartphone – one that addresses today’s issues with cutting-edge technology rather than boasting about a lengthy specifications sheet. The S26 Ultra is no longer about higher megapixel counts, or a brighter peak brightness figure, or faster benchmark scores – stuff that its rivals from China are obsessed about even in 2026.
Instead, the Galaxy S26 Ultra blends into your life with meaningful touches that make it addictive. Take the Privacy Display feature as an example – a clever technology that makes the S26 Ultra ideal for those who worship privacy in public. Nobody around me could now see my WhatsApp chats or check my notifications! The Privacy Display, in fact, is easily one of the best innovations I have seen in a smartphone lately, and this one is likely to win top scores from us.
Is the Galaxy S26 Ultra all about the Privacy Display?
Even Samsung admits that the Privacy Display is the hero feature on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, and I think it deserves the appreciation. A phone’s display cleverly hiding your sensitive information on the screen to those around you, without needing an accessory or a modification, is a big upgrade, especially when you need it. That’s what a premium phone should solve in 2026, not just throw useless gimmicks or vulgar camera brand names at you for the sake of asking for your money.
The feature has some drawbacks too – the viewing angles in the regular viewing mode are narrow, and there’s a noticeable resolution downgrade when switching on the Privacy Display. These, however, are minor niggles when compared to the privacy gains on offer. The display, in general, offers a nice viewing experience, with vibrant colours and smooth animations, thanks to the variable refresh rate.
Another thing to note here (get the reference?) is how slim this flagship phone feels. At 7.9mm thick, the S26 Ultra is easy to manage, despite the 214 grams of weight. This is much slimmer than the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and it helps with those late-night reading/browsing sessions on the bed. Even on day-to-day usage, it felt natural to hold and use this phone – something I wasn’t expecting coming from the Apple iPhone Air and its incredibly slim body.
The large camera bump, however, makes the phone wobble a lot, especially when it lies flat on a desk. The S Pen stylus also deploys accidentally at times while taking it out of the pocket. You also need to be careful when inserting the S Pen in the body, as the wrong alignment makes it awkwardly stick out of the curved edge.
Does the Galaxy S26 Ultra feel like a flagship?
Yes, it does.
Under the hood, there’s a customised Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 Elite chip with improved cooling, which Samsung claims can handle thermal throttling. It handled my daily dose of Wreckfest (a console game ported to Android) with ease, ensuring good frame rates and a pleasant gameplay experience. The aluminium frame, however, warms up after a while. This isn’t surprising, considering how fast Samsung’s Ultra phones have been over the last few years. Even a Galaxy S23 Ultra from 2023 can cope with today’s AI-bred workloads.
But the real reason why I am glad to recommend the Galaxy S26 Ultra is the One UI experience. Samsung’s custom user interface remains by far the best iteration of Android I have experienced, succeeding what Google offers on its Pixel devices. It’s not only the layout, which is neat and well laid, but also the lack of distractions – no ‘in-your-face’ AI tool, or countless third-party app stores begging you to download WhatsApp or cheap games on them. Samsung’s apps for basic phone functions and the additional fun ones are great to use. Nifty features like AI Select, Notes, Interpreter and Creative Studio came in handy for my workflow, especially with the S Pen stylus extending help as a pointer device.
The feature I least expected to get accustomed to was Now Brief – the ‘Agentic AI’ interface that creates a summary of your calendar events, photos, and every crucial thing you’d want your smartphone to smartly show you when needed. Think of it as a fancy Google Discover pane, showing YouTube video and news article recommendations along with your calendar events and some more. Its presence as a widget on the homescreen makes it worthy of your phone’s space.
Other than that, Samsung doesn’t force its Bixby AI or Gemini AI, (or even Perplexity) down your throat. These AI tools are there, neatly tucked where you expect them to be – in the app menu. Samsung’s Object Eraser tool in the Gallery app is a joy to use for editing photos, and with Bixby’s Gen AI update, you can type in your edits to make the changes. Neat.
With such a loaded software experience, the battery life impresses too, considering there’s only a 5,000mAh cell inside. In my use cases so far, the phone lasts an entire day, sparing some 25 per cent by bedtime. That’s top-tier efficiency. The inclusion of a much faster charging (60W charger needed) tops up this phone within 40 minutes. Mid-day top-ups are quicker too, when needed. This is a much more helpful upgrade than I’d rather overlook the lack of a magnetic Qi-2 wireless charging standard.
Camera that prioritises quality
On paper, Samsung has tweaked the 200MP main camera sensor by giving it a wider aperture, promising up to 47% brighter low-light images and better detail at zoom levels. As a user expecting nothing short of greatness, the S26 Ultra’s camera delivered on my expectations – a great pocket camera system. It took great photos in daylight, performed even nicer in low light, and kept my office colleagues and friends entertained with its portrait photos. Even the video quality is as great as the iPhone’s, offering a polished touch to the processing.
Samsung’s suppression of grains and post-processing artefacts is among the best in class, although the colour science is slightly shy of the real-world ambient lighting tones. The S26 Ultra also remains a formidable zoom-friendly camera system for both photos and videos. The Horizon Lock feature is a great addition for passionate videographers looking to exploit its camera for the best outcomes.
Verdict: The best that there is?
The Galaxy S26 Ultra may not be the flashiest phone you can buy this year, but it most certainly is the one you’d want to live with. Quoting Samsung’s slogan for the Galaxy S4, this one truly is a life companion.
Other than the usual expensive ‘flagship’ phone perks, i.e., great cameras, good battery stamina, flawless performance, etc, the S26 Ultra emphasises what’s truly crucial for a premium phone today – being a phone that addresses common concerns. The Privacy Display is hands down the sole reason I’d recommend the Ultra over any maxxed-out flagship phone this year. Samsung’s One UI experience layers it with a plush user experience that I struggle to find even on the similarly priced iPhones and Pixels. I am glad to see a cleverly designed UI that houses AI where it is required – not shove it down your throat like its rivals.
Summing it up, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is the phone we recommend in this category over anything else on sale this year.