I’ve been covering Samsung phones for over 25 years — let’s rate the Galaxy S26 Ultra rumors from best to worst

Opinion
By published

There's some exciting upgrades, but are there enough?

Galaxy S26 Ultra render with thumbs up and thumbs down icons
(Image credit: Future/Evan Blass)

Yup I’ve been covering smart phones for a quarter century, and Samsung has been part of that since the very beginning. I actually reviewed the Samsung SPH-i300 in 2001 that ran Palm OS (remember that?) and the Samsung BlackJack powered by Windows Mobile in 2006. And I’ve reviewed every single Galaxy S device since Samsung’s Android flagship line launched in 2010.

Now that the launch of the Galaxy S26 Ultra is almost upon us, it’s a good time to break down the most credible rumors for this new device, which is tipped to launch at Samsung Unpacked 2026 on Feb 25. But I don’t want to just rattle them off to you. I’m going to rate these rumors based on my years of experience reviewing phones — and how big these upgrades look compared to the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Let me know if you agree in the comments.

Samsung Privacy Display (8/10)

Gif animation reportedly showing Galaxy S26 Ultra Privacy Display feature.

(Image credit: SammyGuru)

Samsung is so excited about this feature that they’ve revealed it ahead of the Galaxy S26 Ultra launch. The new Privacy Display gives users control over what other people see, whether it’s blocking the view of certain apps for onlookers or even specific fields for when you’re entering sensitive data.

Samsung Privacy Display on S26 Ultra

(Image credit: Samsung)

Privacy Display uses a combination of hardware and software/AI to shield info from prying eyes — apparently without dimming the overall display itself. This could be the death blow for dedicated privacy screens on phones if Samsung can build the tech right inside the phone in a smarter way.

Better Low-Light Camera (7/10)

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As good as the Galaxy S25 Ultra was, it fell behind Apple in our iPhone 17 Pro Max vs S25 Ultra camera face-off because of its low-light performance. In our side-by-side testing, Apple beat Samsung in every photo comparison in night-time conditions. Things should change for the Galaxy S26 Ultra, as Samsung is rumored to offer a wider aperture for the main camera; this should let in more light and result in brighter images.

The better low-light performance will apply to video, too, as Samsung has already given us a few teasers of the improved performance, showing us how the S26 Ultra will “light up your night.” The improved results will come from AI assistance as well, as Samsung heavily touts the term “AI Phone” in its teasers.

Faster 60W charging (6/10)

A back shot of the Galaxy S25 Ultra

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Samsung’s Ultra line has been stuck on 45W charging for a few generations now, so it’s good to hear that the Galaxy S26 Ultra could finally step things up to 60-watt charging. The tipster Ice Universe says that the Galaxy S26 Ultra will be able to reach 75% in just 30 minutes.

However, in our testing the Galaxy S25 Ultra reached 71% in 30 minutes of charging over 45W, so we’re hoping it’s even faster than rumored at 60W.

Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 power (5/10)

DO NOT USE Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset

(Image credit: Qualcomm)

Maybe it’s because we’ve already tested a flagship phone with the new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip in the OnePlus 15, but this upgrade doesn’t seem that exciting to me. Based on the leaked S26 Ultra benchmarks, it looks like the Galaxy S26 Ultra will offer faster speeds in GeekBench 6 than the iPhone 17 Pro Max when it comes to multi-core performance but lower scores in single-core.

However, it looks like the Samsung S26 Ultra could offer better graphics performance than the iPhone 17 Pro Max based on the results we’ve seen for the OnePlus 15 in 3DMark Wild Life.

Slightly updated design (4/10)

Renders of two Galaxy S26 Ultra models

(Image credit: OnLeaks)

There was nothing wrong with the Galaxy S25 Ultra design, so it’s not a huge bummer that the S26 Ultra apparently won’t look much different. But leaker Ice Universe says there will be some notable changes. For one, the S26 Ultra will have slightly more rounded corners, could make it more comfortable to hold.

We’ve also heard that the the S26 Ultra will be 0.3 mm thinner and 4 grams lighter than the S25 Ultra, which is a plus, but it’s also supposed to be 0.8mm taller and 0.5mm wider. The display is apparently going from 6.86 inches on the S25 Ultra to 6.89 inches on the S26 Ultra. Lastly, the rear cameras will apparently be housed in a raised platform. In other words, meh?

No battery upgrade (2/10)

Galaxy S26 Ultra in violet color

(Image credit: AndroidHeadlines)

Despite several Chinese phone makers adopting silicon carbon batteries, which enable you to cram more capacity into a similar size package, the S26 Ultra is reportedly sticking with a 5,000 mAh battery once again.

The OnePlus 15 packs a 7,300 mAh battery that lasted over 25 hours in the Tom’s Guide battery test. So for the S26 Ultra we don’t expect much more than the 17 hours the S25 Ultra turned in — unless the new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip is super efficient.

No magnetic charging (again!) (1/10)

S26 UAG cases

(Image credit: Evan Blass @ X)

We complained when the Galaxy S25 Ultra launched with Qi2 support because that support requires that you purchase a separate compatible case to add magnetic charging. The Galaxy S26 Ultra will reportedly share the same weakness, and we’ve heard that the main reason is that the built-in magnets would interfere with the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s S Pen functionality. Personally, I’d rather live without an S Pen at this point.

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Mark Spoonauer
Mark Spoonauer

Mark Spoonauer is the global editor in chief of Tom's Guide and has covered technology for over 20 years. In addition to overseeing the direction of Tom's Guide, Mark specializes in covering all things mobile, having reviewed dozens of smartphones and other gadgets. He has spoken at key industry events and appears regularly on TV to discuss the latest trends, including Cheddar, Fox Business and other outlets. Mark was previously editor in chief of Laptop Mag, and his work has appeared in Wired, Popular Science and Inc. Follow him on Twitter at @mspoonauer.

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