Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra release date expectations, price estimates, upgrades
What we know so far:
Samsung’s Galaxy S series has a habit of kicking off the smartphone year — the past couple of generations saw the light of day in January. But word on the street is that the Galaxy S26 Ultra might be about to mess with that tradition. Yup, the usual early-year launch window? Might just be slipping. Some say Samsung may be looking to launch during the holiday season of 2025, to reportedly rival those pesky iPhones. Can it be done? We'll have to wait and see.
Now, Ultra models are always a moment — Samsung’s way of saying, "This is what we’re really capable of". And after a facelifted Galaxy S25 Ultra that didn't have a lot happening under the hood, it’s fair to say that expectations are... stewing. Maybe it’s the S26 Ultra that finally delivers the upgrade spark those Galaxy S22 Ultra users have been waiting for.
Thing is, even before the S25 hit shelves, whispers about the S26 series had already started swirling. Most of it? Centered around chip manufacturing drama and who’s actually going to make the silicon this time. So, what we’re dealing with right now is mostly informed speculation, a sprinkle of leaks, and a good dose of Samsung history.
Thing is, even before the S25 hit shelves, whispers about the S26 series had already started swirling. Most of it? Centered around chip manufacturing drama and who’s actually going to make the silicon this time. So, what we’re dealing with right now is mostly informed speculation, a sprinkle of leaks, and a good dose of Samsung history.
Still, let’s break down what we do know—and what we think we can expect from the Galaxy S26 Ultra.
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Galaxy S26 Ultra release date
As previously mentioned, Samsung loves to get a headstart with its flagship phones. The Galaxy S series has slowly crept up to launch earlier and earlier each year. Nowadays, they typically get their announcement in January and there's a couple of weeks' delay until they ship — usually pushing the launch to February.
However, a new set of rumors suggest that Samsung may be looking to pull the Galaxy S26 launch even earlier — by a month or so. Reportedly, it's aiming to at least have a pre-order period held in December, right on time for the holiday season. That'd be a risky play. Supposedly, Samsung wants to take some of that sweet, sweet holiday sales away from Apple's iPhones, but a launch in December seems to be a bit too late for that.
It may just be another step in the process of pulling the Galaxy S launch closer to October or even September, to directly compete with Apple's iPhones.
| Device family | Announcement | Market release |
|---|---|---|
| Samsung Galaxy S23 series | February 1, 2023 | February 17th, 2023 |
| Samsung Galaxy S24 series | January 17, 2024 | January 31, 2024 |
| Samsung galaxy S25 series | January 22, 2025 | February 7, 2025 |
| Samsung Galaxy S26 series | December, 2025? | Jan, 2026? |
* - probable dates
Galaxy S26 Ultra price and deals
| Phone model | 256GB of storage | 512GB of storage | 1TB of storage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Galaxy S23 Ultra | $1199.99 | $1299.99 | $1619.99 |
| Galaxy S24 Ultra | $1299.99 | $1419.99 | $1659.99 |
| Galaxy S25 Ultra | $1299.99 | $1419.99 | $1659.99 |
| Galaxy S26 Ultra | $1299.99* | $1419.99* | $1659.99* |
*- anticipated prices
The Galaxy S Ultra series is already quite pricey, even at the starting level. We don't think that Samsung will be looking to increase that price-tag further, and there are no news about new features or components that might drive that price up just yet.
Galaxy S26 Ultra deals to expect:
- Samsung: Samsung always celebrates new models with the so-called "enhanced trade-in" — the manufacturer will give you extra credit for an old phone, if it goes towards the purchase of the new model. Plus, almost always, new models launch with a "free storage upgrade" promo, meaning you will be getting the 512 GB model at the price of the 256 GB one for a limited time. Add to that the exclusive colors that you can only get on Samsung.com and there's plenty of incentive to go direct to the manufacturer.
- Verizon: Historically, Verizon lets you save up to $1,000 with new line activation on any myPlan and phone trade-ins in any condition.
- T-Mobile: typically also meets the $1,000 off offer with an eligible device trade-in on the Go5G Next plan.
- AT&T: AT&T took the cake with the best Galaxy S25 Ultra offer in early 2025, with up to $1,300 off on the phone. The catch is that it included a 3-year plan and an eligible trade-in phone in good condition
Galaxy S26 Ultra camera
Galaxy S26 Ultra expected camera setup:
- 200 MP main wide camera
- 50 MP ultra-wide camera
- 200 MP 4x zoom camera
- 12 MP selfie camera
On to the hottest rumor — it's said that the Galaxy S26 Ultra will axe a camera. Currently, the Ultra phones come with four — a main, an ultra-wide angle, a 3x telephoto for portraits and 5x periscope camera for extreme zoom. It's said that the S26 ultra will have one zoom camera — 200 MP sensor under a 4x lens. It doesn't take a huge leap to believe that. Samsung's expertise with high-res sensors and postprocessing has been getting better and better.
Just a couple of years ago, the Galaxy S23 Ultra had a 10 MP 10x zoom lens, but the S24 Ultra "side-graded" that to a 50 MP sensor with a 5x lens. Then used software tricks to make the most out of that 5x lens. So, the same could happen with the S26 Ultra, straight up removing one zoom camera, which always looked a bit overkill and redundant.
Another rumor from a somewhat reputable leakster claims that the variable aperture may make a return to the Galaxy flagships. That was an experiment with the Galaxy S9 in the bast, where the main camera had two apertures that it could intelligently pick from (or you could choose from in Pro mode). More open to let more light in, or closed for clearer shots. It's said that the Galaxy S26 Ultra will revive that feature, but the exact aperture range isn't known right now.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra came with new post-processing rules where it doesn't oversharpend details for the first time in... ever. We would love to see how that new "realistic" approach to "soft detail" evolves further. We also got new camera filters this year, which kind of work like Apple's Photographic Styles. What's in the cards for next year?
The Galaxy S Ultra models have now topped our Camera Benchmark test for two years in a row, so we have great confidence in the Galaxy S26 Ultra's camera. However, that's for pictures.
It's possible that Samsung may put some extra effort into video recording next year. Don't get us wrong, yes current Galaxy flagships can record up to 8K resolution, which is overkill times two. But Apple's iPhones still come out with clearer, more stable, sharper video and better audio to go with it.
Galaxy S26 Ultra storage
Galaxy S26 Ultra storage capacity:
- 256 GB
- 512 GB
- 1 TB
The storage options have been 256 GB - 1 TB for a few years now. In 2025, that's still the standard. 256 GB is plenty of space, if you love recording video a bit too much 512 GB will do you fine, and 1 TB is way way too much headroom. But it's there. There's little reason to think that Samsung might push the envelope up to 2 TB any time soon.
Galaxy S26 Ultra design
Galaxy S Ultra models have had the old Galaxy Note 20 design over the past 3 years, but the S25 Ultra finally changed that. It now comes with flat sides, rounded corners — a complete rehash of the "personal notebook" look it had before.
Since the redesign was just done now, we believe the Galaxy S26 Ultra will have a similar look to the S25 Ultra. Gone are the days where Samsung came in with a fresh new design each year.
There is the one thing we were hearing about — that the Galaxy S26 Ultra would supposedly have a selfie camera hidden under its display. Meaning, there won't be a punch hole in the screen. However, the most recent rumors state that this isn't true, and there will still be a tiny black dot at the top of the display to house the unobstructed selfie camera.
In a bit of sad news, the rumor mill says Samsung may remove the S Pen silo from the Galaxy S26 Ultra. That may also mean removal of full S Pen functionality. Although we consider the chances of that happening to be pretty low, the fact that it was reiterated in a few rumors speaks that maybe Samsung did, at the very least, throw the idea up on the drawing board once or twice. Needless to say, we are quite anxious to find out what the final decision was.
Galaxy S26 Ultra display
| Phone | Screen size | Brightness |
|---|---|---|
| Galaxy S26 Ultra | 6.9"* | 3,000 nits peak |
| Galaxy S25 Ultra | 6.9" | 2,600 nits peak |
* - anticipated sizes
A 6.9-inch screen seems to be the current limit of what powerusers are willing to deal with. It's huge, but manageable with thin enough bezels. It allows a lot of room to play with the S Pen on and to watch videos, yet it fits most pockets. So that'll probably remain unchanged.
What we have been hearing about the Galaxy S26 Ultra is that Samsung may be upgrading the internal sheets of the AMOLED display with a new material that reduces internal reflections and improves color separation. The end result should be a brighter screen that's more energy-efficient. Which is why some people believe it'll be hitting peak brightness to the tune of 3,000 nits.
Galaxy S26 Ultra battery
Samsung does not like to push its luck with the battery, ever since the Galaxy Note 7 incident. Which is why it continues to stick to 5,000 mAh cells today, and any battery life improvements come from processor efficiency and software. Will this change with the Galaxy S26 Ultra? It might, but not without some downgrades!
Rumors say the S Pen silo may be gone from the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Whether the S Pen itself is excluded from the package is still anyone's guess. It may be a separate purchase, it may still come in the box and stick to the phone magnetically, or the Wacom digitizer might get completely removed from under the display's glass — we don't know yet.
Removing the digitizer may also help achieve another upgrade in the battery department — a full upgrade to Qi2 wireless charging. The Galaxy S25 Ultra comes as "Qi2 ready", maning that it does support the protocols for slightly faster charging (15 W), but does not have magnets for that MagSafe functionality. You need a magnetic case for the Qi2 experience.
The reason behind that is because magnets close to the digitizer for the S Pen cause troubles with accuracy or even functionality. So, if the S Pen and its digitizer are removed from the Galaxy S26 Ultra, that'd mean no limits for implementing Qi2 in the phone. But some S Pen fans might argue — that's a major downgrade for a small benefit in return.
Galaxy S26 Ultra features and software
The Galaxy S26 Ultra should ship with the next One UI 8 based on Android 16. These operating systems have not yet been demoed or teased, so we can't know what exactly they will entail. Though, "more AI features" is a safe bet.
The Samsung One UI comes with a hefty package of Samsung-specific apps — the Phone dialer has been redesigned, the Calendar is better to the stock Google Calendar, the Camera app is custom, there's a Samsung Gallery even a Samsung app store, if you are Play Store-phobic.
For updates, Samsung has been promising 7 years of support with its recent phones, which would mean that the Galaxy S26 Ultra should get Android 23 with One UI 15 in 2033.
Galaxy S26 Ultra hardware and specs
Galaxy S26 Ultra specs:
- CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 (?)
- RAM: 12 GB
- Battery: 5,000 mAh
- Charging: 45 W wired, 15 W wireless
- Storage: 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB
- Camera setup: 200 MP, 50 MP Ultra-Wide (UW), 50 MP 5x, 10 MP 3x, 12 MP selfie
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.4, Wi-Fi 7, NFC
The Galaxy S26 Ultra will come with the next Snapdragon flagship — if Qualcomm doesn't change its name for the 3rd time in a row, it should be called Snapdragon 8 Elite 2. Early rumors suggested that Samsung Foundry is working on a 2 nm process for the manufacturing of the chip, but yield is extremely low currently. Therefore, it'll most probably be a 3 nm chip again. Of course, it'll come in a special "Made for Galaxy" overclocked edition for the Galaxy S26 Ultra.
Rumors suggest that the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 may reach up to 5 GHz clock speeds, with the familiar setup from before — 2 power cores, 6 efficiency cores. It is yet unknown if the "For Galaxy" model will go beyond that 5 GHz, or if the rumored speed is about the "For Galaxy" model in the first place.
It will also have a new Adreno 840 GPU, reportedly 30% faster than the Adreno 830 in the Snapdragon 8 Elite. Quite the jump, we are just a little skeptical, but if it's true — that'll be one small, fire-breathing gaming platform for sure!
The Samsung-Qualcomm partnership has been working out pretty well so far. Samsung's vapor cooling chamber seems to be doing a good job, and Snapdragons in the Galaxies over the past couple of years have been running buttery smooth.
While competitors like the ROG Phones go all out and over the top with performance, the Galaxy phones typically have plenty enough power on tap even for gamers. So, daily tasks are snappy, fast, and responsive.
Word is that Samsung is also going to pack a brand-new 5G modem in there. The Qualcomm X85 promises faster data transfers, better battery efficiency, and AI tuning. The exact specs say peak download speeds of 12.5 Gbps and upload speeds of 3.7 Gbps!
Should I wait for the Galaxy S26 Ultra?
- You should wait for Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra if you currently own a Galaxy S24 Ultra or even an S23 Ultra. These flagships still have plenty of juice left in them and will take you well into 2026 when the S26 Ultra will come out. Once you see what it has on offer, you will be able to make a better-informed decision on whether to jump in.
- You should not wait for Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra if you need an upgrade and a top-tier phone today. It's still a good half a year or so before the S26 Ultra comes out, if your current handset is falling apart — just go get the S25 Ultra. It is excellent right now and, chances are, it will be more than able to hold a candle or two to the S26 Ultra next year!
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