Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Review: Powerful, Familiar Flagship

Name: Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
Brand: Samsung

by Myriam Joire — Tuesday, March 17, 2026, 01:25 PM EDT

The Galaxy S26 Ultra runs Samsung's One UI 8.5 on top of Android 16. While I prefer Google and Moto’s simpler, lighter, and closer-to-stock Android user experience, there’s no denying that One UI delivers a compelling set of features that cater to a wide range of users. To find out more about what One UI 8 brings to the table, I suggest you read my Z Fold7 review before I outline some of the S26 Ultra’s new software and AI features.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Software, User Experience, And AI

Obviously, the S26 Ultra comes with a generous serving of AI. Much of this new functionality replicates AI features that already exist on Google’s Pixel handsets, though. Photo Assist (prompt-based photo editing) is similar to Help me edit; Creative Studio (centralized generative AI creation tool) is similar to Pixel Studio; Screenshots (AI-based screenshot organizer) is similar to Pixel Screenshots.

Now Nudge (timely and relevant suggestions) is similar to Google’s Magic Cue; Document Scan (automatic document scanner within the camera app) is similar to Scan document. You get the idea. In addition, the S26 Ultra now offers call screening and scam detection, and Samsung’s Audio Eraser now works on any audio in any app. Also, Bixby is back and lets you adjust device settings and navigate apps using casual conversation.

s26 ultra screenshot 06 — *Calling a Lyft using Gemini's Task Automation on Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra*

During Unpacked, Samsung also showcased agentic AI features that would let you ask Gemini to order food from DoorDash or call an Uber by controlling those apps on your phone. It turns out this feature is part of Gemini, so it rolled out on Google’s Pixel phones alongside the S26 family. It works as advertised, and supports DoorDash, Grubhub, Lyft, Starbucks, Uber, and Uber Eats – with more apps coming soon. It’s cool stuff.

As with its other flagships, Samsung promises seven years of OS upgrades and security updates for the S26 Ultra, which is great news. My unlocked review unit was light on bloatware too. Besides the familiar collection of Google and Samsung apps, it came with LinkedIn, Spotify, plus a handful of Microsoft apps (M365 Copilot, Outlook, and OneDrive) pre-installed, all of which were easy to disable or remove.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Review Summary

The Galaxy S26 Ultra is a fine flagship, and it remains one of the best Android smartphones available in North America today. Samsung’s Privacy Display is genuinely useful and innovative, and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy delivers a serious performance punch. The larger aperture lenses on the 200MP main sensor and 50MP 5x telephoto, together with the faster wired and wireless charging are welcome improvements.

Without a high-capacity silicon-carbon battery, more advanced cameras, or an IP69 dust and water ingress rating – features that are all standard on Chinese flagships – it is fair to question if this phone is really all that Ultra. And while I still recommend the S26 Ultra at its $1299 price point, especially if you want the S Pen and prefer Samsung UI tweaks, the much more affordable OnePlus 15 ($899) gives Samsung’s latest flagship a run for the money.

Find The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra @ Amazon

Samsung should follow Apple's playbook and offer a pair of Pro flagships that are more affordable. Eschew the S Pen and its silo (make it an accessory), drop the vestigial 10MP 3x telephoto, and make this new handset available in two sizes. It would be great if Samsung incorporated some built-in magnets like Apple and Google competitors, too; cases with magnets aren't a suitable alternative at this point. At the same time, craft a proper Ultra flagship, halo device ($1,599) like the Z TriFold but in the familiar candy-bar form factor, and aggressively take the fight to the Chinese competition. The market will be better for it.