The Samsung Galaxy S26 isn’t even official yet, and plenty are calling it a disappointment.
Comprehensive spec leaks over the last week have given us what should be a clear picture of Samsung’s new offerings, and the reactions have been fast and furious. Before the phones are even announced, they’ve been marked as boring and incremental, and that’s misleading.
It’s important to separate enthusiast disappointment over a lackluster upgrade from practical buying advice.
Like many others, I absolutely have a wishlist of what I’d like to see on Samsung’s next flagship phones, but I won’t declare the devices a disaster if I don’t get what I want.
There’s a middle ground, and it’s an uncomfortable truth that, despite what the media will write, the Galaxy S26 devices will be a solid choice for many buyers.
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Galaxy AI isn’t the only software consideration
One UI 8 is in an excellent place
It’s important not to conflate Galaxy AI with One UI. Sure, Samsung spends a great deal of time touting its AI functions, but lackluster features like Now Brief shouldn’t overshadow what the company has done over the last two years.
One UI 8 is fantastic software. It’s smooth and packed with features, even if you completely ignore AI. I’ve written extensively about my love for Material 3 Expressive, but One UI is no slouch.
Whether they know it or not, companies actually have a way to control how much we, as tech journalists, nitpick a phone — it’s the price.
Samsung’s software never used to inspire any excitement, and I’m glad to see the company keep improving. TouchWiz feels like a lifetime ago, and that’s because Samsung’s done an excellent job helping us forget.
If you’re being honest, it’s hard not to give Samsung solid marks for its software, but too often I see people focusing only on the Galaxy AI’s shortcomings.
That’s not fair, and I fully expect the Galaxy S26 series to give users a wonderful software experience, even if you never feel the need to pull up Now Brief.
The Galaxy S26 will still include top-notch hardware
Expect elite performance from the lineup
Whether they know it or not, companies actually have a way to control how much we, as tech journalists, nitpick a phone — it’s the price.
When you give a new phone a whopping $1,300+ price tag, you elevate expectations. It gets to a point where anything short of perfection and relentless innovation feels like failure, but that’s not the whole story.
I don’t know exactly what Samsung’s done just yet and how the Galaxy S26 phones will perform, but I’d be shocked if the company hasn’t put together a top-tier flagship phone, even if it doesn’t check every enthusiast box.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra is fantastic, especially at a discount, and it showed how price really does affect the way we view new products.
Whether it’s powered by a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 or Exynos 2600, the Galaxy S26 will provide ample power, and it’s important to keep that in perspective.
Don’t dismiss the rumored camera upgrades, either. A larger primary sensor is nothing to sneeze at, and I’m looking forward to better low-light photography performance from the Galaxy S26 Ultra.
It’s not five years ago, and the Pixel phones aren’t the undisputed photography champions.
Which imagery you prefer is a matter of personal preference, and any noticeable upgrade to nighttime images can help tip the scales.
Samsung improved the Galaxy S26 in other areas
Several quality-of-life changes add up
One item on my wishlist I’m almost positive we won’t be seeing on the Galaxy S26 is a silicon-carbon battery. In addition, it’s unlikely that Samsung is increasing battery sizes — keeping the Ultra at 5,000mAh for what feels like an eternity.
Still, the rumored 60W charging is a solid upgrade. It’s not the 80 or 100W we see on OnePlus phones, but it’s fast enough to top off in a reasonable amount of time when you forget to plug your phone in overnight.
From my experience with it in the OnePlus 15, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 appears to be an efficient chipset.
So, while Samsung may not have increased battery size for 2026, I expect the same, if not better, battery life performance as the Galaxy S25 Ultra. That’s a device that got me well into a second day before I needed to top off, so unless you’re an especially heavy user, the Galaxy S26 will do the job.
I’m also really excited about the new privacy display feature. I hate privacy screen protectors, and I love the option to use a privacy shield when needed, but I can turn it off when I’m home.
I’m also not always looking at sensitive information, so a toggle makes more sense than having to live with a screen protector, whether you need it or not.
The Galaxy S26 lineup will still top the charts
I understand people’s frustrations with Samsung over the last few years, and I share many of them. It’s hard to settle for anything less than significant year-over-year upgrades when charging full boat.
The Galaxy S26 isn’t going to thrill enthusiasts, but it’s still going to be one of the best phones you can buy — it’s important to keep a level head when reviewing devices.
