Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Review: There's a Catch

Summary of the Review (Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra)

Main Product Highlights / New Features

Privacy Display (key new hardware feature)

• Can be toggled on/off instantly.
• Limits viewing angles dramatically to prevent people from looking over the shoulder.
• Blocks viewing angles both horizontally and vertically, more completely than cheaper polarized screen protectors.
• Can be applied selectively by app (e.g., only banking/texting apps or only notifications).

Display trade-off mechanics

• Uses two pixel types:
  • Wide-angle pixels (normal viewing)
  • Narrow-angle pixels (straight-on only)
• When Privacy Display is enabled:
  • Wide-angle pixels turn off, leaving only narrow-angle pixels.

Other design changes

• Phone is made thinner, lighter, and rounder at the corners, but not described as a major redesign.
• Rounder corners affect S Pen docking:
  • The S Pen slot is slightly curved, so the pen can be inserted only one way (unlike last year’s flatter slot).
• The camera plateau with rings increases the camera area, contributing to the phone rocking on a table, especially without a case.

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Performance & Battery / Charging

Chip / performance

• Chip: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy
• Benchmarking: similar scores to OnePlus 15, with Samsung slightly higher.
• Performance described as “great” and smooth, especially for animations and overall UX.
• Emphasis is on NPU/AI more than raw compute, but the experience is still portrayed as excellent.

Battery & charging

• Same 5,000 mAh battery as before, but slightly improved battery life due to better efficiency.
• Standby is not class-leading (but still “really good”).
• Charging: up to 60W peak (described as slightly faster).

Missing hardware expectations (frustrations)

• No Qi2 magnets for magnetic accessory/case mounting.
• No silicon-carbon battery (reviewer implies this would have improved the phone’s “ceiling” vs some last-year competitors).
• Overall sentiment: the phone could have felt more “Ultra” with these upgrades.

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Cameras

Hardware continuity + improvements

• Mostly the same hardware as last year, with improvements:
  • Bigger aperture on the main camera.
  • 3X camera about the same, but 5X also gets a bigger aperture.
• Claimed benefit: more light, leading to softer bokeh for close subjects.

Potential downgrade

• Minimum focus distance on the main camera got worse.
• Macro mode exists, but the reviewer noticed this change (not described as disastrous).

Software-led video/capture improvements

• APV log codec added (reviewer says it works great).
• Horizon Lock stabilization:
  • Among the best executions the reviewer has seen.
  • Uses the 200MP sensor and crops to shoot extremely stable Quad HD up to 60fps still video.

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AI / Software Features (Galaxy AI)

• A large set of AI features is emphasized (reviewer mentions “agentic” but avoids leaning into the marketing term).

Examples cited

• Call screening for unknown numbers.
• Audio Eraser: removes background noise naturally in videos.
• Photo Assist: edits photos to create new scenes.

Skepticism / mixed usefulness

• Reviewer’s view: you can use these tools heavily or ignore them (“slop” mode vs ignoring it).
• Some features didn’t work for the reviewer (e.g., Now Nudge didn’t work once).
• Many AI edit requests were refused, credited to safeguards.
• The reviewer doesn’t think AI alone justifies buying the Ultra; similar features should (in theory) reach older Samsung devices via updates.

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Pricing / Value Positioning

• Starting price: $1,300 (described as very pricey).
• Reviewer argues base S26 / S26 Plus aren’t good deals anymore due to:
  • Largely unchanged designs
  • Similar camera setup since S23
  • Millimeter wave removed
  • Exynos in many regions
  • 128GB version removed, while 256GB remains at the same price
    • This effectively raises the entry cost (to about $900)

Overall: Samsung is seen as charging premium pricing without enough truly “new” essentials.

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Pros (As Presented)

• Privacy Display is genuinely useful and unusually innovative (real hardware-based privacy control).
• Premium display remains good overall, even with trade-offs.
• Strong performance and smooth UX; gaming/multitasking handled well.
• Improved battery life vs last generation, plus slightly faster charging.
• Camera/video improvements with APV log and excellent stabilization (Horizon Lock).
• Some AI features are genuinely helpful (call screening, audio cleanup).

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Cons (As Presented)

Privacy Display trade-offs

• Resolution effectively cut in half (wide-angle pixels off).
• Blockier edges / reduced fine detail and contrast.
• Peak brightness drops slightly at higher brightness.
• Viewing angles are slightly worse all the time because some pixels always have narrower angles.
• Coating/anti-reflective performance not as good as the previous S25 Ultra (per reviewer observation).
• 8-bit simulation of 10-bit rather than native full 10-bit.

Design downsides

• S Pen docking less convenient (one-way insertion due to curved slot).
• Phone rocks on tables without a case.

Charging / accessory omissions

• No Qi2 magnets
• No silicon-carbon battery

AI skepticism

• Not convinced AI features justify Ultra-level pricing; could be rolled out to other models.

Value/pricing criticism

• Ultra is priced high; base models are also criticized as poor value.

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Comparisons Mentioned

• Privacy Display vs cheap polarized protectors: reviewer says the built-in privacy implementation blocks angles more completely.
• Chip vs OnePlus 15: similar benchmarks; Samsung slightly higher.
• Battery vs competitor phones: S26 Ultra is described as underperforming against phones with silicon-carbon batteries (based on referenced testing).
• Value vs other Samsung tiers: S26 Ultra feels “Ultra-ish,” but closer to an enhanced mid/high tier rather than a true generational leap.

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Overall User Experience (Day-to-Day Feel)

• Display is excellent normally, but Privacy Display introduces visible compromises (less crispness, some dimming).
• Performance and battery feel consistently strong.
• Cameras are strong, especially for video thanks to stabilization and codec additions.
• AI features are plentiful—some are useful, but enough feel optional/questionable that the reviewer doesn’t see them as a primary reason to pay top-tier pricing.

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Unique Points Mentioned (Consolidated List)

1. First impressions from footage; later one week hands-on.
2. Privacy Display toggle; app-by-app and notification-specific privacy.
3. Privacy Display blocks horizontal + vertical off-axis viewing more than polarized protectors.
4. Privacy Display uses wide-angle vs narrow-angle pixel types.
5. Enabling privacy turns off wide-angle pixels → resolution cut in half and visible detail loss.
6. Privacy Display causes slightly lower perceived brightness at high brightness.
7. Privacy Display likely reduces viewing angles overall.
8. Different/less effective anti-reflective coating than S25 Ultra.
9. Display uses 8-bit simulation for 10-bit.
10. Default resolution set to 1080p; can switch to 1440p.
11. “Pixel peepers” will notice trade-offs; most users may not.
12. Thinner/lighter design with rounder corners; not a huge redesign.
13. Curved S Pen slot → pen inserts only one way.
14. Larger camera plateau → phone rocks on tables without a case.
15. Aluminum sides vs titanium: no real usage difference (lighthearted remark).
16. Chip: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5; benchmarks similar/slightly higher vs OnePlus 15.
17. Performance and smoothness described as excellent.
18. Vapor chamber redesign supports good thermals.
19. Battery life slightly better; standby not best-in-class.
20. Charging up to 60W peak.
21. Missing Qi2 magnets called out as disappointing.
22. Missing silicon-carbon battery called out as limiting.
23. Battery compares unfavorably vs competitors with silicon-carbon (per referenced test).
24. Cameras mostly same as last year, but improved apertures (main + 5X).
25. Macro/min focus distance got worse on main camera (noticed downgrade).
26. Software camera upgrades: APV log codec and Horizon Lock.
27. Horizon Lock uses 200MP sensor; stable Quad HD up to 60fps.
28. AI features: call screening, Audio Eraser, Photo Assist; many options.
29. AI safety/trust: unsafe edits refused; Now Nudge didn’t work for reviewer.
30. AI likely could come to older models; reviewer not convinced it drives purchase.
31. Base S26/S26 Plus value complaints: removed mmWave, Exynos in many regions, 128GB removed, effective $900 baseline.
32. Ultra price is $1,300; reviewer frames price/value as the biggest “Ultra” aspect (sarcastically).

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Speakers / Perspectives

• Primary reviewer (single voice): all observations are from the same person.
• References include:
  • Mrwhosetheboss battery test (external comparison).
  • Mentions of other creators/content (supporting references, not separate reviewers).

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Verdict / Recommendation

Buy the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra if you value a rare, genuinely useful feature: Privacy Display—and you’re comfortable with its trade-offs (reduced effective resolution, possible dimming, and angle/coating limitations when enabled).

Don’t buy (or reconsider) if your priority is best value or “most Ultra” hardware. The reviewer criticizes missing Qi2 magnets and lack of silicon-carbon battery, and overall pricing makes it feel less compelling versus competitors and Samsung’s own lower tiers.