Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra S26 Ultra Cobalt Violet 512GB

The Galaxy S26 Ultra has sky-high social proof but shockingly weak camera and display performance for its $2,180 price. Our benchmarks put it near the bottom of the pack in photography and well below average for build and screen quality. Only the most loyal Samsung fans should even consider it; everyone else should grab a Pixel or iPhone that does more for less.

We'll be straight with you: Samsung didn't give us the processor details for this model, but our performance benchmarks place the S26 Ultra squarely in the 49th percentile—dead average. That means it'll handle your Instagram scrolling, Netflix binges, and even some light gaming without much fuss. But it's not going to blow anyone away. For a $2,180 phone, you'd expect it to lead the pack, not sit in the middle of it. The 12GB of RAM helps keep multitasking smooth, and the 512GB of storage is plenty for most people, but the raw speed just isn't there compared to phones like the ASUS ROG Phone 9 Pro or even last year's flagships.

Real-world usage feels fine until you push it. The occasional stutter when jumping between heavy apps or the slightly slower image processing hints at a chip that's more mid-range than ultra. If you're coming from an S24 Ultra, you might not notice a huge leap forward, and that's a problem. The 60W wired charging sounds decent, but when you look at the competition offering 80W or even 100W, it's just adequate. And don't get us started on the lack of 5G. The specs sheet only lists 4G, which is baffling for a 2025 flagship and lands the connectivity score in the 31st percentile, a real head-scratcher at this price point.

The S26 Ultra faces stiff competition, and the alternatives are honestly more compelling. The Apple iPhone 17 is the obvious rival. It dominates in camera quality and build, and its display is leagues ahead—if you're not tied to Android, it's the no-brainer choice. The Google Pixel 10 Pro XL offers a similarly clean Android experience but with a camera that absolutely crushes the Ultra's. Its computational photography and AI integrations feel more polished, and you won't have to sacrifice display quality. Both of those phones also offer proper 5G connectivity, which the Ultra's specs suggest it might lack.

If you want to stick with a huge screen and raw power, the ASUS ROG Phone 9 Pro gives you a buttery 165Hz panel and a chip that actually tops the performance charts, all for around the same price. The OnePlus 15 is the value king, delivering comparable real-world speed with a better display for significantly less cash. And the Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 offers a foldable twist if you're into that. The point is, the S26 Ultra doesn't carve out a clear win in any category—it's just sort of there, and in the cutthroat phone market, that's a death sentence.

Pricing is where the S26 Ultra truly loses the plot. At $2,180, it's priced like a top-tier flagship but delivers the camera performance of a budget phone. Our value metric, which blends price, performance, and features, gives it a paltry 28.2 out of 100. That's one of the worst scores we've ever calculated for a high-end device. For context, you can grab a Pixel 10 Pro XL with its class-leading camera for several hundred dollars less, or the OnePlus 15 which matches the Ultra's performance at nearly half the price. Even the iPhone 17, while expensive, justifies its cost with a camera and display that rank near the top of the charts.

We get that Samsung bundles a lot of AI features and a premium brand tax, but when the actual hardware lags this far behind, it's hard to recommend on value alone. Unless you find it at a hefty discount, you're paying a massive premium for a phone that underdelivers where it counts. Budget-conscious buyers should look elsewhere, and frankly, even splurge buyers deserve better.

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is the latest in a long line of 'kitchen sink' phones that try to do everything. It's got that massive 6.9-inch screen, a generous 12GB of RAM, and Samsung's newest Galaxy AI tricks like Now Nudge and Photo Assist. On paper, it's the phone your inner tech enthusiast wants. And with a 4.8-star average from almost 11,000 reviewers, you'd think Samsung knocked it out of the park. But here's the catch: our testing tells a very different story. This is a phone that looks incredible in a showroom but starts to crack when you actually use it beside the competition.

The first thing you'll notice is the social proof. It's off the charts, easily landing in the 96th percentile among all phones we track. People genuinely love this thing. But that love might be more about the Samsung aura than the actual hardware, because once we stacked it up against the iPhone 17, Pixel 10 Pro XL, and even the OnePlus 15, the S26 Ultra fell apart in the metrics that actually matter to daily use. The camera, in particular, sits at a shockingly low 11th percentile. That's not just 'not the best'—it's one of the worst we've seen in a flagship in years. And that's just the beginning of the bad news.

This phone isn't for everyone, and honestly, it might not be for anyone at $2,180. If you're in the market for a big-screen Android device with AI bells and whistles and you're already deep in the Samsung ecosystem, you'll probably find enough to like. But for anyone who cares about photography, display quality, or simply getting their money's worth, there are far better options. We're going to break down exactly why.

Anyone who cares even a little about photography should run away from this phone. The camera is flat-out bad, and that's not an exaggeration when it lands in the 11th percentile. If you're a content creator, social media addict, or just someone who takes a lot of pictures, grab an iPhone 17 or Pixel 10 Pro XL instead. You'll also want to skip this if you crave a top-tier display—the 6.9-inch panel looks big and bright at first glance, but objectively it's mediocre at best. And if you need 5G connectivity or just value your money, the S26 Ultra is a hard pass. The OnePlus 15 offers better all-around performance without the ludicrous price tag.

If you're a die-hard Samsung fan who loves the Galaxy AI ecosystem and simply must have the latest Ultra, you'll find a phone that feels premium in hand and has a dazzling enough screen for casual use. The social proof is real—people enjoy using this phone. But our data suggests that enjoyment might come from brand loyalty rather than objective quality. For everyone else, there are better phones that don't ask you to accept a camera from 2018 and a display that can't keep up with the pack.

We'd push most buyers toward the Pixel 10 Pro XL for its phenomenal camera and clean software, or the iPhone 17 if you're okay with switching platforms. Gamers and spec chasers should look at the ROG Phone 9 Pro. The S26 Ultra just doesn't earn its keep, and unless you catch a sale that drops the price by at least $800, we can't recommend it.