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7/10
Open rating explainerInformationWIREDGreat performance. Bright, colorful, and sharp screens. Reliable triple-camera system. Good battery life. Long software support. Now starts with 256 GB.TIREDNot much new. Still no native Qi2 support. Price hike.There is nothing inherently wrong with Samsung's base-level flagship smartphones of the year—the Galaxy S26 ($900) and Galaxy S26+ ($1,100). I have now spent several weeks with both handsets, and they're dutiful performers, just not very exciting.
Every year, Samsung introduces some fancy new feature, but it's almost always relegated to the top-tier Ultra model. This year, that's the Privacy Display on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, which blocks the screen from would-be snoopers around you. I like it a lot. Sadly, it's not available with the S26 or its bigger brother (some folks seem to hate it, so maybe that's a plus). Either way, it especially stings considering Samsung increased prices on these base models by $100 (thankfully, base storage has finally been upgraded to 256 GB, but that's long overdue).
The Galaxy S26+ is just $200 away from the Ultra and lacks the extra 5X optical zoom camera and the 200-MP main camera. The company even removed millimeter-wave support on the smaller S26, meaning it can no longer tap into the ultra-fast 5G networks in dense urban or high-traffic areas (if available). If you want a top-tier Android phone with few compromises, yes, either of these phones delivers. But you can also get a fantastic smartphone—with some even better perks—by spending as little as $799 on a device like the Google Pixel 10.
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Photograph: Julian ChokkattuI haven't felt strongly about Samsung's smartphone design language for several years (the Galaxy S21 series remains one of my favorites), and that's not changing here. These phones look bland, with so-so color options, and if you go case-less, you'll be annoyed by how much they rock on a table when tapping the screen.
You probably will want to go with a case, though, because that's still the only way to take advantage of Qi2 charging speeds. These phones are “Qi2 Ready,” meaning, unlike the Pixel 10 series, there are no native magnets built into the phone—that's what allows them to charge more precisely and faster on Qi2 chargers. This is aggravating because Qi2 is so much more than charging. It allows you to mount the phone on magnetic surfaces or add various magnetic accessories, as iPhones have for years (Qi2 is compatible with Apple MagSafe). I don't have to slap a case on the Pixel 10 to enable this, but that's something you will need for the S26 series.
Even then, Samsung's implementation is inherently flawed. The magnets in its official or third-party cases sit far too close to the camera module, meaning tons of perfectly fine MagSafe accessories that work on Pixels or iPhones are incompatible with Samsung's phone. I tried a few MagSafe wallets, for example, and they wouldn't magnetically stick because the camera module cuts in too close. Maybe this is why Samsung has been slow to add native magnets to its phones—it would require a complete redesign.
Photograph: Julian ChokkattuThe Galaxy S26 is taller to accommodate a slightly larger 6.3-inch screen, but it's otherwise the option to get if you prefer a smaller phone. The S26+'s 6.7-inch screen hasn't changed; it remains cumbersome to hold, but it's not as unwieldy as the Ultra.
The S26's battery got a small bump from 4,000 to 4,300 mAh (the S26+'s 4,900-mAh battery is unchanged from the S25+). Generally, I've been quite happy with battery performance on both of these phones. They've lasted a full day, even with heavy use including GPS navigation, photo snaps, and spending too much time on Instagram Reels. With lighter usage, I can easily end a day with around 60 to 50 percent left, enough to skip charging overnight. The S26+ can charge slightly faster wirelessly at 20 watts if you use a compatible Qi2 charger (and a magnetic case), whereas the S26 is stuck at 15 watts.
The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip in these phones has crushed every task I've thrown at them with ease, including a few bouts in Genshin Impact at max graphics settings. They lack the advanced cooling system Samsung introduced on the S26 Ultra this year, but the vapor chamber still does its job and wicks away heat, keeping the phone cooler for better sustained performance. However, I didn't notice much of a difference over last year's Galaxy S25 series when gaming or with day-to-day tasks.
Yes, some AI processes do run faster on these phones, but there's still a small pause, and that alone makes any gains feel lackluster. Speaking of, I've run through many of the new AI features—like the souped-up document scanner, Audio Eraser, and Now Brief (full list here)—in my Galaxy S26 Ultra review. They perform similarly here.
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Photograph: Julian ChokkattuI tried Samsung's new conversational photo editor, and the experience is similar to what Google offers in Google Photos, just with a few extra steps to actually find the tool (you have to tap the vague AI sparkle icon in the Gallery app when looking at a photo, then Create, and then type in what you want to change. Google makes it the first thing you see when you tap edit, and I think it's a stronger user interface. It successfully removed some food crumbs from my wife's face (I took the photo to poke fun!).
It's fun to try Gemini's new Task Automations (this feature is now available on the latest Pixels, too). I've asked it to “order my usual” at specific restaurants on DoorDash, and it does an OK job of coming back with some regular picks in my cart, allowing me to make configurations before hitting order. It doesn't always get things right, and the Uber integration is generally much more useful. The problem is that, like many of the AI features, it's still quite slow. You really need to leverage this automation feature when you're actively doing something else, like getting ready in the morning; otherwise, just open the app and do it yourself.
I have not even once gotten Samsung's Now Nudge feature to work. It's built into Samsung's keyboard (which, yes, still sucks and has terrible voice dictation), and is supposed to proactively suggest things based on the context of what's on the screen. Like, if someone asks you to send photos from a recent trip, it should prompt a button to go to the Samsung Gallery app and choose a selection to send. But I just haven't seen any nudging.
Camera Trio
Not much has changed with the cameras on these phones. In fact, Samsung added larger apertures to two of the cameras for the S26 Ultra series, but the S26 and S26+ don't get any improvements like that. It's hard to complain too much because this is still a strong triple-camera system.
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However, I compared several low-light images from the Galaxy S26+ with those from the cheaper Google Pixel 10, and in many instances, I preferred the photos from the latter. Especially the 5X zoom Google offers versus the 3X zoom on Samsung—it's just sharper and zooms further, giving you more versatility, though Google does have white balancing issues. That's not always the case there; there are several photos where the S26+ delivered a stronger result.
I'm glad the one new feature that did trickle down is Samsung's Horizon Lock, which you enable when using Samsung's Super Steady stabilization mode. It allows you to be more carefree when holding the phone while shooting video, as the camera locks onto the horizon and uses the phone's accelerometer data to keep footage looking steady. I shot a clip with HDR enabled on a bright day, and purposefully shifted the phone a little, yet you wouldn't know it looking at the clip.
Video: Julian ChokkattuUltimately, I think most people would find an Android phone like Google's Pixel 10—which has regularly dipped to $599 on sale—more than capable for their needs, or try to find last year's Galaxy S25 series on sale. The Galaxy S26 and S26+ are perfectly fine flagships, but they just don't really raise the bar.
$900 at Amazon (S26)$1,100 at Amazon (S26+)$900 at Best Buy (S26)$900 at Samsung (Both)
