Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra release date expectations, price estimates, upgrades
What we know so far:
The flagship Samsung Galaxy S series launches at the very start of each year — we just recently got to see the Galaxy S25 announced in January and shipped in February. Therefore, there's a good year before the Galaxy S26 Ultra will be coming out and a substantial amount of months before we start getting any steady leaks about its development.
That said, the Ultra phones are always n event to look forward to. And since the Galaxy S25 Ultra left many craving for more upgrades, maybe it's the S26 Ultra that will bring them about and finally get you to upgrade from that old galaxy S22 Ultra.
Even before S25 series' announcement, we were already hearing faint tidbits of information about the Galaxy S26 phones after it. Mainly pertaining to its chip manufacturing woes, though. So, what we have to go on currently is mostly speculation and knowledge of what Samsung has done in the past. So, for what we know, here's what we expect for the Galaxy S26 Ultra.
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Galaxy S26 Ultra release date
As previously mentioned, Samsung loves to get a headstart with its flagship phones. The Galaxy S series has slowly crept up to launch earlier and earlier each year. Nowadays, they typically get their announcement in January and there's a couple of weeks' delay until they ship — usually pushing the launch to February.
| Device family | Announcement | Market release |
|---|---|---|
| Samsung Galaxy S23 series | February 1, 2023 | February 17th, 2023 |
| Samsung Galaxy S24 series | January 17, 2024 | January 31, 2024 |
| Samsung galaxy S25 series | January 22, 2025 | February 7, 2025 |
| Samsung Galaxy S26 series | January, 2026 | Jan-Feb, 2026 |
* - probable dates
Galaxy S26 Ultra price and deals
| Phone model | 256GB of storage | 512GB of storage | 1TB of storage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Galaxy S23 Ultra | $1199.99 | $1299.99 | $1619.99 |
| Galaxy S24 Ultra | $1299.99 | $1419.99 | $1659.99 |
| Galaxy S25 Ultra | $1299.99 | $1419.99 | $1659.99 |
| Galaxy S26 Ultra | $1299.99* | $1419.99* | $1659.99* |
*- anticipated prices
The Galaxy S Ultra series is already quite pricey, even at the starting level. We don't think that Samsung will be looking to increase that price-tag further, and there are no news about new features or components that might drive that price up just yet.
Galaxy S26 Ultra deals to expect:
- Samsung: Samsung always celebrates new models with the so-called "enhanced trade-in" — the manufacturer will give you extra credit for an old phone, if it goes towards the purchase of the new model. Plus, almost always, new models launch with a "free storage upgrade" promo, meaning you will be getting the 512 GB model at the price of the 256 GB one for a limited time. Add to that the exclusive colors that you can only get on Samsung.com and there's plenty of incentive to go direct to the manufacturer.
- Verizon: Historically, Verizon lets you save up to $1,000 with new line activation on any myPlan and phone trade-ins in any condition.
- T-Mobile: typically also meets the $1,000 off offer with an eligible device trade-in on the Go5G Next plan.
- AT&T: AT&T took the cake with the best Galaxy S25 Ultra offer in early 2025, with up to $1,300 off on the phone. The catch is that it included a 3-year plan and an eligible trade-in phone in good condition
Galaxy S26 Ultra camera
Galaxy S26 Ultra expected camera setup:
- 200 MP main wide camera
- 50 MP ultra-wide camera
- 50 MP 5x zoom camera
- 10 MP 3x zoom camera
- 12 MP selfie camera
It is very likely, almost inevitable that Samsung will add some sort of camera upgrade with the Galaxy S26 Ultra. However, this early on, we have no information on the improvements planned here. We are pretty sure that Samsung won't be stepping back on the two zoom camera setup, it sort of underpins the Ultra in a Galaxy Ultra. Maybe new resolution for at least one of the side sensors?
The Galaxy S25 Ultra came with new post-processing rules where it doesn't oversharpend details for the first time in... ever. We would love to see how that new "realistic" approach to "soft detail" evolves further. We also got new camera filters this year, which kind of work like Apple's Photographic Styles. What's in the cards for next year?
The Galaxy S Ultra models have now topped our Camera Benchmark test for two years in a row, so we have great confidence in the Galaxy S26 Ultra's camera. However, that's for pictures.
It's possible that Samsung may put some extra effort into video recording next year. Don't get us wrong, yes current Galaxy flagships can record up to 8K resolution, which is overkill times two. But Apple's iPhones still come out with clearer, more stable, sharper video and better audio to go with it.
Galaxy S26 Ultra storage
Galaxy S26 Ultra storage capacity:
- 256 GB
- 512 GB
- 1 TB
The storage options have been 256 GB - 1 TB for a few years now. In 2025, that's still the standard. 256 GB is plenty of space, if you love recording video a bit too much 512 GB will do you fine, and 1 TB is way way too much headroom. But it's there. There's little reason to think that Samsung might push the envelope up to 2 TB any time soon.
Galaxy S26 Ultra design
Galaxy S Ultra models have had the old Galaxy Note 20 design over the past 3 years, but the S25 Ultra finally changed that. It now comes with flat sides, rounded corners — a complete rehash of the "personal notebook" look it had before.
Since the redesign was just done now, we believe the Galaxy S26 Ultra will have a similar look to the S25 Ultra. Gone are the days where Samsung came in with a fresh new design each year.
There is the one thing we've been hearing about — the Galaxy S26 Ultra will supposedly have a selfie camera hidden under its display. Meaning, there won't be a punch hole in the display. Probably, allegedly, of course.
Samsung is no stranger to the under-screen camera tech, the Galaxy Z Fold series already utilizes it for the internal camera. But it does need some improvement on Samsung's side, and as far as we know, it's not an easy thing to set up for mass-produced smartphones. So, take the rumor with a grain of salt, but that's one thing in the design and display of the S26 Ultra that may be upgraded.
Galaxy S26 Ultra display
| Phone | Screen size | Brightness |
|---|---|---|
| Galaxy S26 Ultra | 6.9"* | 3,000 nits peak |
| Galaxy S25 Ultra | 6.9" | 2,600 nits peak |
* - anticipated sizes
A 6.9-inch screen seems to be the current limit of what powerusers are willing to deal with. It's huge, but manageable with thin enough bezels. It allows a lot of room to play with the S Pen on and to watch videos, yet it fits most pockets. So that'll probably remain unchanged.
What we have been hearing about the Galaxy S26 Ultra is that Samsung may be upgrading the internal sheets of the AMOLED display with a new material that reduces internal reflections and improves color separation. The end result should be a brighter screen that's more energy-efficient. Which is why some people believe it'll be hitting peak brightness to the tune of 3,000 nits.
Galaxy S26 Ultra battery
Samsung does not like to push its luck with the battery, eve rince the Galaxy Note 7 incident. Which is why it continues to stick to 5,000 mAh cells today, and any battery life improvements come from processor efficiency and software. Will this change with the Galaxy S26 Ultra? Jury says chances are low.
The same lack of experimentation is on the charging front as well, where Galaxy phones have been stuck at 45 W wired and 15 W wireless for a while now. As far as Qi2 standard goes — the magnets in Qi2 mess with the S Pen's accuracy, so it's still very possible that the S26 Ultra will not have magnets in its body, therefore it won't be fully Qi2 compatible.
Galaxy S26 Ultra features and software
The Galaxy S26 Ultra should ship with the next One UI 8 based on Android 16. These operating systems have not yet been demoed or teased, so we can't know what exactly they will entail. Though, "more AI features" is a safe bet.
The Samsung One UI comes with a hefty package of Samsung-specific apps — the Phone dialer has been redesigned, the Calendar is better to the stock Google Calendar, the Camera app is custom, there's a Samsung Gallery even a Samsung app store, if you are Play Store-phobic.
For updates, Samsung has been promising 7 years of support with its recent phones, which would mean that the Galaxy S26 Ultra should get Android 23 with One UI 15 in 2033.
Galaxy S26 Ultra hardware and specs
Galaxy S26 Ultra specs:
- CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 (?)
- RAM: 12 GB
- Battery: 5,000 mAh
- Charging: 45 W wired, 15 W wireless
- Storage: 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB
- Camera setup: 200 MP, 50 MP uw, 50 MP 5x, 10 MP 3x, 12 MP selfie
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.4, Wi-Fi 7, NFC
The Galaxy S26 Ultra will come with the next Snapdragon flagship — if Qualcomm doesn't change its name for the 3rd time in a row, it should be called Snapdragon 8 Elite 2. Early rumors suggested that Samsung Foundry is working on a 2 nm process for the manufacturing of the chip, but yield is extremely low currently. Therefore, it'll most probably be a 3 nm chip again. Of course, it'll come in a special "Made for Galaxy" overclocked edition for the Galaxy S26 Ultra.
The Samsung-Qualcomm partnership has been working out pretty well so far. Samsung's vapor cooling chamber seems to be doing a good job, and Snapdragons in the Galaxies over the past couple of years have been running buttery smooth.
While competitors like the ROG Phones go all out and over the top with performance, the Galaxy phones typically have plenty enough power on tap even for gamers. So, daily tasks are snappy, fast, and responsive.
Should I wait for the Galaxy S26 Ultra?
- You should wait for Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra if you currently own a Galaxy S24 Ultra or even an S23 Ultra. These flagships still have plenty of juice left in them and will take you well into 2026 when the S26 Ultra will come out. Once you see what it has on offer, you will be able to make a better-informed decision on whether to jump in.
- You should not wait for Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra if you need an upgrade and a top-tier phone today. It'll be a good year before the S26 Ultra comes out, if your current handset is falling apart — just go get the S25 Ultra. It is excellent right now and, chances are, it will be more than able to hold a candle or two to the S26 Ultra next year!
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