The Samsung Galaxy S26 Extremely comes so near having all of it

Once I first received my arms on the Galaxy S26 Ultra throughout a preview occasion simply earlier than Galaxy Unpacked in February, I am going to admit I used to be pleasantly shocked by a few of the modifications Samsung made this 12 months.

Truthfully, going into the S26 series launch, my expectations have been fairly low, given all of the leaks suggesting the telephones could be virtually similar to the S25 lineup. And sure, the S25 Ultra and S26 Extremely share a number of similarities, however there are additionally a couple of sudden variations that assist the S26 Extremely actually stand out, together with the brand new Privateness Show characteristic and an up to date digicam design.

Now, I do not suppose I am stunning anybody by saying this proper off the bat, but when you have already got an S25 Extremely, and even an S24 Extremely, the S26 Extremely in all probability is not for you, because it’s simply one other iterative replace reasonably than a serious overhaul. However should you’re coming from an older Samsung flagship, just like the S23, S22, or S21 Extremely, and have been patiently ready to improve, there’s so much to love in regards to the S26 Extremely, particularly because it maintains the identical $1,300 beginning value as final 12 months.

After spending the previous couple of weeks with the S26 Extremely, I’ve come away actually impressed. Sure, it has a few notable shortcomings (significantly, the place are the magnets?), however the positives far outweigh the negatives right here. It is grow to be my new favourite Android telephone — and one I’ll have a tough time saying goodbye to after this overview interval.

4/5

SoC

Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5

Show

6.9-inch Dynamic Tremendous AMOLED 2X

RAM

12 or 16 GB

Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Extremely comes full of the newest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, a brand new Privateness Show characteristic inside its 6.9-inch OLED display screen panel, and a strong quadruple rear digicam setup.

Professionals & Cons

• Highly effective efficiency
• Glossy design
• Privateness Show
• Glorious cameras

• No built-in magets for full Qi2 help
• S-Pen lacks Bluetooth

Worth, availability, and specs

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S26 Extremely in February, with the telephone formally launching in March 2026, beginning at $1,300. It is out there in three storage choices: 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB, with the 1TB mannequin getting a bump to 16GB of RAM, whereas the 256GB and 512GB variations include 12GB of RAM.

The S26 Extremely is available in three normal colours: Cobalt Violet, Black, and Sky Blue. Samsung can also be providing two online-exclusive colours on its web site: Pink Gold and Silver Shadow.

Just like the S25 Extremely, the S26 Extremely contains a 6.9-inch 3,120 x 1,440 pixel-resolution AMOLED show with a 120Hz refresh price and a couple of,500 nits peak brightness. It measures 163.6 x 78.1 x 7.9 mm and weighs 214g.

Underneath the hood, the S26 Extremely is powered by Qualcomm’s newest high-end chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, and contains a 5,000mAh battery.

As for the cameras, the S26 Extremely’s rear digicam array options an f/1.4 200-megapixel extensive, an f/2.9 50-megapixel 5x telephoto, an f/2.4 10-megapixel 3x telephoto, and an f/1.9 50-megapixel ultrawide. On the entrance, it has an f/2.2 12-megapixel selfie digicam.

What I favored in regards to the Galaxy S26 Extremely

Samsung nailed the design and efficiency

The very first thing I am going to reward proper off the bat in regards to the S26 Extremely is its efficiency, which is no surprise, contemplating it is powered by Qualcomm’s top-tier Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset. I used to be already impressed with the Snapdragon 8 Elite in final 12 months’s S25 collection, in addition to within the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7, so the leap to the 8 Elite Gen 5 right here is incredible.

In on a regular basis use, it dealt with the whole lot I threw at it with out breaking a sweat, whether or not I used to be utilizing picture modifying instruments, taking part in video games, or juggling a number of apps directly. For individuals who just like the numbers, Geekbench 6’s CPU check returned scores of three,677 for single-core and 11,225 for multi-core — a stable leap over the S25 Extremely’s 3,104 single-core and 9,833 multi-core outcomes.

Subsequent up, I need to deal with the design of the S26 Extremely, which I believe is the best-looking flagship Samsung has ever launched. For essentially the most half, it is much like the Galaxy S25 Extremely. It is modern, premium, and unmistakably Samsung, however there are two notable modifications.

First, Samsung has swapped the titanium body for an aluminum one, much like what Apple did with the iPhone 17 Pro. Why Samsung did this doubtless comes all the way down to price financial savings and improved thermal efficiency. In day-to-day use, I did not discover a lot of a distinction in comparison with the S25 Extremely’s titanium construct, and the telephone by no means felt too sizzling, so the change to aluminum does not hassle me.

The second tweak is across the rear digicam. As an alternative of sitting instantly on the again of the telephone as earlier than, the digicam lenses are actually housed in a pill-shaped digicam island. It is paying homage to the Galaxy Z Fold 7, and I really actually prefer it. It feels contemporary, stands out a bit extra, and helps give the telephone a extra distinct look in comparison with the iPhone 17 Professional and Google Pixel 10 Professional.

Moreover, the S26 Extremely has barely extra rounded edges this 12 months. I do know some individuals want the boxier look of older Ultras just like the S24 Extremely, however I discover the softer curves extra comfy in hand and, truthfully, higher trying too.

One other large change Samsung has made to the S26 Extremely is the addition of its new Privacy Display characteristic, which makes it tougher for individuals to see what’s in your telephone display screen when viewing it from an angle (as you’ll be able to see within the picture above). Should you’ve ever used a privateness display screen protector earlier than, it is basically like having one constructed instantly into your telephone’s display screen, however you’ll be able to allow or disable it everytime you like. It really works extremely nicely, and what’s even higher is which you could customise it to robotically activate relying on the app you are utilizing, comparable to messages or banking. The S26 Extremely is the primary telephone to ever have a characteristic like this, and now it is one thing I want each telephone had.

The cameras on the S26 Extremely are almost similar to these on the S25 Extremely, with the one distinction being that its 200-megapixel extensive lens has a wider f/1.4 aperture, which allows extra gentle. Though the cameras are much like the S25 Extremely, that is not a nasty factor in any respect, because the S26 Extremely can take some beautiful pictures with a lot of nice element, and I actually love how the colours pop in them. You may try a few of the pictures I snapped throughout a stroll on the seashore under.

Lastly, I need to spotlight a couple of different issues I actually favored in regards to the S26 Extremely. The 6.9-inch 1440p show is attractive, and I actually loved utilizing One UI 8.5. It gives a ton of customization choices, so you’ll be able to dial in your lockscreen and homescreen precisely the way you need, and the general efficiency of One UI feels silky clean due to the S26 Extremely’s stacked {hardware}.

There’s additionally a brand new video characteristic known as Horizontal Lock, which retains your footage regular and correctly oriented whilst you’re filming, which I discovered neat. After which there’s Now Transient, a helpful AI characteristic that does an honest job of summarizing my day and even recommending YouTube movies to take a look at.

What I did not like in regards to the Galaxy S26 Extremely

No magnets for Qi2 is a serious letdown

My greatest criticism in regards to the S26 Extremely is its lack of built-in magnets for full Qi2 help.

When Google added magnets to the Pixel 10 series final 12 months, providing an expertise much like Apple’s MagSafe, which Google dubbed Pixelsnap, I believed for certain that Samsung would comply with go well with this 12 months with the Galaxy S26 collection and at last add magnets to their telephones. However alas, magnets are nowhere to be discovered on any of them.

Should you do not cost your telephone wirelessly usually, this will not be as large a deal to you, however I believe it is foolish that Samsung nonetheless hasn’t give you its personal model of MagSafe. I cost my gadgets wirelessly day by day, so this issues so much to me, and it is a disgrace Samsung nonetheless hasn’t discovered a method to do that with out having to purchase a case with a built-in magnet.

Except for the dearth of magnets, one other factor I’ve to say is that, as soon as once more this 12 months, Samsung has opted to not embody Bluetooth capabilities within the S Pen. To be trustworthy, I did not discover myself utilizing the S Pen in any respect throughout my time with the S26 Extremely due to this.

The final gripe I’ve with the S26 Extremely is its battery. Do not get me fallacious, at 5,000mAh, it is fairly giant, and on the finish of most days for me, which concerned messaging, taking pictures, doomscrolling social media, and watching YouTube movies, I discovered myself with round 30 % cost left. Whereas that is good, I really feel like Samsung may’ve pushed the envelope right here extra and integrated a good bigger battery into the S26 Extremely, as OnePlus did with the OnePlus 15’s huge 7,300mAh battery. The S26 Extremely has the identical 5,000mAh battery because the S24 Extremely and S25 Extremely, so for 3 years now, Samsung hasn’t modified something, and I consider it is lengthy overdue for some innovation on this division to push for even longer battery life.

Must you purchase the Galaxy S26 Extremely?

Should you’ve been ready to improve, you will not be upset

In the end, my advice for the S26 Extremely comes all the way down to the gadget that is already in your pocket. Should you’re utilizing an S25 Extremely and even an S24 Extremely, there’s actually no compelling purpose to improve to the S26 Extremely, because it’s simply too much like what got here earlier than.

Nonetheless, should you’re coming from an older Samsung flagship just like the S22 or S23 Extremely, or perhaps a base mannequin just like the S23 or S24, and need to step as much as an Extremely, the S26 Extremely gives a number of worth. You are getting robust efficiency, highly effective cameras, a modern design, and the brand new Privateness Show, a first-of-a-kind characteristic no different telephone has.

Truthfully, if Samsung had added magnets for Qi2 and bumped up the battery a bit, I might name this the proper Android telephone. Even so, these are minor drawbacks, and the S26 Extremely continues to be a wonderful smartphone, one you doubtless will not remorse choosing up should you’ve been holding out for a giant improve for a couple of years.

This gadget was offered to Pocket-lint by Samsung.