{"id":276443,"date":"2026-02-10T06:38:17","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T06:38:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/276443\/"},"modified":"2026-02-10T06:38:17","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T06:38:17","slug":"ive-been-covering-samsung-phones-for-over-25-years-lets-rate-the-galaxy-s26-ultra-rumors-from-best-to-worst","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/276443\/","title":{"rendered":"I\u2019ve been covering Samsung phones for over 25 years \u2014 let\u2019s rate the Galaxy S26 Ultra rumors from best to worst"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yup I\u2019ve been covering smart phones for a quarter century, and Samsung has been part of that since the very beginning. I actually reviewed the Samsung SPH-i300 in 2001 that ran Palm OS (remember that?) and the Samsung BlackJack powered by Windows Mobile in 2006. And I\u2019ve reviewed every single Galaxy S device since Samsung\u2019s Android flagship line launched in 2010.<\/p>\n

Now that the launch of the Galaxy S26 Ultra<\/a> is almost upon us, it\u2019s a good time to break down the most credible rumors for this new device, which is tipped to launch at Samsung Unpacked 2026<\/a> on Feb 25. But I don\u2019t want to just rattle them off to you. I\u2019m going to rate these rumors based on my years of experience reviewing phones \u2014 and how big these upgrades look compared to the Galaxy S25 Ultra<\/a>. Let me know if you agree in the comments.<\/p>\n

Samsung Privacy Display (8\/10)<\/p>\n

\"Gif<\/p>\n

(Image credit: SammyGuru)<\/p>\n

Samsung is so excited about this feature that they\u2019ve revealed it ahead of the Galaxy S26 Ultra launch. The new Privacy Display<\/a> gives users control over what other people see, whether it\u2019s blocking the view of certain apps for onlookers or even specific fields for when you\u2019re entering sensitive data.<\/p>\n

You may like<\/p>\n

\"Samsung<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Samsung)<\/p>\n

Privacy Display uses a combination of hardware and software\/AI<\/a> to shield info from prying eyes \u2014 apparently without dimming the overall display itself. This could be the death blow for dedicated privacy screens on phones if Samsung can build the tech right inside the phone in a smarter way.<\/p>\n

Better Low-Light Camera (7\/10)<\/p>\n

Camera | What’s next?: Groove | Samsung – YouTube
\n\"Camera<\/p>\n

Watch On <\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

As good as the Galaxy S25 Ultra was, it fell behind Apple in our iPhone 17 Pro Max vs S25 Ultra camera face-off<\/a> because of its low-light performance. In our side-by-side testing, Apple beat Samsung in every photo comparison in night-time conditions. Things should change for the Galaxy S26 Ultra, as Samsung is rumored to offer a wider aperture<\/a> for the main camera; this should let in more light and result in brighter images.<\/p>\n

The better low-light performance will apply to video, too, as Samsung has already given us a few teasers of the improved performance, showing us how the S26 Ultra will \u201clight up your night.\u201d<\/a> The improved results will come from AI assistance as well, as Samsung heavily touts the term \u201cAI Phone\u201d in its teasers.<\/p>\n

Faster 60W charging (6\/10)<\/p>\n

\n

\"A\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)<\/p>\n

Samsung\u2019s Ultra line has been stuck on 45W charging for a few generations now, so it\u2019s good to hear that the Galaxy S26 Ultra could finally step things up to 60-watt charging<\/a>. The tipster Ice Universe says that the Galaxy S26 Ultra will be able to reach 75% in just 30 minutes.<\/p>\n

Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.<\/p>\n

However, in our testing the Galaxy S25 Ultra reached 71% in 30 minutes of charging over 45W, so we\u2019re hoping it\u2019s even faster than rumored at 60W.<\/p>\n

Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 power (5\/10)<\/p>\n

\n

\"DO\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Qualcomm)<\/p>\n

Maybe it\u2019s because we\u2019ve already tested a flagship phone with the new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 <\/a>chip in the OnePlus 15<\/a>, but this upgrade doesn\u2019t seem that exciting to me. Based on the leaked S26 Ultra benchmarks<\/a>, it looks like the Galaxy S26 Ultra will offer faster speeds in GeekBench 6 than the iPhone 17 Pro Max when it comes to multi-core performance but lower scores in single-core.<\/p>\n

However, it looks like the Samsung S26 Ultra could offer better graphics performance than the iPhone 17 Pro Max based on the results we\u2019ve seen for the OnePlus 15 in 3DMark Wild Life.<\/p>\n

You may like<\/p>\n

Slightly updated design (4\/10)<\/p>\n

\n

\"Renders\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: OnLeaks)<\/p>\n

There was nothing wrong with the Galaxy S25 Ultra design, so it\u2019s not a huge bummer that the S26 Ultra apparently won\u2019t look much different. But leaker Ice Universe says there will be some notable changes. For one, the S26 Ultra will have slightly more rounded corners<\/a>, could make it more comfortable to hold.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take a like-for-like visual comparison between the Galaxy S25 Ultra and the Galaxy S26 Ultra.First, the Galaxy S26 Ultra features slightly more rounded corners, giving it a softer overall appearance.Second, the front camera cutout on the Galaxy S26 Ultra is a bit\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/PyDfb7fEP5February 6, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve also heard that the the S26 Ultra will be 0.3 mm thinner and 4 grams lighter than the S25 Ultra, which is a plus, but it\u2019s also supposed to be 0.8mm taller and 0.5mm wider. The display is apparently going from 6.86 inches on the S25 Ultra to 6.89 inches on the S26 Ultra. Lastly, the rear cameras will apparently be housed in a raised platform. In other words, meh?<\/p>\n

No battery upgrade (2\/10)<\/p>\n

\n

\"Galaxy\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: AndroidHeadlines)<\/p>\n

Despite several Chinese phone makers adopting silicon carbon batteries<\/a>, which enable you to cram more capacity into a similar size package, the S26 Ultra is reportedly sticking with a 5,000 mAh battery<\/a> once again.<\/p>\n

The OnePlus 15 packs a 7,300 mAh battery that lasted over 25 hours in the Tom\u2019s Guide battery test. So for the S26 Ultra we don\u2019t expect much more than the 17 hours the S25 Ultra turned in \u2014 unless the new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip is super efficient.<\/p>\n

No magnetic charging (again!) (1\/10)<\/p>\n

\n

\"S26\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Evan Blass @ X)<\/p>\n

We complained when the Galaxy S25 Ultra launched with Qi2 support<\/a> because that support requires that you purchase a separate compatible case to add magnetic charging. The Galaxy S26 Ultra will reportedly share the same weakness, and we\u2019ve heard that the main reason is that the built-in magnets would interfere with the Galaxy S26 Ultra\u2019s S Pen functionality<\/a>. Personally, I\u2019d rather live without an S Pen at this point.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

\"Google\n<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Follow Tom’s Guide on Google News<\/a> and add us as a preferred source<\/a> to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. <\/p>\n

More from Tom’s Guide
\n