Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra with Privacy Display and the fastest chipset on the market is here
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is here with the latest Qualcomm flagship chip, a new privacy display that keeps prying eyes away from your screen, and the fastest charging ever in a Galaxy phone. It’s slightly thinner (7.2 mm) and lighter (214 grams) than its predecessor, yet still features a titanium frame and a Gorilla Glass Victus 2 back cover.
At first glance, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra shows no major visual changes. The 6.9-inch LTPO AMOLED display offers QHD+ resolution and an adaptive refresh rate of 1–120 Hz. The maximum local brightness is, just like on the previous Galaxy S25 Ultra, up to 2,600 nits. The display is also protected with Corning Gorilla Armor 2.
The S Pen is still included in the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, but without Bluetooth. The effective anti-reflective coating on the display, the ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, and the 12 MP selfie camera are also present.
The new feature of the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is the Privacy Display, which dims parts of the screen when viewed from an angle. This represents a hardware breakthrough: Samsung can dim specific pixels of the screen so that they appear black from the side.
This is ideal for keeping prying eyes away on public transport and works perfectly with the software. Notifications, pop-ups, and password prompts are hidden, so your data remains protected. The privacy display can be activated manually or turned on automatically when you’re out and about.
Unlike the other models in the S26 series, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is available in all regions with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chipset. The base version is combined with 256 GB of storage and the 512 GB model with 12 GB of RAM, while the 1 TB variant has 16 GB of RAM.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra with few camera updates
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra doesn’t offer any radical innovations in its camera department. The 200MP main camera from last year’s model is back, but now boasts a wider aperture of f/1.4 for improved low-light performance. Samsung claims the updated main sensor can capture 47% more light.
The sensor of the 10MP telephoto lens with 3x zoom is even smaller at 1/3.94 inches than that of the S25 Ultra at 1/3.52 inches. The 50MP telephoto lens with 5x zoom and greater reach, on the other hand, has an improved aperture of f/2.9, which is 37% brighter than before. The 50MP ultra-wide-angle lens is identical to last year’s model.
Unfortunately, Samsung is dragging its feet on battery upgrades for another year, which is why the S26 Ultra has the same 5,000 mAh battery capacity as previous Ultra generations. However, it does charge faster this time – it finally surpasses the 45-watt charging threshold and now supports 60-watt wired charging. You will need a separate charger for this, though. With this charger, the battery can be charged from 0 to 75% in 30 minutes.
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra also supports wireless charging at up to 25 watts via compatible Qi 2.2 chargers and wireless reverse charging at 4.5 watts. Like its siblings in the S26 series, the S26 Ultra runs One UI 8.5 based on Android 16 and offers numerous Galaxy AI features.
AI functions
The Samsung Photo Assist Suite allows you to quickly edit and optimize photos using Galaxy AI directly in the Gallery app. Galaxy AI also automatically categorizes your screenshots. With Creative Studio, you can easily create custom stickers, greeting cards, and wallpapers from your photos or sketches.
Audio Eraser gains support for third-party apps like YouTube, Netflix and Instagram and can reduce background noise and isolate voices so you can actually understand what’s going on in your favorite TV show.
Caller ID filters incoming calls and prevents spam by answering calls, identifying the caller, and simultaneously displaying a transcript on your screen.
Nudge now provides you with contextual information based on your smartphone usage. For example, when you’re texting friends, it might suggest relevant photos or remind you of calendar entries, making it easier to plan ahead. Brief now uses information from your notifications, messages, and emails to display contextual information and handy shortcuts directly on your home screen.
Prices
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra will be available in black, cobalt purple, sky blue and white, as well as two exclusive online colors – silver and rose gold – which will be available via Samsung.com.
The base model with 12 GB RAM and 256 GB storage is available from €1,450. The mid-range model with 12 GB RAM and 512 GB storage costs €1,650, while the top-of-the-line model with 16 GB RAM and 1 TB storage is offered for €1,950. However, the prices in our Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra price comparison Prices will drop quickly, as usual. Pre-orders are possible from today; the official sales launch is on March 11th.
