Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra first look: 5 things to know about the new Android king

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is here and it is another stunning looking device from Samsung and the most premium non-folding phone the tech giant has produced.

Shortlist was lucky enough to get a sneak peak of the new Android handset, behind closed doors at Samsung's KX store in London, and it's a phone that is stuffed with AI, has a premium look and feel and packs enough camera tech to convince you that you can take shots that rival the pros.

Here are 5 things to know about the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra...

1. Design is refined

Samsung now offers a consistent look and feel across all three devices in the S26 range (which comprises the S26, S26 Plus and S26 Ultra). There is a lovely unified look that is all about smooth, curved, round edges. There is also now a consistency in terms of colours. The choices you have are: Cobalt Violet, White, Black and Sky Blue. There are also two online exclusive colours on offer: Silver Shadow and Pink Gold (Samsung loves a colour adjective).

The Galaxy S 26 Ultra is the only one in the range that comes with the almighty S Pen — it’s situated within the chassis and is a stunning stylus.

It also comes with a screen that sports Corning Gorilla Armor 2 glass which has anti-reflective properties. The S26 Ultra is the thinnest Galaxy S Ultra phone yet and, at 214 grams, it’s one of the lightest too.

When it comes to the chassis itself, Samsung has moved away from titanium on to something called Armor Aluminium 2 — we’re guessing there is a better durability factor here, but we’re not sure why it’s switched this up.

As great as the design is, it's only really when you flip the phone over that you see real differences with the S25 Ultra. That is because of the camera enclosure — it’s been redesigned and looks great, with the three lenses now in more of a raised section.

While this does mean that it causes rock when the phone is flush on a surface, it does look a whole lot better. Other than that, there is definitely a feeling of ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ with the look of this Ultra iteration.

2. The screen is a win for privacy

At first glance, it’s clear that the Galaxy S26 Ultra's display is the same size, resolution and brightness as the S25. This is no bad thing, as the 6.9-inch OLED panel is still stunning, with its 2600 nits and 1-120Hz variable refresh rate and stonking QHD+ resolution (1440 x 3120 pixels).

But there is a big difference — and it’s something of a game changer when it comes to phones. It’s called simply Privacy Display but the tech behind it is far from simple, being a version of Samsung’s Flex Magic Pixel technology which limits the field of view someone can read a phone, meaning those who are next to you won’t be able to see what you are typing or, ahem, sending.

This tech can be ramped up or down, depending on what kind of privacy you want and it is certainly one of the standout, unique things about the S26 Ultra. This is also display tech that isn’t available on any other phone in the range.

3. Performance is punchy — especially the cameras

Inside the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. This is a 'for Galaxy' version of the chip, which essentially means that it is overclocked for the handset. This is no understatement: this chip is one of the most powerful to be in a phone, so expect performance to punch way above its weight in the S26 Ultra. To make sure things don’t get too heated, there is a vapour chamber for cooling on board.

Battery wise, there is a 5,000mAh on board, which is fine but something that hasn’t changed since the S24. Here’s hoping the software has been refined to manage the hardware of the battery. At least there is faster 60W charging on board.

As for the cameras, there have been some small but powerful tweaks. The main camera (as well as the 5x telephoto) now have wider apertures, so more light can be let in, leading to better images.

Megapixel wise, they do stay the same. The 5x telephoto is 50MP, the main is 200MP (thanks to processing) and the 3x optical zoom still clocks in at 10MP but uses a new sensor.

4. New features are welcomed

While the biggest new feature on board is the already mentioned Privacy Display, there are a number of new and fun feature enhancements on board the S26 Ultra.

There’s a Super Steady Video feature that uses the phone’s gyroscope. While this isn’t a new feature as such, it now has the ability to lock in horizontal mode. The outcome is really steady footage, no matter how wild you have been with your hand movements.

There’s also the ability to take background noise out of video (you can do this on YouTube and Netflix videos as well) and really focus in on what people are saying. Again, a demo of this was incredibly impressive.

There’s a bevy of new AI features, too, including a feature that gets AI to respond and screen unknown calls.

AI is prevalent throughout the S26 Ultra, whether it enhances the pictures you take on it, helping you create new ones, or just to aid productivity on the device.

5. If this all sounds too premium, there is a budget alternative

Samsung hasn't just launched the S26 Ultra, which is the most premium version of its handsets, but two other phones, too.

The others are the Samsung Galaxy S26 and the Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus. Both of these handset don't come with the new Privacy Display feature but they share a lot of the new features of the S26 Ultra.

When it comes to screen size, the S26 clocks in at 6.3 inches and the S26 Plus has a 6.7-inch screen.

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is available for pre-order now, for £1,279 (512GB | 12GB). The 1TB is available for £1,529.

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