Samsung Galaxy S26 review: The smartphone status quo

"The Galaxy S26's screen size is a little bigger than its predecessor's; 6.3 inches, up from 6.2 inches on the S25. However, it still has the same FHD+ (2,340 x 1,080) resolution. Given the slight size difference, there's no particular drop in sharpness. The screen can also go slightly brighter, topping out at 3,000 nits, which is always welcome - especially when Samsung has increased the battery to 4,300mAh from the S25's 4,000mAh."

"Inside, Samsung increased the base RAM to 12GB and the storage to 256GB on the S26, doubling the space found on the S25. With the S26's processor, Samsung split the device into two different builds depending on region. In the US, you'll get the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, like the S26 Ultra. Elsewhere, including my review device in the UK, the S26 and (S26+) have the in-house Exynos 2600."

"The design, however, is largely unchanged. The camera trio now sits on a unified circular island and, well, that's all I really have to say. Once again, it's premium Samsung hardware, but otherwise I'd just be reiterating what I said last year... and our review from the year before that."

Samsung's 2026 smartphone lineup includes three models: the S26 Ultra ($1,300) with a Privacy Screen, the S26 ($899), and the S26+ ($999). The S26 features a 6.3-inch display, up from 6.2 inches, with improved brightness reaching 3,000 nits and FHD+ resolution maintained. Battery capacity increased to 4,300mAh from 4,000mAh. Base RAM doubled to 12GB with 256GB storage. The design remains largely unchanged with cameras in a unified circular island. US models use Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, while international versions use Samsung's new 2nm Exynos 2600 processor. Overall, the S26 represents premium hardware with primarily iterative upgrades rather than significant innovation.

Read at Engadget