Samsung · Electronics · Reviewed by Mrwhosetheboss · Published 2026-02-25
Based on a review by Mrwhosetheboss (accessed 2026-02-25).
This page converts Mrwhosetheboss's review of the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra into structured evidence — timestamped claims, pros & cons, and buyer questions. It is not the original review and does not replace watching or reading the full source.
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The reviewer concludes that the S26 Ultra is a "very mixed bag," with some anticipated features like the privacy display being underwhelming due to readability issues, while other subtle improvements in design, display quality, and camera performance proved to be unexpected highlights. The battery capacity is a disappointment, though charging speeds have improved, and new software features offer both useful upgrades and some uncertainty.
This review provides a hands-on look at the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, covering its new privacy display, physical design, camera capabilities, general specifications, battery and charging, and new software features. The reviewer examines both advertised features and unexpected findings through demonstration and comparison with the S25 Ultra.
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra presents a mixed bag, with innovative features like the privacy display being somewhat underwhelming in practical use. While the privacy mode effectively makes the screen unreadable from angles, it significantly reduces the user's own screen resolution and brightness, and even with the feature off, viewing angles appear worse than its predecessor, showing a noticeable blue tint. However, the phone offers subtle yet appreciated improvements in its design, making it thinner and lighter, and its cameras excel in low-light shooting, stabilization, and selfie processing. If you prioritize cutting-edge, though flawed, privacy features and refined camera performance in a sleek design, this phone is worth considering, but those hoping for significant battery capacity upgrades or better viewing angles might be disappointed.
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hands_on_demopositivet=00:58–01:10
The privacy display can be applied to specific apps like messaging, or activated for passwords/pins, or even to sections of the screen like notifications.
Source location: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObqHKHoSE5Y
reviewer_claimnegativet=01:40–01:55
Activating the privacy display effectively turns off half the screen's pixels, causing a noticeable drop in resolution and brightness, impacting readability for the user.
Source location: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObqHKHoSE5Y
comparisonnegativet=02:08–02:30
The S26 Ultra exhibits worse viewing angles than the S25 Ultra, showing a 'nasty blue tint' and faster brightness fall-off even with privacy mode off, likely due to the new pixel design.
Source location: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObqHKHoSE5Y
comparisonpositivet=02:50–03:07
Samsung's ProScaler image enhancement software intelligently sharpens content, with a noticeable difference in detail (e.g., in waves) when comparing video playback on the S26 Ultra versus the S25 Ultra.
Source location: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObqHKHoSE5Y
measurement_testpositivet=03:28–03:38
The S26 Ultra measures 7.9mm thick, making it Samsung's thinnest Ultra ever, and is lighter than the previous 8.2mm S25 Ultra. The S Pen was also shaved down to accommodate.
Source location: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObqHKHoSE5Y
specification_claimneutralt=03:55–04:10
Samsung has ditched titanium and returned to aluminum for the S26 Ultra's frame, which is the reason for the phone being lighter.
Source location: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObqHKHoSE5Y
reviewer_claimnegativet=04:30–04:50
The reviewer expresses disappointment with the S26 Ultra's color options, finding them dull and lacking the vibrant, iconic choices of past Samsung phones.
Source location: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObqHKHoSE5Y
reviewer_claimpositivet=05:08–05:30
The S26 Ultra shows improved low-light shooting capabilities due to wider apertures on the main and telephoto cameras, allowing more light in, and new software that preemptively eliminates noise patterns. A visible difference in brightness and noise was observed.
Source location: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObqHKHoSE5Y
hands_on_demopositivet=05:35–05:47
A new 'horizontal lock' feature in Super Steady mode calculates phone rotation in real-time to eliminate rotation from video footage, making stabilization 'pretty phenomenal'.
Source location: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObqHKHoSE5Y
comparisonpositivet=05:50–06:25
Compared to the S25 Ultra, the S26 Ultra's cameras enhance portraits and selfies by making subjects brighter, making faces pop, adding glint to eyes, and improving detail without higher resolution. It also better controls bright spots and subtly improves skin texture on both main and selfie cameras.
Source location: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObqHKHoSE5Y
specification_claimpositivet=07:10–07:20
The S26 Ultra is equipped with the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chip, which is approximately 20% more powerful than last year's model, and comes with 12 to 16 GB of RAM.
Source location: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObqHKHoSE5Y
measurement_testpositivet=08:00–08:08
The S26 Ultra supports 60W wired charging, an increase from 45W, allowing the phone to charge from 0 to 75% in just 30 minutes.
Source location: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObqHKHoSE5Y
specification_claimpositivet=08:10–08:15
The S26 Ultra now supports 25W wireless charging.
Source location: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObqHKHoSE5Y
hands_on_demopositivet=11:45–12:05
The audio eraser feature, previously for user-taken videos, now works on any video being watched, allowing users to reduce background noise to focus on a person talking or singing. The reviewer found it 'quite effective'.
Source location: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObqHKHoSE5Y
hands_on_demopositivet=12:05–12:45
AI photo editing now allows text-based object manipulation (e.g., changing brownies to fruit) without AI artifacts. It can also blend two photos seamlessly, adjusting elements like hand and head positions to make the composite image make sense.
Source location: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObqHKHoSE5Y
The reviewer confirmed that the privacy mode kicks in fast and makes the screen almost unreadable to others from an angle. It also allows for selective application to specific apps or screen sections. However, activating it causes a noticeable drop in screen resolution and brightness for the user.
The reviewer found that the S26 Ultra exhibits noticeably worse viewing angles compared to the S25 Ultra. When rotating the phone, a 'nasty blue tint' appears, and brightness falls off much faster, which the reviewer attributes to the new pixel design.
The S26 Ultra measures 7.9mm thick, down from the S25 Ultra's 8.2mm, making it the thinnest Ultra phone Samsung has produced. It is also noticeably lighter, partly due to a switch from titanium to aluminum for the frame.
Despite similar sensors, the S26 Ultra improves low-light performance by using wider apertures on the main and telephoto cameras and new software that anticipates and eliminates noise. The reviewer observed a clear difference, with the new phone producing brighter images with less noise.
The S26 Ultra's Super Steady mode now includes a 'horizontal lock' feature that constantly calculates phone rotation in real-time to eliminate it from the video. The reviewer found this feature 'pretty phenomenal' in fixing shaky footage.
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra maintains a 5,000 mAh battery capacity, which is identical to the S25 Ultra and previous Ultra models. The reviewer expressed disappointment that the capacity was not increased.
The S26 Ultra now supports 60W wired charging, an improvement from 45W, which allows the phone to charge from 0 to 75% in 30 minutes. It also supports 25W wireless charging. However, it lacks integrated magnets for easier wireless charging alignment.
75/100 source quality
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra presents a mixed bag of features. The new privacy display, while innovative in concept, reduces screen resolution and brightness, and negatively impacts off-axis viewing even when off. However, the display offers a proper 10-bit panel for wider color range and improved sharpening. Design refinements, though subtle, make the phone lighter and feel better, despite a controversial switch from titanium to aluminum. Camera improvements focus on low-light performance, a new horizontal lock stabilization, and enhanced selfie processing, but are not revolutionary. Core specs are solid with a new Snapdragon chip, but the battery capacity remains unchanged, though charging speeds are faster. New software features include automatic screenshot organization, a 'Finder' search bar, an improved Bixby with Perplexity AI integration, and advanced AI photo editing.
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