S25 Ultra vs S26 Ultra: What's New

S25 Ultra vs S26 Ultra: What's New

The Galaxy S26 Ultra, unveiled in late February 2026, focuses on meaningful hardware refinements and advanced "Agentic AI" rather than a total visual overhaul. While it keeps the 6.9-inch screen size of the S25 Ultra, the S26 Ultra is slightly thinner, lighter, and introduces a world-first hardware privacy feature.

*this image is generated using AI for illustrative purposes only.

Core Specification Comparison:

Feature	Galaxy S25 Ultra	Galaxy S26 Ultra
Chipset	Snapdragon 8 Elite	Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
Charging	45W Wired / 15W Wireless	60W Wired / 25W Wireless
Thickness	8.2 mm	7.9 mm
Weight	218g	214g
Main Camera	200MP (f/1.7)	200MP (f/1.4)
5x Telephoto	50MP (f/3.4)	50MP (f/2.9)
New Feature	—	Privacy Display

---

Key New Features

Privacy Display: This is the standout hardware addition. Using pixel-level technology, you can activate a mode that narrows viewing angles, making the screen appear black or blurred to people looking from the side. You can even set it to trigger automatically when you open banking apps.

"Brightest" Camera Optics: While the megapixel counts remain the same, Samsung widened the apertures on the main and 5x telephoto lenses. This allows approximately 47% more light into the main sensor, significantly improving night photography and reducing noise in low-light videos.

Super Fast Charging 3.0: After years at 45W, the S26 Ultra jumps to 60W wired charging, capable of reaching 75% in about 30 minutes. Wireless charging also sees a boost to 25W.

Agentic Bixby: The AI on the S26 Ultra has evolved into a "conversational agent." It can now perform multi-step tasks within your phone (like "find the photo I took at the park and send it to Mom") using natural language, rather than just basic voice commands.

Refined Design: The S26 Ultra adopts slightly more rounded corners to match the rest of the S26 lineup, moving away from the sharp, boxy edges that some users found uncomfortable on the S25 Ultra.

Is it worth the upgrade? If you are coming from an S24 Ultra or older, the jump in performance and the new Privacy Display are compelling. However, for S25 Ultra owners, the upgrade is largely incremental unless you specifically want the faster 60W charging or frequently use your phone in crowded public spaces where the Privacy Display would be useful.

Note: Interestingly, the S26 Ultra moves from a Titanium frame back to a reinforced Armor Aluminum, contributing to its lighter 214g weight.

*this image is generated using AI for illustrative purposes only.