Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Is a Snoozefest and Here’s Why You Should Skip It

The Galaxy S26 Ultra is finally here. Although it arrived a bit later than Samsung’s usual January slot, the wait might not have been worth it. To be honest, it feels like a bit of a snoozefest, since most of the “new” features are at best incremental. In a world of rising memory prices and chip shortages, Samsung appears to have ditched true innovation in favor of AI theatrics. If you’re considering switching to the S26 Ultra or upgrading from the S24 or S25 Ultra, you should probably save your money. Here’s why.

Old Wine In A New Bottle?

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra brings nothing new to the table. It is effectively a refresh of the S25 Ultra with minor tweaks across the board. For starters, the design is recycled. We have already seen this aesthetic on the S25 Edge and the Z Fold 7. If Apple can introduce a fresh design language with the iPhone 17 Pro, why cannot Samsung? The Ultra line deserves a visual overhaul, yet the company continues to play it safe.

Even the battery capacity is stuck at 5,000mAh in a world where phones with 6,000mAh and 7,000mAh are pretty common. Perhaps the Note 7 fiasco still haunts Samsung’s engineering team, making them hesitant to switch to Silicon Carbon tech. But let’s be real: it has been six years since the S20 Ultra debuted with that same 5,000mAh capacity.

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You get a similar story with charging speed: it’s been bumped to 60W from 45W, but there isn’t a massive leap in charging time. Also, there’s no native Qi-2 charging support, so you need to use a case for those magnetic accessories. Even Google introduced Qi-2 support with the Pixel 10 series, so Samsung doesn’t have an excuse anymore.

Are the cameras any better? Not really. Samsung is shipping the same hardware found in the S25 Ultra, which itself used nearly the same sensors as the S24 Ultra (with the lone exception of the ultrawide lens).

The display does have one neat trick up its sleeve: the Privacy Display. This feature tints the screen at side angles to prevent visual hacking from nosey bystanders. It tints your screen from the side angles so others can’t peek into your screen when you are dealing with sensitive content.

While it’s a good addition, it cannot be the only reason to launch a new phone since Samsung’s marketing pretty much revolves around it. In fact, rumours suggest that other smartphone OEMs are planning to launch their own version of Privacy Display. It’s only a matter of months before we see other phones with the same feature.

More Agentic AI And Less Cutting-Edge Hardware

While Chinese manufacturers are pushing hardware boundaries (like the Xiaomi 17 Pro’s rear display or the Vivo X300 Pro’s massive 200MP telephoto lens), Samsung and Apple are moving in the opposite direction.

These giants have the resources to lead, but they have pivoted. Why? It is because consumers only buy hardware once, whereas AI features can be locked behind a recurring subscription. There is little incentive to offer cutting-edge hardware when you dominate the US market with minimal competition. Innovation fosters when market share tumbles, and currently, the Big Three feel far too comfortable.

When Samsung introduced Galaxy AI with the S24 series, it hinted at a future subscription model. In price-sensitive markets like India, where users demand the best bang for their buck, a paid software wall will be a tough sell.

So what’s the best option? Well, if you want a new Samsung phone, you can consider the S26 Ultra, but the S25 Ultra remains a pretty solid option. Heck, even the S24 Ultra is an easy recommendation given if you grab it at a discount. That being said, I am not a huge fan of Samsung’s Agentic AI pitch.