CHENNAI: Samsung’s Galaxy Ultra series smartphones have remained the brand’s showcase Android flagship slab devices for premium users. The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, the brand’s 2026 flagship is riding heavily on it’s cutting-edge, privacy display but as we find out, this device ticks other key boxes too.
The S26 Ultra feels every inch premium. Samsung has managed to reduce the heft further this year. The 2026 Ultra weighs only 214 gm and doesn’t feel bulky in your hand despite a large display. Samsung has switched to an aluminium frame, the other change is the new camera glass island that adds to the overall aesthetic. The S-Pen, one of the Ultra’s defining features, lives on and is a handy tool to have on call.
The talking point of this year’s Ultra is the Privacy Display with Flex Magic Pixel technology that limits viewing angles. It’s a great feature, especially when you’re accessing confidential information or banking apps in a crowded spot, where the display prevents onlookers from peeking at your screen. This is an optional feature, Samsung also allows you to enable it for select apps, adding to it’s flexibility. We’ve always been fans of the Ultra’s slab-like form factor and vibrant display. This year’s 6.9-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED LTPO 2x display (3120 x 1440 pixels) is one of the best smartphone displays out there. Colours are gorgeous, making it an excellent binge watch screen.
The S26 Ultra doesn’t skip a beat, at its heart is a Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite Gen 5 chipset for Galaxy. The device comes in multiple hardware options that go all the way to 16GB/1TB. This is a hardware beast and it aced all our tests and heavy duty gaming sessions notching up a score of 11300 on Geekbench (multi-core) benchmark test. Samsung has packed this device with multiple AI tools, the battery (5000 mAh) is quite solid too but there are other Android flagships that offer faster charging speeds.
The Ultra is one of the most versatile mobile shooters. The rear cam blends a 200MP primary lens with a 50MP ultra-wide lens, a 50MP 5x periscope telephoto and a 10MP 3x telephoto cam. Samsung has tweaked the aperture in the 200MP lens that now comes with a f/1.4 aperture and the telephoto camera features a f/2.9 aperture. It has a visible impact on the Ultra’s lowlight performance. The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra remains the Android flagship to beat with best of breed hardware, AI smarts and a stellar camera. (Rs 1,39,999 onwards)