Samsung unveiled its Galaxy S26 lineup at its recent Unpacked event in San Francisco. As expected, the new series consists of the baseline S26, which starts at $899.99, and the bigger S26 Plus, which starts at $1,099.99. At the high end, there’s also the $1,299.99 S26 Ultra, which is the largest in the lineup and comes with a bigger battery, better cameras, S Pen support, and expanded options for both storage and RAM. The price difference between Samsung’s cheapest and most expensive S26 phones is $400 (last year, it was $500).
Here’s how the new Samsung Galaxy S26 compares with last year’s S25
The S26 and S26 Plus both cost $100 more, though the base model contains more upgrades to warrant the price increase.
The S26 and S26 Plus both cost $100 more, though the base model contains more upgrades to warrant the price increase.


While some of its updated Galaxy AI software features are new, it’s another year of minor hardware updates for Samsung’s flagship phones. However, there are some notable changes that you should know about upfront. The base S26 costs $100 more than last year’s model, but comes with 256GB of storage instead of 128GB. It also has a bigger battery and a slightly larger 6.3-inch screen (not great news if you appreciated the S25’s smaller size), but it’s now missing mmWave 5G support. The S26 Plus is $100 more, yet, as noted in the chart below, it offers even fewer upgrades.
If you want a side-by-side comparison of how the Galaxy S26 lineup fares in terms of specs to the last-gen models, we’ve made a table for your perusal. All of the new phones are up for preorder starting today, February 25th, and will ship on March 11th. Samsung also announced the forthcoming Galaxy Buds 4 and Buds 4 Pro, which are also available for preorder starting today ahead of their release on March 11th.
Samsung Galaxy S26 vs. S25
Specification | Samsung Galaxy S26 | Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S25 | Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus | Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OS | Android 16 | Android 16 | Android 16 | Android 16 | Android 16 | Android 16 |
| Display | 6.3-inch OLED | 6.7-inch OLED | 6.9-inch OLED | 6.2-inch OLED | 6.7-inch OLED | 6.9-inch OLED |
| Resolution | 2340 x 1080 | 3120 x 1440 | 3120 x 1440 | 2340 x 1080 | 3120 x 1440 | 3120 x 1440 |
| Max. refresh rate | Up to 120Hz | Up to 120Hz | Up to 120Hz | Up to 120Hz | Up to 120Hz | Up to 120Hz |
| Dimensions (mm) | 149.6 x 71.7 x 7.2 | 158.4 x 75.8 x 7.3 | 163.6 x 78.1 x 7.9 | 146.9 x 70.5 x 7.2 | 158.4 x 75.8 x 7.3 | 162.8 x 77.6 x 8.2 |
| Weight | 5.89 ounces (167 grams) | 6.70 ounces (190 grams) | 7.55 ounces (214 grams) | 5.71 ounces (162 grams) | 6.70 ounces (190 grams) | 7.68 ounces (218 grams) |
| Battery | 4,300mAh | 4,900mAh | 5,000mAh | 4,000mAh | 4,900mAh | 5,000mAh |
| Processor | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 | Snapdragon 8 Elite | Snapdragon 8 Elite | Snapdragon 8 Elite |
| Storage | 256GB, 512GB | 256GB, 512GB | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB | 256GB, 512GB | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| RAM | 12GB | 12GB | 12GB / 16GB | 12GB | 12GB | 12GB |
| Ports | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C |
| Rear camera | Wide: 50MP, f/1.8 / Ultrawide: 12MP, f/2.2 /Telephoto:10MP, f/2.4 | Wide: 50MP, f/1.8 / Ultrawide: 12MP, f/2.2 /Telephoto:10MP, f/2.4 | Wide: 200MP, f/1.4 / Ultrawide: 50MP, f/1.9 / Telephoto 1: 10MP, f/2.4 / Telephoto 2: 50MP, f/2.9 | Wide: 50MP, f/1.8 / Ultrawide: 12MP, f/2.2 / Telephoto: 10MP, f/2.4 | Wide: 50MP, f/1.8 / Ultrawide: 12MP, f/2.2 / Telephoto: 10MP, f/2.4 | Main: 200MP, f/1.7 / Ultrawide: 50 MP, f/1.9 / Telephoto: 50MP, f/3.4; 10MP, f/2.4 |
| Front camera | 12MP, f/2.2 | 12MP, f/2.2 | 12MP, f/2.2 | 12MP, f/2.2 | 12MP, f/2.2 | 12MP, f/2.2 |
| Front video | 4K at 60fps | 4K at 60fps | 4K at 60fps | 4K at 30 / 60fps | 4K at 30 / 60fps | 4K at 30 / 60fps |
| Rear video | 8K at 30fps / 4K at 60fps | 8K at 30fps / 4K at 60fps | 8K at 30fps / 4K at 120fps | 8K at 24 / 30fps (main lens only), 4K at 30 / 60fps (all lenses) | 8K at 24 / 30fps (main lens only), 4K at 30 / 60fps (all lenses) | 8K at 24 / 30fps (main lens only), 4K at 30 / 60 / 120fps (all lenses) |
| Biometrics | Ultrasonic fingerprint and facial recognition | Ultrasonic fingerprint and facial recognition | Ultrasonic fingerprint and facial recognition | Ultrasonic fingerprint and facial recognition | Ultrasonic fingerprint and facial recognition | Ultrasonic fingerprint and facial recognition |
| Water and dust protection | IP68 | IP68 | IP68 | IP68 | IP68 | IP68 |
| Connectivity | 5G (no mmWave) / Wi-Fi 7 / Bluetooth 5.4 | 5G (includes mmWave) / Wi-Fi 7 / Bluetooth 6 | 5G (includes mmWave) / Wi-Fi 7 / Bluetooth 6 | 5G / Wi-Fi 7 / Bluetooth 5.4 | 5G / Wi-Fi 7 / Bluetooth 5.4 / Ultra wideband | 5G / Wi-Fi 7 / Bluetooth 5.4 / Ultra wideband |
| Wireless charging? | Yes, 15W | Yes, 20W | Yes, 25W | Yes, 15W Qi2 | Yes, 15W Qi2 | Yes, 15W Qi2 |
| Stylus support? | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Colors | Violet, blue, black, white (online exclusives: silver, gold) | Violet, blue, black, white (online exclusives: silver, gold) | Violet, blue, black, white (online exclusives: silver, gold) | Green, silver, light blue, navy (online exclusives: coral, black, gold) | Green, silver, light blue, navy (online exclusives: coral, black, gold) | Green, silver, light blue, navy (online exclusives: coral, black, gold) |
| Starting price | $899.99 | $1,099.99 | $1,299.99 | $799.99 | $999.99 | $1,299.99 |
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