What the reviewers said
Digital Trends US
9/10Jun 7, 2026A highly complete Android flagship with a clever built-in privacy display and best-in-class stylus, held back by a modest battery and no magnetic charging.
- Smooth day-to-day performance with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
- Built-in privacy display works well
- Excellent S Pen stylus latency and experience
- Improved low-light camera results
- Rounded aluminum frame is more comfortable in hand
- Battery capacity unchanged at 5,000 mAh
- No magnetic wireless charging
- Heat and throttling under sustained load
- AI features feel unconvincing
- Privacy display reduces screen brightness and image quality
Pocket-lint UK
4/5Apr 10, 2026A strong upgrade for owners of older Samsung Ultras, with excellent performance, design and the new Privacy Display, though it is an iterative update and lacks Qi2 magnets.
- Powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 performance
- Refined design with pill-shaped camera island
- Privacy Display works well and is customizable
- Excellent cameras with good detail and colors
- Same $1,300 starting price as last year
- No built-in magnets for full Qi2 support
- S Pen lacks Bluetooth
- 5,000mAh battery unchanged for three years
- Only an iterative update over S25 Ultra
Android Central US
4/5Mar 18, 2026Privacy Display is a genuinely useful standout and One UI is excellent, but the phone is underwhelming on hardware and overpriced, especially higher storage models.
- Privacy Display is unique and useful in practice
- Top-tier performance from Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
- Faster charging than previous Samsung phones
- Base model price unchanged from last year
- Seven years of software updates
- Privacy Display can cause discomfort for some users
- Low PWM rate and eye comfort issues
- Battery is small compared with rivals
- Camera improvements are modest; telephoto sensor downgraded
- S Pen design is poor and lacks Bluetooth
Android Police US
8/10Mar 14, 2026A strong flagship with a standout Privacy Display and much better ergonomics, held back by a middling camera, weak S Pen appeal, and average battery life.
- Much more comfortable, thinner and lighter body than S25 Ultra
- Privacy Display works well with real-world benefits
- Smooth software and top-tier performance
- Charging speed improvements are useful
- Bright, glorious screen
- Camera results lack impressive processing and telephoto quality
- S Pen has limited appeal
- No native Qi2 magnet support
- Battery life is average
- IP68 rating unchanged while rivals improved
The Verge US
8/10Mar 14, 2026A return to form for the Ultra, led by a genuinely useful Privacy Display and real camera gains, though it stays big and expensive.
- Privacy Display works well and is useful in public
- Wider apertures improve low-light camera performance
- Sleeker, more comfortable design than the S25 Ultra
- Privacy Display can be turned off at home
- Still a very big phone
- Expensive at $1,300 launch price
- Still no Qi2 magnets built in
- Generative AI photo editing feels unsettling
A strong flagship whose built-in Privacy Display is a standout feature, though it is a modest upgrade over prior Ultras and has annoying design and AI quirks.
- Built-in Privacy Display works well without dimming the screen much
- Horizon Lock video stabilization is excellent
- Excellent performance and good battery life
- Versatile quad-camera system with multiple zoom options
- Long software support
- Camera bump makes the phone rock on tables
- No native Qi2 magnets
- Some AI features are useless or barely work
- Samsung keyboard and voice typing are frustrating
- Only a modest upgrade over the S25 Ultra
Tech Advisor UK
4.5/5Mar 10, 2026Not a game-changing update, but Samsung adds enough new tricks, like the Privacy Display, faster charging and strong software, to keep it compelling.
- Novel Privacy Display blocks side viewing
- Some of the best software available
- Faster charging than predecessor
- Advanced video features and strong video quality
- Excellent bright, crisp display with anti-reflective glass
- Barely any hardware upgrades over last year
- S Pen sits awkwardly and falls out easily
- Titanium frame replaced by aluminium
- Privacy Display lowers resolution and brightness
- Expensive, with no Qi2 magnets
Tom's Guide US
4.5/5Mar 6, 2026Best Android phone yet, with an innovative Privacy Display and useful AI features, though the oversized camera bump and dimmer screen are drawbacks.
- Privacy Display is innovative and customizable per app
- Helpful agentic AI features like Now Brief
- Strong battery life
- Improved low-light cameras
- Horizon Lock video stabilization is very effective
- Camera bump is very large and makes phone wobble
- Screen dimmer than S25 Ultra, especially off-angle
- Narrower viewing angles than S25 Ultra
- No built-in Qi2 magnets
- Still no silicon carbon battery
TechRadar UK
4.75/5Mar 2, 2026Samsung's best Galaxy S phone yet: an iterative but polished flagship with a Privacy display, strong cameras and unchanged price, though AI features are overwhelming.
- Winning design, slimmer and lighter than predecessor
- Powerful Snapdragon chip with better heat management
- Privacy display is a unique hardware innovation
- Excellent cameras including 360-degree Super Steady video
- Same US starting price as last year
- Iterative update with few major changes
- Titanium replaced by Armor Aluminum
- No MagSafe-style wireless charging
- Some AI features do not work as promised
- Too many AI options on board
Verdicts, pros and cons are short summaries in our words of each publisher's review; scores are as the publisher gave them. Specs are taken from the reviews' spec boxes — where they differ, we show the value most of them give; price is the US launch price of the base model. Read the originals for the full picture.
