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Galaxy S26 vs Galaxy S26 Ultra

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Starting at

£666.39

£879 new

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Starting at

£863.99

£1,279 new

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Galaxy S26Starting at £666.39See options
Galaxy S26 UltraStarting at £863.99See options

In a nutshell

They share the same 120Hz refresh rate and the same IP68 rating. The Galaxy S26 has the lower launch price, a lighter 167g body and a smaller 6.3-inch screen. The Galaxy S26 Ultra counters with a 5x optical telephoto, longer battery life and a bigger 6.9-inch screen.

At 256GB, the Galaxy S26 launched at £879 and the Galaxy S26 Ultra at £1279.

Available models

Galaxy S26

Capacity

Condition grades in stock

Excellent

Galaxy S26 Ultra

Capacity

Condition grades in stock

Pristine, Excellent, Great, Good

Durability

Galaxy S26 95/100
Galaxy S26 Ultra 95/100

Both should get OS updates for the same length of time, until about 2033 (est.).

Front glass:The Galaxy S26 has Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front and the Galaxy S26 Ultra Gorilla Armor 2.

Weight:The Galaxy S26 weighs 167g and the Galaxy S26 Ultra 214g, so the Galaxy S26 is the lighter phone.

Water and dust:Both are rated IP68, the same protection against dust and water.

Frame:Both use the same armour aluminium frame.

Released

2026
2026

Updates until (est.)

2033
2033

Water resistance

IP68
IP68

Frame

Armour Aluminium
Armour Aluminium

Weight

167gLighter
214g

Release date

11 March 2026
11 March 2026

Front glass

Gorilla Glass Victus 2
Gorilla Armor 2

Dimensions

149.6 x 71.7 x 7.2 mm
163.6 x 78.1 x 7.9 mm

Security updates until

2033
2033

Repairability

EU repairability class C
EU repairability class C

Performance

Galaxy S26 100/100
Galaxy S26 Ultra 100/100

The Galaxy S26 runs the Exynos 2600 and the Galaxy S26 Ultra the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy.

Storage:The Galaxy S26 launched in 256GB and 512GB and the Galaxy S26 Ultra in 256GB, 512GB and 1TB.

AI features:Both support Galaxy AI, the same AI suite.

Chip

Exynos 2600
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy

RAM

12GB
–

Storage options

256GB, 512GB
256GB, 512GB, 1TB

AI features

Yes
Yes

Screen quality

Galaxy S26 92/100
Galaxy S26 Ultra 97/100

The Galaxy S26 Ultra has the bigger screen, at 6.9 inches.

Size:The Galaxy S26 Ultra's 6.9-inch screen is bigger than the 6.3-inch screen on the Galaxy S26.

Panel:The Galaxy S26 uses a Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel at 2340 x 1080 and the Galaxy S26 Ultra a Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel at 3120 x 1440.

Smoothness:Both refresh at the same 120Hz.

Brightness:Both peak at the same 2600 nits, by the makers' figures.

Screen size

6.3"
6.9"Bigger screen

Screen type

Dynamic AMOLED 2X
Dynamic AMOLED 2X

Refresh rate

120Hz
120Hz

Resolution

2340 x 1080
3120 x 1440

Peak brightness

2600 nits (maker figure)
2600 nits (maker figure)

Camera

Galaxy S26 70/100
Galaxy S26 Ultra 83/100

The Galaxy S26 Ultra reaches further, with a 5x optical telephoto.

Main camera:The Galaxy S26 Ultra has a 200MP main camera against 50MP on the Galaxy S26, which leaves more detail to crop into.

Ultrawide:The Galaxy S26 has a 12MP ultrawide and the Galaxy S26 Ultra a 50MP one.

Zoom:The Galaxy S26 Ultra has a 5x optical telephoto against 3x on the Galaxy S26, so it gets closer to distant subjects.

Selfies:Both have the same 12MP selfie camera.

Main camera

50MP
200MPMore megapixels

Ultrawide

12MP
50MPMore megapixels

Telephoto

10MP
50MP

Optical zoom

3x
5xMore zoom

Front camera

12MP
12MP

Video recording

8K 30fps
8K 30fps

Battery

Galaxy S26 72/100
Galaxy S26 Ultra 79/100

The Galaxy S26 Ultra lasts longer on Samsung's figures, up to 31 hours of video against 30.

Battery life:Samsung rates the Galaxy S26 at up to 30 hours of video playback and the Galaxy S26 Ultra at up to 31 hours.

Capacity:The Galaxy S26 Ultra has the bigger battery, 5000mAh against 4300mAh.

Wireless charging:For wireless charging, the Galaxy S26 supports Qi and the Galaxy S26 Ultra Qi, Super Fast Wireless Charging.

Battery

4300mAh
5000mAhBigger battery

Wired charging

–
60W

Wireless charging

Qi
Qi, Super Fast Wireless Charging

Video playback (maker)

Up to 30 hours
Up to 31 hours

Connectivity

Galaxy S26 88/100
Galaxy S26 Ultra 90/100

Both have 5G and the same Wi-Fi 7.

Bluetooth:The Galaxy S26 has Bluetooth 5.4 and the Galaxy S26 Ultra Bluetooth 6.0.

Port:Both have the same USB-C (USB 3.2 Gen 1) port.

SIM:Both take the same Dual Nano-SIM or Nano-SIM + eSIM setup.

5G

Yes
Yes

Port

USB-C (USB 3.2 Gen 1)
USB-C (USB 3.2 Gen 1)

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi 7
Wi-Fi 7

SIM

Dual Nano-SIM or Nano-SIM + eSIM
Dual Nano-SIM or Nano-SIM + eSIM

Bluetooth

Bluetooth 5.4
Bluetooth 6.0

Our verdict

Buy the Galaxy S26 if you want the lower launch price and a lighter 167g body. Buy the Galaxy S26 Ultra if you want a 5x optical telephoto and longer battery life.

Buy the Galaxy S26 if

  • You want the lower launch price
  • You want a lighter 167g body
  • You want a smaller 6.3-inch screen
Shop from £666.39

Buy the Galaxy S26 Ultra if

  • You want a 5x optical telephoto
  • You want longer battery life
  • You want a bigger 6.9-inch screen
Shop from £863.99

FAQs

The Galaxy S26 Ultra has a 5x optical telephoto against 3x on the Galaxy S26, so it gets closer to distant subjects.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra's 6.9-inch screen is bigger than the 6.3-inch screen on the Galaxy S26.

Every Reboxed phone has a minimum of 80% battery health. If you want the closest thing to new, some phones offer our New Battery Upgrade, professionally installed before your phone is dispatched. If it's available, you'll see it on the product page.

Pristine, Excellent, Great and Good. Pristine has zero blemishes and at least 90% battery health. Good can show noticeable wear on the casing but works perfectly. Every grade is TechCheck certified and comes with a 12-month warranty.

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