Samsung Galaxy S26 review
The Galaxy S25 was an excellent entry in Samsung’s base handset range, with particular praise extended to its AI enhancements. Whilst the Samsung Galaxy S26 undoubtedly builds on those improvements, it also excels in various other ways.
In this review, we’ll explore how the cumulative effect of these updates has resulted in one of the finest base Galaxy phones in recent years.
The Samsung Galaxy S26 can be picked up in a variety of colour schemes and up to 512GB storage.
Specifications
• Release date – 11th March 2026
• Dimensions - 149.6 x 71.7 x 7.2 mm
• Weight – 167g
• OS – Android 16
• Display – 6.3” AMOLED 2X
• Resolution – 2340 x 1080
• Processor – Exynos 2600 CPU
• RAM – 12GB
• Storage – 256GB; 512GB
• Rear cameras – 50MP + 10MP + 12MP
• Front camera – 12MP
• Battery – 4,300mAh
• Water & dust resistance – IP68
Reasons to buy
• A concerted focus on AI means the S26 is packed to the brim with useful AI features
• Larger screen than the S25
• Improved battery life
Things to consider
• Samsung went all-in with AI on the Galaxy S26, so if you’re not that interested in AI, you might be a little overwhelmed
Design
From a design perspective, there’s no doubt that the Galaxy S26 is a continuation of the preceding S25. It’s a beautifully elegant phone with the same curved corners and aluminium frame, alongside Corning Gorilla Glass on the screen and IP68 water & dust resistance.
The best way to describe the base S26’s design is ‘refinement’, and that’s no bad thing when Samsung produce such elegant handsets. It’s a generation of subtle tweaks that only serve to improve upon the generation before, and there are some new additions, too; the translucent camera island is a particular favourite of ours in the way it brings the whole device together, without losing all sense of personality or charm from past devices.
Display
The underlying technology of the base S26’s display is much the same as the S25, being a Dynamic AMOLED 2X offering. As we would expect, it looks fantastic whether you’re gaming or watching a HD video, but the real kicker is the increase to screen size. It’s only a small upgrade, yet moving from 6.2” to 6.3” means you’re still getting a more immersive experience, and we always appreciate more screen real estate.
Even though it’s the base model of the S26 series and is therefore designed as a more budget-friendly option, the Galaxy S26 feels exceptionally premium. Samsung have excelled in offering affordable-yet-powerful handsets, and this is a prime example of that.
Performance
Interestingly, Samsung opted to return to its Exynos CPU line for the base S26 - in this case, the Exynos 2600 – rather than stick with a Snapdragon processor. We’re big fans of Snapdragon CPUs owing to their long history of powering smartphones, but the Exynos 2600 pulls no punches either.
As well as being incredibly efficient and fast, the Exynos 2600 also excels in a key part of the S26’s arsenal: AI. A hefty amount of processing power is required to ensure AI features run smoothly, and the Exynos 2600 was tailor-made to ensure the S26 can handle these tasks with ease. According to Samsung, you can expect to get ~7% faster processing across the board, and ~38% faster AI processing specifically.
Software
We’ve touched on it a few times in this review, but AI really is at the heart of the Galaxy S26; more so than any other previous Galaxy phone. The reason it works well here is because the AI functionality is embedded across most of the S26’s features, rather than sprinkled throughout in a way that makes it hard to even find, let alone leverage the technology.
We particularly love the Creative Studio, which lets you edit photos with AI-generated additions like glasses and hats. On its own this would be fun to use, but you can then also create stickers for your messaging keyboards and send them to friends.
A big shoutout has to go to the Now Nudge feature, which is similar to Google’s Magic Cue tool on Pixel devices. Here’s an example of how it works: if you’re chatting to someone and mention a reservation at a restaurant, Galaxy AI will recognise this and find the reservation in your calendar to paste in the chat. We loved this functionality on the Pixel, and it’s just as useful here.
Bixby – Samsung’s long-standing assistant tool - was also given some attention on the Galaxy S26. It can now assist you in using the phone’s different features with a simple prompt, such as enabling the eye comfort shield. It was easy for Bixby to fall under the radar somewhat given the increased focus on Galaxy AI, so kudos to Samsung for keeping it relevant.
Cameras
We’ve tested a large number of Galaxy camera phones over the years, and the base S26 is worthy of being included in the conversation. The camera array itself is the same as the S25’s – offering a 50MP wide, 12MP ultrawide and 10MP telephoto trio – but the results are significantly better in a variety of lighting conditions. In particular, night shots are much clearer thanks to the improved Nightography mode, without losing those rich, dark colour levels.
For selfies, the S26’s front-facing camera comes with an AI-powered ISP (image signal processor) for maintaining natural details in things like hair and skin. Videos also support the Horizontal Lock feature, which helps stabilise footage when moving or changing elevation.
Battery
Something that might not get the most attention – but is undoubtedly a significant win for the base S26 – is the improved battery life. It comes with a 4,300mAh battery, an extra 300mAh over the S25; this meant we were able to get a few extra hours out of the S26 before needing to recharge it.
It’s worth noting, too, that this jump in battery life represents the first increase since the S24. There was no capacity change when Samsung moved from the S24 to the S25, so we welcome the extra juice this time around.
Conclusion
With the Galaxy S26, Samsung continue to establish themselves at the top of the AI phone mountain. It’s familiar in many ways, but the specific improvements made make it a worthwhile upgrade; whether you’re an existing S25 owner or not.
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