Samsung S26 Ultra Review - Breaking Point.

TL;DR

The S26 Ultra is a strong all-rounder held back by stagnant cameras and gimmicky AI while Chinese rivals like Xiaomi pull ahead on hardware.

Key Points

• 1.Cameras unchanged again: Side-by-side tests against the Xiaomi 17 Ultra reveal the S26 Ultra's larger-sensor rival delivers noticeably more depth, real detail, and better low-light performance, with Samsung relying on oversharpening instead.
• 2.Battery holds up despite no size increase: Lab testing showed the S26 Ultra lasted over 14 hours, beating last year's Samsung, iPhone, and Xiaomi's flagship — credited to a more efficient chip and display, not a bigger battery.
• 3.AI features are mostly toys: On-device AI is too weak; cloud AI is heavily limited to save costs. Standout flaws include the wallpaper generator outputting a 1MP square (wrong resolution for its own screen) and every AI-merged photo losing 30% resolution.
• 4.Privacy display is overhyped and compromised: Samsung silently nerfed their best-in-class anti-reflective coating to implement it, the feature still lets nearby viewers read your screen unless on maximum protection mode, and it accidentally leaked a phone number during filming.
• 5.Horizontal lock isn't new: The feature everyone is praising was already on Vivo phones in 2022 and even Motorola devices — it's only trending because Samsung made it mainstream.
• 6.The case for buying it anyway: It's the only Android with an always-ready S Pen, offers 7 years of software updates vs. 4–5 elsewhere, 60W charging, and One UI's deep customization makes it the most complete all-round Android experience available globally.