Samsung‘s new Galaxy S26 lineup is by no means a reinvention of the popular smartphone brand. Instead, it’s a collection of design tweaks and some important, even one-of-a-kind, under-the-hood updates that could change the way you use your phone.
The best features, like the actually unique Privacy Display (a first for mobile phones), are confined to the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Not surprising when you consider it’s the true flagship, and the S26 and S26 Plus are more or less like bridesmaids carrying the bride’s lengthy train.
However, Samsung did something unusual this go around. It raised the prices of the Samsung Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus by $100 compared to the S25 versions. So instead of $799.99 to start, the S26 is now $899.99 / £879.00, and instead of $999.99, the S26 Plus is $1,099.99 / £1,099.00.
What’s strange is that the Galaxy S26 Ultra, despite new features like brighter cameras, a new vapor chamber, and a thinner, lighter design, is the same price as it was last year: $1,299.99 / £1,279.00.
Tell me why
Every Galaxy S26 model starts with 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM (the Ultra pops up to 16GB with a terabyte of storage). So it’s not significant differences in storage or RAM that are making the difference.
I’m not saying the S26 Ultra is suddenly a cheap phone. It’s not, and I encourage anyone checking it out to look for solid trade-in offers (there are many). And it’s not like the S26 Ultra has fewer AI features. It boasts all the same Bixby (with Perplexity-enhanced), Gemini (with new Circle to Search), and emerging Agentic capabilities as the rest of the lineup. Now Brief, Now Nudge, Now – you get the idea – are all the same. You can chat with this phone’s various AI systems, just as you can on the S26 and S26 Plus.
On the other hand, the S26 Ultra far exceeds the other phones in camera capabilities with two telephoto cameras and one 200MP main camera. The lenses even have wider apertures on some of them. The S26 and S26 Plus didn’t get any of that.
A nudge to the top
I think I know what’s going on here. In any given year, the base models for the Galaxy line tend to outsell the more expensive Ultra by a fairly significant margin. The S26 Ultra, though, is a showcase for everything that Samsung does well. The best cameras, most powerful video (8k, 30fps, a virtual gimbal), biggest screen, and don’t forget the S Pen.
People go for the more affordable phones because they’re good enough for most of their needs. However, by closing the gap just a bit between the S26, S26 Plus, and the S26 Ultra, I think Samsung is pushing (or gently squeezing) people toward the higher end. It makes the S26 Ultra seem like more of a bargain, especially with all you get for essentially spending $200 more than the S26 Plus. So you get the big screen (the Plus is 6.7 inches) and the best cameras.
I might be wrong, but there has to be a reason Samsung did not raise the price for the entire line, especially when all three phones have the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy. Aside from dropping titanium, I don’t see where Samsung saved the money.
Perhaps it was the titanium. Apple, too, fell out of love with the material on its latest flagships. I have no idea how much titanium was costing Samsung. Was it $100 per unit? Maybe. Or perhaps Samsung would like you to consider a Galaxy S26 Ultra for your next Android purchase.
Samsung Galaxy S26 deals in the UK
Samsung Galaxy S26 deals in the US
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lance.ulanoff@futurenet.com (Lance Ulanoff)
