The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is officially available in stores and telcos across Australia and while that may mean the excellent pre-order offers we saw in the lead-up to their release have now ended, there are still some great deals to be found.
More of the best Samsung phone plans
Headlining the S26 Ultra are its new hardware features, the built-in Privacy Screen that dims when viewed at an angle, a horizontal lock feature that keeps video shooting steady (even if you turn the phone the other way around), and 60W wired charging (up from the S25 Ultra’s 45W).
Samsung has also touted plenty of new AI features, including a new photo editing tool using natural language prompts, a tool to remove background noise in videos, call screening and more. In short, it’s a formidable handset that has plenty to get excited about.
The handset also gets the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, while also coming in a slightly thinner chassis at 7.9mm, compared to the predecessor’s 8.2mm, and lighter at 214g, versus the S25 Ultra’s 218g.
If the new hardware innovations and software additions have enticed you to upgrade to Samsung’s latest top-tier phone, then I’ve found the best telco plans in Australia below:
Best overall Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra plan
Best premium Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra plan
Best Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra plan with a smartwatch
Outright Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra deals
Want to opt for a SIM-only plan and not be tied to a telco? There are plenty of options for buying the Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus outright:
- Samsung: pay in instalments of up to 24 months through Samsung financing; also save up to AU$865 when you trade in your old device
- JB Hi-Fi: trade in your old tech for a JB Hi-Fi gift card to be used on a Galaxy S26 Ultra
- The Good Guys: Galaxy S26 Ultra available in 256GB, 512GB and 1TB
- Amazon: Same day delivery with the world’s biggest retailer
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: Key Information
- Slimmer and lighter than the S25 Ultra
- New Privacy Display screen that dims when viewed at an angle
- Horizontal lock allows video stabilisation, even if you turn the phone around
- 60W wired fast charging
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra brought a new hardware innovation with the Privacy Screen, which dims the screen when viewed from the side to prevent onlookers from seeing the contents.
Also added is a horizontal lock feature for shooting videos, which acts like a digital gimbal of sorts to keep the footage you’re shooting level even if you turn your phone up to 360 degrees.
Samsung also managed to make the Galaxy S26 Ultra slimmer at 7.9mm, compared to the S25 Ultra’s 8.2mm, while also shaving off 4g from its overall weight. The brand managed to achieve this feat despite replacing the titanium chassis with the heavier aluminium.
Like with all the S-series Ultra phones, the S26 Ultra gets the latest top-tier Snapdragon processor, this time the Snapdragon Elite 8 Gen 5 for Galaxy. Samsung claims it provides CPU, GPU, and NPU performance over the S25 Ultra.
Wired charging is also faster at 60W, where the phone’s battery can go from flat to 75% in 30 minutes when used with a 65W charger. Wireless charging is at 25W, built on the Qi2 (v2.2) standard, but the phone has no magnets similar to Apple’s MagSafe and Pixel’s PixelSnap.
Samsung has also brought in a slew of AI features, like call screening, Circle to Search, natural language photo editing tools, new integrations with Google Gemini and Bixby is now powered by Perplexity.
The camera array is mostly unchanged from the S25 Ultra, but the 200MP main shooter and 10MP 5x optical zoom lens have wider apertures (f1.4 and f2.9, respectively) to capture more light and produce better low-light photos.
You can read our full Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review for more in-depth information.
The other new Galaxy S-series handsets, the base Galaxy S26 and the larger-screened S26 Plus, also received some upgrades. The S26 now sports a 6.3-inch screen (compared to the S25’s 6.2 inches) and a larger 4,300mAh battery (up from 4,000). The Plus meanwhile gets faster wireless charging rated at 20W, up from its predecessor’s 15W. You can check out the best Samsung Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus telco plans.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra specs compared
| Row 0 – Cell 0 |
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra |
Samsung Galaxy S26 |
Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus |
|
Weight: |
214g |
218g |
167g |
190g |
|
Display: |
6.9-inch QHD+ AMOLED 2X 1-120Hz display |
6.9-inch QHD+ AMOLED 2X 1-120Hz display |
6.3-inch FHD+ AMOLED 2X 1-120Hz display |
6.7-inch QHD+ AMOLED 2X 1-120Hz display |
|
Chipset: |
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy |
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 4 for Galaxy |
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy |
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy |
|
RAM: |
12GB/16GB |
12GB/16GB |
12GB |
12GB |
|
Storage: |
256GB/512GB/1TB |
256GB/512GB/1TB |
256GB/512GB |
256GB/512GB |
|
Rear cameras: |
200MP wide, 50MP ultra-wide, 50MP telephoto, 10MP telephoto |
200MP wide, 50MP ultra-wide, 50MP telephoto, 10MP telephoto |
50MP wide, 12MP ultra-wide, 10MP telephoto |
50MP wide, 12MP ultra-wide, 10MP telephoto |
|
Front camera: |
12MP |
12MP |
12MP |
12MP |
|
Battery: |
5,000mAh |
5,000mAh |
4,300mAh |
4,900mAh |
|
Charging: |
60W, 25W wireless |
45W, 15 wireless |
25W, 15W wireless |
45W, 20W wireless |
|
Colors: |
Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue, Black, White, Silver Shadow, Pink Gold |
Silver Shadow, Mint, Icyblue, Navy |
Cobalt Violet, White, Black and Sky Blue |
Cobalt Violet, White, Black and Sky Blue |
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PdAxXw4QsmSN7QMk33Ef7W-2000-80.jpg
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nico.arboleda@futurenet.com (Nico Arboleda)




