Samsung Galaxy S26 & S26+ Review: The Art Of Refinement
The Samsung Galaxy S26 and Samsung Galaxy S26+ are not the kind of phones that wow you on a spec sheet. Priced at ₹87,999 and ₹1,19,999, they sit firmly in premium territory, yet on paper, they feel very similar to last year’s models. That first impression, though, does not quite reflect the full picture.
This year, Samsung has focused on refining what already worked. The cameras feel more consistent, the Exynos 2600 delivers performance that genuinely surprised me, and the displays continue to be among the best you will find on any Android phone.
The S26 still stands out as a compact flagship done right, while the S26+ builds on that formula without pushing you into Ultra pricing. The real question is whether these subtle improvements justify the asking price in 2025.
Samsung Galaxy S26+ and Galaxy S26’s Design: Subtle changes, sharper finishWhen I first picked up the Samsung Galaxy S26 and Samsung Galaxy S26+, the familiarity was immediate. At a glance, both look very close to last year’s models, and the updates feel more like fine-tuning than a full redesign.
The most noticeable change sits around the cameras. The lenses now rest on a slightly raised platform instead of blending directly into the back panel. The rings around them are slimmer and colour-matched, which gives the rear a cleaner, more cohesive finish. It is a small change, but it makes the design feel more considered.
Beyond that, I genuinely had to take a second look to spot differences. The S26 continues to feel like one of the best compact Android flagships out there, while the S26+ still occupies that middle ground between the standard model and the Ultra.
The dimensions remain largely unchanged. The S26+ is 7.3mm thick, while the S26 comes in at 7.2mm. Both feel noticeably slimmer and easier to manage than the Ultra, especially if you prefer something lighter. Weight is also similar. The S26+ stays at 190 grams, while the S26 sees a slight bump to 167 grams.
That consistency works in their favour. In hand, both phones feel just as solid as before. The Armour Aluminium frame and matte glass back offer a reassuring grip, while the matte finish keeps smudges under control. The Cobalt Violet variant stands out in particular, and the smaller S26 remains especially comfortable for longer use.
There is a minor trade-off with the updated camera layout. Both phones wobble slightly more when placed on a flat surface. The S26+ is a bit more prone to it, but it is not a major concern and feels in line with previous models.
Durability remains a strong point. You get Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on both sides, an Armour Aluminium frame, and IP68 water resistance. Connectivity is equally well covered, with WiFi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, and a USB 3.2 Type-C port with DisplayPort 1.2 support. I still wish Samsung included an IR blaster, though.
In India, the S26+ comes in Cobalt Violet and Black, with Pink Gold and Silver Shadow available online. The S26 adds Sky Blue and White, giving it a slightly broader colour palette.
Samsung Galaxy S26+ and Galaxy S26’s Display: Still consistently excellentSamsung has clearly reserved its biggest display upgrades for the Ultra, but with the Samsung Galaxy S26 and Samsung Galaxy S26+, I never felt like I was missing out on the core experience. The S26+ continues with its 6.7-inch panel, while the S26 gets a slight bump to 6.3 inches, which makes it feel a bit more spacious without losing that compact appeal.
The first thing I noticed was the bezels. They look even slimmer this time, giving both phones a sharper, more modern front. Samsung has not shared exact numbers, but visually, the difference is hard to ignore.
Beyond that, the experience feels familiar in a good way. Both displays support a 120Hz refresh rate, peak brightness of 2600 nits, and HDR10+. Being LTPO panels, they can dynamically shift between 1Hz and 120Hz depending on what is on screen. In daily use, this meant I could keep the always-on display active or quickly check notifications without worrying about battery drain.
Resolution is where the two diverge. The S26+ sticks with a 1440p panel, while the S26 remains at 1080p. In practice, I never found the S26 lacking. At this size, it still looks sharp, with a pixel density around 411ppi. The S26+, however, is noticeably crisper and ends up being the sharpest in the lineup, even edging past the Ultra in pixel density.
One thing to keep in mind is that the Privacy Display feature remains exclusive to the Ultra.
In everyday use, though, both panels deliver. These are Dynamic AMOLED 2X displays, and the colour reproduction is excellent. Even with 8-bit panels, banding is well controlled. Blacks look deep, colours are vibrant, and HDR content on Netflix looked consistently impressive thanks to HDR10+, even without Dolby Vision support.
Outdoor visibility is just as strong. Even under harsh sunlight, I had no trouble reading maps, replying to messages, or navigating apps.
Both phones also feature an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner under the display, and it worked flawlessly in my testing. It is fast, accurate, and positioned well.
For audio, both get stereo speakers. The S26+ has a slight edge in depth and fullness, likely due to its size, but both are loud enough for casual media consumption. There is no headphone jack, but wireless audio is well supported, with codecs like aptX, aptX HD, Samsung SSC, AAC, SBC, and LDAC all included.
Samsung Galaxy S26+ and Galaxy S26’s Cameras: Prioritising ConsistencyThe Samsung Galaxy S26 and Samsung Galaxy S26+ stick to a familiar camera formula this year, but the real changes show up in how reliably they deliver results. You still get a 50MP main camera, a 12MP ultrawide, and a 10MP 3x telephoto on both phones.
Up front, there is a 12MP selfie camera, now with a slightly wider field of view. In daily use, I found this genuinely helpful, especially when trying to fit more into the frame without awkward positioning.
After using both phones, what stands out is consistency. In daylight, the main camera delivers excellent results. Images come out detailed, textures look natural, colours remain balanced, and dynamic range is handled well. I did notice a bit of grain in darker areas, but instead of looking messy, it actually helps photos feel more natural and less processed. Portraits are clean with accurate skin tones, although the background blur can occasionally feel a bit heavy.
The 2x crop from the main sensor turned out to be more useful than I expected. I ended up using it frequently for portraits, as it retains detail well without any noticeable drop in quality. The 3x telephoto is dependable too. It may not lead the segment in sharpness, but colours and dynamic range stay consistent. Zoom goes up to 30x, though beyond a point, clarity starts to fall off.
The ultrawide works best in good lighting. It captures vibrant colours and decent detail for landscapes and group shots, though I would avoid relying on it for close-ups. Selfies, on the other hand, were a highlight. They are sharp, well-exposed, and the wider framing makes a noticeable difference.
Low-light performance is where things get interesting. Samsung’s automatic Night mode runs in the background and does a good job of improving detail while reducing noise. That said, I found manually enabling it gives more consistent results. If you want deeper control, the Camera Assistant app adds useful options to tweak the output.
Video remains a strong point. I could shoot up to 4K at 60fps across all cameras and 8K on the main sensor. Footage looks sharp in daylight, holds up reasonably well in low light, and stabilisation is reliable. Features like Horizon Lock, Log recording, and LUT support add flexibility if you like fine-tuning your footage.
These cameras are not trying to reinvent anything. Instead, they focus on delivering a reliable, polished experience that holds up in everyday use.
Samsung Galaxy S26+ and Galaxy S26’s Performance: Flipped expectationsI did not expect performance to be the most interesting part of the Samsung Galaxy S26 and Samsung Galaxy S26+, but that is exactly where things got surprising.
Samsung has gone back to its own silicon this year, with the Exynos 2600 powering both phones. After last year’s Snapdragon shift on the non-Ultra models, this feels like a bold move. On paper, the difference is clear. The Ultra sticks with an octa-core Snapdragon chip, while the Exynos 2600 uses a deca-core setup. It is a different direction, and clearly one Samsung believes in.
In everyday use, I had no complaints. With 12GB of RAM across both variants, performance felt consistently smooth. Scrolling, multitasking, switching between apps, everything stayed fluid and responsive without any hiccups.
Benchmark numbers paint an interesting picture. In AnTuTu, the S26 scored 3.07 million and the S26+ reached 3.14 million, while the Ultra led with 3.73 million. That gap is expected.
Geekbench results were closer, especially in multicore, where both phones held their ground without anything unexpected.
The real surprise came in sustained performance. In the 3DMark Wildlife Extreme Stress Test, both the S26 and S26+ showed better stability than the Ultra. The S26 recorded 58.6 per cent stability, while the S26+ came in at 54.2 per cent. The Ultra, despite strong peak scores, dropped to 42.7 per cent. The S26+ even managed to edge ahead in best loop scores, which is not something I saw coming.
What this means in real terms is that these Exynos-powered phones hold performance more consistently over time, avoiding the sharper dips seen on the Ultra. Given Samsung’s past track record with Exynos, this shift genuinely surprised me.
Gaming backed this up as well. BGMI and Call of Duty: Mobile ran smoothly at up to 120fps in my testing. The phones do warm up during longer sessions, but thermals feel better managed. Samsung’s larger vapour chamber and improved cooling setup seem to be doing their job.
Right now, this is a strong showing. The bigger question is how the Exynos 2600 holds up over time against the Snapdragon chip in the Ultra. But based on my experience so far, it is putting up a far more convincing fight than I expected.
Samsung Galaxy S26+ and Galaxy S26’s Software: Almost Ultra-levelSoftware is one area where the Samsung Galaxy S26 and Samsung Galaxy S26+ barely feel like a step down from the Ultra. Both run One UI 8.5 on Android 16, and in daily use, the experience is almost identical. The only real gap is the absence of S Pen features.
Everything else is here. All of Samsung’s Galaxy AI tools are available, so there is no sense of missing out on features.
In everyday use, the interface feels well-tuned. Animations are fluid, transitions are quick, and the overall experience feels cohesive. It is the kind of polish that you expect at this level, and Samsung delivers on it consistently.
That said, one issue still sticks around. Samsung continues to double up on its core apps. You still get separate versions for things like browsing, notes, and even voice assistants. It does not break the experience, but over time, it adds unnecessary clutter.
The AI features are where things evolve. Photo Assist now works more like a conversation. I could describe edits, and the phone would apply them with surprising accuracy. Whether it was removing objects or tweaking colours, it felt intuitive, and the AI watermark keeps things transparent.
Bixby is more capable now, especially with improved language understanding and web integration. Even then, I still found myself relying more on Gemini Live for most interactions.
The more interesting addition is Perplexity AI. It can be triggered with a voice command and handles more complex, multi-step requests across apps, which makes it genuinely useful in day-to-day scenarios.
There are smaller improvements as well. Document Scan does a better job of cleaning up images, while Now Brief feels more proactive in organising information from your day. Now Nudge quietly steps in with suggestions based on what you are doing. These are not flashy features, but they add up over time.
Samsung is also committing to seven years of OS updates and security patches, matching Google’s Pixel lineup. That level of long-term support adds a layer of reassurance that few Android brands currently offer.
Samsung Galaxy S26+ and Galaxy S26’s Battery: Playing it safeBattery life on the Samsung Galaxy S26 and Samsung Galaxy S26+ feels more like continuity than progress. The S26+ continues with a 4900mAh cell and 45W wired charging, now paired with faster 20W wireless speeds. The S26 gets a bump to 4300mAh, but charging stays at 25W wired and 15W wireless.
In real use, both phones take a little over an hour to fully charge. The S26 ends up being slightly slower despite the smaller battery, largely due to its lower charging speeds. There is no built-in magnetic charging support either, so you will need compatible cases if that matters to you. Reverse wireless charging at 4.5W is still here for accessories.
Battery life itself has been dependable. I was consistently getting around six to seven hours of screen-on time, even with heavy outdoor usage.
That said, this is where Samsung starts to feel a step behind. Competitors are pushing bigger batteries and faster charging, and the 25W limit on the base S26 now feels overdue for an upgrade.
Verdict: Solid offerings, but one’s in a dilemmaAfter spending time with the Samsung Galaxy S26 and Samsung Galaxy S26+, I came away more impressed than I initially expected, particularly with how the Exynos 2600 holds up in everyday use.
The S26 stands out as the easier recommendation. If you want a compact flagship that feels premium, delivers smooth performance, and covers all the essentials without pushing you into Ultra pricing, it fits the bill well at ₹87,999. It feels balanced, dependable, and easy to live with.
The S26+, priced at ₹1,19,999, is where things get a bit more complicated. It is still a very capable phone, but it sits in an awkward position. The gap between it and the Ultra has narrowed, which makes it harder to justify for many buyers.
Taken together, both phones feel refined and reliable. Samsung has not changed the core formula, but it has quietly improved it in ways that show up in everyday use.
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