Here’s how the new Samsung Galaxy S26 compares with last year’s S25

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Samsung unveiled its Galaxy S26 lineup at its recent Unpacked event in San Francisco. As expected, the new series consists of the baseline S26, which starts at $899.99, and the bigger S26 Plus, which starts at $1,099.99. At the high end, there’s also the $1,299.99 S26 Ultra, which is the largest in the lineup and comes with a bigger battery, better cameras, S Pen support, and expanded options for both storage and RAM. The price difference between Samsung’s cheapest and most expensive S26 phones is $400 (last year, it was $500).

While some of its updated Galaxy AI software features are new, it’s another year of minor hardware updates for Samsung’s flagship phones. However, there are some notable changes that you should know about upfront. The base S26 costs $100 more than last year’s model, but comes with 256GB of storage instead of 128GB. It also has a bigger battery and a slightly larger 6.3-inch screen (not great news if you appreciated the S25’s smaller size), but it’s now missing mmWave 5G support. The S26 Plus is $100 more, yet, as noted in the chart below, it offers even fewer upgrades.

If you want a side-by-side comparison of how the Galaxy S26 lineup fares in terms of specs to the last-gen models, we’ve made a table for your perusal. All of the new phones are up for preorder starting today, February 25th, and will ship on March 11th. Samsung also announced the forthcoming Galaxy Buds 4 and Buds 4 Pro, which are also available for preorder starting today ahead of their release on March 11th.

Samsung Galaxy S26 vs. S25

Specification

Samsung Galaxy S26

Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

Samsung Galaxy S25

Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

OSAndroid 16Android 16Android 16Android 16Android 16Android 16
Display6.3-inch OLED6.7-inch OLED6.9-inch OLED6.2-inch OLED6.7-inch OLED6.9-inch OLED
Resolution2340 x 10803120 x 14403120 x 14402340 x 10803120 x 14403120 x 1440
Max. refresh rateUp to 120HzUp to 120HzUp to 120HzUp to 120HzUp to 120HzUp to 120Hz
Dimensions (mm)149.6 x 71.7 x 7.2158.4 x 75.8 x 7.3163.6 x 78.1 x 7.9146.9 x 70.5 x 7.2158.4 x 75.8 x 7.3162.8 x 77.6 x 8.2
Weight5.89 ounces (167 grams)6.70 ounces (190 grams)7.55 ounces (214 grams)5.71 ounces (162 grams)6.70 ounces (190 grams)7.68 ounces (218 grams)
Battery4,300mAh4,900mAh5,000mAh  4,000mAh4,900mAh5,000mAh
ProcessorSnapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5Snapdragon 8 EliteSnapdragon 8 EliteSnapdragon 8 Elite
Storage256GB, 512GB256GB, 512GB256GB, 512GB, 1TB128GB, 256GB, 512GB256GB, 512GB256GB, 512GB, 1TB
RAM12GB12GB12GB / 16GB12GB12GB12GB
PortsUSB-CUSB-CUSB-CUSB-CUSB-CUSB-C
Rear cameraWide: 50MP, f/1.8 / Ultrawide: 12MP, f/2.2 /Telephoto:10MP, f/2.4Wide: 50MP, f/1.8 / Ultrawide: 12MP, f/2.2 /Telephoto:10MP, f/2.4Wide: 200MP, f/1.4 / Ultrawide: 50MP, f/1.9 / Telephoto 1: 10MP, f/2.4 / Telephoto 2: 50MP, f/2.9Wide: 50MP, f/1.8 / Ultrawide: 12MP, f/2.2 / Telephoto: 10MP, f/2.4Wide: 50MP, f/1.8 / Ultrawide: 12MP, f/2.2 / Telephoto: 10MP, f/2.4Main: 200MP, f/1.7 / Ultrawide: 50 MP, f/1.9 / Telephoto: 50MP, f/3.4; 10MP, f/2.4
Front camera12MP, f/2.212MP, f/2.212MP, f/2.212MP, f/2.212MP, f/2.212MP, f/2.2
Front video4K at 60fps4K at 60fps4K at 60fps4K at 30 / 60fps4K at 30 / 60fps4K at 30 / 60fps
Rear video8K at 30fps / 4K at 60fps8K at 30fps / 4K at 60fps8K at 30fps / 4K at 120fps8K at 24 / 30fps (main lens only), 4K at 30 / 60fps (all lenses)8K at 24 / 30fps (main lens only), 4K at 30 / 60fps (all lenses)8K at 24 / 30fps (main lens only), 4K at 30 / 60 / 120fps (all lenses)
BiometricsUltrasonic fingerprint and facial recognitionUltrasonic fingerprint and facial recognitionUltrasonic fingerprint and facial recognitionUltrasonic fingerprint and facial recognitionUltrasonic fingerprint and facial recognitionUltrasonic fingerprint and facial recognition
Water and dust protectionIP68IP68IP68IP68IP68IP68
Connectivity5G (no mmWave) / Wi-Fi 7 / Bluetooth 5.45G (includes mmWave) / Wi-Fi 7 / Bluetooth 65G (includes mmWave) / Wi-Fi 7 / Bluetooth 65G / Wi-Fi 7 / Bluetooth 5.45G / Wi-Fi 7 / Bluetooth 5.4 / Ultra wideband5G / Wi-Fi 7 / Bluetooth 5.4 / Ultra wideband
Wireless charging?Yes, 15WYes, 20WYes, 25WYes, 15W Qi2Yes, 15W Qi2Yes, 15W Qi2
Stylus support?NoNoYesNoNoYes
ColorsViolet, blue, black, white (online exclusives: silver, gold)Violet, blue, black, white (online exclusives: silver, gold)Violet, blue, black, white (online exclusives: silver, gold)Green, silver, light blue, navy (online exclusives: coral, black, gold)Green, silver, light blue, navy (online exclusives: coral, black, gold)Green, silver, light blue, navy (online exclusives: coral, black, gold)
Starting price$899.99$1,099.99$1,299.99$799.99$999.99$1,299.99
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