Samsung Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26+ Review: Lacking Ambition | WIRED

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Rating:7/10

Open rating explainerInformation

WIRED

Great performance. Bright, colorful, and sharp screens. Reliable triple-camera system. Good battery life. Long software support. Now starts with 256 GB.

TIRED

Not much new. Still no native Qi2 support. Price hike.

There is nothing inherently wrong with Samsung's base-level flagship smartphones of the year—the Galaxy S26 ($900) and Galaxy S26+ ($1,100). I have now spent several weeks with both handsets, and they're dutiful performers, just not very exciting.

Every year, Samsung introduces some fancy new feature, but it's almost always relegated to the top-tier Ultra model. This year, that's the Privacy Display on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, which blocks the screen from would-be snoopers around you. I like it a lot. Sadly, it's not available with the S26 or its bigger brother (some folks seem to hate it, so maybe that's a plus). Either way, it especially stings considering Samsung increased prices on these base models by $100 (thankfully, base storage has finally been upgraded to 256 GB, but that's long overdue).

The Galaxy S26+ is just $200 away from the Ultra and lacks the extra 5X optical zoom camera and the 200-MP main camera. The company even removed millimeter-wave support on the smaller S26, meaning it can no longer tap into the ultra-fast 5G networks in dense urban or high-traffic areas (if available). If you want a top-tier Android phone with few compromises, yes, either of these phones delivers. But you can also get a fantastic smartphone—with some even better perks—by spending as little as $799 on a device like the Google Pixel 10.

Same-Same

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

I haven't felt strongly about Samsung's smartphone design language for several years (the Galaxy S21 series remains one of my favorites), and that's not changing here. These phones look bland, with so-so color options, and if you go case-less, you'll be annoyed by how much they rock on a table when tapping the screen.

You probably will want to go with a case, though, because that's still the only way to take advantage of Qi2 charging speeds. These phones are “Qi2 Ready,” meaning, unlike the Pixel 10 series, there are no native magnets built into the phone—that's what allows them to charge more precisely and faster on Qi2 chargers. This is aggravating because Qi2 is so much more than charging. It allows you to mount the phone on magnetic surfaces or add various magnetic accessories, as iPhones have for years (Qi2 is compatible with Apple MagSafe). I don't have to slap a case on the Pixel 10 to enable this, but that's something you will need for the S26 series.

Even then, Samsung's implementation is inherently flawed. The magnets in its official or third-party cases sit far too close to the camera module, meaning tons of perfectly fine MagSafe accessories that work on Pixels or iPhones are incompatible with Samsung's phone. I tried a few MagSafe wallets, for example, and they wouldn't magnetically stick because the camera module cuts in too close. Maybe this is why Samsung has been slow to add native magnets to its phones—it would require a complete redesign.

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

The Galaxy S26 is taller to accommodate a slightly larger 6.3-inch screen, but it's otherwise the option to get if you prefer a smaller phone. The S26+'s 6.7-inch screen hasn't changed; it remains cumbersome to hold, but it's not as unwieldy as the Ultra.

The S26's battery got a small bump from 4,000 to 4,300 mAh (the S26+'s 4,900-mAh battery is unchanged from the S25+). Generally, I've been quite happy with battery performance on both of these phones. They've lasted a full day, even with heavy use including GPS navigation, photo snaps, and spending too much time on Instagram Reels. With lighter usage, I can easily end a day with around 60 to 50 percent left, enough to skip charging overnight. The S26+ can charge slightly faster wirelessly at 20 watts if you use a compatible Qi2 charger (and a magnetic case), whereas the S26 is stuck at 15 watts.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip in these phones has crushed every task I've thrown at them with ease, including a few bouts in Genshin Impact at max graphics settings. They lack the advanced cooling system Samsung introduced on the S26 Ultra this year, but the vapor chamber still does its job and wicks away heat, keeping the phone cooler for better sustained performance. However, I didn't notice much of a difference over last year's Galaxy S25 series when gaming or with day-to-day tasks.

Yes, some AI processes do run faster on these phones, but there's still a small p