The current flagship, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, is a solid and dependable phone, but it doesn’t feel very different from the Galaxy S24 Ultra. However, this could change with the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, as the early reports and leaks suggest that Samsung may finally fix some long-standing issues in its premium phone. Making the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra feel less like a routine upgrade. Here are five changes we expect the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra to bring compared to the current Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: Display
The Galaxy S25 Ultra comes with a 6.8-inch display that already looks sharp and smooth, but the upcoming Galaxy S26 Ultra is expected to feature a slightly larger 6.9-inch screen, giving users more screen real estate to work with. Alongside the bigger display, the makers are also said to have addressed buyer complaints about outdoor visibility, as the new model is anticipated to reach a peak brightness of up to 3,000 nits, compared to the 2,000 nits peak brightness of the current Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: Charging
One area where the Galaxy S25 Ultra feels a bit outdated is its charging speed. The phone still supports 45W wired charging, which works well but is no longer very impressive. In comparison, the upcoming Galaxy S26 Ultra is expected to offer faster 60W charging. Leaks also suggest that wireless charging may see a small improvement with the new model.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: Processor
In terms of power, the Galaxy S25 Ultra runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset; in comparison, the upcoming Galaxy S26 Ultra is likely to use the newer Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: Camera
Talking about the camera, the Galaxy S25 Ultra comes equipped with a 200MP main, 50MP ultrawide, 50MP periscope, and 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom. On the front, the device comes with a 12MP selfie camera.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra is expected to keep the 200MP main camera but improve the supporting lenses. The supporting lenses are expected to come with 50MP ultrawide, 50MP periscope, and 10MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom. However, the rumours suggest that the device may feature a similar 12MP camera at the front.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: Software
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra runs on One UI 8 out of the box. However, the upcoming Galaxy S26 Ultra is tipped to run on the latest One UI 8.5, which is based on Android 16 out of the box.