Samsung Galaxy S26 review

Competition

The Samsung Galaxy S26 is one of the few compact premium options. In the US, the starting price of the 12GB/256GB base configuration is $900, putting it head-to-head with the iPhone 17 Pro and the Google Pixel 10 Pro.

In markets like the EU or India, the competition in the €900-1,000 price bracket is much more heated. The Galaxy S26 faces not just the iPhone and the Pixel, but it also goes against the Xiaomi 17 and the vivo X300.

The Galaxy S26's launch price slots it right between the Pixel 10 Pro and the iPhone 17 Pro. And since it matches them in the display, charging and battery life departments, the decision between these will probably boil down to the camera quality, and in this aspect, the Galaxy S26 is a bit behind.

Apple iPhone 17 Pro • Google Pixel 10 Pro

Although we would like to highlight a nuance in the Galaxy S26 vs. Pixel 10 Pro camera comparison. The Galaxy S26 may not offer the Pixel 10 Pro's telephoto capabilities, but the Pixel doesn't come with the cool video recording features the S26 has. The ultrawide on the latter is also nicer, and battery life and charging speed seem to be on the S26's side as well.

Xiaomi 17 • vivo X300

When you put the S26 in a more global context, it becomes increasingly harder for Samsung's mini flagship. Both the Xiaomi 17 and the vivo X300 match the Galaxy S26's price tag while offering much more in return.

The two Chinese contenders excel in the camera department, and even if the Xiaomi 17's zoom camera is just 2.6x, it produces much more likeable 5x stills than the Galaxy S26. The vivo and the Xiaomi also seem to do a lot better in our battery life and charging tests. This leaves Samsung's small phone as a lower-value alternative to most other compact flagships.

Verdict

It would be unfair not to highlight Samsung's efforts to optimize for the existing hardware. Compared to last year's Galaxy S25, there are certainly some improvements. We see a notable gain in battery life, a tad faster charging, and a bunch of new AI and video recording features that may sound enticing enough to the right crowd.

On the other hand, it's becoming increasingly hard for Samsung to sugar-coat the minor upgrades offered by the new generation. The Galaxy S26 still feels like the flagship underdog next to the Plus and Ultra. Even the mid-range Galaxy A57 gets 45W fast wired charging. The vanilla S26 is also more than a few laps behind the competition in terms of camera hardware, battery technology and charging.

There's no easy way to put it. There are better value smartphones out there at the same price point, so unless you are a die-hard fan of Samsung's otherwise excellent One UI and its promise of long support and AI features, your money will be better spent elsewhere.

Pros

• Premium build quality.
• Bright LTPO OLED panel.
• Better battery life and faster charging times than the Galaxy S25.
• Seven years of Android updates and security patches.
• Excellent selfie camera with autofocus.
• Versatile video recording features with LUTs and Horizon Lock.

Cons

• Very minor upgrade over the Galaxy S25 overall.
• Base level IP68 rating - other Androids get IP69.
• Display is missing 10bit depth, high-frequency PWM and Dolby Vision support.
• Video recording lacks 4K120 and APV codec support found on the S26 Ultra.
• Unintuitive Night mode implementation.
• Charging speeds still lag behind many competitors (even the other S26 models).