Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra First Look – Hands-on with new privacy-centric flagship

Launched alongside its smaller siblings the Galaxy S26+ and the Galaxy S26, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is the best specced out of the Galaxy S26 series with the largest display that has a unique Privacy Display, better cameras and is the only phone in the line-up with a built-in S Pen stylus on top of a host of additional features. 

It also retains quite a few specifications from its predecessor. At launch, we managed to get our hands on a test sample for field testing. After an initial whirl around the block, here’s our Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra first look and hands-on where we assess if it has what it takes to be a true flagship contender in 2026.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra First Look – Build and Design and What’s Different from the Galaxy S25 Ultra

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is the titular successor to last year’s Galaxy S25 Ultra but sports several subtle differences. Our Galaxy S26 Ultra first look sample has more rounded corners along with a camera island protecting three of the five cameras on the rear; the S25 Ultra has sharper, squarer corners and individual camera rings protecting each camera. 

On closer inspection, the S26 Ultra is thinner at 7.9mm thin not counting its raised camera island and lighter too at 214g; its predecessor was 8.2mm thick and weighed 218g. Ultimately, this makes the S26 Ultra the lightest Galaxy Ultra series phone they’ve ever made.

However, the materials used in the new Galaxy S26 Ultra’s frame differ. Where the prior Galaxy S25 Ultra used titanium, the Galaxy S26 Ultra instead uses Samsung’s own second-generation Armor Aluminum 2 that is still tougher than the conventional aluminium used in competing phones, presumably for better thermals.

Both the newer and older model retain the same IP68 dust and water resistance which is respectable but which isn’t as robust as some other recent competing flagship phones which have an IP69 rating which means that it can resist incoming jets of high pressure water. To be fair, it’s a very unlikely scenario to encounter in daily life so it’s not a deal breaker.

Contrary to pre-launch rumours, the Galaxy S26 Ultra lacks built-in magnets that would support MagSafe accessories. Unfortunately, you’ll need to invest in a compatible casing with MagSafe to get this capability.

In terms of overall build and design, our Galaxy S26 Ultra first look sample looks and feels suitably premium with its Cobalt Violet colourway that looks likes a metallic purple verging on blue finish. You can also get it in safer colourways like black and white as well as Sky Blue as well as the online exclusives Pink Gold and Silver Shadow.

As mentioned earlier, the rear sports a similar camera setup as its predecessor with the notable aesthetic difference being a raised camera island to protect several of the rear cameras. The setup of a 200MP main camera, a 10MP 3x telephoto, 50MP 5x telephoto and 50MP ultrawide angle camera has been retained.

What has been improved here is subtle but significant with the main 200MP camera upgraded to a brighter f/1.4 aperture over the prior f/1.7 in the S25 Ultra.

The 50MP telephoto camera has also been upgraded as well to a brighter f/2.9 from the older model’s f/3.4 while retaining 5X optical zoom. The other hardware is otherwise unaltered with a secondary 10MP f/2.4 telephoto with 3X zoom and a 50MP f/2.5 ultra wide angle camera.

@hitechcentury Hands-on and demo of the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra’s new Privacy Display. @samsungmalaysia #galaxys26ultra #galaxyunpacked #samsungmalaysia #hitechcentury #learnontiktok ♬ original sound – Hitech Century

The right side features a power button and volume rocker while the left and top are otherwise unremarkable. The base of our Galaxy S26 Ultra first look sample comes densely packed with a grille for the speaker, a USB-C port for charging, a nano SIM card tray and a storage well for the S Pen stylus. Much like the one used in the Galaxy S25 Ultra last year, the S Pen stylus lacks Air Commands and works solely as a digital stylus. 

Up front, the phone features a 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with 3,120 x 1,440 pixels resolution and a 1-120Hz refresh rate with 2,600 nits peak brightness. A tiny slit up top acts as an earpiece and second speaker with the bottom quadrant of the display featuring a fingerprint reader. Perched up top in a punch hole is a single 12MP f/2.2 camera for selfies.

The screen of our Galaxy S26 Ultra first look sample is also protected by Corning Gorilla Armor 2 glass which is the same as its predecessor with improved resistance to scratches and nicks. What makes it unique though is its new Privacy Display feature where users can selectively obscure selected apps or the entire screen from shoulder surfers. This sounds brilliant on paper and we’ll put it through more thorough testing in our full review to see how effective it is in practical scenarios in the field.

@hitechcentury Unboxing the new Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra in Cobalt Violet plus privacy display test! #galaxys26ultra #samsungmalaysia @samsungmalaysia #hitechcentury #galaxyunpacked ♬ Stay With Me（PHONK） – DJ制权

Overall build quality is suitably premium befitting its status as Samsung’s currently most powerful flagship phone. Unfortunately, the prominent camera island means that the phone is rather wobbly when placed on a table or other flat surface.

In keeping with the last several years, there’s nothing else in the packaging beyond a USB-C charging cable, some warranty literature and a SIM eject pin.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra First Look – Hardware

Beyond the improvements in the display, the brighter aperture in several of its cameras and a generally lighter and slimmer build that uses different materials than its predecessor, the Galaxy S26 Ultra also features the obligatory updates to the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 for Galaxy processor that has 19% faster CPU processing, 24% improved graphics performance and 39% faster AI performance compared to the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset used in the Galaxy S25 Ultra. 

For the uninitiated, the ‘for Galaxy’ processor variants are exclusive to Samsung and are clocked slightly faster than the stock models. Complementing the new processor is a beefier vapour chamber that is quoted to offer 21% better thermal performance than its predecessor.

Paired with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 for Galaxy CPU is 12GB RAM and 256GB of storage for our Galaxy S26 Ultra review sample though 512GB and a higher end 16GB RAM/1TB variant is also available at a higher price.

Running under the hood of the Galaxy S26 Ultra is the latest Android 16 with One UI 8.5. Like other flagships, Samsung has committed to offering 7 years of OS and security updates, keeping it updated to Android 22 and secure through to 2032.

Beyond the hardware, Samsung has placed significant emphasis on the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s AI capabilities and wider support for many of its creative features. Among the improvements is the ability to use text prompts for image editing in Creative Studio, better context sensitive editing to remove or restore objects in photos and an improved Audio Eraser that now works with selected third party apps like YouTube and Instagram.

Another new feature with OneUI 8.5 is Now Nudge that proactively suggests relevant information or actions based on what’s happening onscreen like sharing a photo, recalling information or reminders or adding an event to your calendar. 

Oddly, the Galaxy S26 Ultra retains the same 5,000mAh battery as its predecessor though it gets faster 60W wired charging and 25W wireless charging which will come in handy for fast top-ups in the field. Stay tuned for our full review after we put our Galaxy S26 Ultra first look sample through its paces!

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra first look sample courtesy of Samsung Malaysia. For more details please visit www.samsung.com/my