Samsung Galaxy S26 review
Earlier in April, we published the comprehensive Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review. Recently, we got to work on the 'base model' from the Galaxy S26 family. Although we are talking about the base model here, it is not exactly a basic model. It is the most compact in the series, but the phone is packed with high-end specifications. Is this the phone to have if you are looking for a slightly more compact high-end smartphone?
Unboxing
The same black packaging as on the Ultra model, we also see on the regular S26, only with the outline of that phone. We find a USB-C cable, some paperwork and a SIM needle. You have to provide a case yourself, and a screen protector is not included as standard on the screen either. So only the essentials are included.
Design and interface
With the Samsung Galaxy S26 series, Samsung chooses to equalise the colours and shapes/design of the three smartphones. While smartphones years ago could be much smaller (as with the Xperia X10 Mini, for example), the S26 is nice and compact by today's standards. That's without having to compromise too much on functionality. For instance, the smartphone features a 6.3-inch AMOLED display, which can be nice and bright on sunny days and dimmed enough in the darker hours. The phone is IP68 waterproof.
The smartphone measures 149.6 x 71.7 x 7.2 millimetres and weighs 167 grams. For the Galaxy S26 review, we got the device in the colour 'Cobalt Violet', personally a favourite of ours. You can also choose from the colours Sky Blue, Black, White and Silver. Samsung also offers the device in Shadow and Pink Gold colours. On the right side is the volume key and power button. At the bottom is space for the SIM card and USB-C port. It is a shame that the S26 does not get the Privacy Display like the Ultra has.
Interface
The Galaxy S26's interface is similar to that of the Ultra. This means an uncluttered piece of software, using One UI 8.5. You have several customisation options to choose from, including different wallpapers with clock styles. There is also an Always On Display, for which there are options available. Of course, the necessary widgets are present and you can access notifications and quick settings from the top of the phone.
Communication and multimedia
Besides a physical SIM card, the Galaxy S26 also has space for eSIM. Making calls is no problem at all with the Samsung. Call quality is good and making calls is done via Samsung's own calling app. Internet can be accessed via the Chrome browser, or via Samsung's own Internet browser, whichever you prefer. The Samsung Galaxy S26 gives you access to the 5G network and can of course also handle 5G, WiFi and Bluetooth. Mobile payments are no problem either, as the smartphone is of course equipped with an NFC chip.
For the multimedia lover, the S26 is equipped with a nice screen. In addition, the Galaxy also manages to deliver a fine sound quality with its stereo speakers. The volume can be quite loud, and the sound sounds full.
Camera
You can take photos with one of the three cameras on the back of the Galaxy S26. There is a 50-megapixel main camera, 12-megapixel wide-angle lens and a 10-megapixel telephoto lens. The latter lens lets you zoom in 3x optically to bring your subject closer. If you are used to Samsung, the camera app will also get used quickly. The app is user-friendly, although as with the S26 Ultra, using the night mode is a bit more cumbersome. Photos taken are collected in Samsung's gallery app, although you can also use the Google Photos app.
The Samsung Galaxy S26's camera takes fine pictures. As we have come to expect from the South Korean manufacturer, these are also well saturated with rich colours. Sometimes this is a tad excessive, but overall the camera takes good pictures. With 3x zoom, you get zoomed-in photos with optical quality, but the quality is not always good. We see this for instance in the picture of the bridge, where many details do fall away. You don't expect that from a phone in this price range. Fortunately, the phone otherwise manages to take fine photos. Pictures we took with the S26 can be viewed in the digital photo album.
Selfies
The Samsung's selfie camera still counts 12 megapixels, where several competitors offer more megapixels. The selfies are of sufficient quality.
Video camera
The video camera also shoots fine movies. We took the video below with the Galaxy S26 and uploaded it directly, without any edits. As with the Ultra, you can choose Horizon Lock. This feature ensures that the image always stays straight, no matter how far you turn and tilt the phone.
Performance and battery life
Samsung only supplies the Ultra with the Snapdragon chipset in our region. This means that the Galaxy S26 comes with its own Exynos 2600 processor from its own factory. This delivers fine performance. We didn't notice any annoying features, and tasks get done quickly. The phone is equipped with 12GB of working memory. For storage, there is a choice of 256GB and 512GB.
Battery
Samsung equips the Galaxy S26 with a 4300mAh battery. This is not the most generous battery capacity, and unfortunately we see this reflected in the performance. It is a pity that Samsung does not opt for a silicon battery like several of its competitors, as this could boost the capacity. A day can usually be achieved on one battery charge, but with intensive use on especially the mobile network, that can become a thingy. Not infrequently, we only note a screen time of 3.5 to 4 hours, and sometimes this is even as little as three hours. With more WiFi, the battery lasts longer, but we had hoped for better performance from the battery. Charging is done with 25W wired or 15W wireless.
Update policy
We can be brief about the update policy for the Samsung Galaxy S26, as it is excellent. You get both Android and security updates for a period of seven years. This puts Samsung ahead of Google in the period that devices are kept updated. Which is nice when you buy such an expensive phone.
Review
Adding everything up, the Samsung Galaxy S26 is really only a minor upgrade over the Galaxy S25. Is that a disadvantage? Not necessarily. The camera performs fine, the screen is nice and it is nice that the phone is relatively compact. Yet there are also areas for improvement. For instance, the battery life could really be better, and the camera could use an update. After all, the competition does not sit still either, as proven by the Xiaomi 17, which is in the same boat, with a larger battery, excellent camera and also in a compact package.
If you want to get started with the Galaxy S26 yourself, you can buy it from:
- Compact device
- Beautiful screen
- Long update period
- Battery life
- Must miss Privacy Display
