Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus vs Galaxy S26 Ultra: Main differences to expect

The end of 2025 is near, and with it, the arrival of the Galaxy S26 series is right around the corner. 

Samsung is seemingly aiming for a late February release, a bit later than we initially expected, but this delay has a pretty good reason behind it: Samsung initially aimed to release a Galaxy S26 Pro and Galaxy S26 Edge, but due to one reason or another, the idea was reportedly scrapped, so the wheels of the giant had to turn once again and come up with its regular phone lineup. 

As a result, we will be getting the usual suspects: the Galaxy S26, the Galaxy S26 Plus, and the Galaxy S26 Ultra. 

Galaxy S26 Plus vs Galaxy S26 Ultra expected differences:

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The only major difference with the older generation could be the addition of a slightly protruding camera island that will house all three––also protruding––camera lenses at the back. The Galaxy S25 Plus did not have such a unified camera island. 

The Galaxy S26 Ultra will likely swap titanium for aluminum, which is exactly what Apple did with the iPhone 17 range. Other than that and featuring a slightly raised camera island in the rear, the Galaxy S26 Ultra will look the same as the Galaxy S25 Ultra. 

No word on colors just yet, but we expect a decent selection as well as some exclusive colors available through Samsung.com. 

Display Differences

The Galaxy S26 Plus will arrive with the same 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen as its predecessor, with up to 120 Hz refresh rate functionality, HDR support, and peak brightness of more than 2,600 nits. 

The same applies to the Galaxy S26 Ultra, which will carry a 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a 120 Hz refresh rate, HDR, and brightness that likely comes very close to 3,000 nits. 

One thing that the Galaxy S26 Ultra screen will have going on for it will be the anti-reflective coating that passively boosts outdoor legibility by eliminating reflections and glare. We do hope this feature trickles down to the Galaxy S26 Plus. 

Both phones will feature under-display fingerprint scanners, which should be as fast and as accurate as they come. 

Performance and Software

Hello, market segregation, old friend

Samsung is once again about to indulge in some market segregation when it comes to what chips power its Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Ultra lineup… and this time it might be for good. 

In the USA, Canada, and China, the Galaxy S26 Plus will rely on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, the best high-profile 3nm chipset available to most Android makers out there. 

In all other markets around the globe, the Samsung flagship will rely on the company’s in-house Exynos 2600 chipset, which is built on a 2nm manufacturing process. Samsung reveals some modest performance gains: the 2nm Exynos 2600 is some 5% better-performing and 8% more efficient than its previous 3nm chip, the Exynos 2500. 

None of this will apply to the Galaxy S26 Ultra, though. The top flagships will rely on Qualcomm power all around the world (or at least that’s what the rumor mill believes). 

At the moment, it’s unclear if Samsung will give us 16GB of RAM in its flagships like most Chinese top flagships, or will continue its reliance on the good ol’ 12GB of memory. The latter is more likely, that’s for certain. 

Camera

What’s changing?

No major changes for the cameras this year as well. 

The Galaxy S26 Plus will score a 50MP main camera, likely with an upgraded sensor, a 12MP ultrawide, and a 10MP telephoto with 3X optical zoom. 

The Galaxy S26 Ultra will retain its latest setup: a 200MP main camera, a 50MP 5X periscope, a 50MP ultrawide, and a 10MP 3X telephoto. The change here could be either a larger sensor for the main camera (a 1/1.1-inch Sony sensor has been thrown around as a possibility), or a faster f/1.4 aperture for the main camera. 

Both devices will retain their usual 12MP selfie cameras. Not great, not terrible. 

Battery Life and Charging

Finally, an upgrade!

The big news lately is that Samsung might finally step away from the 5,000 mAh battery it has been using for the past five or six years on its Galaxy Ultra phones. The rumor mill suggests we might actually get a 5,200 mAh battery inside the Galaxy S26 Ultra, which is a small increase, but an increase nonetheless!

That would likely improve the battery endurance of the Ultra way above what we saw on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which was already decent on the Galaxy S25 Ultra. 

The Galaxy S26 Plus, on the other hand, will likely arrive with a battery in the ballpark of 4,900 mAh, just like the Galaxy S25 Plus. Could we hope for a 5,000 mAh battery here? Remains to be seen.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra is also likely getting a charging upgrade from 45 to 60 W. This would allow the device to charge faster than before. On that note, the Galaxy S26 Plus will likely keep its 45 W charging. Pretty average these days. 

There’s a high chance we’d see full Qi2 implementation on the Galaxy S26 range. This means wireless charging speeds potentially up to 25W, but the bigger thing here could be the use of Qi2 magnets in the rear. These could allow you to easily snap on compatible Qi2, MagSafe, or Pixelsnap accessories.

Specs Comparison

Summary

The Galaxy S26 Ultra will be the phone that maximalists and power users will inevitably pick, as it will most certainly end up being the most powerful Android phone available in the US for the foreseeable future. With the best camera and most features and functionalities on board, it will be the expensive but no-compromise phone to get in early 2026.