How does the camera aperture on the Galaxy S26 Ultra compare to the S25 Ultra?

It depends on which storage size you buy. Samsung ties the RAM amount to the storage configuration, which is a bit annoying if you just want more RAM without paying for a terabyte of storage.

Here's the Breakdown

| Storage | RAM | Price | |---------|-----|-------| | 256GB | 12GB | ,299 | | 512GB | 12GB | ,419 | | 1TB | 16GB | ,659 |

Want 16GB of RAM? You're buying the most expensive Galaxy S26 Ultra model.

Do You Actually Need 16GB?

Probably not. Here's the truth: 12GB is plenty for almost everyone.

You can have a bunch of apps open, switch between them without reloading, play games, browse with dozens of tabs—12GB handles it all. Android has gotten really good at managing memory, and Samsung's software is optimized for it.

Who Might Want 16GB

If you do serious creative work on your phone—editing 4K or 8K video, working with huge photo files in Lightroom, or using DeX as a legitimate desktop replacement—16GB gives you more headroom. Heavy gamers who keep multiple games and apps running simultaneously might appreciate the extra RAM too.

The Real Talk

Some people think Samsung should offer 16GB on all S26 Ultra models at this price point. Other flagship phones are starting to do that. But in day-to-day use, most people won't feel the difference between 12GB and 16GB. It's one of those spec numbers that looks good on paper but rarely translates to real-world benefits for typical users.

Ever watch a video where you can barely hear people talking over the wind or background noise? Audio Eraser is Samsung's solution for that, and on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, it does something pretty clever.

What's New This Year

The basic feature has been around, but now it works in real-time on apps like YouTube and Netflix. Watching a video with annoying background noise? The S26 Ultra can filter it out on the fly. The audio gets cleaner while you watch.

How It Actually Works

The AI listens to different elements in the audio—voices, music, wind, crowd noise—and lets you dial down the stuff you don't want. All processing happens right on the phone using the Snapdragon chip's AI capabilities, so nothing gets sent to a server.

Using It On Your Own Videos

Open any video you've recorded in the Gallery app, and you can clean up the audio before sharing. Windy beach video? Kill that wind. Concert recording where the crowd is drowning out the music? Tone them down.

The Catch

It's not magic. Sometimes when you crank up the noise removal, you'll notice weird audio artifacts—voices can sound a bit robotic or hollow. And if the sound you want to keep and the sound you want to remove are too similar, the AI struggles.

For casual cleanup though? It works surprisingly well. Just don't expect studio-quality results from a phone feature.

Here's something Samsung doesn't tell you during setup: your fancy new Galaxy S26 Ultra isn't running at full resolution out of the box. They ship it set to FHD+ (basically 1080p) instead of the gorgeous QHD+ (1440p) the screen can actually display.

Why Does This Matter?

You paid for a phone with a 6.9-inch screen capable of 3120 x 1440 pixels. That's insanely sharp at around 500 pixels per inch. But Samsung cranks it down to save a bit of battery, and most people never know to change it.

How to Fix It

Super easy:

1. Settings
2. Display
3. Screen resolution
4. Pick WQHD+ (3120 x 1440)

Done.

Will I Notice a Difference?

Definitely. Text looks crisper. Photos show more detail. Apps with small UI elements are easier to read. It's one of those things where you might not realize what you were missing until you turn it on.

But What About Battery Life?

This is why Samsung does it. They're trying to squeeze every bit of juice they can. But honestly, for most people the battery impact is minimal. Maybe 5-10% over a full day, if that.

Unlike older Samsung phones, you can use the full 120Hz refresh rate at QHD+ resolution. No compromises.

If you're paying ,299+ for the S26 Ultra, turn on full resolution. Experience what you paid for.