nullThe S26 Ultra comes loaded with pre-installed apps. Like, a lot of them.
The storage situation:
The operating system takes about 24 GB. Pre-installed apps add another 17 GB. By the time you turn on a new 256GB S26 Ultra, you're looking at maybe 205-210GB of actually usable storage.
That's not great if you went with base storage.
What's actually installed:
Samsung puts their whole app ecosystem on there: Galaxy Store, Samsung Health, Samsung Notes, SmartThings, Samsung Internet, Samsung Wallet, and more. Some are genuinely useful. Others you'll never touch.
Then there's Google's app suite—Chrome, Gmail, YouTube, Maps, Photos, Drive. Standard Android stuff.
The real bloatware comes from third parties. Facebook often gets pre-installed. Microsoft Office apps. Netflix. Sometimes carrier-specific apps and games.
The background services problem:
Samsung runs background services for AI features, cloud sync, and ecosystem stuff. Reddit users complain these use battery and data even when you're not actively using the apps.
What can you do about it?
Most third-party bloatware can be fully uninstalled. Samsung's own apps usually can only be disabled, not removed. Disabling stops them from running and updating.
Google apps are somewhere in between. Some you can disable, others are required.
Is it a dealbreaker?
For most people, no. Spend 10 minutes after setup removing or disabling what you don't want. But if you're coming from a Pixel, the amount of pre-installed software can feel like a lot.
Check Galaxy S26 Ultra storage options and pricing.
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