What's the Deal?

Some S26 Ultra owners are frustrated that they can't hit the advertised 25W wireless charging speed. The honest reality: the 25W capability is real, but achieving it requires conditions that feel impractical.

Why You're Probably Not Getting 25W

Your Charger Isn't New Enough

The S26 Ultra needs a Qi2.2 certified charger for 25W speeds. Your existing wireless charger—even Samsung models from a couple years ago—likely tops out at 10–15W.

What most chargers deliver:

• Qi2.2 chargers: up to 25W
• Older wireless chargers: 10–15W
• Random chargers: probably 10W

Your Case Is in the Way

Some official Samsung cases limit charging to 15W even with the right charger. Thicker cases, cases with metal elements, or MagSafe-style rings can make things worse.

The Phone Gets Warm

When the phone heats up, it throttles charging to protect the battery. This happens during:

• Hot weather
• Using the phone while charging
• Long charging sessions

Alignment Matters More Than Expected

The S26 Ultra seems sensitive to placement. Slightly off-center = significantly reduced speeds.

What Samsung Says

Samsung acknowledges the feedback but hasn't pushed fixes. Their advice:

• Use Samsung Qi2.2 chargers
• Remove your case when charging
• Don't use the phone while wirelessly charging

What Should You Do?

If speed matters: Use the cable. 60W wired charging is fast and reliable.

If convenience matters: Accept that 15W overnight charging is plenty for most people.

If you want 25W wireless: Buy a Qi2.2 charger, remove your case, and place the phone precisely.

Is This a Defect?

Not really—more like overpromising in marketing. The 25W capability exists, but conditions required to achieve it are unrealistic for daily use.

The Quick Answer

256GB, 512GB, or 1TB. No microSD slot—what you buy is what you get.

Prices and What You Actually Get

| Storage | Price | RAM | Usable Space | |---------|-------|-----|--------------| | 256GB | ,299 | 12GB | ~220GB | | 512GB | ,419 | 12GB | ~475GB | | 1TB | ,659 | 16GB | ~950GB |

The 1TB model is the only one with 16GB RAM—worth noting if heavy multitasking matters to you.

How to Pick the Right Size

256GB Is Fine If:

• You stream music and movies instead of downloading
• Photos back up to the cloud automatically
• You're not installing tons of apps or games
• You've been fine with 128GB on your current phone

512GB Is the Sweet Spot If:

• You have a decent photo library
• You download shows for flights or commutes
• You play a few games
• You want room to grow

This is what most people should get.

1TB Makes Sense If:

• You shoot a lot of 8K or 4K video
• You keep large music or movie libraries locally
• You're a mobile gamer with lots of big titles
• You plan to keep this phone for 4+ years

No MicroSD Means Choose Wisely

Unlike older phones, you can't add storage later. Check your current phone's usage—go to Settings > Storage. If you're at 80% or more, go up a tier.

About 8K Video

If you plan to record 8K video regularly, know that a 30-second clip can be 300–400MB. 512GB minimum if you're into video; 1TB if you're serious about it.

Value Math

• 256GB → 512GB: for 256GB more (good value)
• 512GB → 1TB: for 512GB more plus the RAM upgrade

What Can the AI Actually Do?

The Galaxy S26 Ultra is packed with AI features. Some are genuinely useful daily tools; others are neat tricks you'll use occasionally.

The Features You'll Use Most

Circle to Search

See something on screen you want to search? Draw a circle around it. Works anywhere—social media, texts, websites, photos. Genuinely one of the most useful AI features.

Photo Assist

You can:

• Remove photobombers or distracting objects
• Move people around in a photo
• Turn a daytime photo into a nighttime scene (new)
• Add things that weren't there (new)

Results are usually convincing enough for social media.

Note Assist

Write messy handwritten notes with the S Pen, and it converts them to clean, formatted text with structure—headings, bullet points, proper organization. Actually useful for meeting notes.

Live Translate

Have a phone call with someone who speaks a different language. The AI translates in real-time, and both sides hear their own language.

Fun S Pen Features

Sketch to Image

Draw a rough sketch and the AI transforms it into actual artwork. Choose styles like photographic, watercolor, or anime. Sometimes the results are good enough to use.

Your Handwriting as a Font

The AI studies your handwriting and creates a digital font that looks like your writing.

The New Stuff: Now Nudge

Samsung's "agentic" AI proactively helps without being asked. Texting about meeting someone Tuesday at 3pm? Now Nudge might offer to add it to your calendar. Mention calling someone? It offers to dial.

Privacy Note

Most AI processing happens on-device thanks to the powerful NPU chip. Photo editing, note conversion, and sketch transformations don't send data to the cloud. Circle to Search and Live Translate use cloud processing with privacy protections.

Will These Features Last?

Samsung promises 7 years of updates, so these AI features should keep improving through 2033.