Is the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra worth upgrading from the S25 Ultra?

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For Galaxy S25 Ultra owners, the S26 Ultra offers incremental improvements plus one major new feature.

What's New

Major Addition

• Privacy Display: Built-in screen privacy from side viewers

Hardware Upgrades

• Charging: 60W wired (vs 45W), 25W wireless
• Main camera: f/1.4 aperture (vs f/1.7)—47% more light
• Periscope: f/2.9 aperture (vs f/3.4)
• Processor: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
• Design: 7.9mm thick (vs 8.2mm), 214g (vs 218g)

Unchanged

• 5,000mAh battery
• 6.9-inch display
• 200MP main sensor
• S Pen (no Bluetooth)

Potential Downsides

• Aluminum frame (not titanium)
• Display eye strain reports for some users
• Slightly dimmer screen in some tests

Upgrade If

✅ Privacy Display is essential for your work
✅ Your S25 Ultra has issues
✅ Faster charging matters significantly
✅ Low-light camera improvement is valuable

Skip If

❌ Your S25 Ultra works perfectly
❌ Concerned about display issues
❌ You valued the titanium frame
❌ $1,299 is hard to justify for incremental changes

Software Note

The S25 Ultra will receive One UI 8.5 and most Galaxy AI features. You won't miss significant software updates by keeping your current phone.

Recommendation

Unless Privacy Display addresses a specific need, the S25 Ultra remains excellent. Consider waiting for the S27 Ultra for potentially more substantial upgrades.